BOOK OF THE WEEK: ‘From James Bond to The Beatles and Beyond.’
VIC FLICK’S connection with the films in the James Bond series is legend. His guitar sound on the ‘James Bond Theme’ stirred the hearts and imaginations of a generation.
He knew the music industry from the inside, including the good and the bad business practices, the money, the agents, the managers. From The Beatles to Nancy Sinatra, Tom Jones to Dusty Springfield, they’re all within the pages of Vic Flick’s autobiography.
In the late 1950s, Flick joined The John Barry Seven, and his first composition for the group was ‘Zapata.’ With them, he played the guitar riff for the theme of the popular TV show, Juke Box Jury, and appeared on every episode of BBC TV’s Drumbeat.
When Hollywood beckoned him to work on soundtrack for Dr. No (1962), he played lead guitar on the ‘James Bond Theme.’ He continued to contribute to the Bond soundtracks from the 1960s through the late 1980s.
He also contributed to the soundtrack of The Beatles musical, ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ playing his Olympic white 1961 Fender Stratocaster on ‘Ringo’s Theme (This Boy),’ instrumental.
He has worked with many notable artists, including Herman’s Hermits, Nancy Sinatra, Engelbert Humperdinck, Tom Jones, Cliff Richard, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page. He played the 12-string guitar part on Peter and Gordon’s 1964 Number 1 record, ‘A World Without Love,’ and in 2005, provided his guitar talents to the soundtrack of the ‘From Russia With Love’ video game.
In October 2012, Vic Flick was honoured at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for ‘The Music of Bond: The First 50 Years.’
Vic’s book is an amazing read, full of his sense of humour and a reservoir of miscellaneous facts and tales of the studios and the musicians who made London such a fabulous place to be in the ’60s.
Miss it at your peril.
TEXT COURTESY OF: Pipeline (UK)
