Is there any shame in liking...

[Lady Beaner]

...James Bond theme songs?

A thread like this has probably already been done in here, but this is my first proper foray into this part of CaB (it smells a bit musty in here, by the way).

I bloody adore the power of Bond tunes. Something raw, thrilling, and just pure drama about the music and the rattling voices. I hate Lulu, but 'The Man With the Golden Gun' is a fantastic song - I would do almost anything to have a voice as powerful as that... or indeed that of Shirley Bassey.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lacu7VyRzvI[/youtube]

The last powerful Bond song for me was probably Tina Turner's 'Goldeneye', and then it all went a bit pants after that. Lest we forget Madonna's 'Die Another Day', which in itself I thought was an OK tune... but for Bond? No, no, no.

I must admit that I did like Chris Cornell/David Arnold's 'You Know My Name', but it never quite hit the radar in the UK for 'Casino Royale'. I think it was getting back on track to the dramatic Bond openers that Madonna's track so badly missed the mark on.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7j93Bf-EyI[/youtube]

Anyway, this is not just a thread about Bond. It's just part of my musical taste that I have sometimes been apprehensive with divulging to all and sundry 'You like... Shirley Bassey? You GAYER!'

Do you have any musical tastes that YOU love that perhaps others may sniff at?

[El Unicornio, mang]

The best Bond theme I ever heard was one on a compilation CD (free with UNCUT I think), an orchestral instrumental piece that combined the theme from On Her Majesty's Secret Service with A View To a Kill. I'll upload it if I get a chance.

I'm at the point in my life now where I'm not bothered what I like, if it's Phil Collins or Celine Dion or whatever, if I like it I like it. Boo to music snobs.

[Hank_Kingsley]

Loads. The Doobie Brothers, Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, Ray Parker Jr. to name but a few. But other people are dickheads and I don't listen to them anymore.
If you love the Bond themes more power to you. I remember buying the David Arnold 'Shaken Not Stirred' album of Bond covers years ago and being pretty underwhelmed.

The originals are great. Almost all of them, they're the highlight of Bond movies for me as i'm not really a fan of the films at all but tend to absorb them by osmosis.

[Blue Jam]

Loads. The Doobie Brothers, Hall & Oates, Steely Dan...

Seen this?

[Jemble Fred]

Billy Joel can fuck off he's crap okay I like his songs some of them I love them.

I'm having a breakdown.

[Hank_Kingsley]

Yeah...I seen Yacht Rock. I loved it, in fact. I just threw Ray Parker Jr. to get people off my horrible scent.

[boxofslice]

Im not ashamed to say i like late 70's early 80's MOR. REO Speedwagon, Boston, Chicago, Toto, Foreigner, they all stand proud in my collection.

[Hank_Kingsley]

Oh no, i'm definetly not ashamed. Add Journey to that list too. Great stuff.

[boxofslice]

Shit! How could i forget Journey. 'Don't Stop Believin' is one of the greatest songs ever written.

[BJB]

The thing i love about bond themes is, no matter how good or bad the song is, they always seem to succed in hitting the mood/feel of the film just right. Listen to them and watch there accopanying film at the same time. You'll be amazed.

[Ciarán]

I have a weakness for all things A.O.R. Right now I'm listening to Al Stewart's 1978 U.S.-pleasing A.O.R. classic "Time Passages". Not one bad song on this album. Not one.

And when this is finished I'm going to stick on Christopher Cross' multi-grammy winning 1980 debut, which is also a lovely album and deeply unfashionable.

Americans seem to get this kind of music. Fleetwood Mac, Norah Jones, Anita Baker, Michael McDonald/Doobie Brothers...I blummin' love it.

Journey's 'Don't Stop Believing' is also one of the greatest records ever made, so well said, up there.

[Marvin]

Nobody Does it Better from The Spy Who Loved Me is an absolutely blinding song.

[chand]

Im not ashamed to say i like late 70's early 80's MOR. REO Speedwagon, Boston, Chicago, Toto, Foreigner, they all stand proud in my collection.

