| Thunderball | ||||
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| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 1965 | |||
| Recorded | October 1965 | |||
| Length | 39:11 | |||
| Label | United Artists | |||
| Producer | Frank Collura (reissue) | |||
| John Barry chronology | ||||
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| James Bond soundtrack chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Thunderball | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
Thunderball is the 1965 soundtrack album for the fourthJames Bond filmThunderball.
The album was first released byUnited Artists Records in 1965 in both monaural and stereo editions, with a CD release in 1988.[1] The music was composed and conducted byJohn Barry, and performed by the John Barry Orchestra. This was Barry's third soundtrack for the series. The soundtrack was still being recorded when it came time for the album to be released, so the LP only featured twelve tracks from earlier in the film; an expanded edition with six bonus tracks was released for the first time when the album was reissued on compact disc on 25 February 2003 as part of the "James Bond Remastered" collection. Additionally, the music in the film was unfinished days before the film's release in theatres due to a late change byEon Productions to use a title song with the same name as the film. The title theme "Thunderball" was performed byTom Jones.
The planned theme forThunderball was "Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" composed byJohn Barry andLeslie Bricusse. The title was taken from an Italian journalist[who?] who in 1962 had dubbed agent007 "Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang". Barry felt he could not write a song using the term "Thunderball" so instead he wrote a description of James Bond.[2]
The song was first recorded byShirley Bassey, who had performed the title theme "Goldfinger" for thesoundtrack of the previous James Bond filmGoldfinger the year prior. There were issues with the length of the track; it was rerecorded byDionne Warwick as Bassey was not available. It featured a longer instrumental opening, such that the lyrics would not start before the word "Thunderball" appeared inMaurice Binder's title design.[3] The song was removed from the opening credits afterUnited Artists requested that the theme song contain the film's title in its lyrics.[4] Warwick's version was set to appear in the end credits but Shirley Bassey sued the producers[5][6] resulting in neither version being used in the film. Both backing tracks appeared on different versions of the soundtrack, remade as instrumentals: Bassey's on thehigh fidelity LP and Warwick's on the stereo LP.[7]
Barry teamed up with lyricistDon Black and wrote "Thunderball" in a rush.[8]Tom Jones, who sang the new theme song, allegedly fainted in the recording booth after singing the song's final, high note.[8] Jones said of the final note, "I closed my eyes and I held the note for so long when I opened my eyes the room was spinning."[9]
Country musicianJohnny Cash also submitted a song toEon Productions titled "Thunderball" but it was not used.[10] The lyrics of Cash's "Thunderball" describe the film's story.[11]
The producers' decision to change the film's theme song so close to the release date meant that only some of the film's soundtrack had been recorded for release on LP.[8] Adding to the delay issues, Barry had written large amounts of the score around the original theme and woven it throughout the score (along with the recurring underwater "Search For Vulcan" motif). After "Thunderball" was written, Barry wrote, orchestrated, and recorded several new pieces interpolating it.
Though "Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" was dropped as the theme song, some of the pieces which included its melody remained part of the score, and it receives full statements twice: by full orchestra andjazz rhythm quartet with bass, drums, guitar, and vibraphone in the track "Café Martinique" (immediately followed by the "Vulcan" cue), and as a wild, bongo-ladencha-cha-chá in "Death ofFiona." The scene which includes the latter takes place at Club Kiss Kiss, and features the bongo drumming of bandleader King Errisson.
The title song was composed in the key ofB-flat minor.[12]
DISC 1SCORE PRESENTATION 1:31:26
TOTAL DISC 1 TIME: 1:13:38
DISC 2SCORE PRESENTATION CONTINUED
ADDITIONAL MUSIC 18:33
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK ALBUM 39:09
TOTAL DISC 2 TIME: 1:15:45TOTAL ALBUM TIME: 2:29:23
