I decided I would sit down and make a Bond mix like no other. I felt that, while the title songs were well-represented elsewhere, and I had been going through the suspense music for my Jenga mp3 CD (more on that in the near future) that I would see what would happen if I put together the prettier moments. The Bond scores do have those in abundance, so the idea had quite some appeal.

The fact that the Bond scores had been recently remastered, and, in some cases, significantly expanded brought a uniformity to both sound quality and reference levels. The only albums with significantly anomalous sound were From Russia With Love and Moonraker; for the former I added a bit of reverb and for the latter I widened the stereo soundfield to make them sound a bit more consistant with the rest of the CD.

What I found in compiling these tracks is how lush and beautiful these scores can really get. Barry himself is responsible for over half the tracks, and it was interesting to note that even if the cue was not by him, it was nevertheless evoking him, which added another element of unity to the whole, even if there were five other composers represented.

The James Bond theme itself barely shows up on this album, and when it does it is never in the traditional arrangements. On the other hand, I wasn't shy about allowing some very recognizable themes to show up... it was unavoidable, actually, as one of the main elements of genius Barry brought to the series was the intergration of the title song melodies into the scores. I decided I would use that to further add to the flow of the disc. As a result, thematic material shows up at one point and then returns later. At times I used short snatches of a cue to lead into another.

I have to say that the finished product shocked even me. By carefully editing and crossfading the tracks, I created a seamless 80 minute musical journey that, frankly, sounds like it was the work of a single composer.

The album opens with the expanded version of "Journey To Blofeld's Hideaway" from On Her Majesty's Secret Service because I felt that it perfectly encapsulated what this collection was all about. It closes with the orchestral version of "If There Was A Man" that Barry wrote for the end titles of The Living Daylights. This theme is heard twice before on the disc, in "Bond Meets Kara" and "Kara's 'Cello" (an excerpt from "Approaching Kara" on the expanded album). In addition to it being one of Barry's most lyrical pieces, it also represents his farewell to the Bond series.

The title of the disc, "Bond Beauties," is a reference both to the women that are a trademark of the series (the cover art I am planning will evoke Maurice Binder's legendary title sequences), but also to the music on the album. Each cue on this CD is melodic and haunting, from the lush strings and flutes to the more intimate material.

Bond Beauties 80:01

Track Listing/CD Text Information

1. Journey To Blofeld's Hideaway (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) 4:47 - JOHN BARRY

2. Jinx and James (Die Another Day) 1:25 - DAVID ARNOLD

3. Bond Lured To Pyramid (Moonraker) 2:01 - JOHN BARRY

4. Anya (The Spy Who Loved Me) 3:19 - MARVIN HAMLISCH

5. Bond Meets Kara (The Living Daylights) 2:05 - JOHN BARRY

6. Elektra (The World Is Not Enough) 2:00 - DAVID ARNOLD

7. Miss Goodhead Meets Bond (Moonraker) 1:13 - JOHN BARRY

8. For Ever, James (Goldeneye) 1:53 - ERIC SERRA

9. Dusk At Piz Gloria (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) - JOHN BARRY

10. I Never Miss (The World Is Not Enough) 0:22 - DAVID ARNOLD

11. Kara's 'Cello (The Living Daylights) 0:52 - JOHN BARRY

12. Guitar Lament (From Russia With Love) 1:08 - JOHN BARRY/LIONEL BART

13. Pam (License To Kill) 1:59 - MICHAEL KAMEN

14. Bond Meets Tanya (From Russia With Love) 1:08 - JOHN BARRY/LIONEL BART

15. Going Down Together (Die Another Day) - DAVID ARNOLD

16. Mountains and Sunsets (You Only Live Twice) 0:52 - JOHN BARRY

17. The Last Goodbye (Tomorrow Never Dies) 0:50 - DAVID ARNOLD

18. Bond Meets Octopussy (Octopussy) 2:07 - JOHN BARRY

19. We Share the Same Passions (Goldeneye) 4:02 - ERIC SERRA

20. We Have All the Time In the World (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) 3:38 - JOHN BARRY

21. Goodnight, Goodnight (The Man With the Golden Gun) 4:33 - JOHN BARRY

22. Jinx Jordan (Die Another Day) 1:21 - DAVID ARNOLD

23. Flight Into Space (Moonraker) 6:09 - JOHN BARRY

24. All In A Day's Work (Tomorrow Never Dies) 1:22 - DAVID ARNOLD

25. The Wedding (You Only Live Twice) 2:41 - JOHN BARRY

26. M's Confession (The World Is Not Enough) 1:10 - DAVID ARNOLD

27. Alpine Drive (Goldfinger) 1:36 - JOHN BARRY

28. Paris and Bond (Tomorrow Never Dies) 1:55 - DAVID ARNOLD

29. That's My Little Octopussy (Octopussy) 3:12 - JOHN BARRY

30. Take Me Home (For Your Eyes Only) 2:28 - BILL CONTI

31. Casino (The World Is Not Enough) 2:54 - DAVID ARNOLD

32. Try (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) 3:20 - JOHN BARRY

33. That's What Keeps You Alone (Goldeneye) 3:08 - ERIC SERRA

34. Christmas In Turkey (The World Is Not Enough) 1:24 DAVID ARNOLD

35. If There Was A Man (The Living Daylights) 3:17 - JOHN BARRY

CREDITS:

From Russia With Love
Composed and Conducted by John Barry
Theme Composed by Lionel Bart

Goldfinger
You Only Live Twice
The Man With the Golden Gun
Moonraker
Octopussy
The Living Daylights
Composed and Conducted by John Barry

The Spy Who Loved Me
Composed and Conducted by Marvin Hamlisch

For Your Eyes Only
Composed and Conducted by Bill Conti
Flugelhorn Solo by Eddie Blair

License To Kill
Composed and Conducted by Michael Kamen
The National Philharmonic Orchestra of London

Goldeneye
Composed by Eric Serra
The London Studio Session Orchestra Conducted by John Altman

Tomorrow Never Dies
The World Is Not Enough
Die Another Day
Composed by David Arnold
Orchestra Conducted by Nicholas Dodd

This compilation was produced for private, home use only and is not licensed to kill or for public sale