James Bond soundtracks

After the stunning commercial success of Thunderball, Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzmann initially turned to Ian Fleming’s novel On Her Majesty’s Secret Service for the fifth instalment in the film franchise. However, problems with finding suitable locations for the book’s wintry setting led them to turn to Fleming’s twelfth novel, You Only Live Twice. With [...]

The success of the first three James Bond films in the early 1960s had led to a huge array of copycat spy thrillers. In an attempt to ensure the Bond franchise remained at the forefront of the action genre, Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzmann decided to make Thunderball, Fleming’s ninth James Bond book. With a [...]

By the time the production started on the third James Bond film, the 007 character was a box office sensation. Dr No and From Russia With Love had catapulted the secret agent to the top of the box office charts the world over, the movie going public expectantly awaited the release of the third film [...]

After the huge commercial success of the first Bond film, Dr No, producers Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli could not wait to get back on location to start the filming of the second instalment. Selecting Fleming’s fifth Bond novel, From Russia With Love (partly, it is said, as it was identified by President John F [...]

At 7.35am on 14th January 1962, a tired and eclectic group of British artistes assembled at London Airport for a gruelling twenty-hour flight to Jamaica. Amongst them were film producers Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli, stuntmen, technicians and a talented young Scottish actor named Sean Connery. Also part of the group was a composer who [...]

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when this double CD featuring orchestral versions of the Bond themes played by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra arrived on my desk. However, any initial concerns were allayed when I saw that the James Bond Theme at least featured Vic Flick, who played on the original. Playing [...]

After his success with the soundtrack for Casino Royale, David Arnold’s return for the Quantum of Solace soundtrack was assured.