BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1983
Happy Valentine’s Day!
“All Time High” is a 1983 single release by Rita Coolidge introduced as the theme song for the James Bond film Octopussy.
“All Time High” marked the return of regular James Bond theme composer John Barry after his absence from the For Your Eyes Only soundtrack. The lyrics were written by Tim Rice and recording and mixing of the track is credited to Stephen Short.
Prior to Rita Coolidge being assigned the Octopussy theme a contender was Mari Wilson, a British singer whose retro-image evoked the mid-’60s when the Bond series originated, but Wilson’s lack of a US-profile led to a negative decision.
The producers of Octopussy were known to have been in negotiations with Laura Branigan, then a top-ranking hitmaker in the US and Europe.
The ultimate choice of Coolidge – whose career peak had occurred some six years previously – was a surprising one. Coolidge recalls that Barbara Broccoli, the assistant director of Octopussy, was a fan of Coolidge and made a point of playing Coolidge records around her father, Cubby Broccoli, producer of the films, until “one day [he said], “Who is that? That’s the voice I want for the movie.’…in the studio [Tim Rice] was still finishing the song. We were waiting for the lyrics as the track had already been done.”
Rice made no effort to incorporate the film’s title but the lyric: “We’re two of a kind” is a line spoken by the title character (played by Maud Adams) to James Bond (Roger Moore). The song’s title “All Time High” parallels Coolidge’s #2 hit “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher” whose lyric “When you wrap your loving arms around me I can stand up and face the world again” is echoed by the “All Time High” lyric “We’ll take on the world and win”.
The music video shows Coolidge in soft focus in what purports to be an Indian palace (it is in fact the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, England).
In the US “All Time High” reached #36 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1983. Adult contemporary radio was much more receptive, with that genre allowing “All Time High” four weeks at #1 as ranked by Billboard magazine. Coolidge had previously topped the Adult Contemporary chart in 1977 with “We’re All Alone”.
In the UK, “All Time High” rose no higher than #75 and remains the lowest charting James Bond theme. However the track became a major hit in several European countries: Austria – #14; Finland – #11; Germany – #13; the Netherlands – #8; Sweden – #8; and Switzerland – #7: Coolidge had previously only charted in one of these six countries, that being the Netherlands (with “We’re All Alone” – #15/1977) which was also the only one of the six countries where she’d chart again. “Stand in Wonder”, #56/1999). Additionally “All Time High” afforded Coolidge a chart record in Australia – #80; Canada – #38, New Zealand – #26, and South Africa – #8; also the track was ranked at #48 in the annual hit parade tally for 1983 in Brazil.
SIDE A:
All Time High (The Theme Song From Octopussy) 3:02
SIDE B:
All Time High (The Theme Song From Octopussy) (Extended Instrumental Version) 3:50
VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint
U.S. CHART HISTORY:
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | All Time High | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | #36 |
| 1983 | All Time High | U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | #1 |
RELE INFORMATION:
Label: A&M Records – AMS 9286, A&M Records – AM 007
Format: Vinyl, 7″, Single, 45 RPM
Country: Italy
Released: 1983
Genre: Pop
Style: Pop/Rock, Vocal
Credits: Arranged By, Conductor, Producer – John Barry
Lyrics By – Tim Rice
Written-By – J. Barry*, T. Rice*
NOTES:
From the motion picture soundtrack “OCTOPUSSY”
Find The 7″ On DISCOGS
EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut III
Cartridge: Ortofon Super
Stylus: Ortofon OM Stylus 30
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Speed Control: Pro-Ject Speed Box S
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7ECC803-S Gold Electron Tube
Soundcard: ESI Juli@
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Brother MFC-6490CW Professional Series Scanner
SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removeal: ClickRepair (DeClick Level 3)
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator
RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi
