Customer Reviews

For Your Eyes Only (1981 Film)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is a true crime that for nearly 20 years the single best James Bond soundtrack was unavailable on compact disc. I was lucky to have an original cassette tape release and was about ready to convert it to cd-r when this latest album in the Ryko movie series made that unnecessary. On top of the 12 standard tracks, this cd also contains 7 previously un-released tracks including the snazzy Gunbarrel intro to the movie. For those of us that are completists such additional material makes it worth buying Ryko's "Deluxe Edition" versions even if we already have the original on cd.

Why is "For Your Eyes Only" the best Bond soundtrack ever released? First, the title track as sung by Sheena Easton is widely recognized as the best song ever written and sung for a James Bond movie. In addition, it achieved the greatest commercial success of any 007 title song and still gets regular airplay to this day. Of course the melody of this timeless classic was written by Bill Conti who also created the rest of the music.

What also sets the entire soundtrack apart for me is how well Conti integrates traditional Bond music with themes from the local Mediterranean setting for the movie. In addition he uses sophisticated, modern arrangements that do not sound as dated as some of the earlier 007 soundtracks. Finally, this is one of the last albums to be created with whole songs... not just a boring string of orchestral cues hinged together on a computer screen like all of the later Bond movie music.

Here is what you can expect. 1 great title track and 1 reprise both sung by Sheena Easton. 3 great action songs suitable for fast driving and hard cornering on sunny days. 1 slow, but very hip, 007 song, "Submarine". 2 smooth flugelhorn jazz instrumentals including one of the title song. You will also get various odds and ends like the Gunbarrel opening previously mentioned. The over-funkified "Gonzales takes a dive" and "Runaway" are admittedly bad, but with this much good music surrounding them it is easy to forgive a few poor choices.

If Ryko continues to release "deluxe edition" versions of the James Bond soundtracks, I think I'll be first in line to buy them despite the fact that I now have all of the originals on cd.

Okay, so it's not On Her Majesty's Secret Service, or even Tomorrow Never Dies, but it sure beats Goldeneye. For Your Eyes Only definitely shows its age in spots (particularly the track titled Runaway which was overused for years on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous) but it's great to have it on CD after all this time and the bonus tracks are definitely worthwhile. (I personally would love to have the gunbarrel music from every film available, and this is a step in that direction.) The packaging and liner notes are well done, along the lines of the suberb Living Daylights reissue. In all, it's a great record for Bondmusic fans.

Finally, the last of the older James Bond soundtracks makes it to a CD release! This interesting departure from the classic John Barry style of Bond music worked. Bill Conti (best known for the music from Rocky) pulls off an excellent title theme and superb action sequence music for one of the most serious of the Roger Moore films.

This CD release appends seven 'bonus tracks' of music not previously released on the original 1981 LP. But since the LP release already contained the best of the music from the movie, do not expect any real treasures in the added material. The 'bonus tracks' are excellent for providing a complete soundtrack, though they are mostly compilations of brief or slower pieces of incidental music.

Several interesting items about this album: A typo in the labeling of this CD release lists two track 3's and no track 5. The original LP release also was victim of a typo. The track described as "Gonzales Takes A Drive" was supposed to have been "Gonzales Takes A Dive" - a play on words since Gonzales is killed by Melina's arrow as he is diving into the pool. That typo has perpetuated in the back cover labeling of this CD release, but is corrected in the inside notes. And finally, the track labeled "Melina's Revenge" is really two pieces from the film. Only the first 35 seconds of the track contain the dramatic queue from the emotional closeup of Melina just after her parents are killed. The remainder of the track is the excellent action piece from the pre-credits helicopter sequence, which likely would have been separately titled "Have a Pleasant Fright."

