The central theme is Did You Call
Me which is actually a song, but this was only released on the
song compilation. The melody is put through countless variations,
but in its original form is a saxophone melody that is sexy and
sleazy giving the onscreen romance the kind of feeling it
somewhat lacked on its own. The main action motif is a very short
idea and only appears very sparingly throughout, but features the
trademark snare drum, trumpet and string motifs that will be
familiar to those who enjoy his Bond scores. In the same way that Danny
Elfman's percussive and often minimalist score for Mission:
Impossible had fans complaining bitterly, The
Specialist is liable to create similar disappointment if
that's you only expect wall to wall synth percussion and brass is
liable to disappointed. Even Barry's Bond scores never contained
wall to wall action and so I didn't expect much here either. What
action scoring there is gives the impression of just being the
minimum needed to support what is happening onscreen rather than
hype the excitement with fast running lines or wall to wall
orchestration. It is the other music that is the highlight of the
score and certainly the most effecting in the film. Moments such
as the gorgeous choral work in Ray Meets May at Her Funeral (the
track titles are a fraction over long and give the plot away more
than might be desired) and the ultra sleazy Let's See That
Beautiful Face are what make this score a refreshing alternative. If Barry had done wall to wall
action I'd have been very surprised and most likely wouldn't have
enjoy the score as much as I do. I enjoy a huge orchestral
blowout for certain, but that is not really what John Barry does
best. Providing dramatic and appropriate underscore for often
crappy films (as this one was) most certainly is the strong point
of Barry's compositional talent. Definitely recommended so long
as you don't expect the orchestra blaring for the duration. Rating ~ Total Time ~ 57:53This is about as close as John
Barry has got to writing a Bond score since The Living
Daylights in 1987, although this is much more of a sexy
suspense score than an action score. Many moments recall a
somewhat less icy version of Body Heat, although
the cues close to the beginning and end feature the kind of
repeated action motif that proliferated through many of his Bond
efforts. The Main Title contains a snare drum backed notif that
could easily come from any of the more recent Bond efforts, but
after that it settles down and becomes a mixture of suspense and
steamy sexiness in the way that only Barry scores do.
