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"...Improper Advances..."
When the entire James Bond musical
catalogue turned up on remastered CD in 2003 - many fans got excited under
their immaculately groomed tuxedos - quietly pawing their wallets in Soundtrack
glee. I was one of those nerds and was/still am - giddily proud of it. I
immediately ran out and purchased 1964’s “Goldfinger” and 1971’s “Diamonds Are
Forever” on 2003 CDs - and this – for me the big daddy of them all – 1967’s
“You Only Live Twice” – so brilliantly scored by the mighty JOHN BARRY.
Dugout volcanic lairs, cars
being dropped into the ocean from helicopter magnets, capsules being gobbled up
in space by a man with a dodgy eye and a purring cat, the self-assembly gyrocopter
Little Nellie in four suitcases and Japanese babes Kung-Fu-ing their way
through a dozen ugly bad guys before their lentil breakfast. What’s not to
love? “You Only Live Twice” began the template for Bond that we’ve known and
loved for more than 40 years and its music hasn’t aged – only grown in stature.
Not only that – but there’s
also a huge haul of primo previously unreleased material made available for the
first time here (most of it better than what was released). And like the other
titles in this massive catalogue reissue series – DOUG SCHWARTZ has remastered
the original master tapes for “You Only
Live Twice” with real skill. Everything about the stunning Audio Quality on
this CD rocks. Here are the Bond Sab details...
UK released March 2003 (February
2003 in the USA) - "You Only Live Twice (Original Motion Picture
Soundtrack)" by JOHN BARRY on EMI Capitol 72435-41418-2-9 (Barcode 724354141829) breaks
down as follows (72:45 minutes):
1. You Only Live Twice (Title
Song) - Sung by Nancy Sinatra
2. Capsule In Space
3. Fight At Kobi Dock -
Helga
4. Tanaka’s World
5. A Drop In The Ocean
6. The Death Of Aki
7. Mountains And Sunsets
[Side 2]
8. The Wedding
9. James Bond – Astronaut?
10. Countdown For Blofeld
11. Bond Averts World War
Three
12. You Only Live Twice (End
Title) – Vocal Sung by Nancy Sinatra
Tracks 1 to 12 are the album
"You Only Live Twice: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" - released July
1967 in the UK on United Artists ULP 1171 (Mono) and SULP 1171 (Stereo) and in
the USA on United Artists UAL 4155 (mono) and UAS 5155 (Stereo). The Stereo mix
is used throughout.
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED BONUS
TRACKS:
13. James Bond In Japan
14. Aki, Tiger and Osato
15. Little Nellie
16. Soviet Capsule
17. Spectre And Village
18. James Bond - Ninja
19. Twice Is The Only Way
The 10-page booklet has affectionate,
witty and informative liner notes from JEFF BOND (no relation) with Page 5
being a double foldout sporting an array of colour stills from the movie
(Donald Pleasance as Blofeld, the Toyota 2000GT, Connery in Little Nellie etc).
But the big news here is the
SOUND - this CD sounds utterly glorious. It opens with the ominous creep of
“Capsule In Space” where Barry builds the music to a swirling climax – strings,
wind instruments, the kettle drums – it all comes at you with such power and
majesty as to be positively off-putting. It’s followed by the wicked “Fight At
Kobe Docks – Helga” where Bond encounters baddies on the ground and rooftops of
warehouses. It starts out warm but then the bass and keys kick in and that
brass refrain as Connery punches his way out of trouble (unbelievable clarity).
“The Death Of Aki” is merely the theme music played in a Japanese style and
again there’s incredible depth in both the music and the transfer. Then you’re
clobbered with true cinematic genius – Barry’s instrumental “Mountains And
Sunsets” which literally conjures up the magic and glamour of Bond in your
living room. Pure 007 comes in with “Bond Averts World War III” where all the
themes we know and love about James come together in one climatic piece.
Utterly brilliant...
As if the Soundtrack itself
isn't the Georgie Best - you're hit with a wad of Previously Unreleased material
from the original film that's been in the can for 40 years too long. "James
Bond And Japan” lasts a fulsome 10:41 minutes and brings together all the best
incidental music the movie has in a sort of mini Bond fest - menace and
intrigue – warmth and beauty – danger looming - back to triumph - its just
brilliant. But thrill of thrills is the brilliant 3:45 minutes of "Little
Nellie" which will surely reduce most Bond devotees to a quivering wreck
of nostalgia. As those plucked strings leads to big brass – it slinks along
until you can see our Gyrocopter hurtling through the air being attacked – then
you’re hit with the “007” theme which is too brill for mere words – wow is the
only response...
BLOFELD: "We are now
impregnable!
Goodbye Mister Bond!”
Well he wasn’t impregnable and
James didn’t go bye-byes. Open your heart to your inner 007 and get this Ernst
Stavro of a CD into your Little Nellie. Improper
advances indeed...
