No James Bond theme tune has reached number 1 in the charts

[afro goal machine]

Cant see this one making it

[Filo]

View to a kill reached No1 in America 

[afro goal machine]

View to a kill reached No1 in America 

There always one 😂😂😂

[River Don]

Some deserved to.

Some are just of a different structure to be pop singles. John Barry was up there with the Beatles.

[BobG]

And Sheena Easton was reight up there.....

BobG

[IDM]

A bit tenuous but didn't the heavily Bond-influenced "Millenium" by Robbie Williams top the charts?

[BillyStubbsTears]

John Barry...

Theme to Midnight Cowboy is my defining aural image of rural USA. Utter genius.

[River Don]

A stylish Yorkshire bloke too. We do do them.

I might be a soppy old sod but this is one beautiful piece of music.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHuzlPmrko" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHuzlPmrko</a>

[BillyStubbsTears]

That's a fine song but some shite lip-syncing.

[River Don]

As far as I'm concerned there will not be a better Bond soundtrack than this

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t61ZdiNRDCs" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t61ZdiNRDCs</a>

[IDM]

John Barry...

Theme to Midnight Cowboy is my defining aural image of rural USA. Utter genius.

Has there ever, and I mean ever, been a more atmospheric piece of music played on a harmonica?

[River Don]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGORPUzLxtU" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGORPUzLxtU</a>

[IDM]

Going off track a little, but I get the same from the sax solo in "Will You" by Hazel O'Connor.  One time, whilst at college, someone had a sax in the bar and reeled this solo off completely ad hoc.  Wow.

[BillyStubbsTears]

In the concourse of Sheffield station, there's a piano. Anyone can go and play it. Not me, obviously, cos I can't play anything more complicated than the hook line of "Just Can't Get Enough" by Depeche Mode. But anyone who can play, can play it.

Anyroad, I was coming back late last Thursday from a meeting in the Smoke when I heard someone playing this. The music that is to France what Midnight Cowboy is to America for me. Sheer, unadulterated beauty.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyo4tNwNIvQ

I went up and shook the lad's hand when he'd finished playing and then we both shuffled off, a bit embarrassed.

[BobG]

That soundtrack to OHMSS is blocked RD. Pity. It's my favourite Bond film as well as soundtrack.

As fior Midnight Cowboy.... I remember seeing that for the first time in about 73 or 74 in the old Odeon. Anyone here remember Al (John) Heeley these days? I went with him. I guess all I need to say is I've never forgotten that film from that day to this.

I've never heard that Amelie track before Billy. Thank you. I confess I have a soft spot for several French language artists: Jacques Brel, for example. Some of you will think the first of these tracks is a bit trite as it's quite well known, but this is the man himself singing it. The second is one of my all time favourite songs by anyone, anywhere, anyever. This is the English version of Ne Me Quitte Pas with words by Rod McKuen. It doesn't matter which version I hear - every time I hear it I end up wanting to cry...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2kkr0e_dTQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxObNGynVE4


And this is the man singing the original. Awesome performance. Awesome man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYiHBBuHWbI

BobG

[BillyStubbsTears]

Ahh. Jaques Brel. Genius non pareil.

And if you want Anglified versions, you can't beat Scott Walker's renditions of Rod McKuen's translations.

This one is quite magnificent.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yKT5eEQ9rqo

[Mike_F]

I don't know if I've heard owt by this Sam Smith lad before but if it's all on a par with the short-tongued, lispy falsetto  screeching shite served up for the Bond theme I've evidently bog missed owt. Utter, utter shite.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Bob.

The bloke who wrote theistic for the film Amelie.

Yann Tiersen. From Brittany.  Have a listen to his other stuff. Quite breathtakingly and simply beautiful.

[BobG]

Thank you BST. I confess I had never heard of Yann Tiersen until just this afternoon while I was searching for one or two of the links above. I can see I shall have to do more searching now. Lol. Won't be tomorrow though: I'm off to some place bizarrely named 'The Hive' in Barnet. I'm going to watch the two best forwards I've seen this year: Courtney Sweetman-Kirk and Bethany England. And after that I've got to be in Cheltenham by 7.

And just for fun, though I'm sure you'll know it already, have a listen to this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUSaJ9wXJb4

La Vida Tombola: it's both a great song, and, by the most intelligent and socially aware and committed band I have ever come across. One of my remaining ambitions is to see this lot live. I'll travel a long way to do it too. So if you ever hear of them performing somewhere, please do tell me. As it is, I'm reduced to introducing Alexander next month to the sound of my past: Wishbone Ash - live in Worcester...

Bob

[nice one rovers]

A stylish Yorkshire bloke too. We do do them.

I might be a soppy old sod but this is one beautiful piece of music.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHuzlPmrko" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHuzlPmrko</a>

Wow, I'd never realised that Louis Armstrong was a Yorkshire lad!

[River Don]

A stylish Yorkshire bloke too. We do do them.

I might be a soppy old sod but this is one beautiful piece of music.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHuzlPmrko" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHuzlPmrko</a>

Wow, I'd never realised that Louis Armstrong was a Yorkshire lad!

Armstrong was the guy Barry wrote the song for. It cost them a fortune to get him and they were worried he was too old and might not be able to perform it but he delivered.

The writing and music is Barrys work though.

[nice one rovers]

A stylish Yorkshire bloke too. We do do them.

I might be a soppy old sod but this is one beautiful piece of music.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHuzlPmrko" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaHuzlPmrko</a>

Wow, I'd never realised that Louis Armstrong was a Yorkshire lad!

Armstrong was the guy Barry wrote the song for. It cost them a fortune to get him and they were worried he was too old and might not be able to perform it but he delivered.

The writing and music is Barrys work though.

I was kidding, but also never knew JBarry was Yorkshire, guessed he was Manchester-ish.
There's a good album from about ten years ago, where David Arnold re-does Bond/Barry classics wth newer artists. Shaken and Stirred. Stand-out for me was Jarvis Cockers's "All time high". I think that was by Tim Rice though?

[River Don]

Barry was from York.

[afro goal machine]

Welll what do i know ???

[coventryrover]

His surname is Prendergast and he's from York.  Some lovely tunes though.

[BobG]

It's still a crap song though Afro! Shows the power of suggestion. And fashion maybe.

BobG

[wheatleylad]

I have only heard it once and cant see it being a hit. Maybe it will grow on me!

[afro goal machine]

I have only heard it once and cant see it being a hit. Maybe it will grow on me!

Did / still is number 1, has grown on me a little but no where near the better bond themes

Thought this was a good one by jack white and alicia keys

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hM5UJvnbbuY

[RobTheRover]

I don't know if I've heard owt by this Sam Smith lad before but if it's all on a par with the short-tongued, lispy falsetto  screeching shite served up for the Bond theme I've evidently bog missed owt. Utter, utter shite.

Welcome to "middle age", Mike.