I had the entire collection of James Bond soundtracks from Dr. No to The World Is Not Enough but I didn't have For Your Eyes Only. Then RykoDisc released it with bonus tracks and I got it. The title song is great, all the Mountain Climbing music is great, Submarine is a great version of the James Bond theme as Bond and Melina search for the sunken ship, the Gunbarrel music I think is the best one in the series,(I also think they should release a CD that has all the gunbarrel music from every Bond movie)and the rest of the songs are great. Bill Conti did a great job on this, and not only does it have bonus tracks, it has a great booklet with pictures and descriptions of each song. A MUST HAVE FOR ANYONE WHO LIKES MUSIC; ESPECIALLY BOND MUSIC! 5 Stars.

I'm glad we're finally getting the whole scores for a change. I can now enjoy this classy digital recordin grather than the old LP and with more music! This one in particular is a gem in it's own right and I hope this isn't the last Bond score we see. I am still waiting for an expanded Moonraker and OHMSS so if you're listening.......

This is a good James Bond soundtrack album. Bill Conti's soundtrack of FOR YOUR EYES ONLY is one of the finest James Bond albums issued especially with the extra tracks now included. You can appreciate the work that Bill Conti put into his score. Bill Conti in no way tries to imitate or emulate John Barry's definitive and distinctive sound. Instead Conti gives us a very lively and upbeat score with his own vibrant sound and interpolates the James Bond Theme into his compositions in a somewhat innovative style. This soundtrack is very representative of the exciting score heard in the film. In retrospect this score is one of the best composed for Roger Moore's tenure as James Bond.

"For Your eyes Only" was a big change in terms of the Roger Moore Bond era (or fairly radical considering how few Bond movies wer emade without constant jokes and silly and immature sexual innuendo). The music also reflected this "new" approach, albeit with some disco influence.

But why should music be disqualified as good because it relies on some "pop contemporary" influence? This score is unique in the Bond era in terms of the score itself and how the Bond film is used. This soundtrack should be congratulated for trying to be unique, and not blatently copycatting somebody elses' work like two recent Bond films do.

The music for the most part fits the scenes for which it is intended. That is what a soundtrack must do, first and foremost. The music is upbeat and optimistic as needed and is depressing and melancholy when it needs to be as well. And, quite frankly, the disco influence works in this movie - the disco influence in "The Spy who Loved Me" does not, however.

Highlights include the pre-credits teaser where Blofeld is finally and properly killed off, when Melina's parents are killed, when she and Bond go down to the St Georges' to get the ATAC (the violin portion is quite classy), when Bond escapes from Gonzalez' headquaters... brilliant stuff.

Definitely worth getting.

Sheena Easton and Bill Conti give this soundtrack a real punch that gives it the title as one of the best! Almost impossible to find, because of it's rerelease, getting it is a real treat. Sheena Easton performs the title song with loving charm and a soothing melody that will leave many fans breathless. Bill Conti gives the music a exciting upbeat punch of the 80's that is greatly influenced in such tracks A Drive In The Country, Runaway and Run Them Down. Another treat is that RYKO Disc has included several bonus tracks on the CD. Heavily influenced is the style of disco in many tracks. A magnificent soundtrack that has a little bit of James Bond for everybody!

I am a big Bond fan and know the movie's by heart, and I know which ones have the best music. The World is Not Enough has good music, as does The Living Daylights, For Your Eyes Only has one of the best soundtracks as well. For Your Eyes Only has the most exciting songs which have a disco feeling to them. The best ones are the action sequence songs like #2 A Drive In The Country, or #8 Runaway, which are just a few examples of some of the great songs on this CD. For Your Eyes Only the song is good, along with #7 Make It Last All Night. Altogether this CD is a prime example of the awesome Bond soundtracks; 5 stars for sure!

The For Your Eyes Only soundtrack is definitely my favorite. Many people have commented on how they hate Bill Conti's more wild music, but I think it adds more to the film. This is an excellent soundtrack to an excellent film.

Some of my favorite songs on this CD are: `A Drive In The Country', `Melina's Revenge', `Gonzales Takes A Drive', `Runaway', `Submarine', and `Gunbarrel/Flowers for Teresa/Sinking The St. Georges'. All in all, this is an excellent soundtrack.