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What John Barry score do you listen to the most?

AtlantisAtlantis
in Music Posts: 14
Hello MI6 friends,
I think it would be fair to say we each own and enjoy the music of the late great genius John Barry.

I have listened to his music for many years now, and haven't found a score I didn't enjoy. (Or any of his fantastic early work with The JB Seven!)

My question to you is regarding his Bond scores. We have our favourites, sure, but when listening to the albums, what are the ones you enjoy the most as a whole?
For example, I dearly love the Octopussy soundtrack, but feel OHMSS hangs together better as an entire album.

Obviously Barry wasn't writing albums, so it wouldn't be fair to judge too seriously in this way, but I'm just curious to what people are drawn to put on.
Or do you indeed put albums on at all in this modern digital age, where it is so easy to compile our favourites onto our MP3 players?

I am from a generation that bought and listened to CDs, otherwise now known as a dinosaur!

Anyway, thoughts?

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Comments

  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    I'd probably say Moonraker. It's just so fantastic.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    I am ashamed to say I don't own any soundtracks. But I will rectify that with this new year! I know a dear friend loved DAF's soundtrack, listened to it often (though he loved MR soundtrack, too) and indeed enjoyed the music in it a whole lot more than the film (he owned all the soundtracks). I do think YOLT's soundtrack is gorgeous.
  • ZekidkZekidk
    Posts: 3,276
    MR/YOLT
  • AtlantisAtlantis
    Posts: 14
    Yes, Moonraker does actually flow very well as a whole album.
    There are pieces from certain albums I love, like the orchestral theme from AVTAK, but as an album, I don't listen to it as often.
    Thunderball works, as a kind of early evening cocktail exotica thing, which you would find at my pad on a sunny eve!
  • ggl007ggl007 www.archivo007.com Spain, España
    Posts: 2,541
    TB and OHMSS.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    OHMSS and on vinyl not nasty digital formats.
  • patbpatb
    Posts: 4,617
    After being out of commission for over a decade, I recently had my turntable fully serviced and back in action. OHMSS on vinyl is just stunning
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,800
    I think Somewhere In Time & DAF are my most listened-to Barry soundtracks.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    OHMSS & TLD (I can never tire of these two - pure genius nearly 20 years apart). These are my top two. I have them on rotate in my car.

    Runner up is TB (outstanding too but a little slower and dreamier than the above two)

    OP & DAF round out my favourites, but they sit below the top 3 above.

    The man created outstanding melodies that one can never get fed up with. Words cannot describe how great he was. I don't buy that movies today do not allow for this kind of composing. Rather, I suggest that his level of genius just does not exist today. It's not a knock on the others, but they are pedestrian compared to Barry.

  • JohnBarryFanJohnBarryFan
    Posts: 1,405
    His 3 best IMO are OHMSS, AVTAK and TLD.
    I'm very selective, I have only about 350 songs in my IPhone and those 3 soundtracks are in there.
  • andmcitandmcit
    Posts: 1,068
    JohnBarryFan wrote: »
    His 3 best IMO are OHMSS, AVTAK and TLD.
    I'm very selective, I have only about 350 songs in my IPhone and those 3 soundtracks are in there.


    Yes totally me here with this too.- add in TSWLM and MR not far behind. I can never tire of Barry
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,800
    andmcit wrote: »
    Yes totally me here with this too.- add in TSWLM
    Ummmm... uhh.....
  • andmcitandmcit
    Posts: 1,068
    Yes OK know what you're getting at, but this is due in no small part to seeing TSWLM as my first cinema Bond. It's special to me for this reason!
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,800
    andmcit wrote: »
    Yes OK know what you're getting at, but this is due in no small part to seeing TSWLM as my first cinema Bond. It's special to me for this reason!
    No prob, it was my 4th first run cinema Bond.
    ;)
  • Crazysoul95Crazysoul95
    Posts: 3,336
    OHMSS and TLD.
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    OHMSS
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    MR - DAF - OHMSS - YOLT - TLD
  • Alan007Alan007
    Posts: 406
    OHMSS, DAF, TLD, OP
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    OHMSS appears to be the winner.
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    I like the Deep, King Kong, Out of Africa, midnight cowboy, dances of Wolves and my favorites of the 007 variety are FRWL, OHMSS & MR
  • doubleohdaddoubleohdad
    Posts: 1,146
    OHMSS the most, but also listen to TB, FRWL, YOLT and GF. I also am a big fan of the Thunderball suite in the double CD set a few years ago.
    He can make me think of being underwater with merely a harp.

    Magic.
  • fromswedenwithlovefromswedenwithlove
    edited January 2015 Posts: 654
    OHMSS and TLD are the ones for me, but I have the scores on vinyl.
  • AtlantisAtlantis
    Posts: 14
    That's great, but my thread refers to John Barry soundtracks only.
    Looks like OHMSS is a popular choice here, rightly so.
    There is so much gold amongst Barry's work, it is hard to choose.

    Slightly off topic, anyone else love his Somewhere In Time soundtrack as much as me?
    It is one if the most romantic pieces of music ever recorded in my opinion.
  • doubleohdaddoubleohdad
    edited January 2015 Posts: 1,146
    Atlantis wrote: »
    That's great, but my thread refers to John Barry soundtracks only.

    Wait, TLD is a Barry score. I have this baby as well. Some fantastic, moody work for that film.

    The casino piece for OHMSS is just beautiful.
  • AtlantisAtlantis
    Posts: 14
    Sorry, my mistake. I read TLD as LTK!
    Yes, it's a strong entry.
    OHMSS ticks many boxes.
    Barry included the use of synths in a very musical manner without ever losing the human touch.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Barry is all about compositional clarity & finesse. The opposite of a blunt instrument. Delicate to the ears, but timeless. The way he integrated the Moog synthesizer on OHMSS is just amazing.

    For those who haven't got it, I recommend "The Music of James Bond" by Jon Burlingame. An outstanding read with a wealth of behind the scenes information. You really get to understand the process of making movie music for Bond.
  • AtlantisAtlantis
    Posts: 14
    It's a must have book for any Barry fan. Glad to here someone else loved it as much as me.
    You used the word "timeless" and that is key to Barry's work.
    It is one if the things that sets him apart from the others that followed.
    His scores have never dated like Conti, Arnold, Kamen or Martin.
    In fact many if his key themes are regarded with the same sense of wonder as those of the classical greats.
  • CrabKeyCrabKey
    Posts: 1,993
    CR and TLD
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,351
    All of them. ;)
  • ThomasCrown76ThomasCrown76 Augusta, ks
    Posts: 757
    Dances with wolves is my favorite
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