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Posted: |
Dec 31, 2024 - 11:51 PM
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By: |
Amer Zahid
(Member)
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John Barry: The Polydor Years:
The Studio Album Collection 1972-1976 (3CD-Set)
Limited edition: 1200 units
Happy New Year everyone!
We are glad to announce our first releases of the year, now available at www.quartetrecords.com
A 3 CD box-set with the complete recordings of John Barry at Polydor from 1972 to 1976.
Quartet Records, in collaboration with Universal Music Enterprises, presents a 3-CD box set consisting of the three legendary albums that John Barry recorded for Polydor Records between 1972 and 1976, as well as some singles and curiosities. These beautifully designed albums contain some of the composer’s best-known themes, newly arranged and performed, and—in the case of AMERICANS—an original musical work for jazz soloists and orchestra.
Ahead of his first public appearance conducting a symphony concert in October 1972, John Barry prepared a series of suites from some of his most successful triumphs, in a lavish and new symphonic orchestration, specially arranged to be performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under his baton. An extensive James Bond suite, a delightful suite from ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND, the themes from MIDNIGHT COWBOY and MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS, the theme from the TV series THE ADVENTURER, and two suites from his two Oscar-winning scores of the 1960s: BORN FREE and THE LION IN WINTER. For reasons still unknown, the suite from THE LION IN WINTER was omitted from the original LP, but since it was recorded and included on the master tape, we happily premiere it on this CD.
John Barry’s next album, PLAY IT AGAIN, was recorded during several sessions over the course of an entire year beginning in July 1973. Most of these would be recorded with a smaller orchestra and many would be newly conceived arrangements. Barry took the chance to revisit some pieces that were originally conceived as songs, featuring new instrumental arrangements: THE DOVE, THE TAMARIND SEED, MONTE WALSH, as well as songs from his stage musicals LOLITA, MY LOVE and BILLY. He also provided new arrangements of major works such as WALKABOUT, BOOM!, and previously unreleased themes from TV films such as LOVE AMONG THE RUINS and THE GLASS MENAGERIE, as well as the theme from the TV series ORSON WELLES’ GREAT MYSTERIES. During the same period, Barry recorded other similar arrangements for Polydor, which were either released as singles or included on later compilations and reissues of PLAY IT AGAIN, such as A DOLL’S HOUSE, THE WHISPERERS, FOLLOW ME, and different arrangements of his iconic themes for DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and THE ADVENTURER.
The last album in this collection is perhaps the most special: his first concept album. AMERICANS, released in 1976, was a 36-minute compilation of impressions of the sights and sounds of America, written for orchestra and top jazz musicians. It was an ambitious work rooted in the composer’s love of jazz, American movies and the country itself. Barry recruited seven outstanding West Coast jazz soloists: Tony Terran, trumpet; Dick Nash, trombone; Ronnie Lang, alto sax; Jerome Richardson, tenor sax; Artie Kane, keyboards; Mike Rubin, bass; and John Guerin, drums. Israel Baker was concertmaster of the 42-piece orchestra, which was recorded over three days at Glen Glenn Sound on the Paramount Pictures lot. With little promotion and almost no reviews, Americans disappeared quickly from record bins and became a sought-after rarity. But for John Barry, who many years later called it “a thrilling experience,” it was an important artistic achievement—and one of the finest orchestral jazz albums of the era. He would employ alto sax player Ronnie Lang frequently thereafter, especially on jazz-based 1980s scores, and in the late 1990s, Barry would revisit the concept-album idea with his albums The Beyondness of Things and Eternal Echoes.
The collection has been painstakingly produced and mastered by Chris Malone from original master tapes. The albums come in three separate jewel cases, housed—along with a separate 24-page booklet—in a handsome hardcover slipcase. Film music journalist and writer, and major Barry connoisseur, Jon Burlingame, provides exclusive, in-depth liner notes.
