Greetings!...and help with unofficial music! :)
Mach Front
Posts: 2MI6 Agent
Hello all!
Back not too long after the release of "View To A Kill" I bought a cassette tape at a local Wal-Mart of James Bond film themes. My 12 year old self soon realized it was a collection of music not performed by the original artists. I was irritated but...honestly...I actually liked most of the renditions of the themes. What's more...I grew to enjoy the few original instrumentals on the album.
Fast forward a couple or few decades later and I thought I'd...I guess...'outgrown' that and had more than enough recordings of the "REAL" stuff. To my surprise I soon found I missed that old cassette...long gone.
I've seen it online a few times. It's entitled "16 James Bond Film Themes" (with a shot of Moore aiming his gun c. "Octpussy" and a blue background).
It's made in Holland. Depending on it's release it either features a 'splash' of "featuring Octopussy" or "featuring A View To A Kill" (which is what I had).
While I'd love to score the tape again and transfer it to digital what I want the most are the original tracks: "Bondage", "Superspy" and "Dinner at Romanovs"(or something like that).
PLEASE! If anyone has this could you please help a fellow Bond fan out?
I can't believe a pack rat like myself got rid of the tape. Really, I'd like to have a copy of the whole thing, uptempo instrumental "Goldfinger" and all...
Cheers!
Back not too long after the release of "View To A Kill" I bought a cassette tape at a local Wal-Mart of James Bond film themes. My 12 year old self soon realized it was a collection of music not performed by the original artists. I was irritated but...honestly...I actually liked most of the renditions of the themes. What's more...I grew to enjoy the few original instrumentals on the album.
Fast forward a couple or few decades later and I thought I'd...I guess...'outgrown' that and had more than enough recordings of the "REAL" stuff. To my surprise I soon found I missed that old cassette...long gone.
I've seen it online a few times. It's entitled "16 James Bond Film Themes" (with a shot of Moore aiming his gun c. "Octpussy" and a blue background).
It's made in Holland. Depending on it's release it either features a 'splash' of "featuring Octopussy" or "featuring A View To A Kill" (which is what I had).
While I'd love to score the tape again and transfer it to digital what I want the most are the original tracks: "Bondage", "Superspy" and "Dinner at Romanovs"(or something like that).
PLEASE! If anyone has this could you please help a fellow Bond fan out?
I can't believe a pack rat like myself got rid of the tape. Really, I'd like to have a copy of the whole thing, uptempo instrumental "Goldfinger" and all...
Cheers!
Comments
There have been scores of albums covering the Bond themes, beginning.in the 60s on vinyl. Many of them recycle the same versions of the themes, adding more current tunes as time goes on. It would be easy to buy a CD today with cover versions recorded in the 60s, 70s, 80s, etc.
The artists or orchestra credited are frequently just in name only, and may change from release to release. Similarly, the titles given will vary though are usually fairly generic. If a few originals are included (these are usually slotted in between well-known tunes, and are given Bond-sounding titles so as not to stand out) to increase the royalties, again their titles have been known to change from album to album. All of this makes it difficult to distinguish one cover album from another. This doesn't always apply but there are a lot of cases where it does.
I have a large collection of such albums though none fit the exact description given. It's possible that I may have the tracks with different titles, split up between several releases. Did it sound synthesised or orchestrated?
It's been about 20 years since I heard the songs in question. It seems as though I recall them being...jazzy. Not synthesized, though actual synthesizers may have also been a part of the instruments used. Very likely underwhelming contemporary jazz (except for "Dinner at Romanov's" which is a violin piece).
I've found the track list taken from the Octopussy-era release online. I don't recall mine having a track entitled "S.M.E.R.S.H." so that must have been replaced with "A View to a Kill".
Gah. When will I ever learn? Never throw anything away ever!
http://www.worldcat.org/title/james-bond-film-themes/oclc/13227819
http://www.discogs.com/Studio-London-Orchestra-16-James-Bond-Film-Themes/release/832339
There's a vinyl copy on eBay, but now that you have the names "Nicky North" and "London Studio Orchestra" it should be easier to find it in a different format.
Mach Front, if you type London Studio Orchestra into iTunes, one of the albums is called James Bond Themes vol. 1. It covers the themes, though not the original pieces.