John Barry-Something’s Up! Film, TV and Studio Work 1964-1967.
Label: Ace.
Format: CD.
Release Date: 27th September 2024.
By 1967, composer and conductor John Barry was enjoying a golden era in a career that began in 1957. He had come a long way in a short space of time and already written the soundtrack to four James Bond films and won two Academy Awards for Born Free in 1966. For the thirty-four year old it was just the start.
During a long and illustrious career, Barry won six Academy Awards, a Granny, a BAFTA and a Golden Globe Award. He had come a long way from the early part of his life spent working in the cinemas his father owned in the North of England. However, both of Barry’s parents would influence him in later life.
John Barry Prendergast was born on the ‘3rd’ of November 1933, in York, Yorkshire, in England. He was the youngest of four children and came from a musical family. His mother was a classical pianist, and while he was educated at St Peter’s School, York, he received composition lessons from composer Francis Jackson who was the director music at York Minster. This stood him in good stead during a career spent composing for television and film.
This love of film began when Barry worked in the cinemas his father owned. He had started life as a projectionist during cinema’s silent era. Little did his father realise when his son started working for him that one day, his son would be composing for some of the biggest films on the silver screen.
Later, Barry would say that his childhood interests influenced not just his tastes, but his interests. This included a lifelong love affair with cinema.
Before embarking upon a musical career, Barry was called up for his national service. The two years he spent in the British Army were spent playing the trumpet. He also took a correspondence course with American jazz composer William Russo. Already Barry was thinking how he was going to spend his life?
After completing his national service, he worked as an arranger for Jack Parnell and Ted Heath’s orchestras. However, in 1957 The John Barry Seven was formed and they went on to enjoy seven hit singles on EMI’s Columbia label. The hit singles included Hit and Miss which became the theme tune to the BBC TV series Juke Box Jury.
By 1959, Barry was working as an arranger for a number of artists signed to EMI. This included the Three Barry Sisters and Adam Faith. However, later that year Barry’s breakthrough came.
He had been asked to compose the theme to Drumbeat, a BBC TV program that the corporation hoped would be a rival and compete with ITV’s Oh Boy. Although only twenty-two episodes were aired, the program launched the career of Faith and Barry.
In 1960, Barry composed the score for Beat Girl, which was Faith’s first film. When the music was later released it became the first ever British soundtrack album.
Later in 1960, Barry composed the score to another Faith film, Never Let Go. The two men were reunited two years later.
1962 was a busy year for Barry. The twenty-nine year old composer wrote the score for Never Let Go, which featured Faith. Then Barry orchestrated the score for Mix Me a Person and composed, arranged and conducted the score for The Amorous Prawn. By then, he his star was already in the ascendancy.
That was why when producers of Dr. No, the first James Bond film, were unhappy with Monty Norman’s theme and Noel Rogers, the head of music at United Artists contacted Barry. He came up with a new version of The James Bond Theme, which was still credited to Monty Norman. However, he wasn’t asked to work on From Russia With Love. That honour fell to Barry.
He composed the score for eleven of the next fourteen James Bond films, during a relationship that lasted twenty-five years. This also included 1964s Goldfinger, 1965s Thunderball and You Only Live Twice which was released in 1967. By then, Barry’s career as television and film composer was burgeoning.
Three years earlier, in 1964, Barry had written the score to Zulu which was directed by Cy Endfield.
The following years, 1965 the thirty-two year old composer wrote the soundtrack to the espionage film, The Ipcress File, which starred Michael Caine. It won a BAFTA Award for the Best British film released in 1965. However, the following year was a game-changer for John Barry.
In 1966, Born Free, the British drama produced by Sam Jaffe and Paul Radin was released. The score was written by Barry, who was nominated for two Academy Awards. This included Best Original Score and Best Original Song. For thirty-three year old Barry this was the biggest achievement of his career.
For many critics and cultural commentators, he was at the peak of his powers. A reminder of his early work features on ‘John Barry-Something’s Up! Film, TV and Studio Work 1964-1967,’ which will be released by Ace on ‘27th’ September 2024. It features twenty-five tracks by John Barry.
Opening the compilation is ‘The Syndicate’ by John Barry and His Orchestra. He produced the track and cowrote it with Trevor Peacock. The track originally featured on the cast album of ‘Passion Flower Hotel’ in 1965. Then it was released as a single in 1966. It has a big, bold, brassy and dynamic sound that typifies mid-sixties British soundtrack albums.
‘Troubadour’ was recorded by Barry in 1964 and released on United Artists as the B-Side of ‘Goldfinger’ single. The track finds Barry moving from the production side to bandleader, on this atmospheric track that’s a hidden gem from his back-catalogue.
‘A Man Alone’ featured on the soundtrack to the film adaptation of Len Deighton’s The Ipcress File. It’s one of the highlights of the soundtrack and was released as a single in 1965. Atmospheric and cinematic, it brings to life the characters in what was without doubt one of Deighton’s finest spy thrillers. On the B-Side was the cinematic sounding ‘Barbara’s Theme.’ Barry’s arrangement with vibes and strings has a wistful sound and was too good a track to be relegated to the B-Side.
Three of the best known tracks on the compilation are Barry’s themes from the James Bond franchise. This includes ‘Goldfinger’ from his 1966 album ‘The Sounds Of John Barry.’ It’s without doubt, one of the best know of Barry’s Bond themes. The second Bond theme is ‘Thunderball,’ which was the fourth Bond film. It also featured on ‘John Barry Conducts His Great Movie Hits,’ which was released in 1967. ‘You Only Live Twice’ featured former Edinburgh milkman turned secret agent, Sean Connery. Again, Barry composed the soundtrack, and the unmistakable title-track was released as a single.
Barry composed the soundtrack to two comedies set in swinging London that were directed by Richard Lester. The first was The Knack …and How to Get It which was released in 1965. Barry’s string-drenched arrangement on ‘The Knack’ featured harmonies and Hammond organ, and was one of the highlights of the soundtrack. Two years later, in 1967, he composed the soundtrack to Something’s Up! Initially, the title-track is understated but becomes dramatic and later, almost menacing showcases Barry’s considerable talents as a composer of soundtracks.
In 1966, the BBC launched a new crime drama, Vendetta. Barry composed the music. The title-track is dramatic, moody and atmospheric. CBS released the ‘Danny Scipio Theme’ as a single in 1966, but it wasn’t a commercial success. It has an equally dramatic sound but the arrangement is slower and spacious.
Closing the compilation is the iconic ‘Theme from Born Free.’ The film was released in 1966 and Barry won two Academy Awards. This included the Academy Award for Best Original Score and the Best Song. Barry was about to enjoy one of the most successful periods of his long career.
For anyone yet to discover the delights of Barry’s music then this new compilation is a good place to start. ‘John Barry-Something’s Up! Film, TV and Studio Work 1964-1967’ and a previous compilation released by Ace, ‘The More Things Change-Film, TV and Studio Work 1968-1973 By John Barry. These tow compilations will be the start of a voyage of discovery through the work of one of the greatest composers of his generation.
Sadly, John Barry died on the ’30th’ January 2011, aged just seventy-two, in Oyster Bay, New York. However, the award-winning York born composer left behind a rich and eclectic musical legacy that includes the tracks on ‘John Barry-Something’s Up! Film, TV and Studio Work 1964-1967’ which are a reminder of a musical master craftsman at the peak of powers.
John Barry-Something’s Up! Film, TV and Studio Work 1964-1967.
