The Man with the Golden Gun (soundtrack)

Infobox Album
Name = The Man with the Golden Gun
Type = Soundtrack
Artist = John Barry


Released = 1974
Recorded = 1974
Genre =
Length = 42:17
Label = EMI
Producer = Frank Collura (Reissue)
Reviews = *Allmusic Rating|3|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:uf9ss34ba3mg link]
Last album = "The Dove"
(1974)
This album = "The Man with the Golden Gun"
(1974)
Next album = "King Kong"
(1976)Extra chronology 2
Artist = James Bond soundtrack
Type = Soundtrack
Last album = "Live and Let Die"
(1973)
This album = "The Man with the Golden Gun"
(1974)
Next album = "The Spy Who Loved Me"
(1977)Extra album cover
Upper caption = Alternate cover
Background = gainsboro


Lower caption = Re-release cover

"The Man with the Golden Gun" is the soundtrack for the 9th James Bond film of the same name.

The theme tune was performed by Lulu, composed by John Barry, and the lyrics to the song were written by Don Black. Alice Cooper claims his song "The Man With The Golden Gun" was to be used by the producers of the film until it was dropped for Lulu's song instead. Cooper's song appears on his album "Muscle of Love".

The theme tune and score are generally considered to be among the weakest of Barry's contributions to the series – an opinion shared by Barry himself "It's the one I hate most... it just never happened for me." cite video | people =Barry, John (interviewee) | year =2006 | title =James Bond's Greatest Hits | url = | medium =Television | location =UK | publisher =North One Television] Certainly the title song is notable for having especially suggestive lyrics, and during a TV celebration for the 40th anniversary of the series, Lulu's performance was introduced with reference to its being the raunchiest of all Bond songs. For the first time, the song's end theme is not a straight reprise of the opener, as it begins with different lyrics (subsequent films followed suit with variations in arrangement, ahead of a new practice of using a different song altogether).

The film was also the first to drop the distinctive plucked guitar from the Bond theme heard over the Gun Barrel sequence - in all subsequent John Barry Bond scores, this theme would be heard on strings and trumpet. Not present on the album but heard in the film is a brief reprise, for recognition purposes, of the "Live and Let Die" theme when a character (Sheriff JW Pepper) from the previous film reappears. The next three Bond films would wittily feature excerpts from the familiar music of other films, too (though classics rather than Bond films), while "OnHerMajesty's Secret Service" had included a janitor character whistling the theme from "Goldfinger" as an in-joke.

Track listing

#"The Man with the Golden Gun (Main Title)" – Lulu
#"Scaramanga's Fun House"
#"Chew Me in Grisly Land"
#"The Man with the Golden Gun (Jazz Instrumental)"
#"Getting the Bullet"
#"Goodnight Goodnight"
#"Let's Go Get 'Em"
#"Hip's Trip"
#"Kung Fu Fight"
#"In Search of Scaramanga's Island"
#"Return to Scaramanga's Fun House"
#"The Man with the Golden Gun (End Title)" – Lulu

References