To say that the James Bond Theme has one of the coolest guitar licks in the history of music is an understatement.
The second you hear those notes being played you immediatley think espinoage, beautiful women, and lavish scenery. The man who played the iconic guitar heard in the theme has died at the age of 87. Vic Flick, was called on by the theme's composer John Barry to play the intro that has been the definition of cool since it's inception way back in the 60's.
"With great sadness my mother – Vic's wife Judith, his grandchild Tyler and I must announce that my father Vic Flick passed away peacefully last Thursday and so ending his battle with Alzheimers," Vic's son, Kevin postded.
Flick was enlisted in 1962 by John Barry to play on Monty Norman's "James Bond Theme," which has appeared in every James Bond film, starting with Dr. No, for which he was paid a one-off fee of £6 for his work.
"I placed the DeArmond pickup near the bridge," Vic explained of the song's recording process. "I put a crushed cigarette packet underneath it to get it nearer the strings. That helped to get that round sound. Most important, sound-wise, was the Vox AC15 amplifier. I used it on tour. It wouldn’t let me down – until it fell eight feet into a music pit and disintegrated. ... [The guitar] was picked up by the mics for the orchestra, and it gave the guitar a mysterious, powerful sound. It was a sound we created, to a certain extent, and it had a bite that they loved. It was all go, go, go from then on."
Flick's career flourished after the recording, contributing to other Bond soundtracks, including From Russia With Love and Goldfinger, but Vic also branched out to work with Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Tom Jones, Dusty Springfield, and even the Beatles.
"I knew Sir George when he was working at Abbey Road EMI," Flick said. "He had a bit of an attitude, a bit of, 'I say, old chap, come on.' He'd ask the fixers, or contractors, to line up session musicians. ... Mostly, the Beatles kept apart, sitting at the table in the corner, unlike the session guys who would come in and spread themselves all over the place. I did some special pieces, like 'This Boy' theme in A Hard Day’s Night, where I play my Fender Strat when Ringo is walking along the river."
Although, he's no linger with us Flick's work will be back when the next Bond film comes along.