| Dr. No | ||||
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| Released | 1963 | |||
| Recorded | June 1962 | |||
| Length | 39:17 | |||
| Label | United Artists Records | |||
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| Singles from Dr. No | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
Dr. No is the film score for the 1962 film of the same name composed by Monty Norman.
| Dr. No | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | 1963 | |||
| Recorded | June 1962 | |||
| Length | 39:17 | |||
| Label | United Artists Records | |||
| ||||
| Singles from Dr. No | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
Dr. No is the film score for the 1962 film of the same name composed by Monty Norman.
Composer Monty Norman was selected by producer Albert R. Broccoli after Broccoli backed a musical of Norman's Belle or The Ballad of Dr. Crippen [1] written by Wolf Mankowitz,a frequent collaborator with Norman and an original screenwriter for Dr. No. [2] Norman's only previous film score had been The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960).
Norman traveled to Jamaica on the same chartered aircraft as the producers and many of the film's crew arriving on 14 January 1962. He met Chris Blackwell,a location scout and production assistant recommended to the producers by Ian Fleming. Blackwell introduced Norman to Byron Lee and the Dragonaires [3] who performed the Jamaican music in the film. Lee and his band including guitarist Ernest Ranglin and trombonist Carlos Malcolm recorded the Jamaican parts of the score Ken Khouri's Federal Studios in Kingston,with Norman himself and his then wife Diana Coupland who accompanied Norman on the airplane containing the film's crew to Jamaica,recording vocals along with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires who appear in the film performing "Jump Up". [4] The song "Under the Mango Tree" was performed by an uncredited Diana Coupland,backed by Ernest Ranglin on guitar. [5] Ranglin also played on several other tracks. [5] Lee recalled that most of their work was not used in the completed film but appeared on the soundtrack album.
The rest of Norman's score was orchestrated by his frequent arranger Bert Rhodes, [6] to whom Norman gave half of his £500 fee,and was recorded at CTS Studios,49–53 Kensington Gardens Square,Bayswater,London on 25 and 26 June 1962 with the 20–30 piece orchestra conducted by Eric Rogers. None of the orchestrated tracks appear on the soundtrack album. [5]
The original "James Bond Theme" was written by Norman. John Barry,who would later go on to compose the music for eleven Bond films,arranged the theme,but was uncredited –except for the credit of his orchestra playing the final piece. John Barry claimed he,not Norman,originated the theme. This argument has been the subject of two court cases,the most recent in 2001. [7] Some portions of the theme Norman claimed were based on music from the song "Good Sign,Bad Sign" that he composed for his unstaged musical several years previously,titled "A House for Mr. Biswas". Vic Flick,the guitar player on the James Bond Theme states:
Norman is famous for writing the music to the first James Bond movie Dr No,and has been credited with writing the "James Bond Theme",the signature theme of the James Bond franchise. Norman has received royalties since 1962 for the theme,but it was arranged by John Barry after the producers were dissatisfied with Norman's music. Barry claims that he actually did write the theme,but nevertheless,Mr. Norman won two libel actions against publishers for claiming that Barry was the composer,most recently against The Sunday Times in 2001. During the trial,Barry testified on the stand that he had composed the James Bond Theme,but that Norman was contractually obligated to receive credit for the score. [8]
Despite Barry's claims that he wrote the theme,the idea of the Bond melody can be easily heard in Norman's earlier song "Good Sign,Bad Sign",which could explain why Norman has prevailed twice in court to defend his authorship of the theme. The soundtrack album of Dr. No was not originally issued to coincide with the film's initial release in October 1962. However,in addition to his fee for orchestrating the "James Bond Theme",Barry was allowed to perform a different orchestration of the theme on Columbia Records. This became a top ten hit in the UK. The soundtrack album came out after the U.S. release of Dr. No in June 1963 with American cover version single recordings of "The James Bond Theme" by Al Caiola and Leroy Holmes on United Artists Records and Si Zentner on Liberty Records.
One musical theme that appears in three different orchestrations on the album:"Dr. No's Fantasy","Twisting with James" and the misleadingly entitled "The James Bond Theme" (track 17 on the album,but entirely unrelated to the "track 1"),is not heard anywhere in the film. Diana Coupland recalled that it was Norman's first attempt at a '"James Bond Theme"'. [9] Notable omissions from the soundtrack include the film's opening sci-fi electronic music sound effects (provided by Daphne Oram)/"James Bond Theme" gun barrel sequence,and Eric Rogers' symphonic arrangements of Norman's score including a brief theme for Miss Moneypenny,the music from the tarantula scene,and Dr. No's death (reused during the climax of the helicopter attack in From Russia with Love but not on that soundtrack album either).
The Best of Bond... James Bond is the title of various compilation albums of music used in the James Bond films made by Eon Productions up to that time. The album was originally released in 1992 as The Best of James Bond,as a one-disc compilation and a two-disc 30th Anniversary Limited Edition compilation with songs that had,at that point,never been released to the public. The single disc compilation was later updated five times in 1999,2002,2008,2012,and 2021. The 2008 version was augmented with the addition of a DVD featuring music videos and a documentary. Another two-disc edition,this time containing 50 tracks for the 50th anniversary of the franchise,was released in 2012.
John Barry Prendergast was an English composer and conductor of film music. Born in York,Barry spent his early years working in cinemas owned by his father. During his national service with the British Army in Cyprus,Barry began performing as a musician after learning to play the trumpet. Upon completing his national service,he formed a band in 1957,the John Barry Seven. He later developed an interest in composing and arranging music,making his début for television in 1958. He came to the notice of the makers of the first James Bond film Dr. No,who were dissatisfied with a theme for James Bond given to them by Monty Norman. Noel Rogers,the head of music at United Artists,approached Barry. This started a successful association between Barry and the Bond series that lasted for 25 years.
