007 Spy

The Ventures Play the "Batman" Theme looks like a crass record company attempt to cash in on the hits of the moment, then knocks you flat like a bottle of Thunderbird in a plain brown paper bag. A sure sign of a great Ventures record is an inordinate amount of original compositions, and The Ventures Play the "Batman" Theme has eight, with every one of them a winner…

If Goldfinger proved that the James Bond franchise was box office dynamite, 1965's Thunderball cemented the British super-spy's international appeal–and further forged a set of pop culture cliches that both inspired and endured even Mike Meyer's modern, multi-chaptered Austin Powers spoofing. While Goldfinger also marked composer John Barry stamping his enduring influence on the series' music, this fourth installment finds his big band and jazz-inspired arrangements pulsing with confidence, stripped down rhythmic tension and exotic elegance. Tom Jones follows up Shirley Bassey's previous larger-than-life title track performance with a worthy rival of his own, its dramatic, Barry-composed melody interpolated throughout the composer's masterful score.