Jubilee Offer: Patriotic Classics for £2.50 |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Track Listings
| 1. The Persuaders | |||
| 2. Midnight Cowboy | |||
| 3. The Ipcress File | |||
| 4. The Knack | |||
| 5. Wednesday's Child (From The Picture 'The Quiller Memorandum') | |||
| 6. Space March (Capsule In Space) | |||
| 7. The Girl With The Sun In Her Hair | |||
| 8. Vendetta | |||
| 9. The Danny Scipio Theme | |||
| 10. The James Bond Theme | |||
| 11. Goldfinger | |||
| 12. Diamonds Are Forever | |||
| 13. From Russia With love | |||
| 14. You Only Live Twice | |||
| 15. Thunderball | |||
| 16. On Her Majesty's Secret Service | |||
| 17. 007 | |||
| 18. Walk Don't Run | |||
| 19. Beat For Beatniks | |||
| 20. Hit And Miss | |||
See all 23 tracks on this disc
| |||
Product Description
23 track career-spanning best of from the veteran soundtrack composer, incl James Bond Theme, Persuaders, Born Free, Out of Africa & more
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a seven-year-old boy in 1972, I loved `The Persuaders' and its theme must have been one of the first singles I ever bought. And I was soon hooked too on the music from the Bond movies. So, this CD is a piece of nostalgia for me.
In time, they run from 1960 hits `Walk Don't Run' (sounding like The Shadows), `Beat for Beatniks', and `Hit & Miss', through to the `John Dunbar Theme' from the 1990 film `Dances with Wolves'. But all but four of the tracks are from the 1960s. And we also have here the sung performances of Shirley Bassey (`Goldfinger', `Diamonds Are Forever') and Matt Monro (`From Russia with Love', `Born Free').
The original `James Bond Theme' is here, which, although it was composed by Monty Norman, was arranged by Barry and has become the signature of the Bond series. The original version on this CD is arguably the best. It certainly sounds like the original, for the sound of many of the tracks on this CD is often not brilliant. They are unremastered, but those occasional crackles heard in, say `The Ipcress File' or `You Only Live Twice' only add to the atmosphere.
There are a wide range of styles here. As well as the `pop' element of the 1960 hits already referred to, there is the jazz-inflected `The Knack', the full orchestral tour-de-force of some Bond movies, and Barry's signature use of the haunting cimbalom. Pop hits, TV themes, film themes, and even piece that was later used for a commercial (`The Girl with the Sun in Her Hair') predominate.
But what's missing from this supposed `best of' collection? Well, in my opinion, there are the themes to `The Deep' and `Moonraker', as well as the latter's `Flight into Space', which demonstrates Barry's predilection for the grand low brass adagios of the composer Anton Bruckner. Indeed, it is the continuation of the styles of Bruckner and Gustav Mahler into a twentieth-century context that perhaps has made Barry so successful, given the influence of both of these composers on the musical styles of film composers in the early years of the cinema, especially of those who escaped the central Europe of the 1930s and moved to Hollywood.
Is this CD "The Best of John Barry"? Well, maybe, but as Jonathan Ross writes on the sleevenotes, "you can't beat a bit of Barry".
In time, they run from 1960 hits `Walk Don't Run' (sounding like The Shadows), `Beat for Beatniks', and `Hit & Miss', through to the `John Dunbar Theme' from the 1990 film `Dances with Wolves'. But all but four of the tracks are from the 1960s. And we also have here the sung performances of Shirley Bassey (`Goldfinger', `Diamonds Are Forever') and Matt Monro (`From Russia with Love', `Born Free').
The original `James Bond Theme' is here, which, although it was composed by Monty Norman, was arranged by Barry and has become the signature of the Bond series. The original version on this CD is arguably the best. It certainly sounds like the original, for the sound of many of the tracks on this CD is often not brilliant. They are unremastered, but those occasional crackles heard in, say `The Ipcress File' or `You Only Live Twice' only add to the atmosphere.
There are a wide range of styles here. As well as the `pop' element of the 1960 hits already referred to, there is the jazz-inflected `The Knack', the full orchestral tour-de-force of some Bond movies, and Barry's signature use of the haunting cimbalom. Pop hits, TV themes, film themes, and even piece that was later used for a commercial (`The Girl with the Sun in Her Hair') predominate.
But what's missing from this supposed `best of' collection? Well, in my opinion, there are the themes to `The Deep' and `Moonraker', as well as the latter's `Flight into Space', which demonstrates Barry's predilection for the grand low brass adagios of the composer Anton Bruckner. Indeed, it is the continuation of the styles of Bruckner and Gustav Mahler into a twentieth-century context that perhaps has made Barry so successful, given the influence of both of these composers on the musical styles of film composers in the early years of the cinema, especially of those who escaped the central Europe of the 1930s and moved to Hollywood.
Is this CD "The Best of John Barry"? Well, maybe, but as Jonathan Ross writes on the sleevenotes, "you can't beat a bit of Barry".
