Monday, October 20, 2008

Stirred, Not Shaken

It's Bond mallarkey a go-go as Babs Broccoli's production PR machine kicks in again and here comes Daniel Craig in another 'exclusive' fashion spread/interview/watch ad/yoghurt promotion (I made that last one up. I think).

I'm much more intrigued by this theme from Kevin McLory's unofficial remake of his own Thunderball script, written by Michel 'Windmills Of Your Mind' Legrand and performed by Lani 'Brasil 66' (and Mrs Herb Alpert) Hall.

It starts out sounding like Francis Lai, but thankfully goes properly glam Bond pronto.

For me it was a shame when grungy guitars replaced Bassey-esque high camp as the default mode for 007 theme composers, but I do understand that the young people must be accommodated.

Lani Hall - 'Never Say Never Again' (1983)

13 comments:

  1. It went off the boil when Rita Coolidge came a calling - I reckon Goldfrapp could do a cracker of a Bond theme.

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  2. The 'Octopussy' music's cracking though - John Barry's last great Bond soundtrack. Rubbish film mind.

    And yes, shame about Rita.

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  3. Personally, I reckon the rita coolidge theme tune is the only good thing about that Bond.

    Not a great decade for Bond films: For Your Eyes Only -nothing really happens, after Moonraker had been so OTT; Octopussy -hmm; A View to A Kill -fine until Grace Jones tips that guy out of the airship and the plot goes with him and Licence to Kill is the worst bond EVER. Thank heavens for The Living Daylights...

    As for the thunderball remake, my recollection is that it felt like one long barclaycard ad, but it has been a while so maybe I should go back and check it out again...

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  4. PS Planet Mondo -like the idea of Godfrapp doing a theme...

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  5. i adore lani hall - if you ever see 'sundown lady' buy it and then buy another just in case it's beautiful.

    i pretty much gave up on all this bond nonsense after live and let dies safari suited brilliance - kinda figured it'd be downhill from there.

    ps

    ta ever so for the book tips - hope yer enjoying hangover square. it must be a strange thing to read if you can't identify with poor old bone completely. it's one of my favourites in the whole world. we went on rubbish guided walk of earls court with readings out of it and all sorts of crapness and giggled the whole way round
    x

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  6. I think it really went wrong when Sheena Eston was asked to do the honours.....

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  7. Great stuff. The Bee Gees did a song called Never Say Never Again which would have been...inappropriate.

    You know I've heard it several times but I still couldn't tell you how the theme to the 1st Daniel Craig Bond goes. That's not good for a movie theme, is it? Let's hear it for Louis Armstrong and his wonderful OHMSS song.

    Confession time: I'm one of the few people I know who admits to loving Moonraker. Certainly the one I enjoyed most at the cinema.

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  8. The car that goes underwater in 'The Spy Who Loved Me' though...C'MON!

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  9. PS: Ally, I am loving 'Hangover Square' - even more with the thought of you naughty girls at the back on the Earl's Court tour....

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  10. Did Sheryl Crow do one, or did I dream it?

    Hey, have just noticed (whilst checking out the X Factor/Strictly odds) that the Bookies currently have under: 'Who Will Headline Glastonbury In 2009?'
    The Jam are 12/1 along with the Arctic Monkeys and Coldplay?!

    And that's not 'From The Jam' - who are about to tour the UK again.
    Where's that come from? 'The Bruce Grobelaar guide to betting'? Red herring or lobster thermadore?Weller weller uh, tell me more, tell me more.

    Oh, and I like that Matt Monro fella.

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  11. Would that be the Weller Weller Uh who said "Let me just nip that in the bud right now. That will never, ever happen. Me and my children would have to be destitute and starving in the gutter before I'd even consider that, and I don't think that'll happen anyway - I'd go and get a job working on a van or the builders" ?!

    Sheryl Crow? Oh, yes - 'Tomorrow Never Dies'(1997).

    Matt Rules!

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  12. 'ang on, have they reformed?! Do the bookies know something we don't? Much as I wish I'd been alive to see them, the risk for it all to go horribly, HORRIBLY wrong is just way too high...

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