Very Strange, Mr Bond

William Everett "Billy" Strange (1930–2012) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who not only worked with the likes of Nancy Sinatra and the Beach Boys, but also co-wrote several hit songs for Elvis Presley, including A Little Less Conversation. In 1964 he recorded his guitar version of the Monty Norman James Bond Theme, as well as the 007 Theme written by John Barry. This was released as either a double sided 7" single or with a couple other themes as an EP. He subsequently recorded versions of some of the early Bond film themes including Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice and Casino Royale (both 1967). Below are just some of the records I have collected of Strange's Bond related releases from around the world, but I know that are quite a few others that exist for me to still collect!

Billy Strange 007 and James Bond themes single (Nashville Records, Sweden, c.1963)

Billy Strange 007 and James Bond themes single (Teener, Denmark, c.1963)

Billy Strange 007 and James Bond themes single (GNP/Crescendo Records, Norway, c.1963)

Billy Strange James Bond and 007 themes (Disques Vogue, France, 1964)

Billy Strange James Bond, 007 and Goldfinger themes (Teal Records, South Africa, c.1964)

Billy Strange Goldfinger theme single (Disques Vogue, France, 1964)

Billy Strange e la sua orchestra Thunderball (Operazione Tuono) theme single (Derby, Italy, c.1965)

Billy Strange Thunderball theme (GNP Gene Norman Presents, Denmark, 1965)

Billy Strange Thunderball theme (Vogue, Germany, 1966)

James Bond Double Feature by Billy Strange, his guitar and orchestra (GNP Crescendo Records, Australia, c.1967)