John Barry’s sweeping score for Sean Connery’s fourth Bond film gets a deluxe restoration with unreleased material and new mixes.
La-La Land Records has announced a 60th anniversary remastered and expanded 2-CD edition of Thunderball, the fourth James Bond film and a landmark in the evolution of 007’s cinematic sound. Featuring music by John Barry, this limited run of 5,000 units is likely to appeal to Bond fans and collectors alike.
Priced at $32.98, the set will be sold exclusively through La-La Land’s website for the first 90 days, with shipping scheduled to begin in late September. The new edition offers the most complete presentation to date of Barry’s music for the 1965 film, with over 90 minutes of score drawn from original 3-track and 2-track stereo tapes, plus the original album and bonus material.
Thunderball, directed by Terence Young and starring Sean Connery, introduced a new level of scale to the Bond franchise, both on screen and in the recording studio. Barry’s music rose to the challenge, blending suspense with swagger. Among the highlights included are the original title track performed by Tom Jones and two versions of Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – one sung by Dionne Warwick, the other by Shirley Bassey.
Produced by Neil S Bulk, mastered by Doug Schwartz and mixed by Chris Malone, the release benefits from a detailed restoration process, with a small number of cues salvaged from mono sources and processed into stereo. The project is supported by new liner notes by journalist and Bond music historian Jon Burlingame, with art direction by Dan Goldwasser and a revised cover design by Jim Titus.
Thunderball marked a turning point in Barry’s development of the Bond sound, and this edition gives it the archival treatment it’s long deserved. For those who remember the music’s original impact – and for those hearing it properly for the first time – this release offers a chance to experience it with fresh clarity.
Source: La-La Land Records
