New release: Combustible Edison's original demo reel newly cut on vinyl by Kevin Gray! Back in the 1990s I was fortunate to catch this band live at the Iron Horse in Northampton and up in Portland ME opening for Bryan Ferry. As a long-time fan of 60s movie soundtracks, I remember being swept away by their renditions of cues by Henry Mancini and the like. At the time it seemed like such a revelation that a band would even think to play soundtrack cuts live on stage. It was fresh, fun, and they created such a groovy atmosphere. Then it seemed like the whole Lounge/Exotica revival followed in the ..read more

Event alert: Spy Vibers in the London area have a chance to see an exhibit of John McLusky's original James Bond comic strip art through June 10th. From the press release: "On July 7th 1958, four years before Sean Connery would star in ‘Dr No’, Daily Express readers in the UK got their first sight of James Bond. Difficult as it is to imagine now, the face John McLusky created would be many people’s first and lasting image of 007; it was John McLusky's Bond that composer John Barry had in mind when writing the original theme tune... Although initially reluctant, Ian Fleming had been persuaded b ..read more

New release: Kino Lorber is releasing a new Blu-ray edition of the 1968 spy classic, A Dandy in Aspic, starring Laurence Harvey, Mia Farrow, Tom Courtenay, and Peter Cook. Music by Quincy Jones and costumes by Pierre Cardin. From the press release: "Laurence Harvey (The Manchurian Candidate), Tom Courtenay (Doctor Zhivago) and Mia Farrow (Rosemary’s Baby) star in this thought-provoking Cold War thriller about the dangerous and oftentimes lonely world of espionage. Russian double agent Alexander Eberlin (Harvey) has long been posing as a British spy in England, but, feeling like a “man wit ..read more

It's super busy here at the Spy Vibe lair right now. My art students are winding down the term and I'm in the middle of editing the school's annual senior film. It may be crunch time, but that doesn't mean we can't get something going to spark our curiosity. How about a record party with Brian Jones? This founding Rolling Stone was such a huge music fan that when it came time to do a photo shoot with him at his Chelsea home, the Hi-Fi became one of the central themes. Spin it, Brian! The images were taken in 1965 by photographer Bent Rej, who was documenting the band members in their first hom ..read more

Event alert: Clear your June calendars, Spy Vibers, Exotikon is coming to Wisdome LA art park! This three-day event organized by the Peek-a-Boo Gallery looks to be the ultimate experience for those with a passion for exotica music, Tiki culture, and cool Mid-Century vibes. Lots of interesting symposiums are scheduled, including talks about Arthur Lyman, Pre-Columbian Revival, Oceanic Arts, Raymond Scott, Les Baxter, South Seas cinema, and Herb Albert. A few of the talks are hosted by Tiki culture author, Sven Kirsten. There's also a huge lineup of bands, including the Tikiyaki Orchestra! Ultra ..read more

Event alert: 007 continuation author, Raymond Benson, will be introducing an anniversary screening of From Russia With Love in Illinois next week! From the press release: "To honor its 60th anniversary, the Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series will be screening From Russia With Love on May 17, 2023. James Bond author and historian Raymond Benson will return once again to introduce the film at 7:30 PM." The event will include a display of rare film memorabilia and Benson will also be on hand to sell and sign books. More info and a lengthy essay about the movie here. Don't miss it if you ar ..read more

New release: ITC classic, The Baron, coming to Blu-ray! UK distributor Network has announced they will release a Blu-ray edition of the feature-film cuts of Baron episodes. Perhaps this is an early sign of a whole series restoration? I hope so! From the press release: "Shot on 35mm by seasoned film directors, the ITC action adventure series' high production values allowed key episodes to be easily presented as full-length movies for European cinema exhibition. Mid '60s favourite The Baron yielded two films assembled from two-part stories: "The Man in a Looking Glass" and "Mystery Island." Rest ..read more

Greetings, Spy Vibers! Fans of the Mission: Impossible film franchise might be psyched to hear that new 4k ultra prints are on the way in steelbook editions. While I much prefer the TV series for its focus on group dynamics, heist thrills, and quiet tension over violence, the movies certainly have their place! From the press release: "Paramount Home Media Distribution will release 4K Blu-ray SteelBook Editions of six Mission Impossible films: Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018), Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015), Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011), Mission: Impossible II ..read more

New release: The Treasury of British Comics is publishing a collection of the classic Jane Bond: Secret Agent comic strip! Jane Bond, agent of Worldpol, ran in Princess Tina between 1966-1970 with art by Mike Hubbard. Like her namesake (no official ties), she battled international criminals, including a villain with a large mechanical lobster (that sounds fun!). Gadgets were also plentiful and followed the Honey West convention of concealing spy tech inside accessories like handbags, lipstick, and jewelry. The Best of Jane Bond by Mike Hubbard is being released in paperback, but the ..read more

My new episode of Cocktail Nation radio is up! This month I give a brief introduction to the 1966 Hanna-Barbera classic, The Man Called Flintstone, and play a cut from the soundtrack. Secret agents were making appearances throughout television at the height of the Spy Boom, including in some unlikely places such as The Munsters -the other great horror-espionage mashup was the novelty song "Frankenstein Meets The Beatles" by Dickie Goodman (1964). In Fred Flintstone's case, a spy feature was written for the character as the series was ending and produced as a theatrical film. Check out my ..read more