David Arnold - Shaken And Stirred - The David Arnold James Bond Project (1997)

David Arnold, the composer of the Independence Day soundtrack, assembled a talented roster of musicians for his James Bond project. The tracks include the most famous themes from the super spy series, including "Moonraker," "Diamonds Are Forever," and "Nobody Does It Better." The covers by the Propellerheads, Leftfield, Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, and LTJ Bukem are inspired and novel approaches, but it is Aimee Mann who fully claims "Nobody Does It Better" for herself and makes it nearly impossible to believe that she didn't write and record it first. The only real criticism is that it seems too skimpy to have only 11 tracks. Where are the cool reinterpretations of "Live and Let Die," "A View to a Kill," and especially "Goldfinger"? A cool addition to the James Bond fan's collection, though not a replacement for the originals by Duran Duran, Shirley Bassey, Wings, and others.~Shaken & Stirred Review by JT Griffith