From Russia with Love (soundtrack)
Encyclopedia
From Russia with Love is the soundtrack for the second James Bond
film of the same name
. This is the first series film with John Barry
as the primary soundtrack composer.
John Barry, arranger of Monty Norman
's "James Bond Theme
" for Dr. No
, would be the dominant Bond series composer for most of its history and the inspiration for the current lead Bond movie composer, David Arnold
(who uses cues from this soundtrack in his own for Tomorrow Never Dies
).
, though keeping his The James Bond Theme, Harry Saltzman
decided on using the then popular Lionel Bart
of Oliver!
fame. Bart was unable to read or write music, but he offered to compose the music and lyrics for a title song to the film.
The producers chose John Barry to score the film. Barry had not only arranged and conducted The James Bond Theme from the previous film, but had already scored some motion pictures such as Beat Girl
and Never Let Go
. Barry's group also charted as #1 in the November 1962 UK charts with a different arrangement of the Bond theme than was heard in the film.
The title song was sung by Matt Monro
. Monro's vocal version is played during the film (as source music on a radio) and properly over the film's end titles. The title credit music is a lively instrumental version of the tune preceded by a brief Barry composed James Bond is Back then segueing into the "James Bond Theme
". On the original film soundtrack Alan Haven
played a jazzy organ over the theme but this version was not released on the soundtrack album. The tune also appears in a soft string arrangement as a theme for Tania. In Germany, the original release featured an end title track cover version called Die Wolga ist Weit sung by Ruthe Berlé.
Originally planning to use local Turkish music as Monty Norman had used Jamaican music on Dr No, Barry accompanied the film crew to Istanbul, however he found nothing suitable for the film. There are different tracks of Turkish type music in the film that do not appear on the soundtrack, and a "Leila Dances" theme on the album is not heard in the film.
In this film, Barry introduced the percussive "007" theme that came to be considered the 'secondary James Bond Theme'. Barry's instrumental group The John Barry Seven
had had a UK chart hit with a cover version
of Elmer Bernstein
's The Magnificent Seven
; both that tune and 007 featured seven beats. It is used in various of the Bond films of Sean Connery
, and also Roger Moore
's Moonraker
. The arrangement appears twice on this soundtrack album; the second version, entitled "007 Takes the Lektor", is the one used during the gunfight at the gypsy camp and also during Bond's theft of the Lektor decoding machine. The soundtrack album version is not heard in the film.
The completed film features a holdover from the Monty Norman-supervised Dr. No music – the post-rocket-launch music from No (after Bond disrupts No's attempts to jam the takeoff) appears in Russia at the conclusion of the helicopter attack, and also at the attempt of SPECTRE
to intercept Bond's speedboat. This cue, incidentally lifted by Arnold for Tomorrow Never Dies, is naturally absent from the Russia soundtrack album. The original Barry arrangement of The James Bond Theme for Dr. No was inserted by the producers in the film when Bond searches his room in Istanbul for microphones. Barry did a new arrangement of the theme used when Bond leaves London and flies into Istanbul titled James Bond with Bongos that Billy Strange
did a cover version of for the US charts.
Barry noted that Bart's lyrics used the title of the film, but had nothing to do with the story of the film, a matter he would rectify when he was assigned the next Bond film. Barry noted, 1964's Goldfinger
would be the first Bond film in which he had total creative control over the soundtrack, including the music of the theme song (Leslie Bricusse
and Anthony Newley
would contribute the theme's lyrics).
Barry's "Stalking" - the haunting track from the pre-credit sequence between Bond and Grant - is echoed on the 1977 film version of The Spy Who Loved Me
. It's in the scene which Bond (Roger Moore) and Anya 'Agent XXX' Amasova (Barbara Bach
) try to hunt down Jaws (Richard Kiel
) at an Egyptian restoration site. Ironically, the Spy soundtrack was not composed by Barry but by Marvin Hamlisch
.
. Several tracks on the album do not appear in the completed film. The album was the last of the Bond soundtrack albums to feature more than the usual six tracks per record side.
The soundtrack album reached number #28 on the Variety charts in March 1964 with the title song becoming Unart Music's most recorded song. Other cover versions of The James Bond Theme were also released to coincide with the film. Barry also released different cover versions of the title song and 007 on his Ember records
for the pop charts. The Roland Shaw
Orchestra performed cover versions of most of the music of Barry's soundtrack on several albums.
* Not heard in the film
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film of the same name
From Russia with Love (film)
From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
. This is the first series film with John Barry
John Barry (composer)
John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
as the primary soundtrack composer.
John Barry, arranger of Monty Norman
Monty Norman
Monty Norman is a singer and film composer best known for being credited with composing the "James Bond Theme".-Biography:...
's "James Bond Theme
James Bond Theme
The "James Bond Theme" is the main signature theme of the James Bond films and has featured in every Eon Productions Bond film since Dr. No. The piece has been used as an accompanying fanfare to the gun barrel sequence in almost every James Bond film....
