SpyVibe

May 5, 2013

JAMES BOND AUDIO BOOK RE-ISSUES

Listings on Amazon reveal that Blackstone Audio will re-issue a number of James Bond continuation novels read by Simon Vance (Robert Whitfield) in August 2013. Vance was the voice behind the very successful series of Ian Fleming audio books produced by Blackstone that lead up to the Fleming centenary in 2008. The company produced all of the original novels and many of the James Bond books by Kingsley Amis, Raymond Benson, and Charlie Higson. Spy Vibers can now find most of the 007 audio books on iTunes! The reissues announced on Amazon are Amis' Colonel Sun and Benson's Man With the Red Tattoo and High Time to Kill. I am waiting for confirmation from Blackstone and hoping to get a look at the cover designs. The Ian Fleming novels were recently produced as a series of celebrity audio books in the UK- they are amazing! I'm curious to see if they will become available in the States, and how that might impact the availability of Blackstone's recordings.

Simon Vance originally hails from Brighton. He had a career in BBC Radio for many years before moving to California to pursue acting and a tremendously successful career as a reader of audio books. Spy Vibers may be interested to learn that Blackstone will release Vance's reading of the Complete Sherlock Holmes in September 2013 (great cover design below)! I asked Simon Vance a few questions about his experiences. The book cover designs below are from his Blackstone audio releases.

Thanks for taking the time to chat with Spy Vibe. My readers will be interested to learn more about you and your projects.

No problem. Bear in mind the James Bond novels were all recorded quite some time ago. On a quick trawl through my invoices, I found most of the Fleming Bonds were recorded in 2000-2001. Die Another Day was done in 2002 and Never Dream of Dying was in 2003.

I’m aware of celebrity recordings of the Ian Fleming books having been done recently in the UK and I had understood the rights to Bond that enabled me to do them through Blackstone may have expired. This may mean my recordings are withdrawn and the ‘celebrity’ reads become available in the US. I’m not sure how that’s going to work out and it may be worth researching.

I've sent a note to Blackstone to follow up. Amazon has listed a few titles for re-issue in August: The Man With the Red Tattoo, High Time to Kill, Colonel Sun- though I must say that this was news to Raymond Benson. Have you been involved with plans to record new Bond titles?

I know a new Bond was published a year or so ago and I was not asked.

Carte Blanche was read by Toby Stephens for Blackstone in 2012. So many Fleming fans hear your voice when they read James Bond because of your successful series. How did you first become the James Bond reader?

It’s really rather simple- I was asked. I don’t know how many British narrators Blackstone Audio had on their books, but I’m glad to say I was the one that came to mind when they came to cast them!

What did you notice about Ian Fleming's writing by working on the Blackstone Audio set?

I suppose I was surprised to find them more fun than I had expected. I was familiar with the movies, but I knew they had been adapted for the screen and generally bore few similarities to the novels. I also became aware of how misogynistic Fleming’s writing was (couldn’t display that fully in the movies in the time of Women’s Lib). Also how much racism was taken for granted then…

At the same time, I find Fleming's Bond more emotionally involved with his companions and more emotional about his experiences. Were you a Fleming fan growing up? Did you collect the novels? Did you have favorite 007 book covers?

I did not, but I remember them being in my parents’ bookshelves. My father died many years ago so I never got to ask him what his impression of them was – but since they were mostly all there he must have enjoyed them. Funnily enough I was more impressed by the book covers on the Agatha Christie novels my parents had.

I've been looking a lot of those these days. Those vintage mystery novels had great designs. You can see some at my Pinterest image archive here. Are you a book collector now?

I rarely buy books for myself, as I don’t have time to read for pleasure. Just recently I’ve made more contact with authors of books I’m reading as part of my job, so I’m collecting lots of signed copies courtesy of grateful authors.

Was it difficult not to let the Bond films influence your readings?

That implies that I wouldn’t want them to influence me. But I welcome all kinds of influences into my narration. And if the public has a perception of how a character should appear or sound, and it fits with the character in the book, then I’m not averse to placing that picture in my head when I voice the words. To do otherwise might be to do a disservice to the author and his/her fans. I was narrating at the time of Pierce Brosnan, but I think with whoever has played Bond, there’s been a certain ‘style’ (right up to Daniel Craig) that’s hard to avoid… I think I imagined myself as Bond and went from there.

What are your impressions carrying on the Bond legacy into the continuation novels?

