Music • Images
ARBO IS FOREVER
Arbo is forever
A very enjoyable corporate film from 1998 about what Arbo does, divided into several chapters, each with a short opening song. The main theme is a straight-up rip-off and a big wink to the famous 007 theme. The guitar melody is played differently, as is the brass accompaniment, but the source of inspiration is unmistakable. The Goldfinger song was also the main starting point for all the tracks.
Gabby Bakker's singing is fantastic. There is a slight ironic undertone in her voice which,
together with the music and the somewhat clumsy Mr. R.BO (in the film), works
remarkably well.
A corporate film you almost wish they were all made with this much care and attention.
The different tracks also reveal the development of my equipment over the years: from the early 1990s to the increasingly sophisticated possibilities available in the early 2000s. For Arbo is forever, I made extensive use of some excellent brass and violin samples from the Roland S-760 series.
LYRICS
LYRICS
Gekromde ruggen
"Bent backs" could easily be a fragment from an Italian opera, with the Goldfinger melody
quietly seeping through it. Another good example of something I've always found
important when making this kind of music: a joke works much better when you take it seriously. The music itself shouldn't wink at the listener. The absurdity comes from treating the material with complete musical seriousness.
American author Paul Auster described it rather nicely:“Even if you’re trying to be funny, you have to engage with it as deeply as you can.”
Tis ’s winters te koud
"It's too cold in winter' is a more bluesy take on the main theme. Grand in orchestration, yet deliberately restrained in emotion.
In een klein hoekie
"In some little corner"
I was probably thinking at the time: why not show off my knowledge of all kinds of
genres? 😄 So here we have a jazzy little swing, with a wink to the TV series Twin Peaks,
which was around at the time: brushes and vibraphone, with that slightly mysterious late-night feel. And as a little treat, the cimbalom: my own secret reference to the beautiful The Persuaders theme. Like the 007 theme, this was also written by the genius John Barry.
