JAMES BOND
NEWS

17 February 2025

007 MAGAZINE investigates the recently released new audiobook recordings from Ian Fleming Publications, and reveals that additional editing has been made to the text of CASINO ROYALE.

The moguls of sanitisation – a James Bond parody
With apologies to Ian Fleming and purely for the purpose of parody, LUKE G. WILLIAMS ponders how the literary 007 might feel about his adventures being continually re-edited for a new generation…

FULL STORY

29 January 2025
Last year Ian Fleming Publications worked with HarperCollins US to record brand new audio editions of the author's classic 007 adventures. The new recordings were revealed in the US throughout 2024, and IFP are now releasing all fourteen James Bond books (plus Fleming’s non-fiction titles Thrilling Cities and The Diamond Smugglers) in the UK on January 29, 2025 The new recordings are available to buy direct from IFP, and other online audiobook platforms.

CASINO ROYALE (Performed by Richard Armitage)
LIVE AND LET DIE (Performed by Adjoa Andoh)
MOONRAKER (Performed by Alex Kingston)
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (Performed by Pippa Bennett-Warner)
FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE (Performed by Mark Gatiss)
DR. NO (Performed by Jon Culshaw)
GOLDFINGER (Performed by Adam Godley)
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (Performed by Johnny Flynn)
THUNDERBALL (Performed by Robert Glenister)
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (Performed by Genevieve Gaunt)
ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (Performed by Daniel Weyman)
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (Performed by Eleanor Matsuura)
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
(Performed by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith)
OCTOPUSSY AND THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS (Performed by Ben Willbond)
The Diamond Smugglers and Thrilling Cities
(Performed by Barnaby Edwards)

15 January 2025
La-La Land Records mark the 35th Anniversary of Licence To Kill, with the release of a remastered and expanded 2-CD edition of composer Michael Kamen’s original motion picture score, which also includes two versions of the film’s title song performed by Gladys Knight. Produced by Neil S. Bulk and mastered by Doug Schwartz from 1/4" stereo tapes and 3-track mag provided by MGM, this is a special 2-CD release, limited to only 5,000 units. The score presentation is spread across both discs, while Disc Two also includes the remastered 1989 soundtrack album, as well as additional source music. The exclusive, new liner notes are by film music journalist and author Jon Burlingame and the art direction is by Dan Goldwasser.

Available exclusively from La-La Land Records or the 007store.com for the first 90 days of release.

23 December 2024
British Visual Effects Producer Alan Church has died at the age of 60. Church began his film career at General Screen Enterprises where he trained as an VFX optical assembler/cameraman. GSE was one of only a few VFX companies in the UK at that time, and Church assisted the Creative Director.

Alan Church later worked as an optical cameraman on Octopussy (1983), and also served in this capacity on Sean Connery's comeback as James Bond in Never Say Never Again (1983). Church met main title designer Maurice Binder during the production of A View To A Kill (1985) and worked as his assistant on The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence To Kill (1989). In addition to working on the trailers, Church also assisted Binder with the filming of the main titles on both films and was responsible for compositing footage of Timothy Dalton into a first generation element of Binder's gun barrel sequence for Licence To Kill (1989), resulting in a much crisper image. Following the death of Maurice Binder in 1991, Alan Church then joined Special Effects Supervisor Derek Meddings at The Magic Camera Company, and contributed to the process photography for Pierce Brosnan's debut as 007 in GoldenEye (1995). Like many technicians, Alan Church was not formally credited for any of the six Bond films on which he worked.

Church later became a Visual Effects Producer and won a BAFTA award in 2001 for Best Visual Effects & Graphic Design for the BBC TV series Gormenghast (2000). More recently Church worked on the Sky Atlantic drama series The Tattooist of Auschwitz (2024), which won him two further visual effects awards: The Royal Television Society for VFX, and Broadcast Tech innovation award for VFX Excellence.

29 November 2024

La-La Land Records have announced two newly remastered editions of John Barry's soundtracks for The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) and Moonraker (1979). Released to celebrate the 45th and 50th anniversary of the respective films, both CDs feature the remastered and expanded film score presentation on disc one, with a remastered version of the original soundtrack album on the second disc - plus additional bonus tracks, alternate cues and source music. Moonraker will also include demo versions of the title track with early lyrics performed by Oscar^© and GRAMMY^© winner Paul Williams.

Limited to 5,000 units the CDs are available exclusively from La-La Land Records or the 007store.com for the first 90 days of release.

The Man With The Golden Gun Order from La-La Land or 007 Store
Moonraker Order from La-La Land or 007 Store

18 November 2024
At the Academy's 15th Governors Awards, Honorary Oscars were presented to composer & producer Quincy Jones (1933-2024) and casting director Juliet Taylor; along with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to filmmaker Richard Curtis, and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson & Barbara Broccoli. The four Oscar^® statuettes were presented at a ceremony held on Sunday November 17, 2024, at The Ray Dolby Ballroom in Los Angeles.

FULL STORY AND ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES

14 November 2024

Vic Flick (born Victor Harold Flick on May 14, 1937), the English guitarist renowned for his distinctive riff on ‘The James Bond Theme’, has died at the age of 87.

Joining the John Barry Seven in 1958, Vic Flick began a long-standing collaboration with its band leader & composer that would make musical history. His guitar work was prominent on tracks such as his own 1961 composition ‘Zapata’, and ‘Hit and Miss’ - the theme for the popular BBC television show Juke Box Jury (1959-67). But it will be his lead guitar on ‘The James Bond Theme’ which accompanied Maurice Binder's main titles for Dr. No (1962) that cemented his (and John Barry's) place in cinematic history. Contractually credited as being written by Monty Norman, but arranged by John Barry, ‘The James Bond Theme’ has been used in some form or other in each of the 25 EON Productions James Bond films.

Vic Flick played guitar on all of John Barry's James Bond soundtrack recordings from 1963 to 1967. His playing can be heard prominently on the track ‘Gypsy Camp’ in From Russia With Love (1963), which he improvised during the recording session; and his later ad-libbed Bluegrass-style banjo plucking as James Bond (Sean Connery) arrives at Auric Stud in Kentucky (filmed at Pinewood Studios) in the 1964 classic Goldfinger.

Vic Flick returned to the series one final time with Licence To Kill in 1989, in which his distinctive rendition of ‘The James Bond Theme’ is heard during the opening gun barrel sequence and throughout the film. He also played on an unreleased version of ‘The James Bond Theme’ with Eric Clapton. As a prolific session musician, Vic Flick also featured on numerous 1960s recordings including the Tom Jones hits ‘It’s Not Unusual’ and ‘What’s New Pussycat?’, Peter and Gordon’s ‘A World Without Love’, and Petula Clark’s ‘Downtown’.