50 Years Anniversary - The Beatles and James Bond

I hope you are all okay.  I thought that I would just, on the hoof as per normal, write a blog about the fact that the other day was the fiftieth anniversary of the release of the single Love Me Do by The Beatles, as well  as the release of the first James Bond film Dr No (not the first person to play James Bond by the way, by any stretch apparently).

I don't completely remember what the first actual song by The Beatles was that I heard, but both my mum and dad are fans, so I'm pretty sure that me and my older brothers had all heard their music from the off.

I do remember the compilation albums 1962-1966 (Red) and 1967-1970 (Blue) with great fondness, and they were fans of the members in their various "After-Beatles" exploits.  Before I was even ten years old I had acquired the habit of looking at people's record collections whenever I went anywhere, just to see what it consisted of.  I suppose I was mainly looking to see what Beatles-related gems they might have had, but was also interested in whatever else there might have been).

If truth be told I probably heard more music from the members' "After Beatles" projects, because my mum and dad had more of that, specifically Wings, which was Paul McCartney's seventies band (I was born in November of 1970).  Whenever I did come to hear Beatles songs that I hadn't heard before though, it was magical (no pun intended).  It took me many years to appreciate the brilliance of George Harrison's Indian influenced songs, but I did, and I think that Within You Without You absolutely stands out on Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (an album I didn't hear until I left school and bought it on tape for myself at Revolver Records in Mansfield along with Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast, and Queen's first album).

I carried on getting hold of as much of their music as I could.  I was into their music big time, as I still am.  I make no apologies for that.

James Bond is something else that has followed me throughout my life.  I am not sure what the first Bond film I ever saw was, but I do know that the first Bond film I saw in the cinema was For Yours Only, which I think my brother Richard took me to see - I'm not completely sure about that though.  I do think that it is one of the better Roger Moore Bond films though.

Since then I have seen every Bond film at the cinema, and I have actually seen every one, including the David Niven/Peter Sellers comedy Bond film Casino Royale, although only once and I remember nothing at all about it.  Perhaps I should watch it again sometime.

Looking at it from a psychological point of view, how we are brought up does shape the people that we become.  I have an appreciation for music and film through my formative years I believe, and a lot of that was my watching James Bond films and listening to the music of The Beatles.

To push more the idea that we are influenced by our formative years, I will quickly add that I am very much a fan of family films, and when I was younger it was something that we used to do a lot of - sit down and watch films and TV together.  Luckily my sweetheart was brought up with family films as well.  Unfortunately she wasn't brought up with science fiction or that many musicals, so my favourite film being Singin' In The Rain is sort of lost on her, but she has said recently that she will watch it with me one day because she has since seen clips on these programmes (100 greatest something or other), and that she liked what she saw on those.  My mum is a fan of musicals, with her favourite film being a tie between The King & I and The Italian Job (the Michael Caine version, not Mark Wahlberg).

Me and my older brothers (those
PJ's must have been tasty)

This may sound like a strange thing to say but I am proud and happy that I like The Beatles, and music in general.  I'm proud to be a James Bond fan.  I'm proud to be a science fiction fan.  I am happy to say that at one time I could have maybe been called a Trekker, but unfortunately I have had to get rid of a lot of things that I had because of space, and the need for money in some cases.  An awful thing to admit, but these things happen to people.

I wouldn't get rid of my main musical instruments though, that's for sure!

What can I say, I'm happy to enjoy these things because it gives me something that can take me away from the things around me.  I may have a wallet that is so empty that Old Mother Hubbard could suggest that there is more in her cupboard, but while I am listening to music, watching films (and genre TV), and even reading books (not an anniversary for that I don't think), it can sort of push that to the side for a little while and let me feel like everything is okay.

Thank you for reading, please take care.

October 8 2012 (41 years, 10 months, and 12 days old).

PS - I've just thought, what do I do about this blog when I reach fifty?