@LinerNotes

To quote the enigmatic M from an earlier James Bond adventure: "This is the big one, 007." In the summer of 1985, Roger Moore's last James Bond movie, A View to a Kill was released and just a month later, it's theme song recorded by Duran Duran, hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts; the only James Bond theme song to ever achieve this feat. It follows that if someone were to cover this particular James Bond title song, they would have to bring something very special to the sound. There are in fact, three interesting takes on this classic pop culture crossover.

My my, how time flies. atlinernotes.com turns two today, and thanks to all of you who have taken the time to stop by and check out it out, this blog has seen it's biggest year ever! To celebrate, I've got links to two free downloads you will want to check out.

"All Time High" performed by Rita Coolidge for Octopussy is by far one of my favorite James Bond title songs. John Barry and Tim Rice teamed up to craft one of the better overall title pieces in the Bond music oeuvre and kept it classy, choosing to leave the entendre laden film title out of the lyrics. For a song which spent four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts, there are surprisingly few covers of it.

The year is 1981 and Bill Conti accepted the mission to provide the score to the 12th James Bond film adventure, For Your Eyes Only , with pop singer Sheena Easton providing the voice and the face of the title song. For such a strong piece of cinematic pop and as one of the more popular title songs in the James Bond canon, there have been surprisingly few attempts at covering it.

Released during the science fiction renaissance of the late 1970's, Moonraker took James Bond to new heights. The film marked the third performance of a James Bond title song by Shirley Bassey, the most by any performer in the series. While it is not as highly regarded by the singer herself or in terms of chart performance, it is still a solid entry into the James Bond music oeuvre, which resulted in a pair of covers worth hearing.

Truer words have never been spoken. The title song to The Spy Who Loved Me , "Nobody Does It Better," features the lyrics of the near-legendary Carole Bayer Sager and the music of the recently departed Marvin Hamlisch . Performed by Carly Simon, this is by far one of the best James Bond title songs of the canon, if not the best.

The name is Barry. John Barry. After not taking on the mission of scoring Live and Let Die , the composer returned to the James Bond series in 1974 for The Man with the Golden Gun . The film didn't fair well among critics and even Barry reportedly didn't care for this theme song. Personally, I think this particular Bond title song is unfairly maligned. Yes it is dripping with innuendo. Yes it is a bit ridiculous, but that is partly what makes it fun to listen to.

The eighth James Bond movie boasts several firsts for the series. The first of seven starring roles for Roger Moore as James Bond. The first African American Bond Girl (Rosie Carver). The first time since Dr. No that John Barry wasn't involved in the soundtrack, and the first time a rock band recorded the opening title piece. It is also likely the first James Bond title number covered by a heavy metal band, but not the one you are probably thinking of.

Bassey is back. The incomparable Shirley Bassey, who gave voice to the opening of Goldfinger returns for an encore performance as only she can deliver. The style of  "Diamonds Are Forever" is classic Bond and holds up well when stacked against the complete Bond title music oeuvre, which really shouldn't be surprising. In truth, Shirley Bassey could sing your grocery list and it would epic.

One of the most polarizing films in the James Bond canon is On Her Majesty's Secret Service . Sean Connery had left the series, and new Bond actor George Lazenby ended up only portraying the character this one time, in a performance which is still the subject of discussion 43 years after the movie's release. No matter which side of the OHMSS debate you come down on though, one thing every Bond fan can agree on about the movie is its not one, but two epic music themes.

Good evening. Tonight, we are listening to the title song of my absolute favourite James Bond film, You Only Live Twice . Bear with me if I wax a bit more poetical about this particular piece of music, as quite frankly, I consider it to be among the top three James Bond title songs, if not the best.

It goes without saying that James Bond is the man. And when it comes to male vocalists who left their mark on the history of James Bond music, Tom Jones is the man. Frankly, Tom Jones would be the man had he not sung the title piece of 1965's Thunderball . Which could be why there are so few vocal covers of this classic James Bond title song.

"My dear girl, there are some things that just aren't done. Such as drinking Dom Perignon '53, above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That's just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs!" Really, Mr. Bond? Not a Beatles fan? He does however have something of a point, at least as it relates to today's featured Bond title song. Because one does not simply cover Shirley Bassey. And yet, there are two very daring, very interesting and genre bending covers of the legendary "Goldfinger" which your ears have likely never heard.

To quote the film's poster declaration, "James Bond is Back!" Tonight, we begin a proper listen to originals and cover versions of James Bond opening title songs. Well, not exactly. From Russia with Love actually did not feature its titular number in the film's opening. It in fact ran during the film's closing credits and as a short diegetic when James Bond is first seen on screen.

Moderately Em Em(#5)  Em6 Em(#5)  Em Em(#5)  Em6 Em(#5) That is not a secret code from SPECTRE intercepted by MI6 but the legendary opening chords of Monty Norman's "James Bond Theme". With the latest 007 film adventure, Skyfall set to hit movie screens on November 9th, I thought it would be fun to declassify some music intel from the history of the James Bond series. This is not top secret, nor is it for your ears only.

Sometimes it's not about what you hear, but when you hear it. Stuart Newman's new track "World Made of Water" made it into my ears yesterday, but today it took hold and resonated beyond the august lyrics of the chorus.

The long-awaited premiere of the title song to the upcoming James Bond film, Skyfall has arrived, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of James Bond on October 5th (now designated Global James Bond Day). Long time James Bond aficionados will likely be very pleased with the song. Have a listen.