Fans of John Barry's non-Bond scores?
TOOTS
Posts: 114MI6 Agent
I adore the work of John Barry and wonder if anyone else here collects his non-Bond related work?
For me, his music is timelessly elegant, filled with personal ache that comes from John Barry's own life.
While he has won Oscars for Born Free (Song and Score), The Lion In Winter (Score), Out of Africa (Score), Dances With Wolves (Score), I think his other classic works are:
The IPCRESS File (inspired by The Third Man, Barry singlehandedly invents spy music)
Deadfall (the sweeping Romance For Guitar and Orchestra is stunning)
Midnight Cowboy (played with heartbreaking beauty by the best harmonica player in the world, Mr Jean "Toots" Thielemans)
Mary, Queen of Scots
Robin And Marian (the central love theme is very poignant)
The Deep (Barry gets his disco groove on)
The Black Hole
Somewhere In Time
Chaplin
Playing By Heart (John Barry, himself a trumpet player, must have enjoyed revisiting Chet Baker with Chris Botti)
His non-Bond songs (with lyrics invariably by Don Black) are amazing too.
Wednesday's Child (Matt Monro crooning lyrics by Mack David, brother of Hal, in the theme for The Quiller Memorandum)
My Love Has Two Faces (Shirly Bassey belting out the theme for Deadfall)
Here's To The Heroes (The John Dunbar Theme)
Somewhere In Time
The Girl With The Sun In Her Hair
This Way Mary
Places (Out Of Africa)
and the lovely songs written for The Ten Tenors last year
Of course, John Barry's non-film, symphonic work is wonderful as well:
Americans
The Beyondness of Things
Eternal Echoes
Does anyone else enjoy the non-Bond Barry?
http://www.johnbarry.org.uk/
For me, his music is timelessly elegant, filled with personal ache that comes from John Barry's own life.
While he has won Oscars for Born Free (Song and Score), The Lion In Winter (Score), Out of Africa (Score), Dances With Wolves (Score), I think his other classic works are:
The IPCRESS File (inspired by The Third Man, Barry singlehandedly invents spy music)
Deadfall (the sweeping Romance For Guitar and Orchestra is stunning)
Midnight Cowboy (played with heartbreaking beauty by the best harmonica player in the world, Mr Jean "Toots" Thielemans)
Mary, Queen of Scots
Robin And Marian (the central love theme is very poignant)
The Deep (Barry gets his disco groove on)
The Black Hole
Somewhere In Time
Chaplin
Playing By Heart (John Barry, himself a trumpet player, must have enjoyed revisiting Chet Baker with Chris Botti)
His non-Bond songs (with lyrics invariably by Don Black) are amazing too.
Wednesday's Child (Matt Monro crooning lyrics by Mack David, brother of Hal, in the theme for The Quiller Memorandum)
My Love Has Two Faces (Shirly Bassey belting out the theme for Deadfall)
Here's To The Heroes (The John Dunbar Theme)
Somewhere In Time
The Girl With The Sun In Her Hair
This Way Mary
Places (Out Of Africa)
and the lovely songs written for The Ten Tenors last year
Of course, John Barry's non-film, symphonic work is wonderful as well:
Americans
The Beyondness of Things
Eternal Echoes
Does anyone else enjoy the non-Bond Barry?
http://www.johnbarry.org.uk/
Comments
That would be me. All of the works you mention are excellent; I've been collecting JB's work for nigh on forty years now, and have almost everything by now (I think alan_more may have everything, but you better ask him!). I've also had the honour to meet the man himself, albeit briefly.
My personal favourites (Bond aside) include The Beyondness Of Things, Body Heat, Ruby Cairo, Somewhere In Time, Americans, and Frances but really I enjoy all of his work as can be attested to by my many replies in this forum.
There's a box set out soon with some rarities on it which may be of interest to you; keep an eye out for that!
- Zulu
- The Ipcress File
- Cry, The Beloved Country
- Enigma
There are still many scores for me to listen to, but from what I've heard so far, these are my favourite.
Here it comes on June 4th:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Box-Set-John-Barry/dp/B000NDJGC2/ref=sr_1_2/202-3938312-7649447?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1180030965&sr=8-2
Certainly looking forward to that one.
I also collect Barry's other music, although I do not have as many as others, mine being both vinyl and CD.
One of my favourite (non Bond) OSTs is Mary, Queen of Scots especially the tracks (3 of them I think) that contain pipe music. There is not a drop of Scots blood in me (at least not according to the family tree so far investigated my one of my brothers), but I love the sound of the bagpipes - like haggis too - maybe my brother should check my mother's tree.
This song is unusual in JB's work, since he wrote both the music and the lyric. Apart from some simplistic rock'n'roll numbers in his early days with the Seven (whose words are nothing to write home about), it's just about the only time that happened. The title song from The Deep "Down, Deep Inside" has lyrics from JB and its singer, Donna Summer- JB wrote the music, of course.
About ten years ago I asked Geoff Leonard how this ("Will This Be The Song...") had come about; he replied that Don Black wasn't going to fly out from England to write one lyric, so Barry took on the task himself.
{[] Cheers for the background info Barbel. I had always assumed Don Black had written 'Will this be the song..' It's strange how these 70's action movies would often use these sentimental(and I don't mean that in a dismissive way) type of ballads in them.
Great stuff, Barbel!
BTW, John Barry also wrote the lyrics for Time Waits For No Man, the theme song for the 1963 film, The Party's Over. The song was performed by Anne Ross.
From all accounts, he's very picky about lyrics. Reading the biographies of Don Black and Leslie Bricusse, they tell very amusing John Barry stories.
You're quite right with that song. There was little time and little money involved with the film, leading to JB writing the song without a lyricist. Annie Ross was once a member of esteemed jazz trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross and, I seem to recall, sister of Scottish comedian Jimmy Logan.
The Barry/Black songs were wonderful though. The highlight was the ballad, You And Me. Unfortunately, there was and is no cast and crew recording. It is a shame because that wonderful music is lost to all but a select few. Those songs become of little account as sparrow's tears.
i think i have every track you mention
he is my all time favorite film composer,followed by bernard herrmann
I finally bought the above set today, and can't recommend it highly enough to anyone with an interest in JB's music. All the well-known titles are there, the big hits and the Oscar winners, plus a fair helping of harder to find material. All in the best possible sound, too.