Who says James Bond is all about bodacious babes and superbaddies? Through 19 films and five actors, 007 has saved the world with one not-so-secret weapon: hit songs based on the movie titles. Ranging from the cheesy to the cheeky, it's a musical dossier that reflects four decades of shifting pop tastes. ''We pick popular groups,'' says Bond producer Michael G. Wilson, who's been co-running the franchise since 1981's For Your Eyes Only, ''but sometimes the songs outlast the act.''
This month, in time for just-released Bond flick No. 19, The World is Not Enough, Capitol Records is releasing The Best of Bond... James Bond, which features every 007 tune from Shirley Bassey to Sheryl Crow. (Bond aficionados take note: The Bond theme by Shirley Manson's Garbage can be found on the World Is Not Enough soundtrack; the theme from Sean Connery's renegade flick, Never Say Never Again, is not included here because it wasn't part of the Bond franchise.)
Of course, the most enduring 007 sound is that slinky guitar-driven Bond riff—perhaps the most recognizable musical motif in movie history. Played by Brit session guitarist-turned-Bond musician Vic Flick (who earned just $15 for his initial effort), it made its debut in 1962's Dr. No and is still going strong. The first official song appeared in the next film, 1963's From Russia With Love, which featured a tune by obscure English crooner Matt Monro over the movie's closing credits. But it wasn't until Bond film No. 3, when Shirley Bassey belted out ''Goldfinger'' over the opening credits, that the music became as essential as Q's gadgets.
Despite the theme music's artistic highs and lows, Danny Biederman, author of the Best of Bond liner notes, insists, ''People would flip if they made a movie without a song.'' What follows is an oral history of James Bond's record collection.
THE CONNERY ERA
GOLDFINGER (1964)SONG "Goldfinger'' by Shirley Bassey DOSSIER Cowritten by the Q of Bond music, John Barry, it turned Bassey (then a cabaret singer) into an international star. Reached No. 8 on the U.S. charts. JOHN BARRY ''This worked because we were singing about a villain in a very positive way, and Shirley Bassey had the Bond attitude. It's comic-strip stuff, and she gave it all the conviction in the world.'' VIC FLICK ''Shirley came into the studio in this very tight dress and stood in the vocal booth. I remember her saying 'Oh, I'm so damn constricted.' She had to loosen an undergarment to accommodate those high notes.''
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