Showing posts with label Shirley Bassey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shirley Bassey. Show all posts

September 12, 2020

20,000 vinyl LPs 239: On Her Majesty's Secret Service ~ James & Diana

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vinyl LP front cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®


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).    


vinyl LP front cover 
art work by Bob McGinnis
photo by Styrous®


The illustration on the album cover was created by Bob McGinnis who also did the artwork for another Bond film, Thunderball; 


a
vinyl LP front cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®


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.   
        

vinyl LP back cover 
art work by Bob McGinnis
photo by Styrous®


The "James Bond" theme was written by Monty Norman and was used as the opening of two Bond films, Dr. No and On Her Majesty's Secrect Service, as well as several times in other Bond films. 
  

vinyl LP back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®


The score for the film was composed by Barry as well as the love song We Have All the Time in the World sung by Louis Armstrong, with lyrics by Hal David, who was regular lyricist for Burt Bacharach.     


vinyl LP back cover detail
detail photo by Styrous®


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.           


On Her Majesty's Secrect Service poster


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:        
   
Louis Armstrong       
John Barry     
Shirley Bassey               
Sean Connery        
Gary Cooper        
Diana Rigg                
        
Net links:        
        
NY Times ~ 50 Years Later, This Bond Film Should Get Its Due (review)  
Roger & Ebert ~ On Her Majesty's Secret Service (review)       
Ultimate Classic Rock ~ 'Secret Service' Tells the Best Bond Story (review)     
        
YouTube links:        
    
Movies & documentarys:     
    
On Her Majesty's Secret Service ~ 
      Official Trailer (1969)   
      Opening (This never happened to the other fellow!)  (Movie clip)     
      Attacking Piz Gloria (Movie clip)                    
      Ending  (Movie clip)      Rigg, Lazenby & the controversy behind On Her Majesty's Secret Service    
Diana Rigg 2011 interview: Garlic and George Lazenby     
        
Music:        
        
Louis Armstrong ~ We Have All the Time in the World        
John Berry ~   
    James Bond Theme         
    On Her Majesty's Secret Service Opening Theme Song     
My Bloody Vanentine ~ We Have All the Time in the World           
The Specials ~ We Have All the Time in the World          
The Ten Tenors ~ We Have All the Time in the World          
        
         
        
        
        
Styrous® ~ Saturday, September 12, 2020       
       


















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Shirley Bassey articles/mentions

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mentions:            
 
 Harry Belafonte ~ Banana Boat Song (Day O) 
     
     
     
     
Shirley Bassey - July 14, 1965
Köpenhamn, Danmark
photographer unknown


















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July 16, 2012

20,000 vinyl LPs 3: Mina - Salomé

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I started the Vinyl LP series because I have over 20,000 albums I am selling; each blog entry is about an album from my collection. Inquire for more information.

I remember my first trip to Italy in July of 1997. I had been in Barcelona for a while, when close friends rented an apartment in Rome and invited us to spend a long weekend. Since it was a quick, inexpensive flight we went.

I don't remember the street the beautiful, three-level apartment was on but it was in a fantastic location a couple of blocks from the Roman Forum. It was at the top of a building built in the 18th century with furniture also from that period. The bed was a disaster, however; the springs were like a steel hammock so we had to take the mattress from the bed and put it on the floor at night to sleep in comfort. But the apartment had an incredible 360° view from the roof which I could get to from the terrazza. It was right out of a movie set and it was spectacular!

I have so many wonderful memories of that trip: the sound of the bells of the churches (there were five) surrounding the apartment joining with sounds of church bells in areas further away echoing our near-by bells. Each bell unique-sounding in its own right so that a beautiful symphonic tintinnabulation was performed every hour on the hour.

I remember the incredible heat during the day (I almost fainted in the Forum); the lovely warm evenings and delicious dinners; a mid-afternoon lunch with the most incredible pizza I've EVER tasted (porcini mushrooms, onions, delicate spices and olive oil on a very thin, cracker-like crust, no tomato sauce) at Ristorante Al Gladiatore across from the Colosseum.

And, of course, I remember the one and only record album I bought during my brief stay there.

Where ever I travel, in addition to photographing, I search for new music; it is a given. Not only do I discover exciting music but it is my souvenir of where I was. I don't buy T-shirts or other paraphernalia (well, I may as presents to give to friends, um, except one I pinched from the restaurant). For me the music I buy is my memory marker for a particular trip.

On this occasion in Rome, an album called Salomé, by Mina (born Anna Maria Mazzini in 1940), . . .


 . . . caught my eye.



How could you pass up a cover like this?
cover photo by Mauro Balletti
photo of Salomé front cover by Styrous®


Well, could you?

(click on any image to see larger size)

I turned it over . . .


back cover photo by Mauro Balletti
photo of Salomé back cover by Styrous®

. . . and discovered it was a gatefold album
photo of Salomé cover by Styrous®

As it was a used copy, I could open the album
 and found a 22" x 22" poster folded in the jacket cover.
poster photo by Mauro Balletti
photo of Salomé poster by Styrous®

I had no idea what the music sounded like; I understood no Italian (still don't) so the text gave me no clue. It was the cover that sold me. The imagery of Salomé, the Daughter of Herodias, and John the Baptist united in one individual was more than I could resist. 

I could not play the music until I got back to the US but I was not disappointed and have since bought other albums by Mina. Samples of music from Salomé can be heard at CD Universe.

I discovered Mina was a dominant figure in Italian pop music from the mid-1960's to the 1970's combining traditional Italian songs, swing and rock. The public labeled her the "Tiger of Cremona" and the "Queen of Screamers". Mina's act combined sex appeal with public smoking, dyed blond hair, and shaved eyebrows to create a "bad girl" image with a three-octave vocal range (Wikipedia). Shirley Bassey (remember Goldfinger?) covered Mina's ballad, "Grande Grande Grande".

Because of her pregnancy and affair with a married actor, Mina was banned from Italian radio and TV in 1963. She was also heavily censored by the Roman Catholic Church.

She stopped public appearances in 1978 but continues to release new albums on a yearly basis.

Amazing!


This is the cover of her latest album, 
Piccolino, released in 2011.
photographer unknown


Videos of Mina's music can be found on uTube.

So ends my tale of the album, Salomé, by Mina.

An aside: when I was researching info for this article I came across a link to Mina Salomé a section of the MTI Blog (Mineralogía Topográfica Ibérica) which is about Iberian Topographic mineralogy. The site has NOTHING to do with Mina and is not in English but, if you search around the different blog entries, you can find interesting and sometimes stunning photographs. Check it out, if you have time to spend and just want something beautiful and unexpected to see.


The entire collection is for sale. Interested? Contact Styrous®


Styrous® - July 16, 2012
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