RPGamers Network > Reviews > Game Music Reviews > James Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies OST
Reviewed by: Ersatz Sobriquet
I really never got to experience the music that is Tommy Tallarico before this album. I remember him being interviewed in EGM and they were ranting and raving about how he was the next big thing to come out USA when it came to American music in video games. Listening to the first track of pretty much made me think the same way, but then I realized that it was the theme to James Bond, and not even Moby can mess that up.
So, I continued to listen to the rest of the album and what a letdown. First, let me say that the music is pretty much the kind of music you'll find in a James Bond movie, techno, trippy beats with slight orchestra callings in the background. That's a good thing, now. You can't really go wrong with that.
The problem lies within the way the man constructed the songs. Before I even got to track 9, I heard nine different variations of the main James Bond theme. Nine!! That means that every track had some sort of implications to the main James Bond theme. Some might call that genius. I call that lazy.
Hotel Atlantic started out pretty nice. It was a different take on what I heard up to that point already, but then at the very end, I hear a slight string set that plays the main theme. It's like Tommy boy is scared to go and do his own thing.
Confrontation is a pretty cool song, with synth electric guitars pulling the main melody, but in all honesty, it sounds like the main theme remixed in an aggressive way. The melody of James Bond is warped and there's a lot of reverb in the background as well. Kinda killed the originality there.
I listened to Infrared, track 12 and it was pretty original until close to the end again where he played the first five notes of the James Bond theme again! Is there any song that's not affected by this? A new Beginning says no, Market concurs and Convoy rockaly agrees.
I MIGHT think about giving this album a higher grade if Tommy cared about originality to a certain extent. But it isn't alive and kickin', so the best thing any of us can do is avoid this. Unless you want 14 tracks of the same song with new parts, get this piece o' junk. Otherwise, stick with Europeans and Japanese... and Canadians, too, aka, Need For Speed.
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| Album Information | Reviewer Rank |
|---|---|
|
James Bond: Tomorrow Never Dies OST Published by: Chapter III Records Release Date: January 11th 2000 Composed by: Tommy Tallarico, Monty Norman (Bond Theme) Arranged by: N/A 1 Disc, 17 Tracks Catalog: N/A |
64 |
Reviewed by: Ersatz Sobriquet
I really never got to experience the music that is Tommy Tallarico before this album. I remember him being interviewed in EGM and they were ranting and raving about how he was the next big thing to come out USA when it came to American music in video games. Listening to the first track of pretty much made me think the same way, but then I realized that it was the theme to James Bond, and not even Moby can mess that up.
So, I continued to listen to the rest of the album and what a letdown. First, let me say that the music is pretty much the kind of music you'll find in a James Bond movie, techno, trippy beats with slight orchestra callings in the background. That's a good thing, now. You can't really go wrong with that.
The problem lies within the way the man constructed the songs. Before I even got to track 9, I heard nine different variations of the main James Bond theme. Nine!! That means that every track had some sort of implications to the main James Bond theme. Some might call that genius. I call that lazy.
Hotel Atlantic started out pretty nice. It was a different take on what I heard up to that point already, but then at the very end, I hear a slight string set that plays the main theme. It's like Tommy boy is scared to go and do his own thing.
Confrontation is a pretty cool song, with synth electric guitars pulling the main melody, but in all honesty, it sounds like the main theme remixed in an aggressive way. The melody of James Bond is warped and there's a lot of reverb in the background as well. Kinda killed the originality there.
I listened to Infrared, track 12 and it was pretty original until close to the end again where he played the first five notes of the James Bond theme again! Is there any song that's not affected by this? A new Beginning says no, Market concurs and Convoy rockaly agrees.
I MIGHT think about giving this album a higher grade if Tommy cared about originality to a certain extent. But it isn't alive and kickin', so the best thing any of us can do is avoid this. Unless you want 14 tracks of the same song with new parts, get this piece o' junk. Otherwise, stick with Europeans and Japanese... and Canadians, too, aka, Need For Speed.
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