I know you probably never expected me to say this, but let's redirect our attention to a composer we haven't recognized in awhile. Mr. John Barry. His music is incredible, it transcends time. I just ordered two score albums online, The Beyondness of Things and Raise the Titanic. Having heard samples of these albums, I was once again pulled into the swirling mysticism Barry creates. His sound is so detectable, yet as similar as his music sounds, it's all so different.

I figured this might be a good change in topic for everyone, especially for you and me, SFT. =) Let's have some fun.

~Jeron

Well, I'm definitely not a John Barry expert, but the scores I do have I'd definitely recommend. If I were you, I'd try out a James Bond score or two... for variety, maybe The Living Daylights and Octop.u.s.s.y. Those two can be found as Ryko re-releases and their sound is outstanding. Varese also features a few re-recording of Barry's work. Of those, I'd recommend checking out Out of Africa and Somewhere in Time. They are very elegant scores, and Somewhere in Time has been argued to be one of the most romantic of all time (that's not why I purchased it).

I recently purchased (as I said) his cd, The Beyondness of Things and the Silva re-recording of Raise the Titanic. Both are excellent! I'd recommend you read the review for Raise the Titanic at Filmtracks.com. Here's the link:

http://www.filmtracks.com/titles/raise_titanic.html

Sound clips from The Beyondness of Things can be found at Tower Records. Here the link for that:

http://www.towerrecords.com/product.asp?pfid=1507555#ra

I do agree, it takes a certain kind of temperment to truly enjoy his style. While I'm used to Goldsmith, Williams, Horner, Arnold, Elfman, Zimmer, etc... Barry has been around just as long as the first three (I listed) and has a very contrasting style that sometimes serves as a nice "vacation" from the others.

One thing that Barry does that might annoy some people, is his repetitiveness. While, yes, it is fairly easy to pick up, I've come to accept that in his style. I haven't heard a score yet that he's composed which didn't work incredibly well on film and extraordinary on cd. If you've got ICQ or AOL, lemme know - I'd be happy to toss you some samples.

In the meantime, lemme know what you think about the review and the samples I've provided.

~Jeron

"Across the Sea of Time" is an actual film score. The "original" work you are seeking is called "The Beyondness of Things" and it is rumored that some of his work for "The Horse Whisperer" is on that album. I just ordered it, and I think there is a link to the cd @ Tower Records on one of my posts above. As for "Across the Sea of Time," well, I haven't heard that score, but I'm sure it's probably good. Another one I'd suggest is "Swept from the Sea". I hope this helps.

Can anyone recommend "The Scarlett Letter"?

By the way, those were only my feelings about the movie. A lot of people really like it and find it to be a great, romantic movie. It seems that me and my friend at work are really the only two who didn't like it. We just thought it was kinda stupid.

NP: "Star Trek: First Contact" - Jerry Goldsmith

Here are the Barry scores I own, with a few comments.

Cry, The Beloved Country:
A very nice score, which I bought after The Scarlet Letter. I wanted more of his work and this was a good choice. Big, gorgeous main theme, highly recommended for Barry fans.

Moviola:
My only Barry compilation. Take a look at the track listing; includes music from Walkabout, Mary Queen Of Scots, Frances, and other rare lesser known works. These are magnificent rerecordings at their best. The mix of music on this release is really excellent; a must have for Barry fans.

Out Of Africa:
Nothing need be said, except that it's a classic and contains one of the most beautiful, sweeping themes ever written for the screen.

The Scarlett Letter:
Jeron wants a recommendation for this; that's easy to make. This is IMHO way up there with his very best romantic/dramatic scores. It opens with some almost mystical tracks (really fantastic) and works its way to the magnificent Love Theme. There are chorals, dramatic cues, various treatments of the Love Theme; this is my favorite Barry score and is an absolute must have.

So basically, liking Barry's music is an all or nothing go. If you like his style, you'll be in heaven because there's ALOT of stuff to listen to... which simply further's the whole John Barry experience.

Someone tell me if this seems on track: When listening to a John Barry score, it seems as if he's just furthering an idea he had from his previous. I'd almost dare say you could take ALL of his scores and make a fairly seamless suite (though the length of it would be incredibly long).

The one thing I do think John Barry has done is maintain a consistent style. If you listen to one of his scores from the 80's, you'll notice very little difference in his approach in the 90's. I find that interesting... call it uncreativeness? I'd say he's just very secure in his methods.

I dunno... that's just my take. Any thoughts?

~Jeron

I took your advice and picked up "The Scarlett Letter." Wow, you were right. I mean, everything I said above (in my last post) applies to this score, but it's yet another AWESOME variation on what Barry does best.

What startled me was the "Main Title." When I played the cd in my car, that weird composition came on... and I was like... "What the hell?!, this isn't Barry!!" It actually turned me off to the score initially. And then I began to read the small print, and realized that indeed, it wasn't John Barry. They had brought in two other composers to do some of the introductory music, and I'm really confused as to why.

Anyways, the theme for "The Scarlett Letter" is great. I love what Barry tries to convey emotionally with this score. It really gets to me. There are also a couple secondary themes that are excellent as well, like the "The Round-up" theme, which vaguelly reminds me of "Dances With Wolves."

Regardless, thanks for the recommendation. It was definitely worth it.

~Jeron

Now, the Barry music I love to revisit often is the stuff from the 60s. Oh boy, this is it. Groovy when it needs to be, sly when it needs to be, it's all kinds of things when it needs to be. The Knack, The Chase, King Rat, The Ipcress File. Great scores. Not your run-of-the-mill Barry orchestral sweeps - very different.

Great topic!

PeterK

NP - "The Horse Whisperer" by Thomas Newman

Hey! I'm gonna have to make this short because I'm getting ready for school, but I do have "Cry! The Beloved Country" and think it is great. I agree with your opinions on the tracks you mentioned. I'm not sure if you noticed it, but in the track "The Train to Johannesburg," Barry revisits his theme from "Zulu," another one of his great scores. The original is a very powerfully rendered theme, but when it's used in "Cry!," it's very soft and sensible. The funny thing is, is that the quotation from the other movie isn't even astrick'd and labeled as using that theme! Weird stuff.

Definitely check it out. If you'd like a sample MP3 of Zulu, lemme know. You'll really see what I'm talking about once you hear it.

Off to school I go!
~Jeron