The Top 007 James Bond Theme Songs

Skyfall is coming out on Bluray in a few days! I can't wait. I've seen the film twice already and look forward to seeing in while laying in bed during the cold of Winter.

Anyway... I love theme songs. I love long running franchises. I love lists. Put them all together and here are my favorite seven of the twenty-three James Bond theme songs!

007. Licence to Kill (1989) Sequence - Full Song

I'd like to start this list by saying that this film is entirely underrated. Yes, it is a very different James Bond film... Apparently the people who complain about it were too busy shoveling popcorn in their faces during the scene where James quits his job near to the beginning of the film.

Anyway...

Great song by the great Gladys Knight. It does a fantastic job of blending modern R&B with a classy horn section. I can understand why some people don't like this one, but I feel like this is the last of the classic Bond theme songs. Maybe the song Adele *cough*OVERRATED*cough* did for Skyfall is similar in that nostalgic-modern feel, but this one is sung by a pro rather than someone who sounds like they're wiped out on xanax.

006. You Know My Name (Casino Royale-2006) Sequence - Full Song

This might be a great song on it's own, but this song probably holds the destinction on this list as the best used song in it's film. If you haven't seen the first ten minutes of this film...see it. This song fits tighter than the suit that Bond wears with such disdain.

This may not be the biggest departure in style for a Bond theme, but it certainly is the rock'nest.

005. Live and Let Die (1973) Sequence - Full Song

This song is a little goofy and all over the place, but it's always been one of my favorites. It kind of sets the tone for Roger Moore's tenure as Bond. It's a little carefree and wacky but knows how deliver the action to make it memorable.

I also like the fact that it's randomness isn't all that random at all. This song is basically made up of various musical cues from the film...or am I getting that backwards? Either way...all the random little bits in this song are peppered throughout the film.

004. You Only Live Twice (1967) Sequence

This is the grandest Bond film of Sean Connery's tenure as James Bond. The sets, the locations, and the story make this an enormous film. Just think about it...James Bond DIES...ends up on a mission in Japan...which leads him to a hidden space shuttle launch site inside of a volcano. The song for this film had better be good. Luckily it is probably one of the most memorable and recognizable Bond themes of all time (Goldfinger definitely has it beat). The making of this song was a long and difficult road according to some historians. It was almost this. Then it was almost this. In the end we got a dreamy song that is damn near perfection.

Poor Aki :(

003. For Your Eyes Only (1981) Sequence - Full Song

This was the movie where they briefly slammed on the brakes for Roger Moore Bond's reign of terror. In the past two movies he'd been in an underwater base and then a space station (complete with lasers!). There have been very few films where the song didn't atleast somewhat match the film's tone. This song is no exception. It is very grounded film with both snow and aquatic settings. I guess the best way to think of this film and song are the great outdoors and how great they are. Well, except the lyrics. The lyrics are probably the opposite of all of that. Heh.

002. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Sequence - Full Song

There is a new Bond in town...and he's Australian and weird. On Her Majesty's Sercet Service picked up where the previous films left off (kinda) and yet the new Bond makes reference to "the other fellow" (Sean Connery). To make things even weird the next film, Diamonds are Forever, picks up where this movie ends...and Sean Connery returns as Bond. George Lazenby only portrayed James Bond in one film which somehow even shows in the music.

Instead of going with another vocal theme song (as they'd been doing for pretty much every film since "From Russia with Love") they went with an instrumental theme song. The film might not be a straight-up adventure movie, but it does have several notable action scenes for which this music fits perfectly. It think it can be most closely linked to the ski chases. Infact, the melody from this theme made it's way in the background music for the ski chase in "A View To a Kill" sixteen years later. Outside of the "James Bond Theme" no theme song has ever been so prominently featured...especially several years later.

001. Living Daylights (1987) Sequence - Full Song

At the top and bottom of my list are the theme songs for the two Timothy Dalton Bond films. How weird is that?

Of all of the James Bond songs I could have liked, the one that tops my list is probably the poppiest of the lot (Duran Duran's weird theme for "A View To a Kill" is probably poppier, actually). This is a song that I enjoy more in it's full version than the sequence edit.

Like the song for "You Only Live Twice" (see #4) this song was apparently made with difficulty...but for different reasons. The band, A-ha, wasn't agreeing on a direction with composer John Barry. This resulted in two versions of the song. The version that A-ha preferred ended up on their album while the version with Barry's heavier influence ended up being used for the film's opening sequence.

