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Nobody Does It Better: 'The Best of Bond...James Bond' Gets Update and Vinyl Release

September 28, 2020 By The Second Disc 15 Comments

Bond 2020 packshot

BUY NOW AT AMAZON.COM

With a new James Bond film set to shake (not stir) audiences in November, a longtime compilation of the super-spy's famed film themes is getting a new iteration on November 20.

The Best of Bond...James Bond offers a stellar 25-track overview of the pop themes that scored nearly all of the films based on Ian Fleming's famed British secret agent. There are 14 U.K. Top 10 hits and two Academy Award winners herein - altogether, a formidable, half-century-plus musical portrait of one of cinema's most popular characters. First released under this title by Capitol/EMI in 1999, The Best of Bond...James Bond was reissued in 2002, 2008 and 2012 with additional title themes and various bonus tracks (or, in the case of the latest edition, for the film series' 50th anniversary, a bonus disc of score material).

There's a few firsts for this Bond collection: this will be the set's first LP edition, spread across three discs and pressed on either standard black or limited edition gold vinyl. (The gold set will be available exclusively at uDiscoverMusic.) For the first time, this edition of the collection will actually include the most current theme: Billie Eilish's theme to Daniel Craig's fifth and final Bond film, No Time To Die (due to release in November, having been delayed from this spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

From the earliest moments of the first Bond film, 1962's Dr. No, the first in the 25-film series had a musical style all its own. Monty Norman's bold, eminently hummable theme featured a killer riff from guitarist Vic Flick and blasts of melodic brass that have been used in every one of Bond's onscreen adventures. (Composer John Barry, who scored the first Bond sequel From Russia With Love (1962) and many of the films through 1987, arranged the theme.)

It was From Russia with Love that started to infuse classic pop sensibilities through the series' musical DNA, when crooner Matt Monro sang the Lionel Bart-penned title track over the film's end credits. A year later, 1964's Goldfinger put Shirley Bassey's thunderous title theme (written by Barry with legendary songwriters Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse) over the stylized opening credits, and nearly every one of 007's pop themes have occupied that prized spot. (A new instrumental theme by Barry was used in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), which saw George Lazenby take over the starring role from Sean Connery. A more traditional tune, "We Have All The Time In The World," became a stunning late-career performance for jazz legend Louis Armstrong. Both are included here.)

After making only mild flirtations with rock music in the '60s and early '70s (which featured Bond themes by the likes of Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra and the second of three Bassey-sung themes for 1971's Diamonds Are Forever, Connery's brief return to the role), Bond producer Eon Productions hired a former Beatle to accompany Roger Moore's first outing as Bond: Paul McCartney and Wings' larger-than-life tune (produced by The Fab Four's longtime producer George Martin, who also composed the film's score) soared to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. There would be no Bond chart-topper until more than a decade later, when Duran Duran's "A View To a Kill" reached the summit in America in 1985 for Moore's final outing as Bond. Along the way, several Bond themes were nominated for Academy Awards, including "LIve and Let Die," Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better" (penned by Marvin Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager for The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)) and Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only" (co-written by Rocky composer Bill Conti in 1981).

Though styles and stars changed - Moore was replaced by Timothy Dalton for two films in 1987 and 1989, followed by four films featuring Pierce Brosnan from 1995 to 2002 - Bond themes continued to be big business. Tina Turner's "GoldenEye," accompanying Brosnan's first turn, was written by Bono and The Edge of U2, while Madonna had a Top 10 hit with 2002's theme to Die Another Day. More than 50 years in, with Craig's gritty performance as Bond revitalizing the series' style, the songs may command more prestige than ever: the themes to Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015), respectively written and performed by Adele and Sam Smith, both won Oscars for Best Original Song, while Smith's "Writing's On The Wall" became the first Bond song to top the charts in 007's native England.

The Best of Bond...James Bond is ready to pre-order for its November 20 release. Check it out below.

The Best of Bond...James Bond (UMe B0031736-01/B0031737-02, 2020)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / uDiscoverMusic (gold)

Disc 1

  1. James Bond Theme - Monty Norman and His Orchestra
  2. From Russia With Love - Matt Monro
  3. Goldfinger - Shirley Bassey
  4. Thunderball - Tom Jones
  5. You Only Live Twice - Nancy Sinatra
  6. On Her Majesty's Secret Service - John Barry and His Orchestra
  7. We Have All The Time In The World - Louis Armstrong
  8. Diamonds Are Forever - Shirley Bassey
  9. Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney & Wings
  10. The Man With The Golden Gun - Lulu
  11. Nobody Does It Better - Carly Simon
  12. Moonraker - Shirley Bassey
  13. For Your Eyes Only - Sheena Easton
  14. All Time High - Rita Coolidge

