Format Details: Jewel Case
Description
When Ian Fleming sat down to write his first James Bond book in early 1952 he had just left Naval Intelligence and was about to get married. He could not have foreseen the effect his newly-created spy would have on the cultural landscape of the late 20th and early 21st Century, when the unveiling of a new actor in the role of Bond can hog the attention of the world's media for days on end. That first novel - Casino Royale - introduced a new type of hero to the world: cool and calculating with a moral ambiguity that chimed perfectly with the post-war era. The Bond books became increasingly successful over the next ten years - initially in the UK and then in the United States, so that by the time of the fifth novel, From Russia With Love, was published Fleming was receiving both critical and commercial acclaim. In 1961 President Kennedy included From Russia With Love in a top ten list of favourite books which he compiled for Life Magazine, and the following year agent 007 made his big screen debut, with Sean Connery, an ex-milkman from Edinburgh, in the title role. That film, Dr No, changed the game. It was a huge international hit and made Connery (as Bond), one of the most instantly recognisable figure of the 60s. The first four film versions of the books were: Dr No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball and in their wake came Michael Caine as Harry Palmer in the classy films of Len Deighton's mid-60s thrillers, and at the other end of the entertainment scale Dean Martin as Matt Helm in a series of spoof spy flicks such as The Liquidator. The spy theme continued on the small screen with heroes such as John Steed in the Avengers. Perhaps the best way to judge Bond's level of success is to consider that he is one of the very few pop cultural figures to come to prominence in the 60s who is still relevant today. An important element of the Bond films was the music. Monty Norman scored the first film, with John Barry thereafter. Barry's rearrangement of Norman's James Bond Theme has become one of the most recognisable film themes of all time. Each film From Russia With Love onwards had a memorable song written especially, sung by some of the biggest voices of the day. Matt Monroe for From Russia With Love, Tom Jones for Thunderball. Shirley Bassey has sung three of the films' themes, beginning with Goldfinger. By the time that Thunderball appeared in 1965, Bond-mania was in full flight. With a sufficient back log of music it was only a matter of time before the cash-in albums appeared. Mirwood Records in Los Angeles recorded one of these, and against all expectations it was a pretty fine effort. The Mirwood team had seen the angle in employing jazz bass player Jimmy Bond, and for this occasion calling him James, allowing for the entirely legitimate release of the James Bond Songbook by the James Bond Sextet. Jimmy Bond wrote much of the music here too, with Warren Baker, as many of the films had not been made at this point. So o
Tracklisting
Vicki Anderson
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Jim Robinson
Howard Alden/Andy Brown Quartet
Hal Smith/Keith Ingham/Bobby Gordon
George Lewis
Franz Jackson & The Salty Dogs
Doc Cheatham
Art Hodes
Ari Brown