" for Dr. No
Dr. No (film)
Dr. No is a 1962 spy film, starring Sean Connery; it is the first James Bond film. Based on the 1958 Ian Fleming novel of the same name, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather and was directed by Terence Young. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R...
, would be the dominant Bond series composer for most of its history and the inspiration for the current lead Bond movie composer, David Arnold
David Arnold
David Arnold is an English film composer best known for scoring five James Bond films, the 1994 film Stargate, the 1996 film Independence Day, and the television series Little Britain.-Film and television career:...
(who uses cues from this soundtrack in his own for Tomorrow Never Dies
Tomorrow Never Dies
Tomorrow Never Dies is the eighteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Bruce Feirstein wrote the screenplay, and it was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. It follows Bond as he tries to stop a media mogul from engineering...
).
Production
Following the decision of the producers not to use Monty NormanMonty Norman
Monty Norman is a singer and film composer best known for being credited with composing the "James Bond Theme".-Biography:...
, though keeping his The James Bond Theme, Harry Saltzman
Harry Saltzman
Harry Saltzman was a Canadian theatre and film producer best known for his mega-gamble which resulted in his co-producing the James Bond film series with Albert R...
decided on using the then popular Lionel Bart
Lionel Bart
Lionel Bart was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver!-Early life:...
of Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
fame. Bart was unable to read or write music, but he offered to compose the music and lyrics for a title song to the film.
The producers chose John Barry to score the film. Barry had not only arranged and conducted The James Bond Theme from the previous film, but had already scored some motion pictures such as Beat Girl
Beat Girl
Beat Girl is a 1960 British film about late-fifties youth-rebellion. The title character is played by starlet Gillian Hills, who later went on to have numerous small roles in 1960s and 1970s films, such as Blowup and A Clockwork Orange, and became a successful "ye-ye" singer in France.The music was...
and Never Let Go
Never Let Go
Never Let Go is a 1960 British thriller film starring Peter Sellers and Richard Todd. It concerns a man's purchase, loss of, and attempt to recover a Ford Anglia car. Sellers played a London villain, in one of his rare straight roles.-Plot:...
. Barry's group also charted as #1 in the November 1962 UK charts with a different arrangement of the Bond theme than was heard in the film.
The title song was sung by Matt Monro
Matt Monro
Matt Monro was an English singer who became one of the most popular entertainers on the international music scene during the 1960s...
. Monro's vocal version is played during the film (as source music on a radio) and properly over the film's end titles. The title credit music is a lively instrumental version of the tune preceded by a brief Barry composed James Bond is Back then segueing into the "James Bond Theme
James Bond Theme
The "James Bond Theme" is the main signature theme of the James Bond films and has featured in every Eon Productions Bond film since Dr. No. The piece has been used as an accompanying fanfare to the gun barrel sequence in almost every James Bond film....
". On the original film soundtrack Alan Haven
Alan Haven
Alan Haven is an English jazz organist.He is best known for his collaborations with John Barry in the James Bond films From Russia with Love and Goldfinger and in the Richard Lester film The Knack …and How to Get It...
played a jazzy organ over the theme but this version was not released on the soundtrack album. The tune also appears in a soft string arrangement as a theme for Tania. In Germany, the original release featured an end title track cover version called Die Wolga ist Weit sung by Ruthe Berlé.
Originally planning to use local Turkish music as Monty Norman had used Jamaican music on Dr No, Barry accompanied the film crew to Istanbul, however he found nothing suitable for the film. There are different tracks of Turkish type music in the film that do not appear on the soundtrack, and a "Leila Dances" theme on the album is not heard in the film.
In this film, Barry introduced the percussive "007" theme that came to be considered the 'secondary James Bond Theme'. Barry's instrumental group The John Barry Seven
The John Barry Seven
The John Barry Seven was a band formed by John Barry in 1957, after he abandoned his original career path of arranging for big bands.-Origins:...
had had a UK chart hit with a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein
Elmer Bernstein was an American composer and conductor best known for his many film scores. In a career which spanned fifty years, he composed music for hundreds of film and television productions...
's The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven
The Magnificent Seven is an American Western film directed by John Sturges, and released in 1960. It is a fictional tale of a group of seven American gunmen who are hired to protect a small agricultural village in Mexico from a group of marauding Mexican bandits...
; both that tune and 007 featured seven beats. It is used in various of the Bond films of Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
, and also Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
's Moonraker
Moonraker (film)
Moonraker is the eleventh spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The third and final film in the series to be directed by Lewis Gilbert, it co-stars Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Corinne Clery, and Richard Kiel...
. The arrangement appears twice on this soundtrack album; the second version, entitled "007 Takes the Lektor", is the one used during the gunfight at the gypsy camp and also during Bond's theft of the Lektor decoding machine. The soundtrack album version is not heard in the film.
