Tag: James Bond

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re moving ahead to 1981 and just listening to For Your Eyes Only!

The original 1-sheet poster for ‘For Your Eyes Only’ caused quite the stir when released in the United States in 1981. Known as the ‘Legs Campaign’, the Bond producers wanted to depict a rougher and more accurate Bond than audiences had seen most recently in Moonraker, so this was reflected in artist Bill Gold’s design for the poster. Unfortunately, the photographic imagery was deemed too risqué for some media outlets, who went as far as to superimpose a pair of denim shorts onto the image.

It was also determined that theater audiences outside the United States required more visual action in the poster, so British artist Brian Bysouth was brought in to provide more standard Bond-like imagery that would complement Gold’s original design. That artwork was used for nearly all European posters, and certainly caught my eye when going through bins of albums at a record show.

This French release of the FYEO soundtrack is exactly the same tracklist as the US version, but the album cover features this alternative artwork with the French text.

51. Bill Conti – Rien Que Pour Vos Yeux (For Your Eyes Only) Bande Sonore Originale Du Film

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re now listening to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever,  Live and Let Die, The Man With The Golden Gun, and The Spy Who Loved Me!

Return of the Superpak!

So yesterday I discussed how my other ‘Super-Pak’ album had side 1 with 4 and side 2 with 3. Well, me being the vinyl newbie that I am, I completely forgot about a piece of vinyl history called Automatic Record Changers! Growing up, even my parents’ giant record cabinet had this feature (which I have no memory of this feature working successfully). Basically, you would load up multiple records on top of a catch on the spindle. After the album finished, the next one dropped into place. Once the stack was done, you flipped everything over and repeated the process in the correct order.

This feature was phased out by the 1980s and has not returned by any current turntable manufacturers, as modern audiophiles prefer other qualities with their equipment versus this minimal gain in convenience and potential for damage.

With that in mind, this 1977 Japan-only release ignores all that, pairing side 1 with 2, and 3 with 4.

Now on to the actual music… IT’S GREAT! Featuring 26 (mostly instrumental) tracks from the first 10 Bond films, it kicks off with the very funky ‘Bond 77’ and ENDS with Monty Norman’s original “James Bond Theme.” This is the first compilation album I’ve seen that is reverse chronologically, but it completely works with this release!

50. All About James Bond 007 (Original Soundtrack Recording)

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Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re just listening to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and Diamonds Are Forever!

To commemorate 10 years of James Bond films (and soundtracks), United Artists Records issued a double LP of 25 tracks from the first seven Bond features. This value release was labeled as a Super-Pak which allowed buyers to get two full albums of previously released music (but not necessarily their greatest hits) for around $5.

Over 100 records in the 1970s carried this same moniker (or Superpak, etc.) including Cher, Gladys Knight and Jimi Hendrix. A seemingly odd thing for these releases is side 1 is opposite from side 4, and sides 2 & 3 are on the other record. I don’t believe that is too common for double LPs, as a listener wanting to hear everything would need to retrieve the first record from the sleeve more than once.

The album cover features a very small credit to John Barry, who composed and conducted nearly the entire release. Writing credits are included in an even smaller text on the record center label. The album cover/gatefold/back features two dozen stills in an Andy Warhol-like Pop Art style.

49. John Barry – James Bond 10th Anniversary

Recommended video: [I couldn’t find anything like this album to share, so here’s a review of the 1966 book, Octopussy And The Living Daylights]

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re back to listening to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball, but also adding in You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die, and …The Man With The Golden Gun?

This 1972 album is a mystery, so stand by for some history…
British record label Music For Pleasure started in the mid-60s, selling low-budget reissues and some original music outside the United States. They released thousands of albums through the 1970s under the name ‘MFP’ but became solely a music distributor by the 1980s.

The plot thickens as the name ‘The London Original Sounds Orchestra’ is only attached to this one album, ever (besides the track: ‘The James Bond Theme’ also being used on a French album “on the occasion of the launch of its stereo system and for you to appreciate its high musical performances Manufrance has specially designed this stereo disc” or something like that…

My copy of ‘James Bond 007’ also features French text, but is not the version released in France, but rather, Belgium (which has one-third French speakers). The lone image on the front cover (of a Sean Connery-esque Bond stuffed into the letter J) is credited to Columbia Records Japan, yet the Japanese version of this album is titled ‘Diamonds Are Forever / For Bond Lovers Only’ and only features art from that 1971 film.

