Licence To Kill CD soundtrack

soundtrack review

Between the great The Living Daylights soundtrack and the poor Goldeneye soundtrack, Michael Kamen's score for Licence To Kill marks somewhere in between. Things start out well with a good Gunbarrel sequence although the rest of 'James & Felix on Their Way to Church' and 'Sanchez in the Bahamas/Shark Fishing' sets the style for the majority of other tracks – uninspiring, dark and monotonous. Gladys Knight sings the longest title theme in the series (at over 5 minutes) with great aplomb creating an excellent opening for the rest of the film. There is a interesting aside in the form of 'Wedding Party' which acts as good ambient music at Felix and Della's wedding although does seem out of place on a Bond soundtrack.

After more lacklustre tracks, one of the CD's few highlights appears in the shape of 'Pam'. Full of Latin spirit, this is perhaps the only softer cue on the whole soundtrack that raises your spirits and awakens your senses. Sadly more monotony follows until perhaps the best track appears in the form of 'Licence Revoked'. About one minute and suddenly a pace that has been missing from whole CD is found which blends nicely into a great rendition of The James Bond Theme. There is a real tension and struggle and you can imagine Bond fighting with Sanchez aboard the moving tanker wagons. The Licence To Kill CD soundtrack concludes with the great 'If You Asked Me To' that offers a nice warm romantic feel, a welcome treat after the coldness of the previous tracks.

play listing

While you may prefer to listen to the tracks as they are presented, below is a list of the tracks arranged in the order they appear in the movie, which is my personal preference of listening to the James Bond CD's.

6. James & Felix on Their Way to Church (3:54)
8. Sanchez is in the Bahamas/Shark Fishing (2:07)
1. Licence To Kill# (5:16)
2. Wedding Party*** (3:56)
7. His Funny Valentine (3:26)
3. Dirty Love** (3:47)
4. Pam (3:52)
9. Ninja (6:04)
10. Licence Revoked (9:10)
5. If You Asked Me To* (4:01)