109 replies to this topic

[Tanger]

I must say that the new version of Thunderball by Martin Fry, is a tachno blast of exceitement of the highest order.

Where did you plagiarise that from? That doesn't sound like something you'd say.


I started putting together a collection of all the songs associated with this album recently. ie. the original album version of all the songs, the two versions of YOLT, the short edit of OHMSS, the long edit of OHMSS, the Orchapella version of OHMSS, the Orchapella version of DAF, the "You Expect Me to Do What Mr Goldfinger?" mix of DAF, David Arnold's arrangement of the Bond theme from the DAF single. There's quite a lot of material and i didn't even realise there were other remixes out there.

[spynovelfan]

I remember reading once that David Arnold asked Stina Nordenstam to contribute to this, but she declined. A great pity - a lot of her stuff is very Bondian, I think, though admittedly pretty dark. Check out Arnold's remix of Dynamite, which contains the lyrics:

'All day I did things slowly
Walked in circles round your home
I had something to add to the things you showed me
I've got it here underneath my coat...
Dynamite'

Her latest album is called THE WORLD IS SAVED. Haven't heard it yet, but I really recommend her. AND SHE CLOSED HER EYES is a great album.

[Skudor]

I would love to get this album, but everywhere I look to buy it I would have to pay an arm and a leg!

I have listened to the Propellerheads's Goldfinger remix and I remember it sounded fresh and interesting, although I'm not sure that that is on this CD. This would be the perfect album for me because after listening to these same Bond songs over and over they tend to get redundant, but with these remixes it is great to hear something different for a change.

It's available for not very much on Amazon.co.uk

I love that album - money very well spent. I've listened to it so much that the CD is a bit scratched now. The JB theme is the low point, but most of the others are great (I just love 'We have all the time in the world')

[spynovelfan]

Incidentally, does anyone know if there's a version of SURRENDER with David McAlmont singing? It's my understanding that he co-wrote the song with Arnold and the original version was sung by him, but someone blanched at having an obscure gay British black guy singing the title song, so they gave it to a slightly less obscure gay Canadian, and then somneone blanched at that, too, so lang's version got booted to the end titles and they brought in Michael Jackson's old backing singer to cook up a diet-Coke version of a Bond theme, which they ran with.

But I'd love to hear McAlmont's version of SURRENDER. I love the guy's voice, and love that song.

[Dunph]

Probably lost in the annals of missing Bond music along with The original Licence To Kill title theme and the lyrics to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. *Sigh*

Either that or Clapton's got 'em both. Bastard.

[Tanger]

Seeing this thread earlier reminded me of how great the album is. It caused me to dig it out and it's now the one that's sitting in my cars CD player.

I'd forgotten how fantastic it was. David Arnold really did well in getting together an extremely talented bunch of artists, particularly:

Aimee Mann - great voice

David McAlmont - great voice and definitely should do a future Bond theme

Iggy Pop - amazing voice and should also definitely do a Bond theme. His is probably the best song on the album

Pulp - who I grew up listening to and were one of the best bands of the 90s. I'd really like to see them finally get a title track on a Bond film

[Qwerty]

I must say that the new version of Thunderball by Martin Fry, is a tachno blast of exceitement of the highest order.

Where did you plagiarise that from? That doesn't sound like something you'd say.

Not sure why I called it that then (not as terrific to me now), but it was my words.

[Gri007]

I don't own the album, but I've listened to certain songs --

Aimee Mann's "Nobody Does it Better", already a great song, was redone with a very nice rhythm and solid vocals

"You Only Live Twice" was disappointing; sung unemotionally by Bjork

Prop's OHMSS is fantastic and should pull in a lot more young fans like myself to the realm of Bond music;

and the re-done (not really, but somewhat contemporized) "We Have All the Time in the World" actually matches and exceeds the original version at points.

I haven't heard the rest of the album but I'm going to attempt to do so sometime soon;

and yes, David Arnold sent the finished project to the producers and were (understandably) impressed.  What's great about Arnold is he brought so much to the series in 1996/97, including this album and his lavish score to TND.  He'd also scored ID4 and Stargate.  During those years, it seemed he was at his peak;  he's starting to wither now a little bit in terms of musical freshness but he's shown he does have talent.

I think they cut YOLT from the final version becuse Bjork wasn't happy. do you know any where that i could buy or download this cover version of YOLT

[Qwerty]

But I'd love to hear McAlmont's version of SURRENDER. I love the guy's voice, and love that song.

Count my vote in for that as well!

[Dunph]

I don't own the album, but I've listened to certain songs --

Aimee Mann's "Nobody Does it Better", already a great song, was redone with a very nice rhythm and solid vocals

"You Only Live Twice" was disappointing; sung unemotionally by Bjork

Prop's OHMSS is fantastic and should pull in a lot more young fans like myself to the realm of Bond music;

and the re-done (not really, but somewhat contemporized) "We Have All the Time in the World" actually matches and exceeds the original version at points.