I prefer the film version myself, though the consensus seems to be split down the middle on this one. Truth is, both are fine songs. I just feel that the singing is heaps better in the film version and some of the elements that I like the most seem to be absent in the album version. Both versions are on my daily playlist...so I'm never without this song for very long.

Oh...so why do I like it? I just do. It's a great song and it reminds me of how great the movie is everytime I hear it.

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THE WORST. Die Another Day (2002)

Seek this song out at your own risk.

It sounds like robotic buttsex. Gross, I know. Those were my exact words to the lady who surveyed me at MGM Studios back in 2002 after a screening of the movie.

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So there is my seventh Top Seven list. If you want to read more, have at it...

Top Seven Sentai Themes
Top Seven Sentai Mecha Themes
Top Seven Sentai Suit Designs
Top Seven Metal Hero Themes
Top Seven Kamen Rider Themes
Top Seven Ultraman Themes

Bye!

-CC

Top SEVEN,SEVEN,SEVEN Ultraman Theme Songs

Well I'm back from traveling the country for some January adventures. I went far and saw much. Along the way I had my Grom Bluetooth [set-up and wired by yours truly] and iPhone to keep me company with several gigs worth of crystal-clear music. I made sure to add several Tokusatsu CDs to my phone (jeez, that sentence would've sounded really strange ten years ago). Luckily for today's topic, one of the things I added was the 5-disc Columbia Ultraman Box Set that came out in the late 90s...

...which is lucky. I was asked what my favorite Ultraman theme was earlier today. With these great, yet seldomly listened-to songs still fresh in my mind I should have no problem listing off my favorites!

So here we go...my Top 7 Ultra Theme songs!

07. The Ultraman (Ultraman Jonias/Joe/J) 1979 [TV size/Full Size]

Ahhh... The (Animated) Ultraman. A good way to start off my list. This is a really nice song sung by the immortal Isao Sasaki. It's very mellow and very 70s, but I like it a lot. The show itself was pretty cool too. Imagine if Kamen Rider or Super Sentai were suddenly an animated series...

06. Kaettekita Ultraman (Ultraman Jack) 1971 [Full Size]

I felt obligated to add an original Ultraman song to my list. Of the initial Ultra themes, this is my favorite. I like it better than the themes of Ultraman and Ultraseven. It was stuck in my head while I was doing my review of the MAT Vehicle.

05. Ultra Chodensetsu Andromelos 1983 [Full Size/Full Size Bass Cover]

OK, I might be cheating a bit because this isn't quite Ultraman...but it is a part of the Ultra Family. This is a basic song, but it's a lot of fun. Ichiro Mizuki is, as always, great. Check out the Bass cover for more fun.

04. Ultraman Dyna 1997 [Full Size]

I'm really not a fan of newer Ultraman theme songs (once Project DMM came in, I was out). This is about as modern as I get. This is a very rich song with great singing. Much like my next favorite...

03. Ultraman Powered 1993 [Full Size]

How is it that what is considered to be the worst Ultra series has one of the best Ultraman theme songs? That's right, the US produced Ultraman series had it's own theme song for it's eventual Japanese release (it took them two years).

I really love this song. It is airy and majestic along the same lines as the Gingaman theme song. We all know how much I love the Gingaman theme song...so yeah, this was an easy choice.

02. Ultraman Leo 1974 [Full Size/TV Size]

LEEOOOOOOOOO! I love how crazy this theme is. It's almost western sounding, but has that 70s acid trippy sound to it. It's definitely the strangest theme song on this list...and I have to be totally honest in saying that I love it. It deserves to be this high on my list.

01. Ultraman 80 1980 [Full Size]

I guess it's no surprise that this song tops my list. It is probably very high on your list as well. This song has to be the most sung-along Ultraman theme song ever--Karaoke fodder at it's best right here. This song is the purest example of a great Tokusatsu theme song. Positive, catchy, unforgettable, and timeless.

If I had to make a Top 7 list of ALL Tokusatsu theme songs, Ultraman 80 would be very high if not number one on that list as well.

Honorable Mention: Ultraman USA 1987 [Full Size]

There was a Hanna-Barbera animated Ultraman movie in the late 1980s. Wow... When it got it's eventual Japanese release in 1989 (what's with Tsuburaya and two year delays?) it gained two theme songs by the excellent Shinichi Ishihara (his earliest Tokusatsu work!). I couldn't find a link with the theme song on Youtube. Oh well...atleast Columbia was smart enough to add it to the 5-Disc set that I own.

