In the mid-sixties, secret agents lurked under every bed, behind every curtain and down every darkened street. Sparked in large part by the ballistic success of Ian Fleming's 1950s James Bond movies and the movie franchise derived from them starting with 1962's Dr No.. As an emblematic cold war icon, the suave international spy infiltrated the popular imagination, in rock'n'roll music as firmly as it did the movies, especially as the lines between the two art forms became increasingly blurred.
The following dossier of open source intelligence is brought to you as a special presentation of The Komodo Lounge, but be quick. This blog posting will self-destruct in 30 seconds.
Agent Speciale by Bruno Nicolai (1966)
Bruno Nicolai was an Italian composer very active in the 1960s. A friend of Ennio Morricone's, Nicolai worked on literally dozens of soundtracks, including as the music director for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. One of the scores he composed was this secret agent track for the Eurotrash spy flick Upperseven: The Man to Kill. The vocals in this version of the tune are provided by Sabina Montes.
Secret Service by Syd Dale
If Nicolai had a UK counterpart, it was almost certainly Syd Dale, founder of Amphonic Music and a composer of funk-based scores that ensured he would become renowned as a pioneer of 'library music', also known as "stock music" or "production music", a genre in which the sainted Les Baxter is another titanic figure.
Action Girl '66 by Teddy Randazzo (1966)
In hopes of capitalizing on the success of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a spin-off starring Stephanie Powers was launched in September 1966. Experiencing low ratings, 'The Girl From Uncle' was cancelled the next year after only 29 episodes, but not before inspiring songwriter and producer Teddy Randazzo to create this swingin' arrangement of the show's theme song.
Honey West by Joseph Mullendore (1965)
Anne Francis' private detective Honey West served as an early strong role model for a generation of young girls in the 60s, but that couldn't prevent the cancellation of the series as it faced insurmountable competition from Gomer Pyle USMC, which occupied the same time slot. The pert and period-representative theme for Honey West was composed by Joseph Mullendore, who wrote music for some of the most fondly remembered series of the decade, including Daniel Boone and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964), Lost in Space (1965), Star Trek (1966) and Land of the Giants (1968).
Emma Dancing by Unknown (1967)
The only female action star who possibly eclipsed Honey West in the pop pantheon would be Mrs Emma Peel, the catsuited karate practitioner who backed up John Steed in The Avengers. The following clip was chosen rather than the Avengers, because Mrs Peel's dancing in this vid so perfectly captures her self-assured insouciance, and it's a rather fab piece of period music, too (dig that organ!)
Fathom by John Dankworth
A caper film more than a spy or detective flick, Raquel Welch's Fathom has been included here solely on the strength of its opening credits. Camera movement, vivid and unified colour choices and the incomparable form of Ms Welch combine to produce one of the most arresting and original, yet simple, opening credit sequences of the decade. The theme opens with a hint of atonal free-jazz, but almost immediately blooms into a lush and florid full orchestration worthy of Phil Spector. Arguably, all the excesses of the entire era are cleverly combined in this little gem...
Modesty Blaise by John Dankworth (1966)
Starting life as a British comic strip character, Modesty Blaise was a former criminal mastermind who went straight and worked with the UK Secret Service in her retirement. In 1966, a comedy-thriller motion picture was made featuring the adventures of Ms Blaise, and scored by John Dankworth, earning him a second selection in tonight's playlist.
Mission Impossible Theme by Lalo Schifrin (1966)
It would be remiss in any list of this sort to leave out one of the most, er.... dynamite of them all, the theme that kicked of the adventures of Jim Phelps and his Impossible Mission Force (IMF) teammates. Bombastic, dynamic and undeniably thrilling, the influence of the theme can perhaps best be measured by the calibre of those who've covered and/or updated it: U2, Danny Elfman, Limp Bizkit, et al. And, just because it's just so damn boss, we're including two versions for your listening pleasure. You're welcome.
Mission Impossible Theme by Henry Mancini (1968)
This is from The Big Latin Band of Henry Mancini, an album full of soundtracks, including the main themes from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Touch of Evil and The Magnificent Seven.
Of course, as iconic as the Mission Impossible theme is, when it comes to the spy genre, nothing is more iconic than James Bond. Not only did the Bond movies set the standard for all the pretenders to follow, but the title themes for the movies have become absolute classics in their own right. Besides the iconic main title theme, the most incendiary of these title themes has to be Shirley Bassey's explosive rendering of the Goldfinger main title.
James Bond Theme by Montie Norman (1962)
Lastly, here's that iconic main title theme, performed by the amazing Count Basie and his orchestra. This Montie Norman tune has been used in every 'official' Bond movie since Dr No.
KOMODO LOUNGE BONUS TRACK!
James Bond with Bongos by John Barry (1963)
John Barry has also been credited with writing the title theme, but given that Montie Norman collects the royalties, it's more likely that Barry created the definitive arrangement of the tune, with this hipster version featured in From Russia With Love being the earliest example. Guitar in this performance comes courtesy of the legendary Vic Flick.
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