I have odd music-listening habits.
When I start listening to something I enjoy, I listen to it again. And again. And again. Over, and over, and over again. Sometimes a single track, played on Repeat, the entire trip to and/or from the office.
Margie is very indulgent of me in this. It has to be pretty annoying. I think she chalks it up to one of my charming eccentricities, and a relatively harmless (if noisy) one.
For the last three or four months, it’s been John Barry‘s soundtrack to The Living Daylights. Barry is the king of James Bond movie soundtracks, and is noteworthy for them as well as for other such trivial soundtracks as Out of Africa, Dances with Wolves, The Lion in Winter, Born Free, Midnight Cowboy, Body Heat, Peggy Sue Got Married, Somewhere in Time, Howard the Duck (!), and many others. Once you know his style, it’s unmistakable, a lush, lyrical melange of violins, brass, and contrapuntal rhythm. (Indeed, if you are not aware of him as an artist, consider the above tunes plus most of the Bond soundtracks. You’ll probably recognize the commonality right there and then.)
When we had to provide music for our wedding video, we (well, I, but Margie agreed) selected his Moviola theme for the finale. Sweepingly romantic, strongly melodic … I can’t say enough about his work. Incredibly neat stuff. If I had to have someone composing the soundtrack for my life, it would be him.
Anyway, The Living Daylights soundtrack has some really fun, driving themes to it, including tunes done by The Pretenders and A-ha. Leaving out the soppy romantic tracks (which Barry also does extremely well, but which isn’t nearly as much fun cranked up on high as you go driving down the freeway), it’s rollicking good fun.