A magnificent achievement, Neo, in honour of a magnificent music-maker!
In what is likely to be my final contribution to this thread I can say that whilst I do not have the affinity for Across The Sea Of Time - I've never seen the film nor been to New York - I thoroughly enjoy the score but, for me, it pales in comparison to his last score: the truly magnificent Enigma. Maybe it won't be his last score but if it is ... I'm happy to confirm that he ended with a truly evocative, thoroughly enjoyable - and highly effective - work. I love it!
I have no exposure to Brighton Rock ... more's the pity, perhaps one day something will be available. As for his two non-score albums, I've said before that whilst these works don't strike me as quickly as his film scores I find each gets better with every play. Perfect to return to time and again and whilst the first is perhaps more interesting/involving than the second, that's just the way it is. I'm aware that the second album was going to involve vocals (I have a recording of Mr. Barry suggesting something like this) ... I think I'm more than happy with the CD which appeared.
And with 4.5 hrs to go - UK GMT - I'll be early and wish Mr. Barry a happy 76th birthday.
While we pondered for quite an elongated spell vis-a-vis whether this original appreciation a few years ago should be generally resurrected to specifically commemorate his latest birthday celebration, we decided to do so since there's probably been a considerable number of new Barryites who weren't around when it was first unveiled.
We apologize in advance time didn't allow the necessary updating, polishing, removing of no-longer extant invaluable YouTubers and links now deactivated, but we will do so at some future point so it reads as smoothly as it once did.
And again our profound appreciation for all those wonderfully-insightful, gracefully informed peers who so sincerely and selflessly shared their invaluable impressions.
Still, hopefully there's enough of meaty merit to sate the appetite and curiosity of even the most avid appreciator of the man who may not be Mozart but so what?
He'll always be OUR Number Uno mo'om pitcher Mozart.
Several years ago, I attended one of his 'by popular demand' concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. There was alot of atmosphere. The thing I remember more than anything else is that it was a marathon of a concert. He packed in an almost impossible amount for an evening's worth. It was during the period when he was doing The Beyondness Of Things with the London Chamber Orchestra, if memory serves. He was very generous and totally giving. A fantastic bloke.
This guy started my love for film music, and gave me plenty of ear candy through my first year in college. That was 2008, and I'm still in love with your music.
I'm gonna celebrate today in some way, maybe get a cigar or 2 in college
And imma' spend the whole day listening to your music on the ipod
1965: Our first incredible introduction to Bondage (and while that jet-pack admittedly ain’t got a helluva whole lot to do with spying, we thot it was the KOOLEST dang thing we’d ever seen); that fight sequence with dynamic Bob Simmons does for us what “Goldfinger”’s opening usually does for everyone else…
Two years later, extraordinarily beautiful and evocative score John came up with for this – so utterly unlike anything that’d come before – literally took our breath away and catapulted our general infatuation with his marvelous music into specific affection:
To say nothing of sequences like this (with that GORgeous pullaway shot):
Not to mention this bravissimo one
A year after that, our first play, “After the Resurrection”, was performed in Philadelphia (which, hubris immaturely unbridled, we wrote/directed/played the leading role AND got to kiss the girl. HooHA!!! ) in where we liberally introduced the initially-gospel-Motown oriented church-goers to several cuts from this
(Afterwhich every durn body wanted to know “Who did that music and where can we get it?!”
Then ending the catastrophic 60s with our all-tyme favorite Barry Bond treasure:
[ If we ever get married, this tune – and one other exquisite JB offering – will hopefully be equally enamoured and sanctioned by our opposite to underscore the nifty nuptials. ]
Thanks Neo. These videos were so uplifting at the end of a sad week.
Absolutely. I'm so glad to have seen these because I was supposed to have attended this dinner. However, thanks to an administrative error by Decca they only told me two hours before it started!
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