A Better Tomorrow (Mark’s Theme) - Styles Report Soul Mix

A Better Tomorrow (Mark’s Theme) – Styles Report Soul Mix.

This is a 70s soul/funk themed homage to one of my favorite film score pieces of all time, the main theme from A Better Tomorrow (also known as Mark's Theme) from the movie of the same name.

A Better Tomorrow and its sequel are two of the all time great examples of both Hong Kong Action Cinema and the Heroic Bloodshed genre. John Woo is in top form and the performances by Chow Yun-Fat, Ti Lung, and the late, great Leslie Cheung are absolutely iconic.

I first discovered these gems in a Chinatown video shop as a college freshman and have loved them ever since for the balletic double pistoled action and timeless themes of brotherhood and sacrifice. But I find that what sticks with me the most, decades later, is the beautiful film score by the “godfather of Cantopop”, the great Joseph Koo. Koo combined live instruments and 80s synth sounds to create a masterpiece that was at once haunting, gritty and heroic.

The centerpiece of this amazing soundtrack is the main “Mark’s Theme”, a song that is as stylish and larger-than-life as its namesake character. To this day, I play this when I need to get pumped up for a trip or new adventure. I have longed to find a true digital remaster of the track, but I’ve only seen recordings of the old mono version from the film, some pretty solid guitar covers, or tinny MIDI versions; even the “official” soundtrack released in Japan is MIDI rerecordings with low quality instruments not worthy of the original’s excellence.

Since I started doing my own music with AI I felt it was a great opportunity to finally fill this gap and do Mr. Koo’s work some justice. As a starting point I tried to replicate the 80s sound complete with rich, analog synth, but I realized that I could never hope to match the heights of Joseph Koo’s work. However, if I took it back a decade to the 70s, and give it a little bit more soul and funk, perhaps I could give the track a little bit of new flavor and make it my own.

The result is something that would feel at home at a 70s crime drama, that not only pays homage to Mr. Koo but also the likes of Mr. Curtis Mayfield, Mr. Isaac Hayes and Mr. Willie Hutch. Come to think of it, a 70s era remake of “A Better Tomorrow” in the vein of “Across 110th Street” or “American Gangster” would be absolutely outstanding. Hopefully this track inspires some of the amazing creative talents out there to get to work on that! Until then, please enjoy this tribute to an absolutely outstanding score and matching film series.

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Music video by The Styles Report performing A Better Tomorrow (Mark’s Theme) – Styles Report Soul Mix. “A Better Tomorrow Main Theme” originally composed and performed by Joseph Koo. Styles Report Soul Remix arrangement © 2024 M.K. "Styles" Tsui. All RIghts Reserved.