Customer Reviews

John Barry: The Collection

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If it's heft you're after... this collection of 56 classic John Barry scores on 4 CD's is a dream. Arranged in chronological order starting with ZULU (1963) and continuing to Mercury Rising (1998), the collection covers all his major works (14 James Bond themes, Dances with Wolves, Body Heat, Out of Africa etc.) and many lesser known but memorable ones (Walkabout, Chaplin, Robin and Marian).

If there's one disappointment, it's that the performances are gathered from a series of previous releases on the same label. All tracks feature the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted/arranged not by the composer but by Nic Raine, described as John Barry's "orchestrator of choice". To be fair, arrangements are true to the originals though I feel they sound just a little thin next to the real thing (e.g. JB's own Moviola albums). Still, if you're a John Barry fan, there's plenty to entice you here, particularly you lucky Brits.... Why it's more expensive Stateside is anyone's guess.

Sonic quality is good. I detect a little hiss but can't determine from the box whether the recordings are full digital or not. It's certainly not too distracting anyway.

I own everything by John Barry I can find on CD and I don't begrudge shelf-space to this collection. If you like the price you can't go wrong.

Any fan of movies will absolutley love this collection. Being a movie buff I couldn't wait to get this boxed set. Knowing Barry from all the James Bond movies, I did not realize his involvement with so many others. The orchestra is magnificent in all these themes. I'm listening to "High Road to China" right now and I'm drifting in the clouds in a Tiger Moth with Tom Selleck and Bess Armstrong. If you are familiar with a movie it will definitely have you seeing it again, if not the scores are still beautiful. Any fan of classical music will be pleased as well. Travellers will defintitely enjoy it for a long drive. I know from when I use to travel that music like this made the miles float by faster. I highly recommend these four CDs even if you just know a handful of the songs.

John Barry has been composing film scores for over forty years and this is only scratching the surface of his productions. Never mind that the entire set is recorded by the Prague Philharmonic; it's pure to Barry's themes. While John Williams compositions ("Star Wars", etc.) are wild and flamboyant and Jerry Goldsmith's (Hoosier's, etc.) are mood pieces, John Barry crosses over all barriers and is amazingly diverse. Barry has recorded most of the exciting James Bond themes, melodramatic classics like "The Lion In Winter' and moody theme hits like "Midnight Cowboy". He also tugs at the heartstrings with compositions from, "Somewhere In Time", "Frances" and "Out Of Africa". He varies his themes for all types of films and few composers capture it so well.

There is over four hours of music in this set with a colorful and informative booklet.

First, the good points.

John Barry's amazing music - which is hard to mess up.

The music choices are excellent - rather than the obvious main themes, sometimes the far more expressive and moving minor moments from soundtracks are chosen, giving the collection more of a sense of continuity and making it very moving.

But there are bad points too.

Sadly - this orchestra are not up to playing the music very well. It often sounds like they are just reading the music and rehearsing, rather than really feeling it and blending instruments like on the originals. It feels a little cheaply-made and amateur in places - although it does improve as the CDs move towards Barry's later work.

Overall, I am sad to say that I think this collection does a disservice to Barry's amazing work, by making it sound plodding and pedestrian in places, when the originals were anything but.

This collection of four compact discs...are worth their weight in GOLD! Barry creates visual moods for each film he scores...romantic, sentimental, action, adventure, suspense and mystery...the list could go on. Strings, brass and lush-velvet arrangements overlay each cue in his distinctive style of legendary scoring...we have ~ "John Barry:The Collection", Silva Screen's release traces 40 years of film music, featuring "The City Of Prague Philarmonic Orchestra" ~ conducted by Mr. Nic Raine (outstanding)..."Crouch End Festival Chorus" ~ David Temple, Choir Master...perform 56 selections, over four hours of symphonic suites with a full orchestra sound...all individually wrapped-up into one neat package...just the way "film-score-buffs" like 'em!

Must ask the following to take a bow ~ James Fitzpatrick (compilation producer), always in their pitching, Reynold da Silva (executive producer), Nic Raine (conductor, arranger, orchestrator & associate producer), a tremen!dous asset to every project he undertakes...and the man who made it all possible...a legendary icon always leading the way in film scoring ~ JOHN BARRY!

Total Time: 258:76 on 56 Tracks ~ SSD-1128 ~ (2001)

You might try other albums from Silva Screen, all worthy of a good listen ~ "The Essential James Bond" (SSD-1034)..."Bond:Back In Action" (SSD-1100)..."Bond:Back In Action 2" (SSD-1119)..."Zulu" (SSD-1095)..."Raise The Titanic" (SSD-1102)..."Walkabout" (SSD-1120)...check out my reviews on amazon.com/music.

Buy it for the Persuaders theme, probably the best TV theme song ever written.

Granted, they only need it for one composition (the last one, "The James Bond Theme") but still, without the guitar it's just not the same. Barry didn't compose this one so I suppose it was a bonus and I shouldn't complain, really. The rest of the music on all the CDs is fantastic. Some of the stuff I had heard before without realizing who had composed it. Very enjoyable, to say the least.

great cd and it makes a great gift for those who can appreciate his james bond themed music

I got this album for my wife as a Yule present. I got the idea from one particular tune, Walt Disney's The Black Hole Theme. She has played the tunes and liked it a lot, especially since many of these are themes of films that were not familiar to her and so represented something different from what she had been used to.

Too late I realized these were a new recording by an unrelated Orchestra - is NOT under the direction of John Barry. If you heard and LOVED how the originals sounded - and I am referring here to the James Bond themes which I am most familiar with, then you will be disappointed. Technically well done here but pacing, the nuance, etc. of the originals is missing. How sad! So now will remember to buy the actual _soundtrack_ albums if I want to come away with the "motion picture" experience of the original scores...
Stu Aull
Alaska