ARILD BROTER
"A Spectre of Sounds: James Bond
Music Re-Imagined" (Apollon Music; 2024)
Reviewed by R. Scott Bolton
I have been in love with film music forever. And I'm talking original film scores, not collections of pop songs designed to sell records. And it was John Barry and the James Bond films that started that love affair. The big horns. The exciting tempos. The suaveness. The sexiness. Barry gave not just one film but every single Bond film its musical taste and style, and I mean from 1963's "From Russia With Love" all the way up to 2021's "No Time To Die." (It should be mentioned that Barry did not write the equally impressive original James Bond theme, first heard in 1962's "Dr. No." That was Monty Norman, although some probably unwarranted controversy revolves around that, too.)
So, when "A Spectre of Sounds: James Bond Music Re-Imagined" came to my attention, I was immediately intrigued. Clocking in at an enormous 86-minute runtime, with 20 tracks, "A Spectre of Sounds" is a must-listening experience for fans of the classic Bond film music.
There have been other "re-imaginings" of Bond music, of course, from one-off instrumentals to collections of the main theme songs from each film, sung by different artists. What makes this album so interesting is that Broter has taken instrumental music from the various Bond films and updated them, gave them a progressive rock feel. With soaring guitars, brighter percussion, modern arrangements and outstanding production, Broter makes this as much a progressive rock instrumental album as a tribute to the great Bond scores.
Look, I know this got my blood pumped because I'm a longtime John Barry / James Bond fan. But I think fans of instrumental progressive rock, and Broter's band, Pymlico (the band members of which also perform on this album, along with Bjørn Riis of Airbag and Ole Michal Bjørndal of Caligonaut) will find plenty to like here. The scores for the various James Bond music are iconic in the true sense of the word. There's a reason for that. And it's great to hear a modern tribute to a film music style that's not only survived, but thrived, for over sixty years.
For more information, check out https://arildbroter.no/.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.
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Copyright © 2024 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