You may also be wondering how can this album feature tracks like ‘Live And Let Die’, ‘The Man With The Golden Gun’, ‘Octopussy And The Living Daylights’, and ‘Moonraker’ alongside memorable bond tunes like “Goldfinger’ and ‘We Have All The Time In The World” when these films were yet released? Did this vinyl record go back in time?!? Nope, these were original tracks written by a Japanese composer, Go Misawa, and named after Ian Fleming’s Bond novels of the 1950s.

So, there you have it. A fun playlist of familiar film melodies combined with original compilations to celebrate the books of Bond.

48. The London Original Sounds Orchestra – James Bond 007

Recommended music: [Not the same album, but the last two tracks are the same]

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re going ahead a couple years and listening to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service!

This 1970 release by United Artists Records was a fun listen, despite lazily also showing the exact album art on the cover and the back cover.🥴

Moving on from previously shared compilation albums that showcased tracks from Dr. No through Thunderball, this album actually features just one piece of Bond music with John Barry’s main theme from ‘On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.’ It also includes Barry’s theme from ‘Midnight Cowboy’, some music from ‘Hello Dolly’, and the Blue Danube Waltz as arranged for ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’ To complete the playlist, a piano version of ‘Yellow Submarine’ rounds out the B-side… Welcome to the 70s! 😁

47. Original Great Film Themes

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re thinking about listening to Casino Royale (1967)!

Speaking of excellent music by Burt Bacharach, after arranging and composing the soundtrack for the original Bond spoof ‘Casino Royale,’ he wrote another song for the Casino Royale Soundtrack. ‘The Look of Love’ was performed by Dusty Springfield, and Bacharach kept the hits coming.

He started writing for Broadway musicals the following year, writing ‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’, which became a hit for Dionne Warwick. The next year, Bacharach penned the Oscar-winning tune “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.” This song was highlighted in ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.’

Originally released in 1965 to little fanfare in the US, ‘Burt Bacharach Plays His Hits’ features classics like ‘(There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me’ and ‘What’s New, Pussycat’, eventually seeing multiple reissues. The biggest connection this album has to Bond music is its inclusion in the 1997 Bond spoof ‘Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery,’ which also features a cameo from Mr. Bacharach, himself. While technically not an album featuring music from a James Bond film, I’m making a one-time exception. The featured tracks could easily have been plugged into Casino Royale. Alternatively, this album could have just as easily been rereleased with Casino Royale music included.

46. Burt Bacharach – Plays His Hits

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re cruising ahead and listening to Casino Royale!

Today’s selection comes from budget record sublabel Custom Records, which put out half a dozen releases in the late 60s by the ‘George Mann Orchestra’. To begin with, the cover art is an interesting compilation of ideas, none of which say 1960s Bond to me.

Also, I don’t believe there was an actual George Mann, and after the title track gives the listener a watered-down take on the theme from the ‘unofficial’ Bond film Casino Royale (1967), the remaining tracks such as ‘Oh! Oh! Seven” or “Bottled In Bond” heard above are very generic, and make you think of better albums and artists…

In fact, I had to clear my mind off it and almost immediately put on my original Casino Royale soundtrack with original music by Burt Bacharach and performed by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass. That one is a SUPERIOR album and a favorite of mine on vinyl. 😁

45. George Mann Orchestra Featuring The Golden Trumpet – Theme From The Motion Picture Casino Royale & Others

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re still listening to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball!

This 1966 release also features the previously mentioned Phase 4 Stereo, and yes, the audio quality is pretty sharp. The recording itself features English composer Stanley Black leading the London Festival Orchestra (and Chorus), which was created as the ‘house orchestra’ for Decca Records in the 1950s. Not to be confused with the London Symphony Orchestra, established in 1904 and famous for many John Williams film scores.

The album kicks off with an incredibly unique James Bond medley of Bond themes through Thunderball, which reminds me of vintage beer commercial jingles for some reason. The album cover does not mention the James Bond Theme. However, the first two and a half minutes feature this original Bond theme before jumping into Thunderball. The next tracks segue into Mary Poppins, and The Sound of Music – quite the mix.

44. Stanley Black – Film Spectacular Vol. 3

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re back to listening to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball!

