Customer Reviews

Goldfinger [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD release of "Goldfinger," the most famous of all James Bond scores and without a doubt one of the most influential soundtracks ever produced, expands the album for the first time for U.S. buyers to the original length of the U.K. album. The U.K. album had four extra tracks ("Pussy Galore's Flying Circus," "Golden Girl," "Laser Beam," and "Death of Tilley") that were mysteriously cut from the original Stateside release. These four tracks later appeared on a compilation CD, but this is the first time all the tracks have been released on one CD for American consumption. The CD is also wonderfully re-mastered, far superior to the old CD release that was muffled and even had misaligned track markers! (The sound difference is most notable on the brassy, hard swingin' instrumental cover of the theme song, which on the original CD sounded scratchy, as if it were lifted directly from an old vinyl record!) This album, however, is missing a track that would have been a nice extra: Anthony Newley's original demo recording of the theme song, smooth and low-key, which makes for an interesting contrast to Shirley Bassey's hard jazz-pop rendition heard in the film.

What is there to say about this music that hasn't been said a million times in books, documentaries, reviews, and Internet forums? It's the quintessential `spy jazz' album, and it changed action film music forever. John Barry had worked (mostly un-credited) on "Dr. No," did the full score for the remarkable "From Russia, With Love," but here he absolutely explodes with an original vibrant style for the series and charted the way for every score to follow. Barry took his experience as a jazz/rock trumpeter and bandleader (he headed the popular British group "The John Barry Seven") and expanded it into a tremendous orchestral juggernaut. The melody "Goldfinger" (with lyrics by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse) becomes a screaming, sexy jazz anthem, with Shirley Bassey's sassy and snarling reading of the lyrics making the piece into an instant, unforgettable classic chart-topper. It's the most famous title song from the Bond films, and deservedly so.

Throughout the rest of the score, Barry uses the theme song in interesting ways. "Alpine Drive" presents the lyrical, laid back John Barry. The instrumental version of the theme song (which isn't in the film) is gritty and guitar-driven, and also includes music from "Dawn Raid on Fort Knox." "Oddjob's Pressing Engagement" makes great up-tempo use of the Goldfinger theme as well. The famous James Bond theme appears in "Bond Back in Action" (the music for the pre-credits sequence). Barry uses very mysterious, sexy music for "Teasing the Korean" (lots of musical jokes and stings on this one), "Golden Girl," "Auric's Factory," "Gassing the Gangsters," and the extremely tense "Laser Beam."

The score highlight, however, is the lengthy, pounding "Dawn Raid on Fort Knox," which starts with a slow building military march on snare-drums and gradually grows into an explosive version of the Goldfinger Theme and concludes with dramatic, tense vibraphone and brass punctuations as Goldfinger's private army lasers its way through the doors of Fort Knox. This is followed up with "Arrival of Bomb and Countdown," where a thundering hypnotic brass piece builds up the `seconds-to-doom' finale. ("A few more ticks and Mr. Goldfinger would have hit the jackpot.")

This really is a quintessential film music album. It's jazz. It's lounge. It's swing. It's rock. It's lyrical. It's JAMES BOND in a single CD, and it will transport you back to the mid-sixties when Bond, martinis, divas, and loud sexy trumpets seemed to rule the world. Tip your razor-bladed bowler hats to John Barry, the Bond musical master -- and buy this album!

Sadly, of all the "Remastered" and extended James Bond soundtracks produced by Capital/EMI/MGM to celebrate 007's 40th Anniversary, "Goldfinger" is the biggest disappointment. This is not a bad recording, far from it, but one hoped for a bit more. John Barry's score for "Goldfinger" is clearly one of the two best of the entire series and it has what is easily the best vocal title. The problem here is that even with an additional four "bonus" tracks, music that has been available for quite a while on LP and CD, this recording represents only part of the full score. In comparison with the "Remastered" version of Barry's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," which was wonderful, "Goldfinger" comes up a bit short. No one is at fault really. The fact is that the rest of the score was not saved. That is the bad news. The good news is that the recording is excellent, the packaging is first rate, and again the price deserves a big hand. "Goldfinger" was the first Bond project that Barry had all to himself (with the exception of the lyrics)and it remains the standard by which all other Bond scores have been measured, and only "OHMSS" is actually in the same class. A full score would have been solid gold. This version does come very close, however, and is a must.

