Label : Come Play With Me Records
Released : 2020
Catalogue Number : CPWM204 CD
 
Product Information :
 
‘Not From Where I’m Standing’ is a lovingly put together collection of 20 Bond film themes covered by current and former members of Cinerama and The Wedding Present
100% of the profits from its sale will be donated to the ‘Campaign Against Living Miserably’ [CALM] charity
In addition to contributions from Cinerama, The Wedding Present, Terry de Castro and Such Small Hands, the album features a ‘super-group’ outing for 'Sleeper featuring David Gedge' and also a solo rendition of Louis Armstrong’s classic ‘We Have All The Time In The World’ by David himself
The album also features ex-Wedding Present members Peter Solowka, Shaun Charman, Paul Dorrington, Simon Smith, Simon Cleave, Graeme Ramsay and Charles Layton. There are also appearances by Eddie Argos [Art Brut] and Simone White.
 
Questioned about the origins of the project, David says: “Where do ideas like this come from? Well, I can tell you that this one was born during a soundcheck in New Zealand, in 2013, when the band were playing around with the main melody of the classic Bond theme ‘You Only Live Twice’. We decided then that, one day, we should probably attempt to cover this amazing song. We ended up doing just that during the recording sessions for our ‘Going, Going…’ album in Studios La Fabrique (Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, France).

“And that was that. For a while, anyway. During a later tour, drummer Charles Layton was driving the van and I was sitting in the front passenger seat. On journeys like these Charlie would often plant little seeds of ideas into my mind, knowing that I would go away, think about it, and then return with some kind of master plan. “You should release a compilation of Bond songs,” he declared. And that was all that he needed to say, really. Most of the themes from the Bond films would effortlessly feature in a list of my favourite ever pieces of music, so I was never not going to be excited by the idea of re-imaginings of twenty of them! One of the defining moments of my career was when I performed with the BBC Big Band in 2009 and got to meet Derek Watkins, who had played the lead trumpet on every single one of the Bond themes up until his death in 2013.

“So we had found a home for our cover of 'You Only Live Twice'. But then came another idea. Each of the artists on this proposed compilation would be required to have a physical connection to Cinerama or The Wedding Present. I liked the unifying feel of that. I suppose it appealed to the collector in me. None of the artists I approached asked for payment for their track and so the obvious thing to do was to make this a benefit album. The ‘CALM’ organisation was suggested to me as a charity that’s doing great work and, after we’d heard more, we were keen to support it. Throw in a gorgeous sleeve design by the renowned Connor Brothers and here, seven years after that fateful sound check in Auckland, you have The Wedding Present… and their lovely friends… saluting the astounding music of Bond. James Bond.

“It also features the first-ever Ukrainian-language cover of a Madonna song! Erm, probably…”

Simon Gunning [CALM] adds, “I've loved The Wedding Present since I was a teenager. I have jumped up and down to ‘My Favourite Dress’ in fields across the country and the tension of ‘Brassneck’ and ‘Dalliance’ gets me all sweaty.

“We can’t thank all of the artists enough for doing this. Suicide is on the increase – it’s the single  biggest killer of young men, and the cause of death for 18 people every day in the UK. We’re leading a movement against suicide through campaigning [and through our free-to-call helpline] and it’s support like this that means our message can reach more people than ever. CALM believes that everyone has the right to be happy and that no-one should lose their love of life.”

Track-listing :
 
James Bond Theme - The Sleazoids / You Only Live Twice - The Wedding Present / Goldfinger - Simone White / Goldeneye - Follow The Moths / The Man With The Golden Gun - Jetstream Pony / Live And Let Die - The Donalds / The World Is Not Enough - Maria Scaroni / Diamonds Are Forever – Cinerama / Tomorrow Never Dies - Danielle Wadey & Charles Layton / All Time High – Minitel / Nobody Does It Better - Samuel Beer-Pearce / For Your Eyes Only – Klee / Thunderball - The Legendary Len Liggins / Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang - Sleeper featuring David Lewis Gedge / From Russia With Love - Graeme Ramsay / View To A Kill - Terry de Castro / Die Another Day - The Ukrainians / Skyfall - Such Small Hands / On Her Majesty’s Secret Service - Shaun Charman / We Have All The Time In The World - David Lewis Gedge