~
My two favorite actors who portrayed the British spy,
James Bond, were
Sean Connery and
Daniel Craig. However, my favorite Bond film was
On Her Majesty's Secret Service which had neither of them. The
James Bond (
George Lazenby) love interest in this film was
Diana Rigg, an English stage and screen actress whose notable roles were as
Emma Peel in the TV series
The Avengers and as
Olenna Tyrell in
Game of Thrones (
link below).
I am partial to the film
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
for a couple of reasons; Rigg was the ONLY Bond woman to actually marry the
British spy and the love theme from the film was incredibly beautiful (I'm always a
sucker for a pretty tune) (
link below).
Her Majesty is also considered by many the best of the Bond films (
links below).
art work by Bob McGinnis
The illustration on the album cover was created by Bob McGinnis who also did the artwork for another Bond film,
Thunderball;
The love theme,
We Have All the Time in the World was composed by
John Barry with bittersweet lyrics by
Hal David and sung by
Louis Armstrong.
Armstrong was
too ill to play his trumpet, therefore it was played by another musician but I can't find out who it was. It was
Armstrong's last recorded song (he died of a heart attack two years
later), and at the time of release it barely made an impact on the
charts.
Lyrics:
We have all, the time in the world
Time enough for life, to unfold
All the precious things
Love has in store
We have all the love in the world
If that's all we have, you will find
We need nothing more
Every step of the way
Will find us
With the cares of the world
Far behind us
We have all the time in the world
Just for love
Nothing more, nothing less, only love...
Every step of the way
Will find us
With the cares of the world
Far behind us, yes...
We have all the time in the world
Just for love, nothing more, nothing less, only love...
Only love...
The song title,
We Have All the Time in the World, is taken from
Bond's final words in both the novel and the film. Barry chose Armstrong because he felt he
could "deliver the title line with irony."
When asked for his favorite Bond composition, Barry cited both
We
Have All... and
Goldfinger, sung by
Shirley Bassey.
Goldfinger because it perfected the
"Bond Sound", and
We
Have All... because it was the finest piece of
music he had written for a Bond movie and because of the pleasure of
working with Armstrong.
"
How much time do we have?" :-)
We Have All the Time in the World was covered by
My Bloody Valentine (
link below) an
experimental rock,
shoegazing band formed in
Dublin in 1983;
All the time had not been rediscovered yet as the classic it is now.
We Have All the Time . . . is often
mistakenly referred to as the opening credits theme, when in fact the
song is played within the film, during the Bond–Tracy courtship montage,
bridging Draco's birthday party in Portugal and Bond's burglary of the
Gebrüder Gumbold law office in Bern, Switzerland.
Eon Productions, a British
film production company, selected an unknown actor and model,
George Lazenby, to play the part of
James Bond. During the making of the film, Lazenby announced that he would play the role of Bond only once.
He rescues a woman,
Contessa Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo, portrayed by
Diana Rigg.
photographer unknown
In 1968, after
Sean Connery had left the role of James Bond, producer
Albert R. Broccoli met
George Lazenby for the first time while they were getting their hair cut at the same barbershop. Broccoli offered Lazenby an audition. The position was consolidated when Lazenby accidentally punched a
professional wrestler, who was acting as
stunt coordinator, in the face, impressing Broccoli with his ability to display aggression. Director
Peter R. Hunt later claimed:
"We
wanted someone who oozed sexual assurance, and we think this fellow has
that. Just wait til the women see him on screen ... I am not saying he
is an actor. There is a great deal of difference between an actor and a
film star. Didn't they find Gary Cooper when he was an electrician?
By November 1969, and prior to the release of
On Her Majesty's Secret Service,
Lazenby said he no longer wished to play another James Bond role,
saying, "The producers made me feel like I was mindless. They
disregarded everything I suggested simply because I hadn't been in the
film business like them for about a thousand years."
His co-star
Diana Rigg was among many who commented on this decision:
"The role made Sean Connery a
millionaire. It made Sean Connery ... I truly don't know what's
happening in George's mind so I can only speak of my reaction. I think
it's a pretty foolish move. I think if he can bear to do an
apprenticeship, which everybody in this business has to do – has
to do – then he should do it quietly and with humility. Everybody has to
do it. There are few instant successes in the film business. And the
instant successes one usually associates with somebody who is willing to
learn anyway."
Rigg was also quoted as saying, "I can no longer cater for his
obsession with himself. He is utterly, unbelievably ... bloody
impossible".
Ah, Love!
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A1 - We Have All The Time In The World, lyrics by Hal David, Vocals – Louis Armstrong - 3:08
A2 - This Never Happened To The Other Feller - 4:25
A3 - Try - 3:24
A4 - Ski Chase - 2:52
A5 - Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?, lyrics by Hal David, Vocals – Nina* - 3:19
Side 2:
B1 - Main Theme "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" - 2:33
B2 - Journey To Blowfeld's Hideaway - 3:25
B3 - We Have All The Time In The World, lyrics by Hal David - 2:56
B4 - Over And Out - 2:40
B5 - Battle At Piz Gloria - 4:00
B6
- We Have All The Time In The World - James Bond Theme, Composed By
[James Bond Theme] – Monty Norman, Lyrics By [We Have All The Time In
The World] – Hal David - 4:32
Companies, etc.
Credits:
Arranged By, Composed By, Conductor – John Barry
Artwork [Uncredited] – Bob McGinnis
Producer – Phil Ramone
Notes:
Label Variant
-Title split in two lines, "On Her Majesty's" "Secret Service"
-Track times are listed
-Different font and arrangement
-Does not have Phil Ramone production credit on labels
-Spelling of tracks A2 and B2 differ on cover
Barcode and Other Identifiers
Matrix / Runout (Side 1 Etching): UAS-5204-A
Matrix / Runout (Side 2 Etching): UAS-5204-B
John Barry – On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Label: United Artists Records – UAS 5204
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1969
Genre: Jazz, Stage & Screen
Style: Big Band, Easy Listening, Soundtrack
Viewfnder links:
Net links:
YouTube links:
Styrous® ~ Saturday, September 12, 2020
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