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
An excellent and nostalgic selection of John Barry music. I owned an 8-track (remember those?) in about 1973 which had many of these tracks on it, and some others. I wish I could find a track listing of it to complete the memories, but have not yet succeeded. Until then this will do very well.
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is maybe the best Barry compilation out there, though the more recent The Very Best of John Barry, which looks similar and covers much the same ground, encompasses more of his later career and is cheaper on eBay; it also may be better quality for those listening with iPods. All the same, that one has its problems too, according to the reviews. Out of Africa and Dances With Wolves aside, don't expect anything after 1971 on this compilation.
Much as I like this, I found it gets melancholic very quickly. You can't beat the intro: The Persuaders conjurs up the Cold War era, wistful melancholy tempered by the memory of Tony Curtis and Roger Moore swanning about the South of France. But then we have Midnight Cowboy, let's face it a pretty depressing theme from a depressing film. In any case, Harry Nielson's Everybody's Talkin' is the song everyone remembers from that, and Barry didn't write it, any more than he wrote the song From Russia With Love despite doing the soundtrack. (If you don't believe me, look it up - Lionel Bart did it). That said, Matt Monroe's FRWL is included in this compilation, so what gives? Then we have The Ipcress File, a fine tune, but three songs in it already feels like a downer. Where's the feisty Beat Girl? That would have livened things up.
We then get some lovely frolicky French sounding numbers like The Knack and Wednesday's Child, these should have been nearer the start imo. I think this album is playing up to the groovy Soho coffee house vibe of 1960s Barry, but there are too many of these tracks like Walk Don't Run, it gets repetitive and at the expense of some really wonderful Barry bits of orchestration that could have been included.
The Bond stuff is mid-section, but no vocals on Thunderball or YOLT (not necessarily a bad thing in itself). No 'We Have All The Time In the World', however, and the version of OHMSS is not quite the same, it's sounds more 'live' like a demo.
So nothing from Moonraker, Chaplin, Somewhere in Time, Indecent Proposal (and Lisa Standfield's Bond-sounding song All the Right Places), Raise the Titanic, The Specialist, The Black Hole. None of the lovelier tracks off his Bond albums, although there's Capsule Lost in Space from YOLT.
The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra's compilation on the other hand covers just about everything, but they're not the original Barry tracks. The orchestration is superior and lush, but going from their James Bond covers album, they do tend to occasionally tinker with the arrangements in a way that is always to their detriment.
Much as I like this, I found it gets melancholic very quickly. You can't beat the intro: The Persuaders conjurs up the Cold War era, wistful melancholy tempered by the memory of Tony Curtis and Roger Moore swanning about the South of France. But then we have Midnight Cowboy, let's face it a pretty depressing theme from a depressing film. In any case, Harry Nielson's Everybody's Talkin' is the song everyone remembers from that, and Barry didn't write it, any more than he wrote the song From Russia With Love despite doing the soundtrack. (If you don't believe me, look it up - Lionel Bart did it). That said, Matt Monroe's FRWL is included in this compilation, so what gives? Then we have The Ipcress File, a fine tune, but three songs in it already feels like a downer. Where's the feisty Beat Girl? That would have livened things up.
We then get some lovely frolicky French sounding numbers like The Knack and Wednesday's Child, these should have been nearer the start imo. I think this album is playing up to the groovy Soho coffee house vibe of 1960s Barry, but there are too many of these tracks like Walk Don't Run, it gets repetitive and at the expense of some really wonderful Barry bits of orchestration that could have been included.
The Bond stuff is mid-section, but no vocals on Thunderball or YOLT (not necessarily a bad thing in itself). No 'We Have All The Time In the World', however, and the version of OHMSS is not quite the same, it's sounds more 'live' like a demo.
So nothing from Moonraker, Chaplin, Somewhere in Time, Indecent Proposal (and Lisa Standfield's Bond-sounding song All the Right Places), Raise the Titanic, The Specialist, The Black Hole. None of the lovelier tracks off his Bond albums, although there's Capsule Lost in Space from YOLT.
The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra's compilation on the other hand covers just about everything, but they're not the original Barry tracks. The orchestration is superior and lush, but going from their James Bond covers album, they do tend to occasionally tinker with the arrangements in a way that is always to their detriment.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
john barry
Would have been better if Nancy Sinatra's version was added, but still a good reflection on Barry's work and you probably won't want many others.
Published 3 months ago by fred
The Best of John Barry.
It's great!!
I have really enjoyed listening to the CD, keep it with me in the car,
Love the songs, they make me feel good!!
Thanks,
Anna
I have really enjoyed listening to the CD, keep it with me in the car,
Love the songs, they make me feel good!!
Thanks,
Anna
Published 8 months ago by Anna Dis
Beyond Bond, Barry's music is so cool it burns...
From the ultra-hip sixties twang of "The Ipcress File" to the sweeping pomposity of "Out Of Africa", this album reminds us - in case we'd forgotten - that John... Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2001
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