Barry's own favorite of his Bond scores is, of course brilliant. Sadly, it seems there were no masters left to lengthen this album. However, it still includes the four bonus British tracks, and it's wonderful to listen to no matter how much there is.

Anyway, yet again, here is my film order track listing, for those nuts like me.

5, 1, 2, 12, 3, 13-15, 6, 7, 4, 9-11, 8

The Goldfinger score is iconic, the work of a young man at the peak of his creative powers. The title song opens with a bang, settles into a groove and crescendos again into a thunderous climax that builds with a subtle yet ingenious use of the main Bond theme. Just when the viewer or listener is knocked into the ropes, Into Miami roars on with an irresistible big time swing. This stuff is grandiose, a splashy intro for a larger than life movie.

The Goldfinger theme is used throughout, and translates well to softer strings as Bond negotiates the Swiss Alps, to the surf-guitar heavy instrumental, and to the lush suite of the end credits. The action pieces work really well with the existing cues as well, particularly the Dawn Raid on Fort Knox and Oddjob's Pressing Engagement, which has serious swing appeal.

The best two cuts are designed particularly with mood setting in mind- Golden Girl is used when Bond discovers Jill dead, covered in gold paint. I swear to God, the music actually shimmers like the light coming off her body! The other cut is the Laser, which is Barrys personal all time favorite. Talk about building tension. Get this soundtrack, not only is it top-notch Bond, but the essence of sixties hip.

I never owned the original soundtrack on vinyl, so I'll take the word of the other reviewers who rave about the enhanced quality and production values on this CD. The tracks are well produced and I easily recall them with the appropriate scenes from the celluloid classic. That's the acid test with any movie music. And Bond obviously had no need for earmuffs with these sounds.

It's fitting that Goldfinger, arguably the highpoint of the James Bond film series, would get one of the best soundtracks ever committed to tape. John Barry's classic score is a tense, atmospheric gem. It evokes everything that we've come to love about agent 007: It's sharp, sophisticated, hypnotic, and ruthlessly cool, full of texture and nuance and sexuality, with a sense of danger peeking in from around the edges. As a composer, Barry is a master of fusing various ideas into a cohesive whole. He intertwines multiple themes of music with classical flair and precision, manipulates drama and dynamics to maximum effect, and uses subtle touches of jazz to give his compositions a sense of raw urgency. Listening to this soundtrack, it becomes clear that it took more than just Sean Connery and a giant laser to make Goldfinger a masterpiece.

But does it hold up on its own? Sure, the music works great as a subliminal companion to the characters on screen, but is it the kind of thing that a person would want to just listen to? Well, to be fair, not always. Incidental music tends to a lose a bit of its power when it isn't incidental, but that doesn't stop this album from being as entertaining as a soundtrack could possibly be. Which means that even when it drags a bit, the best moments are pure magic. "Into Miami," for example, is a roaring piece of hipster jazz, with more swingin' sophistication (and intoxicating power) than a vodka martini. The fact that it's less than a minute long doesn't diminish its power by an ounce. "Alpine Drive-Auric's Factory" is lush and evocative, while "Bond Back In Action Again" is so potent it'll turn your car into an Aston Martin. And if your car already is an Aston Martin, well... you have nothing to complain about. But the real masterpiece here is "Dawn Raid On Fort Knox," a gorgeously executed study in tension-and-release, a jazzy polyphonic juggernaut full of head-spinning dynamics.

And of course, there's the classic title song, sung by Shirley Bassey and sounding like everything that a Bond song should sound like: dramatic, exotic, and sensual. That's a good way to describe this entire soundtrack actually. Enjoy!

