#vic flick

VIC FLICK

Victor Harold Flick

Guitarist (John Barry Seven): "The James Bond Theme" / Dr No (1962)

Vic continued to contribute to the James Bond soundtracks through to the Eighties, most notably for From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971).

Pictured: Vic's 1939 Clifford Essex Paragon DeLuxe, which he played on "The James Bond Theme" and which sold at auction in 2014 for $25,000.

Vic Flick Sound - West Of Windward (1968)

John David Edmed, Vic Flick - Fingerpickin'

Plays in:

Victor Harold Flick (May 14, 1937 – November 14, 2024) was an English studio guitarist, best known for playing the guitar riff in the “James Bond Theme”. In the late 1950s, Flick joined the John Barry Seven who had a hit with his 1961 composition called “Zapata”. His guitar work is prominent on “Hit and Miss”, the theme song of the television show Juke Box Jury. On the Dr. No soundtrack, he was…

Here is my combined remembrance of three entertainers we lost:

Remembering Vic Flick 1937-2024

Guitarist Vic Flick has died at 87. He is forever known for being the guitarist on the legendary "James Bond Theme" by John Barry & Orchestra. How iconic is that guitar in the history of film, music and pop culture? The answer: very! There's a good documentary The Sound of 007 about the music of James Bond movies and he appears in too.

Flick circa 1960s

He played with a number of musicians including Dusty Springfield (that's him on "I Only Want to Be with You"), Tom Jones (that's him on "It's Not Unusual"), and The Bee Gees (that's him on "Spicks and Specks").

He also played guitar on The Beatles' song "Ringo's Theme (This Boy)" orchestrated by George Martin and featured in A Hard Days Night. Years later he played on Paul McCartney's 1977 album Thrillington done under the name Percy "Thrills" Thrillington. Kind of an unsung hero of Beatle collaborators!

The link above is the obit from Hollywood Reporter.

Remembering Dennis Byron 1949-2024 and Colin "Smiley" Petersen 1946-2024

In a strange coincidence, two former drummers for The Bee Gees have both passed away this month: Dennis Byron at 75 and Colin "Smiley" Petersen at 78.

Petersen was the drummer for pop group from 1967-1969. That's him on "To Love Somebody"! Byron was their drummer from 1973 to 1981. That's him on their magnum opus Saturday Night Fever soundtrack!

James Bond Theme – Vale Sean Connery

This weekend saw the passing of the great actor and producer, Sir Thomas Sean Connery, the original, and some would say best, James Bond. Connery played James Bond in seven films, from 1962 to 1983. He died in his sleep at his home in The Bahamas on Saturday, aged 90.

The origin of the James Bond Theme has been the subject of two court cases. On both occasions the courts found Monty Norman to be the composer, and he has been the recipient of the substantial royalties. The counterclaim has come from John Barry, arranger of the theme and leader of the orchestra that recorded it for the first movie it appeared in, Dr. No, in 1962. 

The controversy stems from the fact that the makers of Dr. No were dissatisfied with a theme for James Bond given to them by Monty Norman. Jazz ensemble leader John Barry was called in to make an arrangement of Norman's motif after Norman had completed the score. To flesh out the arrangement, Barry added the countermelodies, and bridges that are juxtaposed with Norman's motif, however Monty Norman claims to be the originator of the distinctive dum di-di dum dum ostinato synonymous with the theme. 

Barry, who was paid £250 for his work, was surprised that his theme appeared so often in Dr. No. He was told by Noel Rogers, the head of United Artists Music, that though the producers would not give him any more money or a writing credit they would get in touch with him if there was another Bond film made. John Barry composed the scores for eleven Bond Films all together.

The James Bond Theme was recorded on 21 June 1962, using five saxophones, nine brass instruments, a solo guitar and a rhythm section. The guitar motif was played by Vic Flick on a 1939 English Clifford Essex Paragon Deluxe guitar plugged into a Fender Vibrolux amplifier. Flick was paid a one-off fee of £6 for recording the famous motif.