I started recording them while still doing the originals. They are not Fleming, that’s for sure… but it’s like a different actor taking on the role – the fundamentals are the same.

When you were growing up in England, did you follow shows like The Avengers, Danger Man, and The Prisoner?

Absolutely… and I was young enough at the time not to realize that Emma Peel’s name meant M(an) A (p)peal. Of course I saw Goldfinger at age 8 and ‘Pussy Galore’ was just a name…

Funny! I think I had the same viewpoint as a kid. Of course, Diana Rigg was my first crush! Can you tell us something about working on the Complete Sherlock Holmes due out in September 2013? I love the box design.

There are a heck of a lot of stories! It took two months, broken up by a couple of urgent projects, to complete. Conan Doyle’s early stories were actually rather difficult to read because of his manner of having people quote other people verbatim who are quoting other people verbatim and so on – (a little bit like Inception… how many layers deep can you go?). Thankfully he got out of that habit later and his writing became much better. The early stories I found a bit clunky in writing style, though the plots were always fun!

Are you a fan of the BBC program, Sherlock?

Yes, very much so. Such a great idea. After initially being a bit dismissive of the US attempt to ‘reboot’ Sherlock – typical of the Americans to steal from the British. I have actually started to watch the Jonny Lee Miller version set in New York. Though that’s so far from the authentic Sherlock as to be barely recognizable. Interestingly, I saw Danny Boyle’s stage production of Frankenstein at the National Theatre a couple of years back when Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternated the role of the Monster and Dr.F – Funny that they’re now BOTH playing Sherlock!

It's great to see these characters continue! Any other comments or ideas that come up for you regarding James Bond?

Makes me really fancy a martini right now!

Check Spy Vibe for recent posts about our fiendish villains archive, rare Piero Umiliani Kriminal soundtrack, new Beatles Yellow Submarine game, Mid-Century Modern in Peanuts, Ralph Byrd Dick Tracy, The Saint, Op Art, Thomas Allen pulp art, The Shadow, Operation Kid Brother (MST3K), 1960s espionage writers, my review of SKYFALL, 007 at the Intnl Spy Museum, and more. Spy Vibe is now on Pinterest! Check out our image archives and follow us here.

Ian Fleming on Spy Vibe: recent posts include Ian Fleming Music Series links: Noel Coward,Whispering Jack Smith, Hawaiian Guitar, Joe Fingers Carr, new Ian Fleming Catalog, discovery of one of Ian Fleming's WWII Commandos, James Bond book covers, Ian Fleming's Playboy interview for Kindle, Spy Vibe's discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, Fleming's Royal gold typewriter, Ian Fleming's memorial address, and our Ian Fleming image archive link here.

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May 4, 2013

DIABOLIKAL VILLAIN ARCHIVE

Step into the shadows at Spy Vibe's DIABOLIKAL board on Pinterest and face the world's most mysterious and fiendish villains: Fantomas, Mabuse, Kriminal, Diabolik, Santanik, Sadistik, Red Skull, and others too horrible to name!

Check Spy Vibe for recent posts about Mid-Century Modern in Peanuts, Ralph Byrd Dick Tracy, Spy Soundtracks, The Saint, Op Art, Thomas Allen pulp art, The Shadow, Operation Kid Brother (MST3K), 1960s espionage writers, my review of SKYFALL, 007 at the Intnl Spy Museum, and more. Spy Vibe is now on Pinterest! Check out our image archives and follow us here.

May 3, 2013

RARE PIERO UMILIANI KRIMINAL SCORE

If your vibe is master criminals in the tradition of Fantomas, Dr Mabuse, and Diabolik, then you probably are familiar with the skeleton-costumed terror, Kriminal. Kriminal appeared in Italian comics and cult films in the 1960s, and like the anti-heroes listed above, offered an exciting cocktail of intrigue, thriller suspense, pop-art violence, and spy-style action. The character was the brainchild of Max Bunker, who faced censorship for his books, Kriminal and Satanik, due to violent content. The maestro of swinging Italian soundtracks, Piero Umiliani, scored Il Marchio Di Kriminal in 1968. The recording was lost and long out of print, but Screen Archives Entertainment discovered the master tapes in March of this year! They plan to release a limited-edition CD next week. Only 500 copies will be made! Read below about SAE's previous efforts to hunt down and restore other Kriminal sound artifacts. Follow the trail of costumed baddies here. Images from Spy Vibe's DIABOLIKAL board on Pinterst.

