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COLLECTING 007 – UK Records
WRITTEN & COMPILED BY KEVIN HARPER

The first four James Bond films also had 45rpm 7" Extended Play records released featuring excerpts from the original soundtrack. The first three titles were issued in November 1965, with Thunderball following in July 1966. The EPs were only issued in mono and did not include the main title song, using instead the instrumental version of the theme. 45rpm 7" singles of the main title song/theme were issued separately by the recording artistes own record label, and the sleeves (sometimes issued in a plain paper cover) did not always tie the song in with the film it was recorded for. The single versions often used a different recording to the one featured on the soundtrack LP (and that heard in the film). The single recording of Shirley Bassey's iconic ‘Goldfinger’ used a different take of the song from the same session; and was produced by George Martin who would later score Roger Moore's debut film as 007 Live And Let Die (1973). The record sleeves for the title song singles rarely had James Bond themed covers and generally featured a photo of the recording artiste. The EP record sleeves were identical to the original UK LP version with the exception of Goldfinger which removed the title song credits. The recording of the Goldfinger main theme featured on the EP was actually John Barry's jazz instrumental which was omitted from the British LP, but did appear on the US version of the soundtrack album. EPs could hold a maximum of 7½ minutes of music on each side; therefore due to the length of ‘Dawn Raid on Fort Knox’, this was the only track to appear on side two.

UK 45rpm 7" Extended Play Records

EP Excerpts from Dr. No film sound track

EP Excerpts from Dr. No film sound track rear sleeve

Excerpts from Dr. No film sound track
United Artists Records UEP 1010 Mono (November 1965)

 
EP Excerpts from film soundtrack From Russia With Love

EP Excerpts from film soundtrack From Russia With Love rear sleeve

Excerpts from film soundtrack From Russia With Love
United Artists Records UEP 1011 Mono (November 1965)

 

EP Excerpts from Goldfinger Original Motion Picture Score

EP Excerpts from Goldfinger Original Motion Picture Score rear sleeve

Excerpts from Goldfinger Original Motion Picture Score
United Artists Records UEP 1012 Mono (November 1965)

 
EP Excerpts from Thunderball Original Motion Picture Score

EP Excerpts from Thunderball Original Motion Picture Score rear sleeve

Excerpts from Thunderball Original Motion Picture Score
United Artists Records UEP 1015 Mono (July 1966)

 

UK 33rpm 12" Long Playing Records - Compilation albums

The first UK James Bond compilation LP entitled ‘The Best of Bond’ was issued by United Artists records in 1969 and featured a collection of tracks from the first five films of the series. The compilation included the ‘James Bond Theme’ and the opening titles of From Russia With Love, but no vocal recordings were featured except ‘Kingston Calypso’ and ‘Under The Mango Tree’ from Dr. No. For the 10th anniversary of James Bond in the cinema, United Artists records issued a special edition double-LP featuring tracks from all films up to and including Diamonds Are Forever (1971). This time the compilation did include the main title vocal tracks with the curious omission of ‘Thunderball’ sung by Tom Jones and Nancy Sinatra's ‘You Only Live Twice’. Several tracks were the same as on ‘The Best of Bond’ compilation and featured John Barry's jazz instrumental version of ‘Goldfinger’ (not actually featured in the film and missing from the original UK soundtrack album) in addition to Shirley Bassey's title song version. Side four includes an unusual edited composite of the two tracks ‘Journey To Blofeld's Hideaway’ and ‘This Never Happened To The Other Feller’ [spelled ‘Fella’ on the original LP]. The two tracks were presumably shortened and combined for timing purposes, as they both appear on the original On Her Majesty's Secret Service LP in longer separate versions. The two LPs were housed in a glossy gatefold sleeve which also included a four-page booklet showing poster artwork and stills alongside the release dates of each film. It should be noted that the booklet incorrectly states that From Russia With Love premiered at the London Pavilion on 10th October 1963, when in fact the film actually opened at the ODEON Leicester Square. This error was subsequently repeated in many publications in following years. The UK opening date of You Only Live Twice is also incorrectly stated as 11th April 1967, when in fact the premiere actually took place on 12th June.

