| Goldfinger | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 1964 | |||
| Recorded | 1964 | |||
| Studio | CTS Studios, Bayswater, London | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Length | 29:35 (1964 release) 41:09 (2003 re-release) | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Producer | Frank Collura(Reissue) | |||
| John Barry chronology | ||||
| ||||
| James Bond soundtrack chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Goldfinger | ||||
| ||||
Goldfinger is the soundtrack of the 1964film of the same name, the third film in theJames Bond film series, directed byGuy Hamilton. The album was composed byJohn Barry and distributed byEMI. Two versions were released initially, one in theUnited States and theUnited Kingdom, which varied in terms of length and which tracks were within the soundtrack. In 2003,Capitol-EMI records released a remastered version that contained all the tracks within the film.
John Barry had composed the previousJames Bond soundtrack forFrom Russia with Love. Due to Barry's increased "compositional depth" as seen through the soundtracks he produced sinceFrom Russia with Love, movie producersAlbert Broccoli andHarry Saltzman allowed him to write thetheme song forGoldfinger in addition to the soundtrack.[1] Barry created the melody of the song before drafting the lyrics with the help ofAnthony Newley andLeslie Bricusse.[2] The theme was first sung by Newley at a demo session on 14 May 1964. At the behest of Barry,Shirley Bassey was chosen to sing the track. On Bassey, Barry was quoted saying "Nobody could have sung it like her; she had that great dramatic sense." The theme was recorded on 20 August 1964 after an all-night session in the recording studio.[3] The session was produced byEMI in-house producerGeorge Martin, who also wasthe Beatles' producer at the time. GuitaristVic Flick, who played on the track, recalled at a 2012Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences salute to the music of James Bond that Bassey was having difficulty getting a proper take. Martin spoke to her and then over the recording baffle her brassiere came flying. She nailed it on the next take.
Session musicians on the Bond films were separately relegated to the instrumental score versions of songs, while the main musicians (onGoldfinger: Vic Flick) were given the main film theme song to solely record, to be featured at the beginning of the film.[4] Notably, two of the session musicians wereJohn Paul Jones andJimmy Page, who together would be the founding members ofLed Zeppelin.[5]
Co-producer Harry Saltzman is said to have hated the song as too old fashioned for 1960s youth culture and only agreed to use it when persuaded by Albert Broccoli[6][7]
Originally, Newley recorded a version of the theme song, but it was later re-recorded with Bassey's voice for the film and soundtrack album. In 1992, Newley's version was released for the 30th Anniversary of James Bond on film, in the compilation collectors editionThe Best of Bond... James Bond.
The score was composed by Barry, making this his second, credited Bond score. The score makes regular use of instrumental arrangements of the title theme, as well as the "James Bond Theme" fromDr. No used in thegun barrel sequence. The score makes heavy use of brass. The distinctive music forAuric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe)'s henchman,Oddjob (Harold Sakata), makes use of repeated strokes on a metallic anvil. Metallic chimes are also heard in many scenes associated with Oddjob or gold, notably that in which the dead golden girl Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton) is discovered. The very effective use of music and various sound effects in the film won it anAcademy Award for Best Sound Effects at the37th Academy Awards. The album reachedNo. 1 on theBillboard 200[8] – the first James Bond soundtrack to do so, and spent 70 total weeks on the chart, but for reasons that remain unclear, received noRIAA certification.[9][10]
Two versions of the soundtrack were released. The American version lasted close to 30 minutes and contained 11 tracks. It lacked four tracks ("Golden Girl", "Death of Tilley", "The Laser Beam", "Pussy Galore's Flying Circus") but contained theinstrumental rock guitar version of the title theme song not found on the British LP. The instrumental was in the style ofthe John Barry Seven's instrumental hits in Britain. The British record contained 14 tracks and lasted around 38 minutes. In 2003, the soundtrack was remastered and all the tracks originally released were compiled onto one album that contained fifteen tracks and over 41 minutes of music. The remastered version was released throughCapitol-EMI records.[3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
Gillian Garr, a writer forGoldmine reflecting on the album in 2013, found the album to be "less satisfying today", but stated the theme song was one of the "best-ever Bond theme songs."[8]Film Score Monthly writer Darren MacDonald found the remastered edition to be the best score of the James Bond series, giving it five out of five stars.[12] MacDonald wrote that the score was "big and ballsy, mainlyjazz and orchestral fusion, with Shirley Bassey belting out the fantastic title song."[12] He added that the remastered edition's sound quality was "impeccable".[12]
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Billboard Pop Albums (Billboard 200) | 1 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Main Title – Into Miami – Goldfinger, 1964" (John Barry) | 3:31 |
| 2. | "Alpine Drive –Auric's Factory" | 4:22 |
| 3. | "Oddjob's Pressing Engagement[N 1]" | 3:06 |
| 4. | "Bond Back in Action Again[N 1]" | 2:31 |
| 5. | "Teasing the Korean" | 2:11 |
| 6. | "Gassing the Gangsters" | 1:04 |
| Total length: | 16:45 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Goldfinger (Instrumental Version)" | 2:59 |
| 2. | "Dawn Raid onFort Knox" | 4:57 |
| 3. | "The Arrival of the Bomb and Count Down" | 2:23 |
| 4. | "The Death of Goldfinger – End Titles" | 2:31 |
| Total length: | 12:50 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Main Title" | 2:48 |
| 2. | "Into Miami" | 0:57 |
| 3. | "Alpine Drive – Auric's Factory" | 4:22 |
| 4. | "Oddjob's Pressing Engagement[N 1]" | 3:06 |
| 5. | "Bond Back in Action Again[N 1]" | 2:31 |
| 6. | "Teasing the Korean" | 2:11 |
| 7. | "Gassing the Gangsters" | 1:04 |
| 8. | "Goldfinger (Instrumental Version)" | 2:10 |
| 9. | "Dawn Raid on Fort Knox" | 5:48 |
| 10. | "The Arrival of the Bomb and Count Down" | 3:29 |
| 11. | "The Death of Goldfinger – End Titles" | 2:34 |
| 12. | "Golden Girl" | 2:10 |
| 13. | "Death of Tilly" | 2:04 |
| 14. | "The Laser Beam" | 2:54 |
| 15. | "Pussy Galore's Flying Circus" | 2:48 |
| Total length: | 41:09 | |
From the record page at AllMusic:[13]
|
Following the success of her performance on the title track,Shirley Bassey sang the title songs for two later Bond films,Diamonds Are Forever (1971) andMoonraker (1979). John Barry used theGoldfinger theme on his 1965John Barry Plays Goldfinger album that featuredRobert Brownjohn artwork.[14]
Footnotes
Citations
Bibliography
