Brassy Galore

That’s the kind of thing gives camp a bad name. Stop waving your hands about and sing, dear. Great voice, really sensational technique, but never cared for what she did with it. It’s called shouting. But suited those songs.

And the Bond theme was composed by none other than Monty Norman.

It’s not like any man (or woman) hasn’t played the James Bond theme in their head during those moments of Secret Agent Fantasy.

/sheepishly/ I have.

Although I would still like to punch people who think that espionage is like a James Bond movie… I see you NeoCon asshole dipshits and wingtards.

I’m told that Ian Fleming sold the movie rights for £100,000. I guess he’d already sold Casino Royale (wasn’t that the first?) which wasn’t filmed by Cubby Broccoli.

@Benedick:
Casino Royale was first done as a “Jim” Bond television “novel” with James as a US American agent.

Also, Ian was disappointed with sales and wanted to kill James which is why he was stabbed with a shoe tipped with a neurotoxin made from the Puffer Fish at the end of “From Russia With Love.” When JFK said From Russia was one of his favorite books (take that Oprah!), sales skyrocketed and Ian resurrected James in Dr No.

@ManchuCandidate: I prefer “Secret Agent Man.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iaR3WO71j4

@Dodgerblue:
and my preference, the men from the UnitedNetworkCommandforLawandEnforcement
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC88U1SyQQw&feature=related

check out al jazzera. 2 million people in the streets. holy shit.

I give Muby 48 hours.

like I said. 48 hours

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt — Egypt’s economy approached paralysis on Monday as foreign commerce, tourism and banking all but halted, placing acute pressure on President Hosni Mubarak to find a way out of the weeklong chaos.

I see I’m going to have to step in here.

THIS is Goldfinger. Note the spectacular use of brass and the completely unexpected yet very exciting way the song modulates up. It is still Bassey howling but under the control of Mr. Barry. Lyrics are by Bricusse and Newley. Note the perf of song in the live clip and watch Ms. Bassey invent the younger Streisand who never had the pipes to match but got the hand jive down. Also of interest is the way Mr. Barry strips the Bond Theme to a vamp in the brass that keeps building the excitement to the end.

THIS is the James Bond Theme as written by Monty Norman and arranged by Mr. Barry. Very clever ear worm that is so well constructed that, like all the best movie themes, once you’ve heard it you only need to hear about 5 notes to recall it.

@Dodgerblue: Word. When AM radio ruled.
@baked: Caught the last hour of “Great Escape” over the weekend, and there was Ilyan K among all the other greats.

@Dodgerblue: Ha. I’m also partial to “Poor Side of Town” and “Mountain of Love.”

Have you no respect for The Wave? Jack Lord’s hair looks like the fucking wave, for fuck’s sake.

Let’s stay away from Jan Hammer, John Tesh, Yanni, and That Fool with the Pan Flute. Phil Lesh always welcomed.

Why not wake up to Toots? Main problem with fan videos: you hear the fans singing. ;-)

I’m a relative young’in (at least around these parts), so my fondness for John Barry music is focused around the mushy 80s stuff, like Out of Africa and Somewhere in Time. And Dances with Wolves, my god. A large part of the reason I loved that movie was the soundtrack. My family went through the Badlands and Black Hills of South Dakota on a family vacation in 1992ish, and I sat in the backseat and watched the scenery and listened to the soundtrack on my CD walkman on repeat–over and over.

Dances with Wolves. ::headdesk::

You do know I love you, right?

@mellbell: Not to forget his version of “Memphis Tennessee.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMKQgnT_fTY

Blurb of the Year, nojo!

Apropos of nothing really, here is a clip of the great Sarah Vaughan singing “My Funny Valentine”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dntaJEqH9IM

I own two soundtracks. These are from my favorite.

Wah Jhi Le Yihm. N.B. My BF, Adam Beach, is on the left. Wish he hadn’t cut his hair…

Then I love this one about John Fucking Wayne.

Per latest e-mail from Michelle Obama, 2012 DNC to be held in Charlotte.