From SAE: "A very long period of research finally concluded with this release. A chapter that began nearly 50 years ago with the release of the 45 rpm of KRIMINAL (1966) by Roberto Pregadio and Romano Mussolini on the Beat label, featuring music from the score of the first of the two movies dedicated to the popular comic character created by Max Bunker in the ‘60s. The story of the original soundtracks from the movies inspired by the popular comic book author has a very long trail. The first chapter is the 45 rpm of KRIMINAL, much sought-after by both soundtrack and comics collectors (I still remember processions of fans coming to the Beat studio, some just looking for the 45rpm jacket only!!!), followed in March 2006 by the release of the complete score after the unexpected discovery of the original master tapes—for years, they had been hunted everywhere and then, all of the sudden, we found them in our own studio, right under our nose…incredible!!!!

Max Bunker-mania had just exploded, so we began looking for the score for SATANIK (1967)—another film based on a Bunker comic—in which the main character (played by Magda Konopka) is Kriminal’s popular female alter-ego. The score for SATANIK was again composed by Roberto Pregadio and Romano Mussolini. An archived copy popped up in Aberbach’s dusty archives, a society whose master tapes were administered by Beat in the late ‘60s (!!!!!).

And that’s how what survived hidden for so many years finally saw the light in July 2006 after just 4 months: a real one-two punch! We were only missing the score for IL MARCHIO DI KRIMINAL (1968), directed by Fernando Cerchio and direct sequel to the first KRIMINAL which was directed by Umberto Lenzi. The master tapes? Obviously missing, until the day our eyes fell upon a list of master tapes in the Umiliani estate’s archive—in plain sight on the list was the word “Kriminal.” It was March 2013 when two very well-preserved master tapes emerged from a dusty archive, enabling us to complete the circle with the release of the 3rd and final score dedicated to Max Bunker’s characters.

What else can we say? The Maestro’s score for this spy movie with a somewhat ironic flavor is as usual of the highest quality—a real rejuvenation for the music of the popular Tuscan composer, well deserving of this release and further evidence of the milestone accomplishments of this extraordinary artist.

Thanks to the invaluable assistance of Stefania Baffa and Francesco Argento, it’s with great pleasure that we release the last chapter of a story begun many years ago, one that you absolutely can’t miss and about which we want tell you too much—pleasant surprises await you when you receive your copy!

The CD is released in a jewel case, with mastering by Enrico De Gemini, graphic design by Daniele De Gemini & Alessio Iannuzzi, and liner notes by Francesco Argento on the music, the movie and the Kriminal comic." Spy Vibers might recognize this skeleton/dagger motif from Richard Chopping's 1961 cover illustration for Thunderball by Ian Fleming (below).

Check Spy Vibe for recent posts about David Bowie's spy/Berlin tune, Mid-Century Modern in Peanuts, Ralph Byrd Dick Tracy, Spy Soundtracks, The Saint, Op Art, Thomas Allen pulp art, The Shadow, Operation Kid Brother (MST3K), 1960s espionage writers, my review of SKYFALL, 007 at the Intnl Spy Museum, and more. Spy Vibe is now on Pinterest! Check out our image archives and follow us here.

YELLOW SUBMARINE MONOPOLY

"Once upon a time... or maybe twice..." The Beatles are back in new board game! The Yellow Submarine sets sail once again this month in new game from USAopoly, the toy company that produces classics like Trivial Pursuit, Clue, Candyland, and Monopoly. They have developed a new Monopoly edition based on the psychedelic animated Beatles film Yellow Submarine (1968). This is the company's newest product in a line of Beatles items that include Trivial Pursuit, puzzles, and a Monopoly edition based on the band's career. The new Yellow Submarine game uses fun character pieces to move through the many exotic lands featured in the film. Fans of The Beatles and of 1960s animation and Pop Art should check it out!

From USAopoly: "Travel 80,000 leagues under the sea to the unearthly paradise known as Pepperland in this colorful Yellow Submarine edition of MONOPOLY. All you need is love to help The Beatles battle the Blue Meanies as you buy, sell and trade your way through the Sea of Science, the Headlands, Nowhere Land, the Sea of Holes and more. Ad hoc, ad loc, and quid pro quo! So little time! Advance to Go! Game includes 6 collectible pewter tokens; Yellow Submarine, Dreadful Flying Glove, Jeremy Hillary Boob, Love Sign, Sgt. Pepper Drum, Old Fred."