Ernest Ranglin is a Jamaican guitarist and composer who established his career while working as a session guitarist and music director for various Jamaican record labels,including Studio One and Island Records. Ranglin played guitar on many early ska recordings and helped create the rhythmic guitar style that defined the form. He has worked with Theophilus Beckford,Jimmy Cliff,Monty Alexander,Prince Buster,the Skatalites,Bob Marley and the Eric Deans Orchestra. Ranglin is noted for a chordal and rhythmic approach that blends jazz,mento and reggae with percussive guitar solos incorporating rhythm 'n' blues and jazz inflections.
"Three Blind Mice" is an English nursery rhyme and musical round. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3753.
Monty Norman was a British film score composer and singer. A contributor to West End musicals in the 1950s and 1960s,he is best known for composing the "James Bond Theme",first heard in the 1962 film Dr. No. He was an Ivor Novello Award and Olivier Award winner,and a Tony Award nominee.
Since its inception in 1962,the James Bond film series from Eon Productions has featured many musical compositions,many of which are now considered classic pieces of British film music. The best known piece is the "James Bond Theme" composed by Monty Norman. Other instrumentals,such as "On Her Majesty's Secret Service",and various songs performed by British or American artists such as Shirley Bassey's "Goldfinger",Nancy Sinatra's "You Only Live Twice",Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die",Carly Simon's "Nobody Does It Better",Sheena Easton's "For Your Eyes Only",Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill",Tina Turner's "GoldenEye" also become identified with the series.
The "James Bond Theme" is the main signature theme music of the James Bond films and has been used in every Bond film since Dr. No in 1962. Composed in E minor by Monty Norman,the piece has been used as an accompanying fanfare to the gun barrel sequence in every Eon Productions Bond film besides Casino Royale.
Byron Lee and the Dragonaires are a Jamaican ska,calypso and soca band. The band played a crucial pioneering role in bringing Caribbean music to the world. Byron Lee died on 4 November 2008,after suffering from cancer for a sustained period.
Betty Diana Coupland,billed as Diana Coupland,was an English actress and singer,best remembered for her role,which she played from 1971 to 1976,in the sitcom Bless This House,as Jean Abbott,wife of Sid James's character Sid.
Barry Biggs is a Jamaican reggae singer,best known in the UK for his cover of the Blue Magic song,"Sideshow",which got to number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1977.
Dr. No is a 1962 spy film directed by Terence Young. It is the first film in the James Bond series. Starring Sean Connery,Ursula Andress,Joseph Wiseman and Jack Lord,it was adapted by Richard Maibaum,Johanna Harwood,and Berkely Mather from the 1958 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli,a partnership that continued until 1975. It was followed by From Russia with Love in 1963. In the film,James Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a fellow British agent. The trail leads him to the underground base of Dr. Julius No,who is plotting to disrupt an early American space launch from Cape Canaveral with a radio beam weapon.
You Only Live Twice is the soundtrack for the fifth James Bond film of the same name. It was composed by Bond veteran John Barry. At the time,this was his fourth credited Bond film. The theme song,"You Only Live Twice",was sung by Nancy Sinatra,the first non-British vocalist of the series,with music by Barry and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. The soundtrack has previously been available in two versions on CD –the first,a straight reissue of the LP soundtrack,and the second,an expanded reissue including several previously unreleased tracks. The film soundtrack was recorded at CTS Studios,London. It debuted on the top 40 Billboard 200 album chart on August 19,1967,and went up to 27.
Thunderball is the soundtrack album for the fourth James Bond film Thunderball.
Live and Let Die is the soundtrack to the eighth James Bond film of the same name,scored by George Martin. The title song was written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Paul McCartney and Wings. It was the first Bond film score to not involve John Barry.
Byron LeeOJ,CD,born Byron Aloysius St. Elmo Lee,was a Jamaican musician,record producer,and entrepreneur,best known for his work as leader of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.
Tomorrow Never Dies:Music from the Motion Picture is the soundtrack of the 18th James Bond film of the same name.
From Russia with Love is the soundtrack for the second James Bond film,From Russia With Love. This is the first series film with John Barry as the primary soundtrack composer.
Goldfinger is the soundtrack of the 1964 film of the same name,the third film in the James Bond film series,directed by Guy Hamilton. The album was composed by John Barry and distributed by EMI. Two versions were released initially,one in the United States and the United Kingdom,which varied in terms of length and which tracks were within the soundtrack. In 2003,Capitol-EMI records released a remastered version that contained all the tracks within the film.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service ("OHMSS") is the soundtrack for the James Bond film. It was composed,arranged,and conducted by John Barry;his fifth in the series.
"Only a Fool Breaks His Own Heart" is a song that was composed in Brooklyn New York in 1964 by Norman Bergen and Shelly Coburn in response to a request by United Artists Music who was looking for songs for British duo Chad &Jeremy. Going for a British sound,Bergen started with a chord progression based on The Beatles’“I Want to Hold Your Hand”and Coburn added a lyric. The writers did not receive the usual $25 or $50 advance,but the company did pay for a one-hour demo recording which took place with studio players including Frank Owens (piano) and Kenny Karen (vocals). The session ended early so producer Ken Lauber spent the final ten minutes changing the original uptempo concept to a ballad approach. He asked Karen to do his best Jerry Butler impression,and asked Owens to play the way he had on the Dionne Warwick records The next day,at Coburn’s suggestion,the writers took the demo to Hy Weiss at Old Town Records for jazz singer Arthur Prysock. Old Town used the demo track,added Prysock’s vocal plus strings arranged by Mort Garson,and it became the next single.