I haven't heard the rest of the album but I'm going to attempt to do so sometime soon;

and yes, David Arnold sent the finished project to the producers and were (understandably) impressed.  What's great about Arnold is he brought so much to the series in 1996/97, including this album and his lavish score to TND.  He'd also scored ID4 and Stargate.  During those years, it seemed he was at his peak;  he's starting to wither now a little bit in terms of musical freshness but he's shown he does have talent.

I think they cut YOLT from the final version becuse Bjork wasn't happy. do you know any where that i could buy or download this cover version of YOLT

Hey Gri007, read the entire thread, and then see if that answers your question. I know I answered it twice previously.

[Taro Todoroki]

Has anyone ever figured out what's going on with the James Bond theme on this album?

[Qwerty]

Has anyone ever figured out what's going on with the James Bond theme on this album? 

Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad things.

[Taro Todoroki]

Indeed. Every time I listen to it I shake my head.

[Qwerty]

You mean you've listened to it more than once?

[Taro Todoroki]

You got me! Yes, I was hoping I missed something the first time.

[Dunph]

Oh come on, it's not appalling, it just doesn't go anywhere musically and uses the Bond theme sporadically. It makes great background music, and it's a good example of the other end of the remix spectrum: changing the tone of the original song it's meant to be altering. It's unrecognisable, yes, but I wouldn't call it bad. I've grown to like it since '98.

[spynovelfan]

Here's my alternative album, using songs that fit into the general spirit of Bond or that weren't on this one. It's called SHAKEN RESTIRRED.

Nobody Does It Better - Radiohead. Live cover.

Play Dead - Bjork and David Arnold. A clear dry run for his work on the Bond films, this sounds very much like a Bond song that never was.

The Rhythm Divine - Yello featuring Shirley Bassey. Title aside, this could easily be a Bond theme, and is better than many of them. 'From Waaarsaw to Rome....' Very classy stuff, and Bassey apparently did the vocals in one take.

Tomorrow Never Lies - Pulp. Made the shortlist for the TND songs. Wouldn't quite have worked, perhaps, but it's a cracker of a song. 'There's always someone wants to shoot you down...'

The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game - Massive Attack featuring Tracey Thorn. From one of the Batman soundtracks, a great re-imagining of the Smokey Robinson track. Lyrics fit perfectly, mood's very Bond.

Human - Goldfrapp. Just about as Bond as it gets, this.

You Only Live Twice - Coldplay. Live version.

Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) - Audiobullies vs Nancy Sinatra. Great reworking of a very Bondish song.

Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears. A Bond theme that never was.

The Girl With The Sun In Her Hair - Orbital. Reworking of John Barry's classic track.

The Man With The Gun - Stina Nordenstam. Was invited by Arnold to take part on S&S but declined. Here's why she was invited.

Snow - Craig Armstrong featuring David McAlmont. The man who co-wrote Surrender in the song that, in my head, was the theme tune to Die Another Day.

To Kill A Dead Man - Portishead. Barry-esque instrumental, very 60s.

Put that lot onto one CD and you have one cool Bond-esque listening experience.

[Loomis]

To those I'd add:

JOHN BARRY - opening credits music for GAME OF DEATH (no ifs, no buts, this is Bond music, even though it turns up in a Bruce Lee film)

And, while they'd obviously need a bit of tweaking lyrics-wise, I hear Bond songs in:

ELECTRONIC - "Get the Message"

IAN BROWN - "F.E.A.R"

PET SHOP BOYS - "Dreaming of the Queen"

UNKLE - "Reign"

[spynovelfan]

I must get hold of that Barry track. Yeah, F.E.A.R. and Reign both sound very Bondish, although perhaps the lyric 'Fallen empires are running' sits a little oddly. The Stone Roses' Sh00t You Down would work, too. Get The Message has never struck me as being especially Bond, but I like the idea of including older tracks. Perhaps Patience Of A Saint, which would also be a pretty good title for a Bond film. For pure Pet Shop Boys Bondness, I think the Hacienda remix, which nicely ties up the Manchester theme, is very hardcore Fleming.

'The son and brother, when he gets home
He gives someone some love
And mutters: "Woman, you'll never understand
I did what I said in self-defense
With violence...."'

[Loomis]

The Stone Roses' Sh00t You Down would work, too.

Good call. Tried and failed to think of a Stone Roses song that would do for Bond, but, yes, "Shoot You Down" would be good.

BTW, spy, I know this isn't exactly the first time, but did you know that it's heavily rumoured that The Stone Roses will be reforming? Can't see it happening myself, but if it is true then I'm even more pleased than I would be with news that Owen had signed to play Bond and that CASINO ROYALE was going to be a super-gritty blend of the early Connerys and Bourne!

