James Bond tribute cd update

Source: All Stars Online Magazine
Date of issue: 09-07-1997

A Bond fan since the age of seven, Arnold says that in choosing a specific artist to cover each Bond song, he approached the task as if he were casting a movie. "It's like you read a script and you see all these characters and you think, 'Who'd be good doing that?' and all of these faces spring to mind," says Arnold. "I listened to the songs, and I was thinking of ways of interpreting them slightly differently or putting a different edge on them. When the right sort of face and voice clicked with the way I heard the song, I made the phone call.

Luckily enough, just about everyone said yes the first time. So I figured that somewhere in their subconscious was a Bond performance waiting to come out." On Shaken and Stirred, Iggy Pop (who, by the way, was ordered off the R.O.A.R. tour by his doctors after dislocating his shoulder stage diving) covers "All the Time in the World," Pulp does "All Time High," Chrissie Hynde sings "Live and Let Die," and Aimee Mann performs "The Spy Who Loved Me." Other tracks include: David McAlmont, "Diamonds Are Forever"; LTJ Bukem, "007 Theme"; Leftfield, "Space March"; the Propellerheads, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"; Massive Attack's former singer Shara Nelson, "Moonraker"; ABC -- yes, that ABC -- "Thunderball"; and two additional tracks -- "You Only Live Twice," possibly covered by Bj÷rk, and "From Russia With Love" by either the Cardigans or Blur's Damon Albarn. "I think they're all cool people," says Arnold. "It could've been a lot more middle of the road -- without wanting to insult anyone -- but you could've had your Elton Johns, your Stings, your David Bowies, Phil Collins, and Michael Bolton. You could've made that record very easily, but I wanted to make a record which was more contemporary.