All that stuff is shit-hot right now, stick a dance beat under any of those cunts and you have a hit.

[Pseudopath]

Nobody Does it Better from The Spy Who Loved Me is an absolutely blinding song.

Sexiest song ever written according to Radiohead, so I'm obliged to agree.

[boxofslice]

All that stuff is shit-hot right now, stick a dance beat under any of those cunts and you have a hit.

Yeah, that irritates the piss out of me. Its like shitting on a wedding cake.

[fbb bastard]

"the living daylights" is a much under-rated bond theme

and welllllllllll........look, i understand that this lot maybe completely beyond the pale and probably never even allowed back even in ironic terms but.........(deep breath).......i still like level 42

"slap bass?......punch face"..i can see how they are held in the lowest esteem to represent the worst protagonists of the beige 80's/90's. i am not unaware of any of this

i just still like them......(runs and hides)

[alan nagsworth]

For me, there is no shame in liking the following:

Motown music
Tears For Fears
Classical piano
Final Fantasy soundtracks (including the classical piano versions, baby)
Hardcore techno, preferably dark and moody style
Primus

[Hypodeemic Nerdle]

Billy Joel can fuck off he's crap okay I like his songs some of them I love them.

I'm having a breakdown.

His old band, the drum & organ hard rock duo Attila, were storming.

[non capisco]

I really like Billy Joel, up until 'The Bridge' album where he turned shit forever more.

Seriously, if you like Ben Folds and I know a lot of Verbwhores do, you'll probably like a lot of Billy Joel's 70s stuff. 'The Stranger' album in particular. Ain't no shame in it.

Like your Terence Trent D'arby-based tagline there, Hypodeemic Nerdle.

[MissInformed]

Nobody Does it Better from The Spy Who Loved Me is an absolutely blinding song.

That's my favourite Bond theme and there's some tough competition in that category.

[Jemble Fred]

I really like Billy Joel, up until 'The Bridge' album where he turned shit forever more.

Seriously, if you like Ben Folds and I know a lot of Verbwhores do, you'll probably like a lot of Billy Joel's 70s stuff. 'The Stranger' album in particular. Ain't no shame in it.

I equate Joel with middle-aged McCartney (as opposed to young McCartney and old McCartney, which are just uniformly great), in that there's some exquisite songwriting ruined by overly cheesy dated arrangements. Not enough people cover Billy Joel, basically.

[non capisco]

Yeah, that's an accurate observation, Jemble. Something like 'Summer, Highland Falls' is a lovely song but when that clarinet pipes up in the middle it turns into the theme from a failed 1980s American sitcom.

[Pseudopath]

Motown music

Eh? Of course there's no shame in liking Motown. Stevie Wonder's Innervisions is one of the greatest albums of all time, Marvin Gaye is a legend and there are countless other awesome composers and performers. What an odd thing to say!

Tears For Fears

Nothing wrong with early TFF, but they did disappear up their own arses pretty quickly.

Classical piano

Again, is this generally frowned upon? There are some lovely classical piano composers, including Ludovico Einaudi, Christopher O'Reilly and Brad Mehldau and there's at least a couple of 'Piano Moods'-style compilations on my CD rack. They sound nice.

Final Fantasy soundtracks (including the classical piano versions, baby)

Oh yes. Nobuo Uematsu is an incredible (and prolific) composer. I'll never forget the first time I heard 'One Winged Angel' during the Sephiroth battle in FFVII.

Hardcore techno, preferably dark and moody style

Examples? Are we talking minimalist stuff like Plastikman or the more bombastic orchestral stuff like Rob Dougan?

Primus

Don't know much about them, but John The Fisherman sounds awesome on Guitar Hero II, so I think I'll check them out.

