On Her Majesty's Secret Service [SOUNDTRACK]

James Bond Films (Related Recordings), John Barry

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: December 18, 1969
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00000DR86
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #301,255 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of the Bond Scores, January 19, 2000

By	G M. Stathis (cedar city, utah USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

John Barry's music for "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" ("OHMSS") is clearly the best overall score in the entire Bond series. "Golfinger" is a close second largely because of a knockout song, but "We Have All the Time in the World," especially as sung by Louis Armstrong, is itself a treasure and Barry's instrumental score is a bit better here. The soundtrack on cd as released by Capital/EMI is acceptable except for the expected missing cuts. As with all of the early Bond soudtracks, the cds are reprints of the original recordings which, because of the limitations of LPs, could only include so much music. Some of these "missing" tracks have appeared in later recordings such as Nic Raine's "Bond Back in Action," but true Bond and Barry fans still yearn for the original recordings or Barry conducted updates. Barry broke with tradition with "OHMSS" by using an instumental for the title (lyrics were written but never used) making this a unique score. And that main theme remains definitive...it is Bond, and even though Sean Connery is missing in this film, Barry is quick to give a musical reminder of what we are about to experience. If any of the Bond scores deserves an expanded edition (and several do: "Goldfinger," "Thunderball," "You Only Live Twice,") "OHMSS" should be at the top of the list. Still, the score in the film is first rate, and this soudtrack recording will do quite nicely.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still the best Bond soundtrack..., September 9, 2000

By	R. L. MILLER (FT LAUDERDALE FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

...despite the kiddie Christmas song included due to the story taking place during the holiday season--a bit of schmaltz by the Petula Clark clone "Nina". When the movie first came out, I thought the theme "We Have All the Time In the World" by Louis Armstrong to be along the same lines--rather uncharacteristic of either a Bond theme (after hearing Shirley Bassey and Tom Jones belt out in-your-face lyrics based on how deadly the bad guy was) or of Satchmo himself (even his mellow stuff tended to be funky). The release of the remix of "What a Wonderful World" many years later proved me to be dead wrong on that, but I won't back down on the titles "Ski Chase" and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service-Main Theme", which are two versions of what I still think is the best theme done in a Bond film outside of the more familiar "James Bond Theme". John Barry has without a doubt set the standard of what Bond soundtrack music is expected to sound like--so much that other people who score the series tend to sound a bit like Barry. Even down to starting the film with a cover version of the "Bond Theme". When I was a teenager, I brought home a copy of the "Goldfinger" soundtrack, and my mom asked me "do you relive the movie or something?" She just didn't get it--to me it and its successors were-and are-MUSIC.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars John Barry's Best, April 12, 1999

By	C. Mccown (Columbia, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Certain James Bond movies have a great score, and others...don't. Of the 17 MGM/UA Bond movies to date, I can safely say that OHMSS has the best score. Highlights of this CD are the breathtaking "Journey to Blofeld's Hideaway," Louis Armstrong's "We Have All the Time in the World," and the last track, which brings back memories of the movie's tragic ending. This is a great CD even for those who have never seen a James Bond flick. The music is beautiful, and most of it is soft and relaxing. I would recommend this to any jazz or classical music listener. In my opinion, this is the greatest movie score of all time.