Yellow Submarine was recently remastered for Blu-ray and theatrical release, after a long period out of print. The Fab classic movie follows The Beatles as they journey to a distant land to rescue its inhabitants from music-hating monsters. The movie features a stellar soundtrack by George Martin and includes Beatles songs, like Yellow Submarine, Eleanor Rigby, I Am the Walrus, All Together Now, When I'm Sixty-Four, Nowhere Man, Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Although the characters were voiced by actors imitating the Beatles, the group does appear live at the end. Yellow Submarine has been a beloved classic for almost 50 years and continues to serve as a valuable time capsule of the period.

May 2, 2013

DAVID BOWIE SPIES BERLIN

David Bowie surprised everyone in January when he announced that he had recorded a new album in secret- his first record in ten years. Entitled The Next Day, the new collection of songs quickly went to number one in charts around the globe. With few exceptions, the vibe of the album is energetic and experimental. Bowie has mined his Berlin period with Brian Eno and Iggy Pop in the 1970s by re-exploring the theme of Berlin in some of the tunes, most notably Where Are We Now?. The cover image itself is a re-appropriated version of Heroes (see below/1977).

Fans have enjoyed spotting various references to Bowie's past, including a connection between Five Years (Ziggy Stardust/1972) and the new track, You Feel So Lonely You Could Die. Besides its sweet echo of Presley's Heartbreak Hotel, the more interesting layer to this song is its thematic connection to tradecraft and the dirty business of espionage. Although some forum members have speculated connections to medieval brutality, one cannot miss the spy references to dead drops, secrets, betrayal, and assassination. I haven't seen an interview with Bowie about this, but I can't help but conjure up images of Deighton's Berlin tragedy, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, and the dark sad truth of East Germany's network of informants and agents during Bowie's years in Berlin.

Bowie starred in a video for the new track The Stars (Are Out Tonight) with the wonderful Tilda Swinton, who also made the opening speech for the David Bowie retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Swinton herself has had an artistic fascination with Berlin. She made an an experimental film study of the Berlin Wall in 1988 called Cycling the Frame. Twenty-one years later she starred in a marvelous and meditative film that re-examines the presence -even in its absence- of the Wall called The Invisible Frame (2009). The film invites the viewer to travel with Swinton by bicycle along the scars and remnants of the Wall, an experience that becomes a long portrait of the city and the perceptions of identity and territory. Video still of Bowie below from The Stars (Are Out Tonight).

I have to say that I really love this new album. There is one track that breaks the cohesive texture (for my ears) regarding song order, but I'm perfectly content, like many modern listeners, to create my own version for ipod that flows smoothly. If you have not heard Bowie in a while, I urge Spy Vibers to pick up The Next Day. I think you'll find shades of Heroes (1977), Lodger (1979), and even Scary Monsters (1980). You Feel So Lonely You Could Die is one of the few torch-songs on the new album, which is an interesting choice to contrast with the gritty theme of the lyrics (excerpt below). Read the words over as poetry and tell me don't think of The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965), The Lives of Others (2006), or Matt Kindt's Super Spy. Images in this post are from Spy Vibe's BOWIE ART board on Pinterest.

Feel So Lonely You Could Die

By David Bowie (2013)

No-one ever saw you

Moving through the dark

Leaving slips of paper

Somewhere in the park

Hidden from your friends

Stealing all they knew

Love is thrown in airless rooms

Then vile rewards for you

But I'm gonna tell

Yes I've gotta tell

Gotta tell the things you've said

When you're talking in the dark

And I'm gonna tell the things you've done

When you're walking through the park

Some night on a thriller’s street will come a silent gun

You've got a dangerous heart

You stole their trust, their moon, their sun

There'll come assassin’s needle on a crowded train

I bet you'll feel so lonely you could die

Buildings crammed with people

Landscapes filled with wrath

Grey concrete city

Rain has wet the street

I want to see you clearly

Before you close the door

A room of bloody history

You made sure of that

007 RAYGUN

While hunting images for my vintage RAYGUN Pinterest board, I came across an interesting find. A James Bond related piece was manufactured in Argentina in the 1960s called the "007" Linterna Espacial. The model, released in green or red, used the same molds and box illustration as the Pifco Zetaray gun (below in silver/blue), and was a battery-powered flashlight gun.