The completed film features a holdover from the Monty Norman-supervised Dr. No music – the post-rocket-launch music from No (after Bond disrupts No's attempts to jam the takeoff) appears in Russia at the conclusion of the helicopter attack, and also at the attempt of SPECTRE
SPECTRE
SPECTRE is a fictional global terrorist organisation featured in the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming, the films based on those novels, and James Bond video games...
to intercept Bond's speedboat. This cue, incidentally lifted by Arnold for Tomorrow Never Dies, is naturally absent from the Russia soundtrack album. The original Barry arrangement of The James Bond Theme for Dr. No was inserted by the producers in the film when Bond searches his room in Istanbul for microphones. Barry did a new arrangement of the theme used when Bond leaves London and flies into Istanbul titled James Bond with Bongos that Billy Strange
Billy Strange
William E. "Billy" Strange is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor.-Recordings and songwriting:...
did a cover version of for the US charts.
Barry noted that Bart's lyrics used the title of the film, but had nothing to do with the story of the film, a matter he would rectify when he was assigned the next Bond film. Barry noted, 1964's Goldfinger
Goldfinger (film)
Goldfinger is the third spy film in the James Bond series and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1964, it is based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film also stars Honor Blackman as Bond girl Pussy Galore and Gert Fröbe as the title...
would be the first Bond film in which he had total creative control over the soundtrack, including the music of the theme song (Leslie Bricusse
Leslie Bricusse
Leslie Bricusse is an English composer, lyricist, and playwright.Although best known for his partnership with Anthony Newley, Bricusse has worked with many other composers. He was educated at University College School in London and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge...
and Anthony Newley
Anthony Newley
Anthony George Newley was an English actor, singer and songwriter. He enjoyed success as a performer in such diverse fields as rock and roll and stage and screen acting.-Early life:...
would contribute the theme's lyrics).
Barry's "Stalking" - the haunting track from the pre-credit sequence between Bond and Grant - is echoed on the 1977 film version of The Spy Who Loved Me
The Spy Who Loved Me (film)
The Spy Who Loved Me is a spy film, the tenth film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional secret agent James Bond. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and the screenplay was written by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum...
. It's in the scene which Bond (Roger Moore) and Anya 'Agent XXX' Amasova (Barbara Bach
Barbara Bach
Barbara Bach is an American actress and model known as the Bond girl from the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me . She is married to former Beatle Ringo Starr.-Early life:...
) try to hunt down Jaws (Richard Kiel
Richard Kiel
Richard Dawson Kiel is an American actor best known for his role as the steel-toothed Jaws in the James Bond movies The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker as well as the video game Everything or Nothing, and Mr. Larson in Happy Gilmore...
) at an Egyptian restoration site. Ironically, the Spy soundtrack was not composed by Barry but by Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Hamlisch
Marvin Frederick Hamlisch is an American composer. He is one of only thirteen people to have been awarded Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and a Tony . He is also one of only two people to EGOT and also win a Pulitzer Prize...
.
Album and cover versions
The original recordings of the soundtrack are thought to be lost and did not appear when the soundtracks were issued in remastered form on CD. The album is different from the film with the album's recording of the main titles sounding slower and not featuring the organ played by Alan HavenAlan Haven
Alan Haven is an English jazz organist.He is best known for his collaborations with John Barry in the James Bond films From Russia with Love and Goldfinger and in the Richard Lester film The Knack …and How to Get It...
. Several tracks on the album do not appear in the completed film. The album was the last of the Bond soundtrack albums to feature more than the usual six tracks per record side.
The soundtrack album reached number #28 on the Variety charts in March 1964 with the title song becoming Unart Music's most recorded song. Other cover versions of The James Bond Theme were also released to coincide with the film. Barry also released different cover versions of the title song and 007 on his Ember records
Ember Records
Ember Records was the name of two record labels of the 1950s and 1960s, one American and one British.-1950s to 60s:In the late 1950s, the eccentric avid jazz fan Jeffrey Kruger, owner of the famous Flamingo Jazz Club, was looking for a new challenge...
for the pop charts. The Roland Shaw
Roland Shaw (bandleader)
Roland Shaw born Roland Edgar Shaw-Tomkins 26 May 1920 is an English composer, musical arranger, and orchestra leader.Shaw attended the Trinity College of Music and served in the Royal Air Force in World War II leading RAF No 1 Band of the Middle East Forces....
Orchestra performed cover versions of most of the music of Barry's soundtrack on several albums.
Track listing
- "Opening Titles: James Bond Is Back/From Russia with Love/James Bond ThemeJames Bond ThemeThe "James Bond Theme" is the main signature theme of the James Bond films and has featured in every Eon Productions Bond film since Dr. No. The piece has been used as an accompanying fanfare to the gun barrel sequence in almost every James Bond film....
" (different arrangement than heard in the film) - "Tania Meets Klebb"
- "Meeting in St. Sophia"
- "The Golden Horn" *
- "Girl Trouble"
- "Bond Meets Tania"
- "007"
- "Gypsy Camp"
- "Death of Grant"
- "From Russia with Love" – Matt MonroMatt MonroMatt Monro was an English singer who became one of the most popular entertainers on the international music scene during the 1960s...
- "Spectre Island"
- "Guitar Lament" *
- "Man Overboard/SMERSH in Action"
- "James Bond with Bongos"
- "Stalking"
- "Leila Dances" *
- "Death of Kerim"
- "007 Takes the Lektor"