I remember seeing this movie on VHS as a kid when it came out... I liked it then, I liked it again when I went back and watched it a few years ago. I liked the songs the entire time in between viewings.

THE ABSOLUTE WORST: Ultraman Tiga 1996

"Take Me Higher" is the worst song ever. No link. You know the damn song...I know you do.

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Thus concludes my latest Top 7 list. Here are my previous lists for more of my favorite things~!

Top 7 Sentai Theme Songs
Top 7 Sentai Mecha Theme Songs
Top 7 Sentai Suit Designs
Top 7 Metal Hero Theme Songs
Top 7 Kamen Rider Theme Songs

I just realized that my next Top 7 list will be my 7th Top 7 list. I can see where this is going...

See ya~!

-CC

2013

Off to a flying start I suppose.

I am extremely busy this month, so sadly I will not be able to post much in the way of blogs. However...my upload schedule remains on track, with the Z-Cune video and GB Custom Visor review flipped in order. This makes sense seeing as I've already uploaded the Z-Cune video. : p

My 300th video is around the corner. If you're reading this after it came out, go watch it/hope you enjoyed it! The toy is interesting, but the true winner is my new camera. It really took some wonderful pictures for this video. It helps that the toy is very bright. ; ]

I am off to go on some adventures. I will be taking pictures along the way. Expect a ton of photos from the Philadelphia Auto Show as well as the museum I plan to visit next week. Hopefully I run into that Lotus from "For Your Eyes Only*" again.

-CC

*One of my favorite James Bond movies

2012

Thank you for watching my videos this year. I had my busiest year in uploads since 2007. I released a whopping 54 videos this year!

See you in 2013!

-CC

The Most Important Henshin Brace!

This post is part one of two posts that I planned for December. To close out 2012, which is the 30th Anniversary of the toy Henshin Item for Super Sentai, I want to talk about changes throughout the years since I am one of the few that owns all of these toys. Before I get to that...I just have to gush about my favorite. That's right, this post is dedicated to the one and only Twin Brace!

The Twin Brace is the Henshin Brace of Liveman. In the show it's pretty damn cool. Not only did it look appealing to see the heroes make a motion to lock them together to activate a transformation, but it was an awesome looking transformation with that 80s grid look. Yeahhhh. Liveman was pushing the limits of 1988 CG with the Henshin and Bimotion Buster sequences. I loved the look when I was a kid, and I still like it. It's not trying to pass off as real like today's CG is...

Anyway, I'm getting way off topic.

The Twin Brace definitely had it's place in Super Sentai history. The only two nicely styled prior to that were the disco-rific Goggle Brace (which didn't translate well to the toy version) and the Prism Flash with it's cool looking prism. The rest are pretty basic designs with some logos splashed on. I love them as well, but they don't really stand out too much.

What we saw with the Twin Brace was the future. Something that was more than a watch. Something that required a motion to activate it and set off the cool 80s effects without them just happening.

...but what we got with the toy version was so much more.

By 1988 there had only been a handful of toy Henshin Braces. The first had some out in 1982 and wasn't much more than a faceplate styled around Popy's LCD Anime Watch line. The Change Brace in 1985 was the first real toy...and that's all really. None of them made sound. They barely had features beyond telling time to flashing pictures of mecha.

The Twin Brace came along to change all of that. First to feature lights AND sound. First to have two seperate pieces. First to have interchangeable colors. First (and only as of 2012) to have button-less activation. Let me break this down as to how mind-bendingly impressive this is.

For starters...the only electronics previously were LCD Screens and charged flashes much like those found in disposable cameras. The Twin Brace has a flashing light as well as a beeping sound. It isn't much today, but this was something that could be used to annoy parents on a whole new level! This might seem to make the other half of the toy with nothing to do. It actually holds up it's side of the workload. It may not have any electronics, but it does fire small missiles (like the Change Brace and Prism Flash did before it) and also has another key element...

This toy was the first where you could change between characters. Again, this may seem like a no-brainer today, but this was completely new in 1988. Previous Changers that were specific to characters (Goggle Brace, Dyna Brace) only came in red. This is a bummer if your favorite character is other than red. The way the Anime Watches were designed, there was no way around that unless they wanted to release a full set (which would be collection hell for someone like me). The way it's done is very clever as well. You can store all three chips inside the brace. Due to this design, I have seen very few Twin Braces up for sale that weren't complete. There is one fatal flaw to this design...no Bison and Rhino. They came along late and their chips were available as a TV-Kun mailaway exclusive. Ugh. Can't win them all!

