Customer Reviews

The Spy Who Loved Me

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

 

 

I can understand why Dr. No and From Russia With Love might not have any new music because the original soundtracks are jammed with tracks already.

So what is up with The Spy Who Loved Me?
Basically, it is the same old thing. Only better sounding.

You might think the soundtrack would contain the actual music from the movie: The title song and the end titles as it was heard in the film (right now you can only transfer it from DVD), the music used for Bond and Anya on a boat to Cairo, Bond and Anya following Jaws into the Egyptian ruins, the underwater battle between the Espirit Lotus and Stromberg's frogmen, the battle on board the Liparus, Bond wetbiking to Atlantis, Atlantis' destruction, the chase between Bond, Anya, Jaws, and Naomi (and the cue used for the Lotus' entrance into the water).

Instead we get THIS.

Perhaps there is some kind of contractual agreement (or disagreement) here between Marvin Hamlisch and the powers that be; you can remaster The Spy Who Loved Me all you can....but nevertheless it is NOT the soundtrack that the movie, AND the fans deserved.

For the most part, I feel that the Bond film scores all sound very similar. This is one that REALLY stands out to me.

1. -Nobody Does It Better- This is by far one of the best Bond songs ever recorded, and we are given the full cut of the song, not the partial cut that I have heard elsewhere.

2. -Bond 77- This is a 4:22 compilation of all the Disco-Bond themes throughout the film. It has great solos, and the Disco beat, though I'm not a big fan of Disco, this is an exciting track that defines Roger Moore's Bond in the film.

3. -Ride To Atlantis- This is a very tranquill and relaxing piece with lots of strings, guitars, and synthesizers. It is beautiful and gives the impression of being underwater.

4. -Mojave Club- This is a very interesting track. It has lots of drums and has an extremely African sound. It can get obnoxious after repeat listenings, but all in all, it is not too long and is worth a listen.

5. -Nobody Does It Beter (Instrumental)- This is, by far, the most beautiful track on the CD. It has beautiful solos by Marvin Hamlisch on piano, Laurence Juber on lead guitar, and Derick Plater.

6. -Anya- Although the track never actually appeared in the film, it is a beautiful serenade that stays appealing even after repeated listening.

7-10. -The Pyramids, Eastern Lights, Conclusion- These tracks are all connected and represent a compilation of the finale music from the film. 7 builds suspense with lots of brass and leads into 8. 8 consists of a disco/funk/African sound that is very neat sounding. 9 is mostly done by strings and a chorus. Over all, these tracks only add up to a total of 7:58.

11. -End Titles- This track consists of parts of tracks 1 and 5.

All in all, this is an incredible soundtrack, though I wish more could have been included. But as this was first released on a vinyl LP, the 36 minute total running time makes sense. This is an incredible album and the price is perfect. A GREAT BUY!!!

The Spy Who Loved Me has now been remastered, but sadly contains no new tracks, but the musical quality has gone up. This score is one of the early few that was not scored by John Barry. He couldn't return to England, so Marvin Hamlisch was chosen instead. The result is a pulse-pounding disco-laced score with one of the most exciting renditions of the James bond theme (Bond 77) and a mesmerizing and inspirational title songs ever! However, this soundtrack is a rather poor representation of the full score, but it is still very well done with what it has. The title track- Nobody Does It Better is performed with the undeniable charm of Carly Simon's soothing voice, and the song charted at an impressive #2 for three weeks in the US. It is regarded as one of the best Bond songs ever. The full-blown, blasting Bond 77 is a disco-smash track that combines the James Bond Theme with synthesizers and the result is magnificent. This was the track that really stood out for being so different, but working so well. Ride To Atlantis is another favorite of mine with an odd chime sound that generally builds throughout the track and makes it a great track on the soundtrack. The Tanker is a hauntingly powerful track that is also another good track. There is a very nice Instrumental Nobody Does It Better with Marvin Hamlisch on the piano. Mojaba Club and many other tracks have a very local music feel to them , and it depends on whether you like it or not. All in all, The Spy Who Loved Me is a magnificent Bond score with a great title song, wonderful tracks and a nice inner booklet too. Shaken and stirred to perfection!

I have bought quite a few James Bond movie soundtracks and I am mostly pleased with all of them except this one 'The Spy Who Loved Me'. It only has 11 tracks and most have about 20 tracks.
The only decent ones are 'Bond 77' and 'The Tanker'.

I recently watched that movie to spot all of the tracks and most did not feature on the CD. The track called 'Anya' doesn't feature in the movie and is not a exciting track to listen too. The end credits track is different to the movie one. In the movie it starts off with a choir of men doing a jazzy feel to it and then cuts too the Carly Simon version. On the CD track it just has the instrumental version and then cuts to the Carly Simon version.

I am deeply disappointed and urge people not to buy this item.

