Pop Focus: Spy music of the 1960s

On the heels of our look at 1960s Batman records, let's shine the spotlight on another musical cash-in trend of that decade: spy music.

James Bond and it's cool twangy theme song, not to mention brassy Bassey's "Goldfingah" helped kicks things off, of course.

Every spy movie or TV show that followed in the tracks of OO7's Aston Martin, of course, needed its own, similarly catchy and dynamic music in the John Barry/Monty Norman template: "I Spy," "The Man From U.N.C.L.E.," "The Ipcress File," etc., etc.

Below is a cover gallery that runs the gamut from official soundtracks to surf band cover versions to budget label knock-offs: bring on the guns and bikinis!

And, if you want a nice sampler of spy tunes, without going broke chasing down the original vinyl, checkout this excellent compilation.

Asterix artist pays tribute to Charlie Hebdo

"Asterix" artist Alberto Uderzo has come out of retirement to pay tribute to cartoonists slain earlier this week in a terrorist attack on the offices of the French satirical newpaper Charlie Hebdo.

Two Uderzo sketches referencing the incident were posted on the official Asterix Twitter feed.

Uderzo, who retired from Asterix in 2011 told Le Figaro:

Charlie and Asterix have nothing to do with each other obviously. I simply want to express my affection for those designers who have paid with their lives. 

Here are the sketches: