Casino Royale

Composed by David Arnold

Orchestrated and Conducted by Nicholas Dodd

Produced by David Arnold

Released by Sony Classical Records on November 14, 2006

iTunes Bonus Tracks

01 - African Rundown (6:52)

02 - Nothin' Sinister (1:27)
03 - Unauthorised Access (1:08)
04 - Blunt Instrument (2:22)
05 - CCTV (1:30)
06 - Solange (0:59)
07 - Trip Aces (2:06)
08 - Miami International (12:43)
09 - I'm The Money (0:27)
10 - Aston Montenegro (1:03)
11 - Dinner Jackets (1:52)
12 - The Tell (3:23)
13 - Stairwell Fight (4:12)
14 - Vesper (1:44)
15 - Bond Loses It All (3:56)

16 - Dirty Martini (3:49)
17 - Bond Wins It All (4:32)
18 - The End Of An Aston Martin (1:30)
19 - The Bad Die Young (1:18)
20 - City Of Lovers (3:30)
21 - The Switch (5:07)
22 - Fall Of A House In Venice (1:53)
23 - Death Of Vesper (2:50)
24 - The Bitch Is Dead (1:05)
25 - The Name's Bond...James Bond (2:49)

Album Running Time: 74:19

Total Running Time: 87:46

     After the Moonraker of the Pierce Brosnan era, Die Another Day, it was decided that the current direction of the franchise was in need of an overhaul. The quality of the films themselves aside, Brosnan had a good run as the famed secret agent, but with this re-envisioning he was out and the search for a successor was on. Daniel Craig was eventually settled on and the storyline for this new film was ripped right out of the pages of the Ian Fleming novel that started it all. Even with a new direction, a new attitude, and a new Bond, familiar elements were left in to make the transition easier. Judi Dench remained in play as M, Martin Campbell (who had started the Brosnan films by directing Goldeneye) was hired, and David Arnold was on board for his fourth time in scoring a James Bond film.

     For his first film, Tomorrow Never Dies, Arnold peppered the music with everything he wanted to hear as a James Bond fan. Still considered the strongest score he's done for the franchise, the next two provided a maturation of the classic Barry style that Arnold blended with electronic backbeats. This style culminated in the techo-heavy Die Another Day which, while a good score, mirrored the overabundance of technology (both in the gadgets and the CGI) that was used to bring that film to light. For Casino Royale, Arnold doesn't abandon his electronics, but the orchestra is given more prominence. He even goes so far as to tweak the electronics in a way that resembles the early use of them by John Barry for On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

     It should come as no surprise then that Arnold has mentioned OHMSS as the inspiration for Casino Royale, and it shows in more ways than just the synth. The romantic theme is sweeping and emotional while the action cues are harsh and primal. The beloved James Bond theme is kept under wraps for the most part, and "You Know My Name" serves as the primary impetus for Bond's actions. It was a refreshing change of pace for the title song (sung by Audioslave's Chris Cornell and written by Cornell and Arnold) to actually have an impact on the score. It's an element that Arnold has had to deal with over his entire Bond scoring career (with the sole exception being with The World is Not Enough). The title song is a great piece and is handled expertly throughout the score, though licensing issues unfortunately keep it off the album. It makes a great counterpoint to the Bond theme and I for one would not mind hearing incarnations of it in future scores.

     Casino Royale is a darker film and the music matches it perfectly. The only breaks come in the romantic cues and these comprise some of the best material on the album. The romantically styled version of "You Know My Name" is handled quite well, starting with "I'm the Money" and continuing on into "Aston Montenegro". The action cues on the other hand offer only a handful of great moments, usually coming late into their running times (which are of Zimmesque proportions). They are much easier to handle after a few listens and I was impressed with the percussion elements found in "African Rundown" and "Stairwell Fight". References to "You Know My Name" work well, but in trying to not touch on the Bond theme Arnold shoehorns himself into some generic composition at times. Thankfully, he does include a full statement of the theme at the end with "The Name's Bond...James Bond".

     Taken as a whole, the album is very solid and a great start to the Daniel Craig era of films. Arnold's references to OHMSS are fun (with the penultimate homage found in "Dinner Jackets") and he offers plenty of references to his earlier scores as well. A first for a Bond score sees not only this album clocking in at seventy-four minutes but also the release of extra tracks via an album purchase from iTunes that presents the complete score. Arnold is even kind enough to present a chorological track listing for the complete score on his website. Whether or not you want to purchase this score via iTunes for the extra thirteen cues (adding an additional 14 minutes to the running time) probably depends on how you feel about that online music service. The additional cues are nice to have, but don't represent anything that feels like it shouldn't have been left off the album in the first place. It does come in a bit cheaper, so if you're looking to save a few dollars, the iTunes version may be just the thing.

     While I hold Barry's original Bond scores in high esteem, I've loved everything David Arnold has done for the series and Casino Royale keeps the same level of consistency. It's a solid James Bond score and one that stands well against the rest.

Reviewed on November 29, 2006

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