From Russia With Love John Barry

• 1 Opening Titles Medley: James Bond Is Back/From Russia With Love/James Bond Theme 02:28
• 2 Tania Meets Klebb 01:29
• 3 Meeting In St. Sophia 01:08
• 4 The Golden Horn 02:26
• 5 Girl Trouble 02:26
• 6 Bond Meets Tania 01:20
• 7 007 02:48
• 8 Gypsy Camp 01:18
• 9 Death Of Grant 02:01
• 10 From Russia With Love 02:34
• 11 Spectre Island 01:16
• 12 Guitar Lament 01:11
• 13 Man Overboard - Smersh In Action 02:19
• 14 James Bond WIth Bongos 02:32
• 15 Stalking 02:05
• 16 Leila Dances 01:57
• 17 Death Of Kerin 02:31
• 18 007 Takes The Lektor 03:02
• Total Runtime 36:51

Info for From Russia With Love

Exciting, symphonic and instantly hummable, From Russia With Love's score is nothing short of a masterpiece. The opening theme sets the tone, beginning with a brash staccato version of the James Bond theme before suddenly sliding into a smooth swagger. John Barry keeps doing that same thing throughout the soundtrack, setting up expectations then knocking them down.

„The first James Bond soundtrack composed from beginning to end by John Barry, From Russia With Love set the pattern for the score of every movie that followed in the series -- except for the title song (sung by Matt Munro) which, in this particular instance, was the least impressive element of the soundtrack. In later releases, the producers would see the value of getting singers perceived as a little more on the cutting edge of popular music in one way or another, and they would gain some major hits as a result. However, in this case it was the instrumental music that was among the most startling and unusual ever heard in a film score up to that time, beginning with "007," a horn-driven piece with a driving beat. (New versions of "007" would end up in two of the next three Bond movies as well as several more that followed.) The other highlight of this flavorful soundtrack was "Girl Trouble," a suspense theme that played off the dynamics of a solo cello, strings, and horns in a relentless beat; this piece was so inspiring as action music that a big chunk of it was used as the opening and closing theme of a local news show in New York for decades. Everything on this album sounded special in one way or another -- whether the actual music or the dynamics and timbres involved -- and although it never yielded a hit single, From Russia With Love deservedly remained in print for decades on vinyl.“ (Bruce Eder, AMG)

Recorded in March 1963 at CTS Studios, London, England

Digitally remastered

John Barry
Jazz man, Hollywood legend, Yorkshire lad. John Barry was all of these but it is for his film music, especially his soundtracks for the James Bond films, that he is most often remembered. His cascades of lyrical strings, syncopated jazz rhythms and smooth shifts of harmony would become the inimitable sound of 007. But Barry was born far from the glamour of Hollywood in York, England. His father, Jack Xavier Prendergast, ran a chain of local cinemas and the young composer gained his first experience of working in the film industry by helping out as a projectionist: one of his earliest memories was of watching Mickey Mouse on the big screen in black and white.

Encouraged by his father, also a jazz fan, Barry took lessons on piano and trumpet, learning how to arrange jazz with Bill Russo, a one-time arranger for Stan Kenton's orchestra. He gained further experience of playing as a bandsman while on national service with the army, and formed his own ensemble, The John Barry Seven, which went on to record several pop hits during the late 50s and 60s, including Hit and Miss, the theme for TV's Juke Box Jury. With its glittering brass and smooth strings, Barry's sound encapsulates the glamour of his swinging sixties lifestyle. As part of the celebrity circuit, Barry mingled with Michael Caine - he would write the film score for Zulu - and Terence Stamp, and married the actress Jane Birkin.

Collaborations with Adam Faith lead to chart success with Barry's arrangement of 'What Do You Want?' and music for the film Beat Girl (1960). But it was Barry's work as an arranger for Monty Norman on Dr No in 1962 that would mark the first of his 11 scores for the Bond films. Disputes between Barry and Norman over the ownership of the Bond theme sparked a court case between them, with Norman suing Barry over his claims that the Bond theme was his. When he first saw Dr No, Barry thought it was satire, and took Bond's character lightly, but he would go on to create the golden-age 007 sound. It was also during this early period that Barry wrote some of his most memorable scores, winning an Oscar for his languid, country jazz in Midnight Cowboy, and two further Oscars for Born Free in 1966.

On a work trip to California, Barry made Los Angeles his home. After spending nearly a year working out of the Beverly Hills Hotel, he settled on the West Coast. Later, with his second wife, Laurie, Barry moved to Oyster Bay, New York, where he would continue to attract Hollywood interest, winning an Oscar score for his music for Out of Africa, as well as working on big-budget psychological thrillers, such as Body Heat, starring Kathleen Turner and and William Hurt, and the mid-80s box-office hit Jagged Edge, starring Glenn Close and Jeff Bridges. For Barry, film music was about getting 'the smell' of a film right. But in later life he also worked away from film, producing moody stand-alone albums for Decca including The Beyondness of Things and Eternal Echoes. In the late 1990s he found a niche in the concert hall, conducting his own works, while composer David Arnold took over from Barry as the Bond composer. (Source: www.sinfinimusic.com)

This album contains no booklet.