cd soundtrack information
Music composed, arranged and conducted by John Barry. Lyrics by Don Black. 'The Man With The Golden Gun' vocals by Lulu.
Music originally recorded at CTS Studios, Bayswater, London, in October 1974
Total playing time : 43:08
cd soundtrack overview
The Man With The Golden Gun sees John Barry return to do the films score, and his first with Roger Moore at the helm. The Man With The Golden Gun CD soundtrack is perhaps in complete contrast to the previous Live And Let Die and indeed different to previous Barry soundtracks. This is apparent straight away from the start in 'Scaramanga's Fun House'. At first the music introduces Scaramanga's wealth and exotic locales, then changes into Scaramanga's 'stalking theme' that continues through many of the other tracks. This continuing, haunting, theme really creates a sense of suspense and tension whether watching the film, or just listening to the CD. The burst of Western saloon music on the piano adds that extra edge. The brash title theme sung by Lulu has mixed views. Some say it's upbeat, strong, vibrant and dynamic with a hint of rock which livens up the rest of the soundtrack, where others see the theme as being too 'raw' with strange lyrics and Lulu singing a bit off-key.
As you would expect, this CD soundtrack contains a lot of far-east and oriental cues. However mix this up with some renditions of the James Bond Theme, a bit of suspense, and some action and you have some great tracks. Great examples of this are in 'Chew Me in Grisly Land', 'Kung-fu Fight' and 'Goodnight Goodnight'. With shades of 'Gumbold's Safe' from On Her Majesty's Secret Service, John Barry uses 'Hip's Trip' to slowly build-up the tension and suspense. The true masterpieces of the CD are left to last. 'In Search Of Scaramanga's' and 'Return To Scaramanga's' are very stirring tension fuelled pieces charged with emotion as Bond fights to the death. The CD nicely rounds up with an instrumental version of the title theme climaxing with the lyrics in a slowed-down version. The Man With The Golden Gun marks perhaps the most forgotten about CD soundtrack in the series as people stand divided on their thoughts. While On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Goldfinger, Thunderball etc often rank the highest, it is worth taking another look at this gem which holds its head high and stands amongst these great titles.
cd soundtrack 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.
2. Scaramanga's Fun House (4:39)
1. Main title - The Man With The Golden Gun (2:37)
5. Getting the Bullet (2:45)
8. Hip's Trip (3:21)
4. The Man With the Golden Gun (Jazz Instrumental )(fits in nicely here) (2:32)
6. Goodnight Goodnight (5:22)
3. Chew Me in Grisly Land (4:01)
9. Kung Fu Fight (1:57)
7. Let's Go Get 'Em (3:44)
10. In Search of Scaramanga's Island (6:28)
11. Return to Scaramanga's Fun House (6:28)
12. End title - The Man With The Golden Gun (3:05)
related links
Buy The Man With The Golden Gun CD soundtrack from amazon.com
Buy The Man With The Golden Gun CD soundtrack from amazon.co.uk
The Man With The Golden Gun posters
The Man With The Golden Gun sound clips
The Man With The Golden Gun reference guide
