Roland Shaw and His Orchestra

Artist: Roland Shaw and His Orchestra

LP: The Return of James Bond — In "Diamonds Are Forever"...and Other Secret Agent Themes

Song: "Diamonds Are Forever"

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I grew up watching the '60s and '70s James Bond films on TV. Even when I was a kiddo I loved the films' theme songs and the sensual opening credits sequences. Roland Shaw must have loved them too, since he was rather prolific when it came to releasing James Bond movie music records in the 1960s and early '70s. I picked up this two-LP collection a few years ago at Daybreak Records (according to the price sticker anyway; my memory is shot) but until this evening I hadn't opened the album (or had I?) to reveal, not only its full gate-fold centerpiece glory, but also a signed head-shot of Sean Connery somebody stuck inside my copy! (You know, the marketing team might have put one of these in every copy of this record when it came out back in 1971. Who knows.) (But still...)

[ Sean Connery Is Forever ]

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER is notable for marking Connery's return to the screen as British Secret Agent 007 after model George Lazenby took on the role for ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, released in 1969. I think most 007 aficionados would agree that DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER has one of the most riveting theme songs of any in the Bond franchise (sung, of course, by the legendary Shirley Bassey...it also happens to be one of my own karaoke greatest hits!) Likewise, I don't think anyone could argue over the fact that the film has one of the most dynamite 007 posters of any ever made. And though DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER is certainly of interest for featuring an early appearance in cinema of a gay male couple (as a pair of villains...played mostly for laughs, unfortunately and of course), I'm fairly certain Bond fans and critics alike would solemnly nod in agreement when I say... This film stinks.

I don't need love...

For what good would love do me?

Diamonds never lie to me.

And, when love's gone... 

They luster on!

[ Roland Shaw: May 26, 1920 — May 11, 2012 ]

Sean Connery [1930-2020] / Matt Monro

Artist: Matt Monro / John Barry
 LP: From Russia With Love

Song: "From Russia With Love"

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Song: "James Bond With Bongos"

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Song: "Opening Titles - James Bond Is Back"

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This morning I woke to the sad news that actor Sean Connery had died; he was 90 years old. I grew up watching the 007 films and for me Connery was the REAL James Bond. "From Russia With Love" is my favorite Bond film. British crooner Matt Monro does a fine job on the film's theme song (with John Barry doing dynamite work with the music for the film), but sadly, the Bond film tradition of having the vocal version of the theme song blazing hypnotically over the film's sexy opening title sequence hadn't yet taken hold when this second 007 film was released in 1963. (It was the next film that began the trend, when Shirley Bassey crooned the immortal "Goldfinger" over that film's opening credits in 1964.) If I remember correctly, Matt Monro's theme song for "From Russia With Love" is merely heard (only partially) in a beach scene, playing through the speaker of an AM radio stuck in the sand. 

 

Unfortunately, when I told my work colleague Amir, who is from the Middle East, about Connery's passing, I ended up with my foot in my mouth again in another of my infamous and regrettable situations where I'm accidentally racist because I'm just no good at comprehending foreign accents. Amir expressed sadness over Connery's passing, and then told me he really liked the actor in the film "Zurock." He asked me if I'd seen it, and I repeated the title several times aloud, trying to recall if I'd even heard of it before: "Zurock...Zurock..." I told Amir I'd seen Connery in the strange '70s sci-fi film "Zardoz" and asked it that's the movie he was talking about. It wasn't. As I was busy assuming that "Zurock" was some small-scale, made-for-cable film Connery had been in, probably about some conflict in an Iraqi city called Zurock that I'd never heard of before, Amir was on his phone looking up the film he was trying to tell me about: It was this one. Embarrassed, I told him I absolutely loved it. 

 

You can read about Sean Connery's life and career on Wikipedia here, find his BBC obituary here, see a sexy photo of Sean without a shirt on here, and read all about singer Matt Monro over here.

 

[ Matt Monro: December 1, 1930 — February 7, 1985 ]

 

Sean Connery

[ August 25, 1930 — October 31, 2020 ]

We will miss you, Sean.