The button-less electronics activation is incredibly cool. When the two small yellow stickers are in close proximity to each other, the lights and sound will activate. This makes for a smooth and graceful Henshin action that works a lot better than most dual henshin braces since (Power Brace from Ohranger was pretty difficult, as was the Accel Changer and Dino Commander since they used keys). This is a gimmick that Bandai has abandoned for some silly reason. It worked so well, so why not bring it back? They'd have to bring back the Henshin Brace to do that, but still!

The Twin Brace truly was something special. I still get people telling me that they lust after that toy...more than any other Henshin brace from the 80s or 90s. It definitely deserves the CCLemon99 stamp of approval.

Best. Henshin. Toy. EVER.

-CC

Success! Now for the rest... Also, Go-Buster Oh...

Hi there.

So I have begun my massive year-end video onslaught. The C10 Skyline GT-R video was first followed by four (!) videos for the first Buster Machines and Go-Buster Oh. The verdict seems to be in favor of how I handled it. Splitting it into four videos was a lot of work, but it just worked out so much better in the end. I really don't like videos over 10 minutes. I don't like having to make videos over 10 minutes. So I want to eliminate the need for that. I'm glad everyone who has spoken up has felt the same.

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As for Go-Buster Oh. Wow...I actually liked a toy and got my ass handed to me for that. Granted it's not excellent or anything, but it's honestly the first mecha that I've actually liked since Engine-oh. I don't care for the helmet/mask or the huge wings on the arms. There certainly is a lot going on, but there needs to be. The individual Buster Machines are actually designed. Gosei Great and Gokaioh were terribly bland in their individual pieces that I can barely picture them in my mind right now. All I know is that Gosei Great was a lightly disguised collection of sex toys while Gokiaoh is better left forgotten since they virtually never used the individual mecha beyond the fart ship.

We finally have a mecha that looks great individually and has a menacing presence combined and people don't like that it doesn't have enough flat edges? Alrighty then. Keep your vibrators. Go-Buster Oh really isn't for everyone, but it's certainly the best effort from Bandai in ages.

Oh, and Shinkenoh sucked. It's cool that they tried for a gimmick, but what an ugly thing. It's also pretty lame that the gimmick pretty much vanished past the first five origami.

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The rest of the videos coming up are going to be good. I'm looking forward to getting the Carranger mecha videos out there as well as all the goodies I have in line for January. My GB Custom Visor arrived a few days back, so theres that. I am just waiting on the subject of my 300th video as well as the Moe Moe Zukyuun for my electronic's test. Beyond January? I have loads more in store. Remember... February means new Sentai.

That's it for now. I just wanted to get that out there since it needed to be said...I think.

-CC

INCOMING!!!

I have been incredibly busy lately. Normally that means videos are on the back-burner and that I usually upload short videos or easily made videos Ranger Keys to hold everyone over. Not so! My upcoming videos actually have me very excited. I'm looking forward to uploading the videos that you will soon be seeing. Here's a list...

18.11.2012: Nissan Skyline 2000GT-R (KPGC10)
25.11.2012: CB-01 Cheetah/Go-Buster Ace
25.11.2012: GT-02 Gorilla
25.11.2012: RH-03 Rabbit
25.11.2012: DX Go-BusterOh
02.12.2012: Carranger Month Preview
09.12.2012: DX Sirender
16.12.2012: DX VRV Robo
23.12.2012: DX Victrailer
30.12.2012: DX Victory Dock
06.01.2013: GB Custom Visor
13.01.2013: 300TH Video
20.01.2013: Lamborghini Miura SV
27.01.2013: Moe Moe Zukyuun [Electronics video, not a review]

That is...quite a schedule. So far, so good though. I have officially started work on Carranger month with the Sirender video. I do need to take a few pictures for the Go-Buster Oh video, but only a few pick-up shots.

I decided to break down Go-BusterOh into four videos because...holy crap there are tons of modes. You know me, I'm a completionist. I need photos of every angle in every mode plus some nice art shots. The dilemma there is time...I don't have much. I've already dedicated December to Carranger month and I want to get the current mecha done by the end of the year. So there you go, four videos in one weekend. I hope you're not busy on the 25th!

I will hopefully be back soon with a handful of BSTTF videos soon. I have tons, I just need to cut them up and publish them.

BYE!

-CC