This 1966 release features something called Phase 4 Stereo. It was supposed to sound immensely better than other vinyl recordings of the 1960s. While the sound quality is fine coming out of my speakers 50+ years later, the technology was phased out by the 1970s after only a couple of hundred releases.

As far as the actual music goes, it is quite easy listening featuring no vocals on the 12 tracks, five of which are themes from the first four Bond films. The quality of the orchestra is spot on, as even my teenager was humming along to John Barry’s theme from Goldfinger.

43. Roland Shaw And His Orchestra – Themes For Secret Agents

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re listening to From Russia with Love and Thunderball!

This 1966 album is billed as Jazz-funk. However, it is decidedly less funky than my other recent selections from the same period. Featuring some soulful covers of ‘Thunderball’ and ‘From Russia with Love’, the other eight tracks were far less appealing to me as I am not very familiar with the themes.

I’m not saying this record won’t get a spin on my turntable again, there are just many other albums that have done it better. Despite the name, the ‘Jazz All-Stars’ were short-lived, with just a handful of albums released in the 60s.

42. The Jazz All-Stars – Thunderball & Other Secret Agent Themes

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re still listening to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball!

William “Count” Basie was a jazz pianist, composer, and band leader who helped Monty Norman give the original Dr. No soundtrack its memorable Jamaican styling.

This 1966 album (from United Artists Records) features Basie on the piano. His orchestra provides an incredibly unique take on themes from the first four Bond films. Imagine entering a swinging mid-60s jazz club for a Bond night – that would be the ultimate groovy experience.

This album is also likely the fastest-arriving record that I purchased online. I expected to receive it in the mail, but apparently the seller was local and it was on my porch a few hours after paying.😄

Bonus:

41. Count Basie And His Orchestra – Basie Meets Bond

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re back to listening to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, and Thunderball!

Billy Strange was a member of the session musicians known as ‘The Wrecking Crew’ and had quite a varied musical career from the 1960s through the 2010s. He was known for writing multiple Elvis Presley hits, including “A Little Less Conversation”, and was better known for arranging some of Nancy Sinatra’s popular songs, including “These Boots Are Made for Walkin” and “You Only Live Twice” (see the future Bond connection there).

This 1965 album by Strange features some really jazzy covers of Bond music from the first three films as well as other spy themed shows like Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Get Smart. A fun listen for sure!

40. The Big Sound Of Billy Strange And His Guitar – The Secret Agent File

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Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re finally listening to Thunderball*!

This 1965 album of “sleepy” guitar surf rock by ‘Dan & Dale’ is pretty … cheesy. From the sticker stating “THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL [Thunderball] SOUND TRACK”, to a track titled ‘700 Theme’, to the liner notes stating that Dan plays electric guitar while Dale plays standard rhythm guitar, to, well, I think I heard accordions in the mix…

Anyways, there apparently was NO REAL ‘Dan & Dale’, but rather a studio band or possibly even a band named ‘The Blues Project’ that was forming around the same time using the pseudonym. Budget label or not, this is a weird way to experience the music of Thunderball.

39. The “Sleepwalk” Guitars Of Dan & Dale – Theme From Thunderball And Other Themes

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re still listening to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger!

This 1965 compilation features just a handful of tracks directly off the soundtracks to the first three Bond films, but is filled out and shines with cover versions of Bond songs from top artists of the day.

My favorite track is probably a funky take on the Goldfinger theme by the mambo king himself, Perez Prado. Hearing it will likely put you in a good mood, but may distract you from reading.😉

38. Music To Read James Bond By

Recommended music:

Today, from the Bond on Vinyl archives, we’re still listening to Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger!

On Friday, November 26th, 1965 (the night after Thanksgiving), a James Bond TV special filled the NBC time slot normally reserved for The Man From U.N.C.L.E.. The program aired to promote the December release of Thunderball in theaters and featured some history of the franchise, including author Ian Fleming. The special was narrated by James Bond himself, in character. This voiceover was not performed by the current James Bond actor Sean Connery, who backed out after seeing the script referring to James Bond as an actual person.

The TV special was also sponsored by Pepsi-Cola, which used the airtime to promote its newest products. Pepsi and Frito-Lay also sold this promotional album, which covers 12 themes from the first three Bond films played by The Leroy Holmes Orchestra. It could be purchased by sending in labels from Lay’s or Fritos and $1.00. 😄

37. The Incredible World Of James Bond