Track Listing

1. James Bond Theme - Barry, John Seven
2. Goldfinger - Bassey, Shirley
3. Midnight Cowboy
4. Out Of Africa (I Had A Farm In Africa)
5. John Dunbar Theme
6. You Only Live Twice - Sinatra, Nancy
7. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
8. Ipcress File
9. View To A Kill - Duran Duran
10. Girl With The Sun In Her Hair - Barry, John Orchestra
11. 007
12. Zulu - Barry, John & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
13. Knack
14. Chaplin
15. Lion In Winter
16. Moviola
17. Persuaders
18. Seance On A Wet Afternoon
19. Born Free - Monro, Matt
20. Thunderball - Jones, Tom
21. Somewhere In Time - Williams, Roger (1)
22. Beyondness Of Things - English Chamber Orchestra
23. We Have All The Time In The World - Armstrong, Louis
24. Diamonds Are Forever - Bassey, Shirley

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6298 in Music
• Released on: 2007-03-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Customer Reviews

The best John Barry compilation to date
There have been many Barry compilation albums over the years, so why do we need another, and is this any better than those that have gone before ?

Quite simply this is the most definitive best of album to date showcasing Barry's music. It appears wherever possible, the original recordings of his compositions are presented, and where this isn't possible Barry's excellent 60s Columbia and 90s Moviola re- recordings have been plundered instead. In fact, the only non Barry recording is surprisingly You Only Live Twice.

All the oscar winners are here - Born Free, The Lion in Winter (original recording), Out of Africa and Dances with Wolves. And the album comes almost bang up to date with the inclusion of The Beyondness of Things, taken from his non filmic album of tone poems of the same name. On top of this, Barry's excursions into the world of TV advertising are represented by The Girl With The Sun In Her hair, from the Sunsilk commercials, plus his mother of all TV themes that is The Persuaders.

I have to disagree with the first reviewer's comments concerning Somewhere in Time, and to seemingly knock off two stars for this seems very harsh. The version included is a seamlessly arranged suite of all the major cues from Barry's score, beautifully played by The Royal Philharmonic and sumptuously recorded. The suite builds until finally we reach the main theme, with the RPO players, under the baton of Barry, delivering a heart achingly emotional performance.

John Barry is arguably the finest film composer of our time, and for those not familar with his work, this album represents the very best introduction to a timeless genius.

surpasses expectations
I have a lot of John Barry CDs and could probably compile this CD from my music collection. However a true John Barry compilation does not come out that often and I decided to purchase this item.

It has surpassed my expectations and is a useful addition to any John Barry fan's collection. 24 great tracks. In view of the previous review I thought it would not contain Somewhere in Time but actually it does, although the main recognisable theme does not kick in for approx 5 minutes on track 21. Still the track's almost 9 minutes long and I don't think a John Barry fan will be that disappointed.

The Very Best Of John Barry
The Very Best of John Barry
Well - I am a collector of John Barry's music for many years - even from the vinyl days.
This album contains many re-recordings from older CBS album's - LP's or CD's - and from newer albums as well.
But I think Sony/Columbia did not do the work as good as they normally do.
Track 1 is the James Bond Theme from Dr. No stated as performed by the John Barry Seven & Orchestra and from 1962. This is in fact the re-recording from the late 1960's, wich are on albums like The Film Music of John Barry - Columbia CK44376 - and other albums from CBS/Columbia. It has nothing to do with the recording made in 1962 with the John Barry Seven at EMI - at the time the movie was issued.
The Main Title song from You Only Live Twice with Nancy Sinatra is the re-recording made in USA with arrangement and orchestra conducted by Billy Strange.
The Main Title song from Thunderball with Tom Jones sounds like the re-recorded single version issued on Decca label in 1965. It is not bad but it is not right, as it is stated as the recording from United Artists. Beside the above the booklet could have been much better with some informations about John Barry and the recordings.
This album is not bad if buy John Barry for the first time, but for collector it is disappointing and with nothing new under the sun.
CBS/Columbia did a much better job on The Best Of John Barry - Themeology - Columbia 488582-2 - wich is similar and with some of the same recordings.
I will keep the album, - but try again Sony/Columbia - you can do it better.