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We know that Norman used a melody from his aborted musical that resurfaced as the guitar section of the JB Theme. But what about the big band section in the middle? I don't think that was in the Norman song. I think Barry wrote that part. The vamp is also not in Norman's song, but it was not written by Barry. It has appeared in music by Artie Shaw and Sibelius (two musicians Barry admired). But what makes this whole thing work is the way it was all put together (arranged by) and performed (conducted by). Does anybody give Sinatra less credit because he didn't write "Chicago"?
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At the 2001 court case the jury were told by the judge that to find in favour of Norman they had only to be convinced that he wrote part of the James Bond Theme, however small. The original Sunday Times article had said that Barry had written the JB Theme, all of it. Had the journalist added the word "some' to his sentence the trial probably wouldn't have happened. The jury was not called on to make a judgement on how much of the theme was written by Norman, just to decide if he made a contribution however minor or major it was. How much was composed by Monty is still an open question.
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Regarding the credit at the end of the films for Norman, Barry agreed at the time that Norman would receive the credit and the royalties. Barry was paid £250 + a promise to be considered for scoring the next Bond film if Dr.No was a success. Had Barry not agreed, then they would have employed another person.
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This is what Barry says he was given to work with:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6EuzGhIyRQ
Norman's version of the James Bond Theme on his 2005 album, Completing The Circle' contains just the riff. No bridge, no bebop section. no vamp, no coda. Even Norman's own musicologist said that Barry did the arrangement + a bit more...
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Here's how it all appears to me...
Monty Norman was the head chef at a restaurant. Someone ordered a "steak dinner". Norman went to work, and the customer was presented with a plate containing a bland, tasteless steak -- and nothing else.
The customer immediately sent it back for being unsatisfactory.
The manager then called on another chef, John Barry, and asked him "Can you do anything with this?" Barry looked at the steak, rolled his eyes, and went to work.
Barry sprinkled spices and other garnishings onto the steak, and also added a baked potato, string beans, a salad and bread to the plate.
The customer was elated. "Delicious!" he exclaimed. "Who made this?"
"I did!" proclaimed a proud Monty Norman (who was subsequently replaced by John Barry as the head chef).
Norman contends "It was a steak dinner. I provided the steak."
Barry shrugs, "If he made the dinner, why wasn't he kept-on as head chef?"
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Here's how it all appears to me...
Monty Norman was the head chef at a restaurant. Someone ordered a "steak dinner". Norman went to work, and the customer was presented with a plate containing a bland, tasteless steak -- and nothing else.
The customer immediately sent it back for being unsatisfactory.
The manager then called on another chef, John Barry, and asked him "Can you do anything with this?" Barry looked at the steak, rolled his eyes, and went to work.
Barry sprinkled spices and other garnishings onto the steak, and also added a baked potato, string beans, a salad and bread to the plate.
The customer was elated. "Delicious!" he exclaimed. "Who made this?"
"I did!" proclaimed a proud Monty Norman (who was subsequently replaced by John Barry as the head chef).
Norman contends "It was a steak dinner. I provided the steak."
Barry shrugs, "If he made the dinner, why wasn't he kept-on as head chef?"
.................
Brilliantly put, Paul.
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Such bitterness (understandably) between Monty Norman and John Barry. It really is a shame that the renowned James Bond theme caused this much animosity between the two.
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I would say " Search engine dammitt" but Wyoming Wayne has " quit" me.
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Here's how it all appears to me...
Monty Norman was the head chef at a restaurant. Someone ordered a "steak dinner". Norman went to work, and the customer was presented with a plate containing a bland, tasteless steak -- and nothing else.
The customer immediately sent it back for being unsatisfactory.
The manager then called on another chef, John Barry, and asked him "Can you do anything with this?" Barry looked at the steak, rolled his eyes, and went to work.
Barry sprinkled spices and other garnishings onto the steak, and also added a baked potato, string beans, a salad and bread to the plate.
The customer was elated. "Delicious!" he exclaimed. "Who made this?"
"I did!" proclaimed a proud Monty Norman (who was subsequently replaced by John Barry as the head chef).
Norman contends "It was a steak dinner. I provided the steak."
Barry shrugs, "If he made the dinner, why wasn't he kept-on as head chef?"
.................
Brilliantly put, Paul.
!!!!!!
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I think we get too hung up on the composer credit on this. Even taking into account whatever notes Montgomery Norman contributed, John Barry owns this music and has done countless variations on it with such creativity and authority. And by owns, I mean in the sense that Sinatra owns "New York, New York." Does anybody think less of Sinatra because he didn't compose it?
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Posted: |
Jan 30, 2019 - 9:45 PM
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By: |
SchiffyM
(Member)
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For the life of me, I will never understand man's obsession with perceiving everything as personal property.
I agree with you, Alex. We romanticize the notion of the singular artistic vision. That's the reasoning behind the auteur theory of film – that the director is the one true author of a film. It's nonsense.
It's pretty clear that Monty Norman, in some fashion, put the notes that we now know as the Bond theme in some semblance of the sequence in which we now know them, but without Barry's arrangement, nobody would care. Does that make Barry the author of the theme? Well, not entirely – he took somebody else's melodies and fashioned them into the theme. But neither does that make Norman the author. Clearly, it required them both to make the theme something that's lasted half a decade. And by the way, Vic Flick wasn't unimportant there, either.
How silly that we have to decide who the One True Creator is, rather than acknowledge that it took both of them to make it the enduring classic it is today.
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..i was referring to the original post which I mistakenly thought just got posted!