[Ray Le Otter]

"the living daylights" is a much under-rated bond theme

Very underrated. And A-ha's remake on the "Stay On These Roads" album completely misses the point.

and welllllllllll........look, i understand that this lot maybe completely beyond the pale and probably never even allowed back even in ironic terms but.........(deep breath).......i still like level 42

No worries. "Something About You", "Leaving Me Now", "Hot Water" & "Lessons In Love" are brilliant pop singles. "Heaven In My Hands" isn't half bad either.

I still like that quote on one of the Boosh commentaries where they talk about Mark King in concert, when a couple of 15 year olds are at the front of the gig and King's doing his slap bass stuff and mouths to them "you love it you slags". Class. 

[Ray Le Otter]

Americans seem to get this kind of music. Fleetwood Mac, Norah Jones, Anita Baker, Michael McDonald/Doobie Brothers...I blummin' love it.

You are Sean Rowley and I claim my £5.

"What a Fool Believes" is fucking ace BTW. As is "Sweet Freedom" and all of "Tango In The Night".

[alan nagsworth]

There are some lovely classical piano composers, including Ludovico Einaudi, Christopher O'Reilly and Brad Mehldau and there's at least a couple of 'Piano Moods'-style compilations on my CD rack. They sound nice.

I'm mostly into Japanese stuff, such as Ryuichi Sakamoto's 'BTTB (Back To The Basics' album, the Final Fantasy piano versions (which are fantastic by the way), and Joe Hisaishi (composer for Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and other Studio Ghibli films).
Other good ones are Philip Glass' 'Solo Piano' and anything by Charles Valentin-Alkan.

Oh yes. Nobuo Uematsu is an incredible (and prolific) composer. I'll never forget the first time I heard 'One Winged Angel' during the Sephiroth battle in FFVII.

Yes yes yes! I guess there's no further shame in saying I have the full 4CD soundtracks for FFVII, VIII and IX?

Examples? Are we talking minimalist stuff like Plastikman or the more bombastic orchestral stuff like Rob Dougan?

Not too sure really, I've only recently got into it, but Hellfish would be a prime example, and some (although not all, that's for sure) Alec Empire.Atari Teenage Riot is okay. Also CD1 of the latest Helter Skelter Presents Hardcore: The New Generation 2007 (longest title ever) is pretty thumpin, though that's more hardcore breaks than anything.

[Pseudopath]

Joe Hisaishi (composer for Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke and other Studio Ghibli films).

This brother speaks the truth! I could happily listen to 'The Sixth Station' from the Spirited Away soundtrack on constant loop until the day I die. A effortlessly gorgeous piece of music and the film's not too ropey either.

[rudi]

For me, there is no shame in liking the following:

Motown music
Tears For Fears
Classical piano
Final Fantasy soundtracks (including the classical piano versions, baby)
Hardcore techno, preferably dark and moody style
Primus

Are we supposed to be embarrassed about this?

I've clearly missed so many meetings......

[alan nagsworth]

Haha, sorry. I keep forgetting the kind of people that post on here. My mates frown upon most stuff that isn't drum n' bass/garage/hip hop (which is all well and good) so I don't much talk about all the other stuff I listen to with them cuz the conversation goes nowhere. I do have individual mates who will like the odd piano tune or whatever, and my mates aren't chavs before you go off on one. They acknowledge my opinions but they don't appreciate the music. I think that's why I signed up to CaB, everyone seemed to be discussing stuff I can talk to my mates about, but the discussions never last as long as they do on here.

[rudi]

Oddly enough, today in my car I listened to an example of everything in your list bar FF music (never played it - no idea what it's like) and Primus (don't have any on CD and too shit to port my vinyl into madcrazydigimp9shee-it).

Motown: R Dean Taylor and the doc I nicked off BBC6 yesterday (which I'd highly recommend).
TFF: The Hurting (due to it being brought up elsewhere in these environs. 6th form poetry done brilliantly).
Piano: Grieg's Concerto in A Minor. Mmmmmmmmoody.
Techno: A CD I did when I was younger and thinner. Perfect for an unbusy M3.

The rest of the day was spent wishing I was in Mastodon and eating enough KFC to arrest the hearts of a smallish country.