Of all the non-Barry soundtracks (Dr. No, Live & Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, Licence To Kill and thereafter), The Spy Who Loved Me is the only classic and easily the best - granted, I sort of stopped paying attention to the soundtracks during the Brosnan and Craig years. It's probably the most diverse Bond soundtrack, featuring two sort of Middle-Eastern-Disco cuts that are quite fun. Also, two semi-classic themes in "Bond 77" and "Ride To Atlantis." "Anya" is quite beautiful, though I'm not sure it's featured in the actual film; the Carly Simon "Nobody Does It Better" is pretty epic, and the more traditional action theme "The Tanker" is pretty solid. Marvin Hamlisch knew his stuff.

Although there is much music missing on this soundtrack, it is still a great soundtrack to listen to. And yes, you can say that it is "so seventies", but: That's whats fun about this soundtrack.
It has great sounds on it that give you the feeling of the movie. My personal favorite is "Bond 77"
Also the title song, "Nobody does it better" is one of the best title songs in the Bond history.
The soundtrack also includes music that wasn't used in the film. The track "Anya" was never used in the movie, but it has beautiful music that really touches my heart.
If you liked the feeling you got from the movie because of the music, this is a soundtrack for you.
But you have to listen to it yourself and make your own opinion. But I think it has some of the greatest music in the entire Bond series. Nobody does it better ;)

Of all the James Bond soundtracks issued, this album still remains on the bottom of my list. I am not saying that the score heard in the film was mediocre. In fact, just the opposite is true. I am saying that this Compact Disc is not representative of the score I heard in the film. I am not sure what it is. It is reminiscent of soundtracks issued during the 1950s where composers rearranged their film scores for commercial record albums. Composer, Marvin Hamlisch recorded the music in the film remarkably well and seemed to be quite intuitive on what was required for different scenes. I believe that composers writing a Bond score are given great liberty to call upon previous musical cues from earlier entries in the series and write them into the score. It is very possible that Hamlisch was permitted to include only his original compositions for this album, thus leaving very little music to include here. However, the re-mastering of this Compact Disc is brilliant. "Bond 77" sounds incredible. It is the epitome of successfully melding traditional Bond scoring, created by John Barry, with the distinctive disco sound of the 70s. The guitar riff of the James Bond Theme, however brief, sounds dazzling and robust on this cut. I also found the instrumental version of "Nobody Does It Better" excellently re-mastered, making it quite moving and somewhat nostalgic now that it has been over 25 years since the release of THE SPY WHO LOVED ME.

"The Spy Who Loved Me" is a very fine Bond score. Although many of the cues are not the film-versions, this soundtrack is still very enjoyable. Of course, there is some exciting music missing: The Ski Chase, The Underwater Battle, The Bond Theme (heard when Bond opens his Union Jack parachute)and the flmversion of "Ride To Atlantis". The rest of the music heard in the film is not that interesting in my opinion, so the release is not too bad.

I consider the main title song "Nobody Does it Better" as one of the finest Bond-songs. "Bond 77" (My favourite track) is just stunning. Ride To Atlantis is a very relaxed and cool cue. The instrumental version of "Nobody Does It Better" contains a nice saxophone solo and "The Tanker" is just brassy and powerful. I love the moment (I think it is at 3:45)where Derek Watkins (the principal trumpet player) just screams on his trumpet! Simply fantastic!

The Egyptian source music is very good actually. And cues like Bond 77 and The Tanker sound very Bondish, which is good of course.
"The Spy Who Loved Me" soundtrack is really underrated. Of course it's not so good as "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" or "The Living Daylights", but that don't means this score is bad. If you're a fan of Bond-music, you should give it a try.

way too much music is missing. The soundtrack by Marvin Hamlisch, while beautiful at times has all it's weaknesses shown on this release. A quick review of each track :

1. Nobody Does It Better - Carly Simon ( in my book one of the top five bond title tracks ) 5 of 5

2. Bond 77 ( a track worthy of any bond sndtrks. ) 5 of 5

3. Ride To Atlantis (same as 2) 5 of 5

4. Mojave Club (not a bad track, with so much other music missing this seems out of place) 3.5 of 5

5. Nobody Does It Better (same as 2) 5 of 5

6. Anya (not officially in the movie, it's just ok) 3.5 of 5

7. The Tanker (same as 2) 5 of 5

8. The Pyramids ( a great but short track, missing pyramid music would have been nice ) 4 of 5

9. Eastern Lights ( same as 4 ) 3.5 of 5

10. Conclusion ( another great track but out of place ) 5 of 5

11. End Titles - Nobody Does It Better ( a messy track, not even in the movie, sailors sing beginning of it ( in movie ). Should have stopped it and began with Carly singing whole song again ) 4 of 5 for Carly's beautiful voice.

This is only an opinion. I still recommend purchasing sndtrk. It's just a shame with all the music that is missing. And the tracks we do get are not even in order. There's always next time but we all know how many next time's there always are. Even then their not always right. Oh well I guess we should consider ourselves lucky. Afterall there are so many sndtrks that have never seen the light of day. Enjoy.

This is my all time bond favorite! Although, not a John Berry score, Marvin Hamlisch does justice to the Bond series by creating a lovely, thrilling musical backdrop. It is also one of the most listener friendly scores of the series. THIS IS A MUST HAVE for any Bond or soundtrack collector!