Film composer John Barry, who died yesterday aged 77, remains an inspiration to many. We look at some of his finest work, from Beat Girl to Bond
Already a successful band leader, with the John Barry Seven, the movie world was introduced to the composer when he provided the music to Beat Girl, a movie starring his friend Adam Faith. The result was the first soundtrack album to warrant a UK release, the launch of a five times Oscar-winning film career for Barry, one of the first examples of rock music being incorporated into film scores and, best of all, a killer, world-class opening title sequence.
Barry won two Oscars for his astounding work on Born Free, one for the soundtrack and the other for his collaboration with lyricist Don Black for the classic Matt Monro title song. Amazingly, this signature tune, a chart topper even in cover versions by Roger Williams and a surprisingly faithful Vic Reeves almost didn't make the final cut.
It's impossible to discuss Barry's legacy without mentioning his music for the James Bond films. Uncredited for his work on Dr No (the source of some controversy for years) Barry's music quickly became synonymous with Bond. When it was time for Connery to be replaced by George Lazenby, it was up to Barry to deliver a score that would reassure audiences that, despite appearances, as this Bond clearly wasn't "the other fella", it was still business as usual for 007. His score for On Her Majesty's Secret Service is perhaps his finest Bond work, how could this be anything other than a Bond film when it had music like this?
Back in the 60s and 70s, television made full use of artists and technicians from the film world. For the Roger Moore and Tony Curtis ITC series The Persuaders, Barry delivered one of his most memorable pieces. There's no feeling that this is a second-tier work; you hired Barry you got the full Barry experience. It's a testament to how he never went for the obvious; the show was a light a frothy romp concerning two bickering playboys getting into japes and scrapes across Europe, the theme music provides all the depth. It's an emotive slice of melancholia that manages to sound both wistfully nostalgic and adventurous.
Movies don't always turn out as expected. Barry was often associated with films that didn't perform as well as expected either financially or artistically. Films such as The Game of Death, King Kong, Somewhere in Time, The Specialist, The White Buffalo and many others. Whatever shortcomings these films suffered, Barry's work on them is seldom, if ever, criticised. On one occasion, though, enough was enough. Hired to deliver the score to what he was told would be a big budget Italian science-fiction film called Starcrash, the producers hid the low budget by having him score to grainy black-and-white footage. Less than pleased (to say the least) when he saw his great work accompanying Star Wars rip-off imagery, Barry re-orchestrated the score and reused it for Out of Africa, salvaging one of his best pieces and earning himself another Oscar in the process.
It's no big shock that a musician responsible for many memorable and catchy tunes would appeal to sample-hungry musicians. Fatboy Slim's Rockafeller Skank, Sneaker Pimps' 6 Underground, Chapterhouse's Mesmerise, House of Pain's Legend, Smoke City's Underwater Love and many others have ridden in on Barry's coat tails. My favourite bit of Barry sampling has to be the Beta Band's It's Not Too Beautiful, an appropriation of his sterling work for The Black Hole. When Barry's music comes tearing in it pushes everything else out. This isn't a sample to be built on or competed with, rather the song just fades away and admits defeat. The first time I heard this it took me completely by surprise, I thought something had broken in my brain.
As sad as his passing is, Barry has not left us without making his mark (to say the least). There are few composers, in any field of music, as immediately identifiable as Barry. There are, of course, many other noteworthy examples of his work; The Ipcress File, Mary Queen of Scots, Zulu, Dances With Wolves, Walkabout, Midnight Cowboy, The Lion in Winter, Chaplin. His soundtracks provided the backing to our lives as much as they did to the films he scored (no exaggeration), his music is everywhere and always will be.
sarah silverman conan o\'brien craig ferguson oprah winfrey ellen degeneres
No comments:
Post a Comment