Disc 2

  1. A View To a Kill - Duran Duran
  2. The Living Daylights - a-ha
  3. Licence To Kill - Gladys Knight
  4. GoldenEye - Tina Turner
  5. Tomorrow Never Dies - Sheryl Crow
  6. The World Is Not Enough - Garbage
  7. Die Another Day - Madonna
  8. You Know My Name - Chris Cornell
  9. Another Way To Die - Jack White & Alicia Keys
  10. Skyfall - Adele
  11. Writing's On The Wall - Sam Smith
  12. No Time To Die - Billie Eilish

Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: a-ha, Adele, Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish, Carly Simon, Carole Bayer Sager, Chris Cornell, David Arnold, Duran Duran, Garbage, Gladys Knight, Jack White, John Barry, Louis Armstrong, Lulu, Madonna, Marvin Hamlisch, Matt Monro, Monty Norman, Nancy Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Rita Coolidge, Sam Smith, Sheena Easton, Sheryl Crow, Shirley Bassey, Tina Turner, Tom Jones, U2, Wings

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The Second Disc is devoted to the weird, wild and wonderful world of music catalogue projects. Every week, Mike Duquette, Joe Marchese, and Randy Fairman bring you news, reviews, commentary and features on remasters, reissues, compilations and box sets.

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Comments

  1. Zubb says

    September 28, 2020 at 12:46 pm

    It is so aggravating that they never include Never Say Never Again by Lani Hall in these Bond theme collections. Yes, I know NSNA was not officially a part of the Bond series but it was still a James Bond movie and now is also owned by MGM. Anyway, it would have been a nice inclusion in this set. Would have made the dreadful Sam Smith and Billie Eilish tracks a bit more bearable.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJoe Marchese says

      September 28, 2020 at 5:40 pm

      The title of Honorary Bond Song should definitely be bestowed upon Lani's "Never Say Never Again," Herb Alpert and the TJB's "Casino Royale," and Dusty Springfield's "The Look of Love." 🙂

      Reply
      • Ben says

        September 29, 2020 at 5:27 am

        Yes, they could have removed the worst, least memorable songs of this collection (Madonna, Sam Smith, Jack White & Alicia Keys and Billie Eilish) in favour of the rarer songs.

        Reply
    • Anthony says

      October 1, 2020 at 2:20 pm

      Why should it be included? It's not one of the films. That's silly. Maybe if, like in the set a decade ago that had a second disc of random things... maybe then, but in a collection of officials themes. Nope.

      Reply
    • Joseph Molnar says

      October 6, 2020 at 12:43 pm

      I agree, it should be included. It's not really part of the series, but it is Connery and he did play James Bond in that film...and it fits right in with the others.

      Reply
  2. Tod H. says

    September 28, 2020 at 7:47 pm

    Hi Joe....I’m guessing/assuming that there’s no new updated remastering/remixing for this new version as compared to earlier ones...?

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJoe Marchese says

      September 28, 2020 at 11:10 pm

      Hi Tod! It's likely that the collection has been newly mastered, but I wouldn't expect any remixes.

      Reply
      • Tod H. says

        September 29, 2020 at 12:56 pm

        Thanks, Joe!

        Reply
  3. Adam says

    September 29, 2020 at 4:17 am

    Lani Who ?
    IF anyone deserves to be included on a Bond Comp it's this gal....
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uU4j84VKoE
    They could re-cut the movie with this tune to give them an excuse to include this film as a Proper Bond film.
    Anything'd be better than the recent songs they've picked.
    Which just keep getting worse and worse.

    Reply
  4. Ben says

    September 29, 2020 at 5:38 am

    Too right, Adam. It's a bit sad.

    Reply
  5. Mike M. says

    October 2, 2020 at 12:32 am

    How about "Surrender" from Tomorrow Never Dies by kd Lang. I would have loved to have that one on vinyl.

    Reply
  6. Joseph Molnar says

    October 6, 2020 at 12:44 pm

    I bet this set gets delayed since the film is delayed 4 months.

    Reply
  7. Andemoine Winrow says

    June 24, 2021 at 8:36 pm

    This set will be released September 24th. Hopefully.

    Reply
  8. brian hargett says

    October 8, 2021 at 9:40 am

    Did the London Philharmonic Orchestra recording of Bond themes that got pushed back to October at one point just get dropped? Don't see it on any upcoming releases site anymore.

    Reply
    • Avatar photoJoe Marchese says

      October 8, 2021 at 11:35 am

      The official Decca store still appears to be selling it, but it's curiously listed as a pre-order with a release date of October 7, 2022 (!):
      https://shop.decca.com/*/*/Bond-25/6Q8E0000000

      Reply

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