Bond for Orchestra - Philharmonia Orchestra/Carl Davis (Carl Davis Collection, 2012)
This would seem like a missed opportunity... to have such a great orchestra and instrumental re-interpretations of the original songs could have lead to an amazing album. Instead, many of the tracks are marred by a “pops” mentality, with the rhythm section treating it as a paid gig rather than playing as if their lives depended on it. Comments I have made in my notes for various tracks are:
“very "straight" classical version - feels wrong at times... drums etc bring it down - somehow it feels too square... a neat & tidy "pops" performance... it is such a strong melody but the "pops" arrangement kills it”
Despite this, some of the performances are amazing and at least one of the tracks is a huge improvement on the original song: “You Know My Name”. Listed below (in chronological order) are my favourites from the album.
The Look Of Love (fr. Casino Royale) (chilled orchestral jazz) Nobody Does It Better (nice build-up of layers & volume) Moonraker (features solo trumpet) All Time High Never Say Never Again (cool jazz, solo muted trumpet Goldeneye (virtuosic violin solo) Surrender (Feels a bit square but song too strong to ruin) The World Is Not Enough (chorus & coda powerful) You Know My Name (fantastic orchestral arrangement)
And the turkey of the album?
The Man With The Golden Gun (disgusting piece, disgustingly performed – gross/annoying electric guitar solo)