Of course, I'm sure you know that Pet Shop Boys' "This Must Be the Place I Waited Years to Leave" was originally written as a Bond tune, apparently as the song for THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS.

Here's another Bondian track (IMO, anyway): "Crystal" by New Order.

[spynovelfan]

You're pulling my leg on the PSB track at a guess. I love Crystal, though my wife can't stand it. She points out that you can actually buy honey with money, in most supermarkets. But no, it's not a marriage of pedants. Didn't know about the Roses reforming - sounds great, but I'm not holding my breath. Funny how Brown's stuff has been so much better and more successful than Squire's.

It strikes me that F.E.A.R. would do very well as a theme to the CASINO ROYALE speculation:

'Fantastic expectations
Amazing revelations
Final execution and resurrection
Free expression as revolution
Finding everything and realizing

You got the fear...'

[Loomis]

You're pulling my leg on the PSB track at a guess.

No, straight up. I'm pretty sure it's been discussed on CBn a few times, and I've also read about it from the Pet Shop Boys', erm, camp.

Didn't know about the Roses reforming - sounds great, but I'm not holding my breath. Funny how Brown's stuff has been so much better and more successful than Squire's.

Well, here's where I read it: http://www.nme.com/news/112446.htm - not holding my breath either, though. Yes, I remember when the Roses split everyone assumed that Squire (genius guitarist and chief songwriter of the brilliant "Second Coming") would be the one to go on and do amazing and successful stuff, while Brown was a talentless, tuneless, weed-addled thug who'd disappear into obscurity a la Shaun Ryder. But Brown's solo material has been consistently superb (his best album is "Music of the Spheres", IMO), while Squire's post-Roses stuff has been, at best, mediocre (although I do like "Marshall's House"). The Seahorses were heartbreakingly disappointing, although I've grown to find them vaguely listenable over the years. Even Squire's dullest, most pedestrian songs are still worthwhile, thanks chiefly to his always amazing guitar playing.

Got to meet Brown once (a friend of a friend worked on his debut solo album). Contrary to the image sometimes put about in the media, I found him an extremely pleasant, down-to-earth and humble chap. Still gutted, though, that (for some reason I don't recall) I sold my ticket to see the Roses at Brixton Academy in '95 on what I didn't know at the time would be their final tour.

Thing is, though, I very much doubt that the likes of Brown and New Order (great band, but rather poor new album, IMO) will ever be asked to do a Bond song since they're next to unknown in the United States. Mind you, if people like McAlmont, Pet Shop Boys and Pulp were approached, then I guess there's hope.

[Bon-san]

Has anyone ever figured out what's going on with the James Bond theme on this album? 

An excessive dose of valium?

[Bon-san]

I really like this album. FRWL gets better every time I hear it. Love that track. OHMSS is simply phenomenal. I'm also a big fan of the "fun" take on DAF, the breathy and brassy All Time High, the swingin' Thunderball. Arnold's arrangement and Iggy's vocal on We Have All The Time In The World make for a very worthy updating of the original. Moonraker is quite good, too, without charting any new ground. Nobody Does It Better is decent (like the intro).

But...LALD leaves me rather flat, and the Bond theme is just limp and really puts me into a bit of a trance.

[Qwerty]

Moonraker is quite good, too, without charting any new ground.

Yeah, I would have liked to see a bit more change for my favorite Bond song.

[Blofeld's Cat]

You're pulling my leg on the PSB track at a guess.

No, straight up. I'm pretty sure it's been discussed on CBn a few times, and I've also read about it from the Pet Shop Boys', erm, camp.

Yep, I'm sure I've raised this a couple of times before.

And I'm unashamed to say that I quite like a few of their songs.

[Renard]

I must say that the new version of Thunderball by Martin Fry, is a tachno blast of exceitement of the highest order.

Where did you plagiarise that from? That doesn't sound like something you'd say.


I started putting together a collection of all the songs associated with this album recently. ie. the original album version of all the songs, the two versions of YOLT, the short edit of OHMSS, the long edit of OHMSS, the Orchapella version of OHMSS, the Orchapella version of DAF, the "You Expect Me to Do What Mr Goldfinger?" mix of DAF, David Arnold's arrangement of the Bond theme from the DAF single. There's quite a lot of material and i didn't even realise there were other remixes out there.

Is it possible to get these single tracks? I have been looking for them for ages....

[Dunph]

File sharing or buy the singles off eBay, Tom, mate. The Diamonds Are Forever one pops up all the time, and the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is on constantly.

[level007]

it's hard to find them.
DAF and OHMSS are okay, but we have all the time was just released as a promo single, so very little chance to got it.
There is also this documentary on the making of this album. i have it on an old vhs, but not more vhs player...
We could make a page in this thread with all the different song and remixes around this album.

[Qwerty]

I find it pretty difficult to get the singles too. Guess I'll have to check eBay more often.