james bond Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Duran Duran “A View To A Kill”

sfilzen — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 18:27:06 +0000

Duran Duran “A View To A Kill” 1985. 12″ single, promo. Released just over 35 years ago, today is also the 35th anniversary of Live Aid at which Duran Duran performed – rather badly – their hit single (#1 US, #2 UK) from the James Bond film A View to a Kill starring Roger Moore, Grace Jones and Christopher Walken. I loved the movie, loved the song, and cringed in embarrassment when Simon hit one very bad note during their Live Aid performance on July 13th, 1985. Other than that moment, the rest of that day is etched into my memory. I still have my shirt, worn and slightly yellowed, for contributing money to help the famine in Africa. Also check out the sweet dustcover on my turntable from local club X-Ray Arcade (they currently not able to have shows, of course). It glows in the dark!

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“Live and Let Die” soundtrack

sfilzen — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 19:41:24 +0000

“Live and Let Die” soundtrack released on this date, July 21st, 1973. United Artists records, gatefold. Paul and Linda McCartney/Wings wrote and performed the excellent title track (the first time a Bond film used a rock song to open the movie); Beatles producer George Martin scored the rest. A sample of the 70′s era movie music can be enjoyed here while you watch the crocodile farm escape scene. The single “Live and Let Die” made it to #2 on the US charts and #9 in the UK, the most successful Bond theme song to that point. It also was nominated for a Grammy for Best Original Song but did not win, losing to the theme song from The Way We Were.

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Duran Duran “A View To A Kill”

sfilzen — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 14:24:52 +0000

Duran Duran “A View To A Kill” 1985. 45 rpm. B-Side “A View To A Kill (That Fatal Kiss)” which is a slow instrumental version of the title track to the James Bond movie. This song has been on my mind since yesterday’s 30th anniversary of Live Aid, at which Duran Duran performed and Simon LeBon infamously belted out that fatal note during their feedback riddled performance of “A View To A Kill.”

I saw the Bond film soon after its release in May ‘85, the movie a wonderful synthesis of my loves of Duran Duran and Bond flicks and, in my opinion, Duran Duran’s theme song remains to this day one of the best. The movie itself is average Roger Moore-era Bond at best, though having its co-stars as Christopher Walken and Grace Jones bumps it higher than the overall movie might otherwise merit.

One other side-note from the movie and the song: I was so obsessed with anything with even a tangential connection to Duran Duran during the summer of ‘85 that I succumbed to shameless marketing ploys – Whoppers was running a promotion where if you bought two milk-carton size containers of their candy and sent in the UPC codes, they would send you an “official” View To A Kill movie poster. Of course I gleefully ate my way through both cartons and got my not-true-to-official-size poster in the mail 6 to 8 weeks later. And Duran Duran wasn’t even on the poster :(

(just googled the promo poster and it’s selling used on eBay for $20, shoulda held onto it)

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