One of the few Bond films where the score is as good as the film Sean is at his best and Barry delivers one of his best scores for a Bond film and here it is at last complete on a single disc (the bonus tracks were released on the British LP and later on the Bond Twenty Fifth Annivesary Edition two disc set). Bassey"s title is the best she did for the films. The highlights of the CD are Bond Back In Action Again for the pre-credits featuring the Bond Theme at its coolest and Dawn Raid On Fort Knox which is a soaring peice of action music as Pussy's pilots gas the Fort. This score is filled with classic Barry big brass sections and is amust for all fans of Barry's music.
P.S. Why weren't Man with the Golden Gun, Dr No, From Russia with Love, Octupussy, and A View to a Kill given the same treatment is beyond me Money restraints my a**.

This CD is so thoroughly excellent. The title track is just outstanding; I had forgotten what an excellent vocal performance it was. The instrumentals are similarly fantastic - moody, exciting, thematic but individual.

I'm very happy with this purchase.

I don't think any other soundtrack did for a film or film series what GOLDFINGER did for James Bond. Now, the definitive CD of all the currently available music from GOLDFINGER has been re-mastered and assembled for this CD. The main title of GOLDFINGER performed by Shirley Bassey is the definitive theme that sets the benchmark for all of James Bond's cinematic adventures. Not just the melody but the very sound and delivery musically identifies what a James Bond film is all about. Composer John Barry and lyricists Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley have the gratitude of many generations of James Bond fans. Musically I believe it is essential to have a strong main title to a Bond film, which goes in tandem with the James Bond Theme when properly juxtaposed. The film and how it fits into the world of James Bond relies on a delicate balancing act of musical scoring. In many ways GOLDFINGER is also the definitive James Bond score. If you listen to John Barry's eloquent and stimulating compositions: "Alpine Drive" and "Oddjob's Pressing Engagement" you can hear this juxtaposition of the "Goldfinger" main title and the "James Bond Theme" composed as a counterbalance to the battle of wits that Bond and Goldfinger engage in on the screen. Track 4: "Bond Back in Action Again" can not go unmentioned because this again is another innovative use of the "James Bond Theme" that clearly defines James Bond from the opening gun barrel right through the pre-titles opening sequence. For this CD "Golden Girl," "Death Of Tilley," "The Laser Beam," "Pussy Galore's Flying Circus" and "Goldfinger (Insturmental Version)" are all available for once in a single compendium of music for this film representing the era and fervor whence it was composed. "Pussy Galore's Flying Circus" is a bawdy showpiece of scoring from that time. The important "Golden Girl" firmly establishes the emotional drive behind James Bond that he himself is a blunt instrument for seeing good vanquish evil in a world where such notions of gallantry were clearly becoming blurred. This is an essential James Bond soundtrack.

For many years, I refused to buy a CD of the soundtrack for "Goldfinger" because it only contained some of the music that appeared in the movie. The omissions remained a mystery to me because John Barry's entire score is very well-crafted, setting just the right mood at the right moments throughout the movie. However, when I found out that the latest remastering also contained four "bonus" tracks from the movie, I bought it immediately.

Unfortunately, the soundtrack still does not contain everything from the movie. Missing are such goodies as the deceptively bucolic music portraying Goldfinger's stud farm in Kentucky, as well as Pussy Galore's "vamping" of James Bond after some rather dim and dire proceedings. However, many of these faults can be forgiven, especially with more of the soundtrack available at a reasonable price. A crisp remastering also allows one to hear more clearly the rich orchestral textures that make Barry's score one of the best in the Bond film series.

Although the remastering makes tastier "frosting," the movie's music is the real heart and soul of this recording. With its total disregard for strict musical genres, the soundtrack of "Goldfinger" is more memorable than most with its vacillations between super-sexy swingin' tunes and more "classical" sensibilities. Eros and Thanatos clash and meld throughout, whether in the words of the main theme ("spider's touch" and "kiss of death"), or in the alternately light and dark moods set by Barry's orchestration. There's also some good music for tooling around in one's car, like the seemingly tranquil "Alpine Drive" (too obvious), as well as "Oddjob's Pressing Engagement," with its blaring brass and hammering percussion.

Until the other tracks somehow make it into the next cleanup of this exciting movie score, the current release will certainly do for now.