CD1. THE CONCERT JOHN BARRY
1. James Bond Suite 17:59
-Goldfinger
-James Bond Theme
-From Russia With Love
-Thunderball
-007
-You Only Live Twice
-On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
-Diamonds Are Forever
2. Born Free 4:11
3. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 7:06
-Curiouser And Curiouser
-I’ve Never Been This Far Before
-The Me I Never Knew
4. Midnight Cowboy 3:47
5. Mary, Queen of Scots 3:19
6. The Lion in Winter 3:58
-Suite
7. The Adventurer 2:23
Total Disc Time: 43:06
CD2. JOHN BARRY PLAY IT AGAIN
1. Sail the Summer Winds 3:42 (From the Film “The Dove”)
2. Walkabout 3:14
3. Play it Again 2:27 (From the Film “The Tamarind Seed”)
4. Billy 2:43 (From the Stage Musical “Billy”)
5. The Good Times Are Coming 3:01 (From the Film “Monte Walsh”)
6. Lolita 3:02 (From the Stage Musical “Lolita, My Love”)
7. Orson Welles’ Great Mysteries 2:20 (From the TV Series “Orson Welles’ Great Mysteries”)
8. Love Among the Ruins 3:24
9. We Have all the Time in the World 2:27 (From the Film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”)
10. This Way Mary 3:30 (From the Film “Mary, Queen of Scots”)
11. Boom! 2:37 (From the Film “Boom!”)
12. The Glass Menagerie 2:49
13. The Adventurer 2:10 (From the TV Series “The Adventurer”)
14. Follow, Follow 2:34 (From the Film “Follow Me”)
15. Diamonds Are Forever 3:01 (From the Film “Diamonds Are Forever”)
16. A Doll’s House 2:50
17. Curiouser and Curiouser 2:13 (From the Film “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”)
18. The Whisperers 2:10
Total Disc Time: 50:56
CD3. JOHN BARRY AMERICANS
1. Yesternight Suite 17:51
2. Downtown Walker 4:27
3. Scorpio 3:02
4. Social Swing 4:10
5. Strip Drive 3:21
6. Speaking Mirrors 2:36
Total Disc Time: 35:46
https://quartetrecords.com/product/john-barry-the-polydor-years-3cd-copia/
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Wow!
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Well this is interesting, though would have been nice if discs 1 and 3 were on the same disc...
I love the way it has been prepared. Each classic LP receives its CD version with the actual classic cover. It is a little more expensive that way, but it works like a nice tribute to those classic albums. The hard cardboard box and the thick booklet make the set even better and more collectible for Barry fans. Congratulations, Quartet! And thank you for this release.
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Fantastic news to wake up to. Will order as soon as available. I think The Lion in Winter suite is the only previously unreleased piece, though certainly none of this material has previously received such a lavish release.
I really love Quartet. Thank you for this and all the other John Barry releases, plus so many others, especially all those Nino Rota CDs.
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It's 2025. The white flag has been raised and we're off! Yippee!
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A weird coincidence is that just a couple of weeks ago I thought about starting a thread, suggesting that a label release John Barry's 3 compilation LPs on Columbia Records from the 60s with their original covers as a set and include all the extra CBS singles JB recorded during that period, most of which have already been released here and there.
Oddly enough, like the Polydor 3 CD set, which features The Lion in Winter suite recorded for The Concert John Barry but only released on LP a few years ago, this CBS 3 CD set would also include only one track that has never been released on CD, only as the B-side of a single, The Lion in Winter Part 2, with Alan Haven on organ.
I decided not to post, as every track on those three Columbia albums have been released on CD, though only Ready When You Are, J.B. was released exactly as the LP was.
The first, Great Movie Sounds of John Barry, from 1966 was such a quality release in every way, from the selection of tracks, the performances, the liner notes, the cover art and photos, that it is a shame that it has never been released on CD as is. It has been released on a high-end LP by Speaker's Corner and reviews say that it sounds fantastic.
So, maybe there is a hope for a set. We've seen all the Bernard Herrmann Phase 4 releases gathered together and the Charles Gerhardt film music albums, as well.
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Possibly, the release of the year?
Truly stunning and amazing, and with audio work by Chris Malone. A must have. Only 1200 copies!
I hope Americans has the excellent original liner notes by Alun Morgan.
One of the drawbacks of the Ecoutez Universal France releases of a decade and a half ago was that they did not use the original artwork for Americans or the Concert.
For this release, Quartet has even improved the artwork by getting rid of the annoying "circle of sound" rosette on the Concert.
Wow! Just, Wow!
Happy New Year, indeed.
Stan
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Possibly, the release of the year?"
So far, yes.
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Looking forward to this
Thanks Quartet
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Very Cool News!
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Hello, can this set be ordered from Screen Archives? Also, thank you, Quartet Records, for this wonderful surprise for a John Barry fan.
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I thought I saw that Screen Archives had it for sale.
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