THE BEST OF BOND LP Compilation

THE BEST OF BOND LP Compilation rear sleeve

THE BEST OF BOND
The Original Soundtrack Themes
United Artists Records UAS 29021 Stereo (1969)

 
THE JAMES BOND COLLECTION Double- LP Compilation

THE JAMES BOND COLLECTION Double- LP Compilation rear sleeve

THE JAMES BOND COLLECTION - Double Album
The Original Motion Picture Soundtracks
United Artists Records  UAD 60027/8 Stereo (1972)

The original UK pressing featured a gatefold sleeve and six-page booklet with stills from the films and release dates

James Bond Collection | John Barry, Louis Armstrong and Hal David

ABOVE: (left) Magazine advertisement for the ‘007 Special 10th Anniversary Edition James Bond Collection’ double-album (right) A photograph featured inside the gatefold sleeve shows composer John Barry with singer Louis Armstrong and lyricist Hal David at the recording of ‘We Have All The Time In The World’ on October 23, 1969.

James Bond Greatest Hits TV campaign

A guaranteed SMERSH hit!
A surprise best-seller upon its release in March 1982 ‘James Bond Greatest Hits’ was a compilation of 20 original tracks from the James Bond films, featuring the title song, and a selection of music and songs from the twelve films up to and including For Your Eyes Only (1981). Released to coincide with the ITV Network premiere of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) on Sunday March 28, 1982, the album was widely promoted with three different 30-second, 20-second and 10-second television commercials broadcast in the Thames/LWT region from 19 March - 9 April; and Central & Granada regions from 24 March - 9 April. The TV campaign was supported by full in-store window displays based around a James Bond cut-out centrepiece, plus full colour 30" X 20" posters and colour window streamers. Given the appropriate catalogue number EMTV 007, ‘James Bond Greatest Hits’ entered the best-selling album chart at number 50 on March 29, 1982, peaking at number 12 on April 5th, the week after the ITV premiere of The Spy Who Loved Me, which was viewed in almost 23-million homes across the UK. ‘James Bond Greatest Hits’ remained in the best-selling album chart for eight weeks eventually earning a gold disc for sales of over 100,000 copies. ‘James Bond Greatest Hits’ was also released on cassette tape with an identical track listing. Although advertised as having 20 tracks, the ‘James Bond Theme’ which opened side one was repeated at the close of side two. Both versions are the identical Dr. No album recording, with the side two appearance listed as ‘James Bond Theme (reprise)’.

JAMES BOND GREATEST HITS album compilation

JAMES BOND GREATEST HITS album compilation rear sleeve

JAMES BOND GREATEST HITS
20 Original Tracks compilation LP
Liberty Records EMTV 007 Stereo (1982)

An alternate version of this compilation had been released in Europe in 1981 and contained 13 tracks. It included all title songs up to For Your Eyes Only, but omitted the main title theme for On Her Majesty's Secret Service substituting ‘Bond 77’ in it's place.

The Best of JAMES BOND 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION Compilation

The Best of JAMES BOND 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION Compilation rear sleeve

The Best of JAMES BOND 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION
19 Original Tracks compilation LP
EMI USA BOND 007 Stereo (1992)

The original UK pressing featured a gatefold sleeve
with an overview of each of the tracks featured on the LP

