John Barry - Indecent Proposal: Music From The Motion Picture (1993) Expanded Remastered 2015

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John Barry - Indecent Proposal: Music From The Motion Picture (1993) Expanded Remastered 2015

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I remember that Indecent Proposal was somewhat controversial when it was released in 1993. Adrian Lyne’s film chronicles what at the time was considered a shocking moral dilemma – a married woman offered a million dollars to have a one night stand with a billionaire. (Since the billionaire in question is played by Robert Redford, there was predictable joking that most people would happily send the money the other way for that arrangement, though that does rather undermine the apparently serious message the film was trying to convey about the impact of such things on relationships.) Critics weren’t convinced but back in 1993 Demi Moore’s star power was high and the film made a lot of money.

Film music has changed an awful lot in the 22 years since and if something like this were made today, there’s no way it would feature a score anything like John Barry’s, but actually Barry’s contribution is absolutely critical. It’s languorous, sexy, sad – very much in keeping with the style he used throughout the later years of his career – importantly it gives heart to Redford’s character, creates sympathy for him, it blurs moral lines – it’s a great film score.

It’s based around three main themes, plus other less-repeated ideas. All three are simply gorgeous. The main title theme with its delicate piano over a bed of strings and horn chords is just so beautiful – full of love and romance but with that trademark Barry sadness on hand. It’s oft-repeated throughout the score, perhaps my favourite version coming in “The Run to the Heli-Pad” which is scored completely (so cleverly) against picture, with a great intensity.

The second major theme is that from the Barry-penned Lisa Stansfield song “In All the Right Places” (the last really successful song he wrote, though by no means the last good one). It does sound like an orchestral arrangement of a song (some of the melodic line is obviously set to accommodate the lyric, so it’s a little incongruous when heard without the vocal) but there’s no denying what an attractive melody it is. It appears in a handful of cues, most notably “Diana Returns”, the fullest arrangement within the body of the score, the melody passing from piano to soaring strings.

In some ways the third theme is actually the most impressive, though it’s easily the least-heard. It’s what Barry uses for Redford’s character and is introduced in “Dress Shop” – a heartbreaking piano solo, melancholy and sympathetic. Later it’s given a kind of light jazz arrangement in “Subway Story and Dance”, enlightened by the great Mike Lang’s effortless piano playing. There are a few other little ideas in the score also worth mentioning – the gorgeous Peggy Sue Got Married-style guitar of “Kitchen Floor” and the tight, almost Bondian suspense of “Helicopter to Yacht”, the heightened drama of “SCI-Arc” – and it’s impressive how Barry weaves all his themes together into this wider tapestry, with none of them feeling overused.

The MCA Records album at the time of the film included 25 minutes of Barry’s score – including most of the highlights – but was bizarrely edited together into a single track, alongside various songs. Intrada’s 2015 album sequences the whole score but frustratingly for them (and us) they weren’t able to licence the Stansfield song. That’s easy enough to resolve (few Barry fans are likely to be without the old album anyway) – and I guess so too is the other thing, more an oddity than an annoyance, with Barry’s preferred (and superior) versions of no fewer than five cues that he included on the MCA release being relegated to the 23-minute bonus section, replaced in the main programme by the film versions. I know people complain either way about these things so it’s probably a no-win situation for the label, but quite why anyone would presume to know better than John Barry which version of a cue should be given priority on the album I don’t know. (It’s a common curiosity when it comes to these expanded releases – are there really people so obsessed and so familiar with the movie Indecent Proposal that they will moan if a more musically-satisfying arrangement of a handful of cues is used rather than strictly adhering to film takes, which almost certainly came about for non-musical reasons?) Anyway, the most important thing is that all the versions are here so it’s not difficult to sequence yourself the way it should have been done, and add in the song from the old album while you’re at it (it’s a really good pop ballad). While for casual listeners the 25 minutes on the MCA release are probably enough, for Barry fans it’s great to have the opportunity to explore the music in more depth thanks to the Intrada album. It’s just beautiful music, luxuriously romantic John Barry.

James Southall, Movie-Wave.Net

Whenever a new John Barry remastered / complete score is released, it goes to the top of my priority list. This wonderful composer has achieved cult status with me and he can’t do wrong. The most romantic composer film music world has ever seen has left a legacy that will live forever. His music is timeless; his compositions are tender and fragile like butterfly wings. His scores are among the most beautiful ever written and every note is covered in the smoothest velvet.

It’s time now for “Indecent proposal” to see the light of day. The infamous movie where Robert Redford offers Demi Moore 1 million dollars for a night with her and forever changes her marriage to Woody Harrelson has become part of popular culture. I have seen it a couple of times but I didn’t pay attention to the music. Of course I should have, since even from the first moments of the main titles I am transported back into that special meadow where his score for “Somewhere in time” stays forever young.

Listening to a John Barry score is like traveling to the most romantic place in the world. Everything is floating on white clouds; everything flows slowly and gently and the sun just caresses everything in this perfect landscape. I forget about everything else when I listen to a score like “Indecent proposal” and just close my eyes and dream and think about the most precious things in my life. Actually I don’t forget about everything else, because each John Barry score is a portal to his other works and I like to recognize motifs, moods and emotions. Those soulful piano themes, the sublimely reflective sections just make me stop, clear my mind and enjoy the music. The effect John Barry’s music has on me is quite unique.

I discover here, surprisingly, one of his quieter scores. I would say one of the most melodic but it would be wrong because all his scores are like that. I’ll just name it one of the more fragile, one of the scores I want to cradle in my arms. I love the subtle changes in tone, the sudden raise of the eyebrows as the situation gets dire (“All is lost” or “One million dollars”) and the return to the natural flow afterwards. Yes, this is the score that feels closest to “Somewhere in time” and that one has a very special place in my heart.

There is a special kind of sadness and longing in “Indecent proposal”. There’s always a doubt that I can hear in the music, there’s a permanent shadow that clouds the eyes and it’s just beautiful. I’ve spend most of this review talking about John Barry and less about this particular score but maybe this is because this score is pure, vintage, classical, perfect John Barry. His fans will just be in awe and add this to their list of favorites while the ones who don’t know his music yet (is such a thing even possible?) will wonder how they lived until now without being exposed to one of the composers that made me fall in love with film music.

For me, a John Barry score is the wind that blows gently and brings a scent I can’t necessarily identify but which sends me back to a precise moment in time, a moment when I felt the most at peace.

Mihnea Manduteanu, SoundtrackDreams.com

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John Barry - Indecent Proposal: Music From The Motion Picture (1993) Expanded Remastered 2015

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John Barry - Indecent Proposal: Music From The Motion Picture (1993) Expanded Remastered 2015

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John Barry - Indecent Proposal: Music From The Motion Picture (1993) Expanded Remastered 2015

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