Well, that means I save some money.

I don't know if this should go in Music or Tech, but are the songs from iTunes playable in anything other than Apple format stuff?

You mean songs downloaded from iTunes? Because if you burn them to CD and rip them again as mp3s, then... yes.

You mean songs downloaded from iTunes? Because if you burn them to CD and rip them again as mp3s, then... yes.

Hmm . . .

Was it Frank or Tommy or someone else who was looking for the song "Brazil" from the movie a few months back? It's on the White Bicycles CD I got yesterday, which is an overview of Joe Boyd-produced tracks through the 60s and early 70s. Boyd is mostly known for Brit-folk and creating the early Pink Floyd sound (he later produced Richard & Linda Thompson's Shoot Out The Lights), but the collection is pretty interesting: [link]

I'm a Joe Boyd fan. Cool.

Can you post it to BR, Corwood?

Was it Frank or Tommy or someone else who was looking for the song "Brazil" from the movie a few months back?

I thought that was Sean. I know it wasn't me.

Can you post it to BR, Corwood?

After work, will do.

I thought that was Sean. I know it wasn't me.

Oh, I think you're right. Sorry, Sean.

It was, in fact, me.

WOOT!

I haven't turned on the iTunes visualizer in a while, but thought I'd try it while I had Matilda in my lap. She went to sleep, but I felt trippy. Whoa.

I was listening to Sean's spy mix which I think I've finally got in order.

For those of you unfamiliar with the exciting world of Lounge and Exotica collecting, I used the standard rule of taking the most interesting arrangement, even if its not the original soundtrack cut. For example I took the Count Basie version of "From Russia With Love" instead of the original soundtrack version. A few times this was because I didn't have the original on CD (though I had it on LP).

The only two times that felt compromised were with "The Ipcress File" where they don't use the cymbellum to give that ultra cold sound (using a reverby guitar instead, which is still cool) and "The Prisoner" theme where the drums are a little too fat, but I like the extended version without the sound effects anyway. I'd rather have had the original "Casino Royale" but this arrangement is tight and has some extended guitar bits at the end I like anyway.

Only two times did I use the standard TV cue version because I generally I wanted the longer arrangement that you get on the soundtrack album (where they rarely used the short TV theme). So for "I Spy" and "Johnny Quest" you get the short, action packed 1:00 version, and with "Mission: Impossible" and "The Saint" you get the longer versions that you're probably not familiar with. So here's the track listing. Usually that's the composer that's listed unless (a) it's somebody else's cover (like Billy Strange) or (b) another orchestra was originally credited with the soundtrack.

Spy Jazz Action
Main Theme - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - John Barry (From one of the best Bond sdtrks)
Man From U.N.C.L.E. - Third Season End Title - Jerry Goldsmith Et. Al. (a harder rocking version as they get later into the sixties)
Jim On The Move - Lalo Schifrin (from the M:I sdtrk. One the coolest instro tracks ever! That's the great Mike Melvoin on piano)
Shall We Gather At The Boat Dock - Teddy Randazzo (from the Girl from UNCLE sdtrk. A favorite among trip hop and dance mix producers. I think Dmitri from Paris used some of this. Moody.)
The Saint - Les Reed Brass (from the A to Z of British TV Themes From the Sixties. I really like the short TV theme version too, but decided to stretch out.)
The Invaders -Hugo Montenegro (from Man from UNCLE. Hard charging piece with a great sax/organ duel)
Illya - Hugo Montenegro (Man from UNCLE, obviously. Moody guitar twang)
Twisting With James - Monty Norman (hypnotic twangy calypso rock from the Dr. No soundtrack. Incidentally while Monty Norman is credited, John Barry actually did that soundtrack and the original James Bond theme.)
Our Man Flint - Billy Strange (wish I had the original but this is still a an excellent, action packed version)
The James Bond Theme John Barry (from Dr. No. You can see I've personally credited it to John Barry)
Cutty Sark - John Barry (not from a sdtrk, but one of Barry's earlier instro pieces he did for British TV. Very moody, very "Take Five")
The Man From Thrush - Lalo Schifrin (Yep, Lalo also composed for Man from Uncle. Great build on this one)
Out Of The Frying Pan - Teddy Randazzo (more Girl from UNCLE. It's weird Teddy Randazzo - known as a pop composer - didn't get more gigs after this.)
Casino Royale - Billy Strange (an excellent alternative version. The original is from the famous Burt Bacharach sdtrk, of course)
The Avengers - Johnson, Laurie (a longer arrangement, but by Laurie Johnson himself)
The Ipcress File - Billy Strange (the reverb guitar variation. The original is still best, but I do like this one)
I Spy - Earle Hagen (Responsible for three fantastic compositions that I know of: I Spy, the Andy Griffith whistling theme and "Harlem Nocturne" - cool)
Agent Who - John Cacavas (British library music. Beautiful John Barry (continued...)

( continues...) ripoff)
A Man In A Suitcase - Ron Grainer (a British show I've never seen, but I've always loved this theme)
Modesty (Modesty Blaise Theme) - Eddie Palmieri & Cal Tjader (not the original sdtrk but in this case that's better. Great latin jazz version. Shimmery vibes. Yeah.)
Arabesque - Henry Mancini & His Orchestra (from the Gregory Peck / Sophia Loren spy movie. One of Mancini's exotic spy scores)
Mission: Impossible - Lalo Schifrin (longer arrangement. Cool to hear them stretch out on this.)
The Prisoner - Neil Norman (an alternative version, longer)
From Russia WIth Love - Count Basie (jazzier, of course)
Goldfinger [instrumental version] - John Barry (almost like a surf guitar! From the original soundtrack)
Venice After Dark - Lalo Schifrin (Never saw this movie though it starred Robert Vaughn. Perfect mood setter for euro espionage)
Danger Man (High Wire) - Bob Leaper Orchestra (one of the precursors to Secret Agent Man and then The Prisoner. Lots of electric harpsichord and electric piano in spy jazz. They liked very cold sounding instruments for the cold war)
Seven Faces - John Barry (another Barry TV theme)
Jonny Quest - Hoyt Curtin (the well known TV version. The horn charts on this were so tricky it was regularly used for auditioning brass players)
Jungle Beat - Hugo Montenegro (from the Man from UNCLE. Rocking!)
Experiment In Terror - Henry Mancini (massively ominous!)
Run Spy Run - Hugo Montenegro (more Man from UNCLE)
Dr. No's Theme Monty Norman (more hypno calypso)
Danube Incident - Lalo Schifrin (Many of you would recognize this as the track that was sampled for Portishead's "Sour Times")

On the ones where Hugo Montenegro is credited, he wasn't the composer. The official soundtrack was released under his name.