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of James Bond in the cinema EMI released a single compilation LP featuring 19 tracks, including all title songs for the 16 films that had thus far been released. This vinyl record was issued in relatively small numbers as the CD format was now the dominant medium for music distribution worldwide. The LP included Dionne Warwick's version of ‘Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ recorded as the original title song for Thunderball (1965), marking the first time this track had been commercially released. In addition to the single LP, a Limited Edition Double-CD was also issued simultaneously. CD1 contained the 16 title songs restored to their original release order; whilst CD2 contained all manner of 007 rarities including the original version of ‘Goldfinger’ sung by Anthony Newley, who also wrote the song in collaboration with Leslie Bricusse, and the film's composer John Barry. Newley's jazz version was, however, replaced by Shirley Bassey's iconic rendition of the song for the film in 1964. Dionne Warwick's recording of ‘Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ (also included on CD2) was originally intended as the title song for Thunderball and predates the Shirley Bassey rendition also included on the CD. The song was ultimately replaced with the Tom Jones rendition of ‘Thunderball’ after a decision by the producers that the title theme should feature the name of the film. Shirley Bassey subsequently sued EON Productions for not featuring her song in the film and sought an injunction to hold up the release of Thunderball. The High Court came down on the side of the producers, although the case did slightly delay the UK release of Thunderball, which was already behind schedule during the editing stage, resulting in the film missing its original October 1965 premiere slot at London's ODEON Leicester Square. Thunderball opened on December 9th in Japan, three weeks before the UK double premiere on December 29, 1965 at the London Pavilion, Piccadilly Circus and Rialto Cinema, Coventry Street.

JAMES BOND 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION’ Limited Edition CD

‘The Best of JAMES BOND 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION’ Limited Edition CD also included the four tracks missing from the original Goldfinger LP issued in the USA, and a suite of unreleased music from Thunderball. Composer John Barry was still scoring the film when the original Thunderball LP was released in late 1965, which explains why most of the music on the record is from the first half of the film. The 2002 remastered expanded edition CD included even more unreleased cues from the film. Also unique to the Limited Edition Double-CD is a demo version of You Only Live Twice by a singer who was unknown at the time of the release. Despite extensive liner notes (replicated in the gatefold edition of the single LP edition) no artiste could be identified as the singer of the original version. 007 MAGAZINE Editor & Publisher Graham Rye later identified the vocalist as Julie Rogers, and this was later confirmed by the singer. The Double-CD marks the only time several of the tracks have ever been commercially released, and remains a landmark collectible in the long history of James Bond soundtracks.

With the growing interest in vinyl in recent years there have been several limited edition reissues of James Bond soundtracks on long playing record aimed at the collectors market.

Daniel Craig era vinyl special editions
Spectre white vinyl limited edition 2024

Initially released on CD and Double-LP in 2012, Skyfall was also issued as a limited edition gatefold Double-LP by Brookvale Records in 2017 in the USA. The release had four different variations of coloured vinyl each limited to just 500 numbered copies. Skyfall was also issued on vinyl in Europe in 2018 from Sony Classical. Spectre was issued in Europe as a gatefold Double-LP from Decca Records in 2016, following its original CD release in 2015. The album was re-released by Decca Records on March 29, 2024 as a limited edition white vinyl version. Casino Royale (2006) had earlier been issued as limited edition gatefold Double-LP of 2,000 numbered copies on translucent blue vinyl by Sony Classical in 2020. All of these vinyl reissues replicated the track listings of their CD counterparts, but this time spread across four sides of the two records.

