Tag: James Bond

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re listening to the next James Bond film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service!

Even though George Lazenby only appeared as James Bond once, I absolutely love this film! From the story, to the characters, to the European settings, I can’t think of a better Bond experience and wish Lazenby had stuck around for more.

I don’t even mind the little romantic montage and enjoy “We Have All the Time in the World” by Louis Armstrong so much, the tune was the “last dance” song for my wife & I at our wedding reception. The soundtrack contains many gems that put you right back into the film when you hear them.

The soundtrack was recorded in October of 1969, just ahead of the film and soundtrack’s December releases. My US 1979 reissue here sounds just as good as the original release, but I’m definitely waiting for an expanded version on vinyl.

7. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re listening to the next James Bond film, You Only Live Twice!

While You Only Live Twice was the first official Bond film to gross less than its predecessor, I always thought it was a really fun story that should be ranked higher amongst Bond flicks. In fact, from sumo wrestling to secret underground lairs, I’d probably credit this movie for all my knowledge of Japan in the first 11 years of my life.

This US 1967 mono version of the soundtrack is most well known for Nancy Sinatra’s title track, but I think John Barry’s “Fight at Kobe Dock” best captures the vibe for this score. Here’s the scene if you needed a refresher:

6. You Only Live Twice (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re listening to the next James Bond film, Casino Royale (1967)!

Released two months before You Only Live Twice, Casino Royale is an “unofficial” Bond parody, but is loosely based on the Ian Fleming novel. The film’s story structure itself is kind of a mess, straying from Ian Fleming’s novel, but the music totally rocks!

With a Burt Bacharach score, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass and Dusty Springfield’s “The Look of Love.” It was truly an Austin Powers spy spoof film 30 years before Austin Powers.

This film and associated music have still not yet been covered on BondCast, but they may get there someday. They’ve covered most of the series at this point, so check it out for a fun time: https://www.rebelforceradio.com/bondcast

5. Casino Royale (An Original Soundtrack Recording)

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re listening to the next James Bond film, Thunderball!

This US version of the 1965 soundtrack album does not feature Shirley Bassey’s original main title theme, “Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” which was cut last minute because it didn’t actually feature the film’s title in the lyrics. However, Tom Jones is a great replacement. His claim of nearly passing out while delivering the last line of the title track is very believable when you hear the performance.

Also, if you haven’t heard heard it, check out Johnny Cash’s unused “Thunderball” that attempts to describe the film’s muddled story.

4. Thunderball (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re listening to the next James Bond film, Goldfinger!

This US version of the 1964 soundtrack album is a bit short when considering all the available music from the score. However, it does still include Shirley Bassey’s memorable main theme and spent more than a year on the Billboard charts.

Her voice is definitely hard to match, and you can hear why she was brought back for multiple Bond soundtracks.

More than 60 years later, La-La Land Records is releasing a new limited edition LP of music from Goldfinger TODAY in order to have a more complete listening experience on vinyl: https://variety.com/2025/artisans/news/goldfinger-john-barry-vinyl-la-la-land-1236408802/ Unfortunately, it is not a double LP, and does not hold all the tracks included on the recent 2-CD release.

3. Goldfinger (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re listening to the next James Bond film, From Russia With Love!

This is my favorite Sean Connery Bond film overall. The movie has a memorable score, most of which is found on this soundtrack. Unlike the Dr. No album from the year before, “soundtrack” now receives the more common spelling on the cover. Matt Munro’s vocals are equally memorable for the main title theme [heard at the end of the film, but we’ll get to that another day]. This is the first film in the series with John Barry credited as the main soundtrack composer.

If you’re interested in more info like this, I’d recommend “The Music of James Bond” by Jon Burlingame. Great book, and pretty much the bible of Bond music when first printed.

2. From Russia With Love (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Recommended music:

Tonight from the archives, we’re looking ahead to October, when I typically post about vinyl records in my collection that feature music from James Bond films.

What started out as collecting just the Bond soundtracks on vinyl while No Time To Die kept getting delayed during COVID has continued to grow, and I’ve already got 31 more albums lined up for this October.

Since October is just 124 days away, I figured I’d start re-posting about Bond on vinyl daily now, so you’ll be all caught up by October.

Cheers!🍸

1. Dr. No (Original Motion Picture Sound Track Album)