Also, what is with this “telework” nonsense, OPM? If the weather’s that bad, just close already, and my company will happily (for me, anyway) follow suit.

@Dodgerblue: Lovely — best rendition I’ve ever heard. Instant melt.

@Dodgerblue: check out jr brown covering some surf tunes with secret agent man somewhere in this medley. that thing he plays is called a guit-steel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=497ZmAsGAT4
if you get a chance to see this guy live, you will be very pleasantly surprised. at times he blends hank sr, roy orbison and jimi hendrix. while looking like the dumbest hick at the grand ole opry, he can rock the house.

@jwmcsame: yeah, I’m familiar with his work on the “guit-steel.” He does rock the house.

As you may know, “Walk Don’t Run” was written by jazz guitar giant Johnny Smith. Here is his version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBBDCV2Fzno

@Dodgerblue: @jwmcsame: Thanks for the great links. I am such a sucker for the Dick Dale-type surf music of my youth. Hearing the original version of “Walk Don’t Run” is mind boggling. Stinquers seem to know everything about everything.

“The World is Not Enough”, a Bond theme by Garbage. I love her voice at the end. I’ll watch the beginning of this crappy movie every time it’s on TV just to catch the theme song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYE1VoOFSUs

Fun facts: The guy on drums is Nirvana producer Butch Vig. Shirley Manson’s dad was one of the Scottish genetic scientists who cloned Dolly the sheep.

Bonus track: Cherry Lips. Feel free to dance about the apartment or office. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UIqDtNEcwY&feature=related

@Benedick: I’m not going to retrace my links, but apparently there’s some dispute about how much of the Bond theme should actually be credited to Monty. Aside from contractual reasons.

And, as Manchu notes, Casino has a curious rights history. There’s the TV version, then the “unofficial” comedy from the Sixties. Eventually Cubby’s Crew finally corralled all the stragglers (including Never Say Never Again), which is why the later Casino is called Casino.

@Nabisco:

How I Learned About the Death of Radio

One fine afternoon in the early Seventies, I called the local station to request “Live and Let Die”.

“Can’t play it,” the jock told me. “Too dark.”

@Dave H: You noticed!

@Dave H: dig some Link Wray
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NAq4HyoNe4

@jwmcsame: I’ve got that album. He is often credited with the first use of guitar amp distortion on record.

@jwmcsame: I love Pipeline, any version – Jr Brown, Stevie Ray + Dick Dale, or the Agent Orange surf punk version. I just love surf music in general.

Junior Brown, Highway Patrol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_wLVCLPx0M

Fun fact: a guy I know (he’d be my friend except I have no respect for lazy reporters) used to share a locker with Junior Brown when he lived in Santa Fe in the late 60s-early 70s.

@jwmcsame: Like the guy who invented potato chips, Link Wray was an Indian dude.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2011/01/link-wray-and-his-ray-men-power-chord-pioneers/

@redmanlaw: cool. have you ever listened to Indigenous?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3yVTyEJkf4

@redmanlaw: My mind connects Surf music –> In My Room –> Incubus. (My mind is a scary place.)

I’ve got two other covers of In My Room (can’t find videos), one sung by kids and the other is part of a lullaby collection. I don’t think they realize how dark this song is, or maybe they do, because “do my scheming” is edited out of one.

@jwmcsame: +1

Did anyone mention Slacktone?

@JNOV: had to dig the hawaii 5-0 theme cover by the slacktones. when i was a young’un, my parents used to make me crash at 10:00 which was when hawaii 5-0 came on on wednesday night. i was allowed to watch the opening scene/theme song before i had to crash. crank up that song next time you want to sleep and just try to. you can’t. that’s why when ever i tire but can’t afford to nap, i cue up hawaii 5-0 in my mind and it’s off to the races. has anyone seen the new hawaii 5-0? i’ll bet it sux, especially in comparison to jack lord and company. i have never seen a cover of a movie or old tv show that did not suck except cape fear. but all the new cape fear proved was that robert mitchum was a better actor than robert deniro. only mitchum can say that and that is a mighty strong statement. has any one seen the new true grit?