In 2020 the soundtrack for the 25th James Bond film No Time To Die by Hans Zimmer was originally scheduled to go on sale in April, but this was subsequently changed to November to match the revised worldwide release date. In October 2020 it was then announced that No Time To Die would be delayed once more due to the global Coronavirus pandemic. The soundtrack album was postponed accordingly, and finally issued on the same day as the CD to coincide with the cinema release on September 30, 2021. The vinyl edition was issued as a gatefold Double-LP, and marked the first time since Quantum of Solace (2008) that the title song will also feature on the album; which like ‘Another Time To Die’ by Jack White and Alicia Keys appears as the last track of the album. ‘No Time To Die’ sung by Billie Eilish was originally released in February 2020 and topped the UK single chart with a digital only release. A 7" single on translucent vinyl was issued in November 2020 to coincide with the anticipated release of the film. In addition to its appearance on the Hans Zimmer soundtrack album ‘No Time To Die’ by Billie Eilish also appears on ‘The Best of Bond... James Bond’ - a compilation of the title songs from all 25 official James Bond films. Also included are Adele’s ‘Skyfall’, Sam Smith’s Spectre theme, ‘Writing’s On the Wall’ - both Oscar winners for Best Song in 2013 and 2016 respectively, and missing from the original soundtrack album for those films. The latest version of ‘The Best of Bond... James Bond’ is available as a Double-CD, and Triple-LP editions in both black and gold vinyl.

The Best of Bond... James Bond

‘The Best of Bond... James Bond’ is effectively the same concept as the 1982 collection ‘James Bond Greatest Hits’, and the single disc edition of ‘The Best of JAMES BOND 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION’ which compiled all the title songs released to date onto one album. The 2021 edition marks the fifth compilation of title tracks, and the first to be released as a limited edition vinyl collection. The four earlier releases were issued exclusively on compact disc, with an expanded double-CD in 2012, featuring 27 further tracks of selected incidental music and songs from the original soundtracks up to and including Quantum of Solace (2008).

‘The Best of Bond... James Bond’ CD releases

The Best of Bond... James Bond 1999

The Best of Bond... James Bond 2002

The Best of Bond... James Bond 2008

The Best of Bond... James Bond 2012

1999 2002 2008 2012

The Best of Bond... James Bond 2012 Expanded Double-CD

The 1999 CD featured 18 title tracks up to and including ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ by Sheryl Crow, with Matt Monro's vocal version of ‘From Russia With Love’ in place of John Barry's orchestral main title. Louis Armstrong's ‘We Have All The Time In the World’ was also included and although the album opened with ‘The James Bond Theme’ and closed with ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’, the other tracks were not in sequential order. The 2002 edition retained the same running order and added three new tracks at the end - ‘The World Is Not Enough’ by Garbage, Moby's ‘James Bond Theme’, and the GoldenEye trailer music by Parodi/Fair. The 2008 release restored the tracks to their correct film order and added ‘Surrender’ by k.d. lang, Madonna's ‘Die Another Day’ and Chris Cornell's ‘You Know My Name’. The Moby and Parodi/Fair track were not included, but the final bonus track on the album was a previously unreleased 1992 recording of ‘The James Bond Theme’ by John Arnold (no relation to composer David Arnold who produced the track).

2012 Double-CD

The 2002 edition was awarded a gold disc (pictured below right) for sales of over 500,000 copies on compact disc in the USA. Starting with the 2008 edition of ‘The Best of Bond... James Bond’ Gladys Knight's ‘Licence To Kill’ and Tina Turner's ‘GoldenEye’ were now the shorter single edits of those tracks, not those heard on the original albums. For the 2012 50th anniversary of the James Bond films ‘The Best of Bond... James Bond’ was released in two versions - a single CD of all title tracks in sequential running order but this time adding ‘Another Way To Die’ from Quantum of Solace (2008) with ‘Surrender’ and the John Arnold ‘James Bond Theme’ dropped and for timing reasons. The 2012 Double-CD edition included a second disc with 27 tracks selected from the original soundtracks of Dr. No (1962) to Quantum of Solace (2008). The choice of tracks was somewhat arbitrary with no music from Licence To Kill (1989) or Die Another Day (2002), but did include Shirley Bassey's version of ‘Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’, ‘The James Bond Theme’ [Moby's re-version] from Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and Scott Walker's ‘Only Myself To Blame’ from The World Is Not Enough (1999) - none of which actually appeared in the films they represented.

The Best of Bond. James Bond 1999 poster/2002 Gold Disc Award
 

Singles and extended versions


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