John Barry: The Concert (1972 album)
Matt S
Oh Cult Voodoo ShopPosts: 6,616MI6 Agent
I was just listening to this John Barry album from 1972: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKFjfl82Dgg
Does this have the earliest arrangement of Bond theme riff played by the orchestra? I didn't realise he came up with this arrangement a few years before TMWTGG, and here it has more of the feel from MR and later. I love the arrangements of the other Bond themes as well. Some of them sound much more mature than they did in the 60s. I suggest everyone check it out.
Does this have the earliest arrangement of Bond theme riff played by the orchestra? I didn't realise he came up with this arrangement a few years before TMWTGG, and here it has more of the feel from MR and later. I love the arrangements of the other Bond themes as well. Some of them sound much more mature than they did in the 60s. I suggest everyone check it out.
Visit my blog, Bond Suits
Comments
"You forgot the first rule of Mass Media Elliot! Give the people what they want!!!"
"I never miss..."
"Time to face gravity!"
You're welcome. I just happened upon it on YouTube when looking for some John Barry to listen to at work. This version of the Bond Theme sounds mostly like the OP/AVTAK version. I had thought the TMWTGG and MR versions were just steps to get to the OP version, whilst he had already done that version with only a different fanfare over a decade earlier. For the other Bond themes, I'd consider these the ultimate instrumental versions with the exception of OHMSS. But OHMSS here is very close to the original.
I first heard a small portion of it used in some fan made Quantum of Solace gunbarrels and I assumed it was from Moonraker. I heard it again in another video and I asked the person who made it which version it was to no answer. It's amazing that this arrangement even came before TMWTGG as I thought it was a change in style to fit Roger's Bond. This is my new favorite arrangement of the theme next to Nic Raine's faster punchier version of the Symphonic arrangement. The "007" theme on the Suite is also fantastic. Very great work by Barry he never disappoints.
"You forgot the first rule of Mass Media Elliot! Give the people what they want!!!"
"I never miss..."
"Time to face gravity!"
Matt, we discussed this almost exactly one year ago: http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/44521/favourite-version-of-the-james-bond-theme/ Don't you remember? ?:)
I thought we might have discussed it. But I hadn't found the album to listen to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG3p_PvsaoM
"You forgot the first rule of Mass Media Elliot! Give the people what they want!!!"
"I never miss..."
"Time to face gravity!"
Well, as discussed in the thread I mentioned above, the answer is yes. The album Concert John Barry has the earliest arrangement of the Bond Theme with the riff played by the orchestra. He would use this arrangement in his concerts (naturally), with variations in subsequent Bond films, and re-recorded it for the Moviola album some twenty years later.
Thanks.
Here's a link to the Moviola version for the record:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlBtbrWe31Y
While very similar to the Moviola version, The Concert John Barry is closer to the version from the Moore films, with the swing section not swinging.
The concert suite on The Concert is indeed the best one I've ever heard. Rather than All Time High or MR, I would rather have heard If There Was a Man. I think it's his best Bond theme (of sorts) post Connery, particularly the alternate end titles version on the soundtrack album.
It has the ultimate arrangement of 007 as well! The 70s were a great time for Barry. His sound had matured considerably from the Connery Bond films by the late 60s, but he was more innovative than in the 80s and later.
"You forgot the first rule of Mass Media Elliot! Give the people what they want!!!"
"I never miss..."
"Time to face gravity!"
"Great TV and Film Hits"- you mean this one?
All those tracks and more are on http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Music-Of-John-Barry-The-CD-/301886711536?hash=item4649d9a6f0:m:mo8aDoqtJuEGVnK0aDx0y_Q which can usually be found quite cheaply on ebay etc. This is a compilation of most (sadly not all) of his recordings for CBS in the 60s, which included several Bond re-recordings. These recordings have been repackaged many times.
The topics here may be of use: http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/23001/other-nonobvious-john-barry-recommendations/ and http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/47015/missing-cues-from-ohmss-soundtrack/
Yep that's the one. I found that at a thrift shop not too long ago. Great find. Thanks for the links as well. Any chance to increase my Bond music collection is always a welcome one.
"You forgot the first rule of Mass Media Elliot! Give the people what they want!!!"
"I never miss..."
"Time to face gravity!"
COLUMBIA- JB Theme
EMBER- 007, FRWL
CBS- JB Theme, FRWL, 007, GF (medley of “Alpine Drive” and “Dawn Raid On Fort Knox”), TB, Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, YOLT, Capsule In Space (slightly re-arranged and titled “Space March”), OHMSS, We Have All The Time in The World, Try, Who Will Buy My Yesterdays, The More Things Change (written for OHMSS)
POLYDOR- James Bond Suite, two versions of WHATTITW, a different version of DAF
SONY- James Bond Suite plus All Time High, WHATTITW
That's off the top of my head and I may have missed one or two- I'll check later when I have more time.
I too thought he created this arrangement for Moore to have something different for a new Bond, but apparently it must have been done purely for Barry's own changing tastes. But I'm sure Barry wouldn't have used it for Moore if he didn't think it worked for the Moore films. And I'm sure the drum machine in TLD was done both because Barry wanted a more modern sound as well as something harder that reflected Dalton's harder portrayal of Bond. Barry was a genius at arranging music to fit the feel of the Bond films. His scores always sounded unified in that way.
I got that the day after it was first posted and still today. I'm so dissapointed, whilst searching else where for this I was amazed to discover John Barry was born in York, as was my family and we share the same birthday!! I wonder if this has anything to do with my love of his music?
See if you can download it with this tool: http://keepvid.com/
I've been able to track down all of these, apart from the two versions of WHATTITW, which are mentioned as being recorded on Polydor. There is one version on the 'Play it Again' album. What is the other version? I know WHATTITW is also on the Polydor 'Very Best of John Barry' album from 1977, but I thought that was just the 'Play it Again' version again?
Alas, I don't have that 1977 album (as far as I know it was vinyl only) so I can't confirm that either way.
Thanks Barbel.
That original video has now been taken down.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
You can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbAX-H3UJbI&list=OLAK5uy_k6Wcrf02zIddx3LBZD2rfUDu49QRB1LJY
Thanks! Sounds good - lovely orchestra, perhaps a little contrived. The Bond theme is the one used in the Moonraker freefall, but not on the soundtrack. Was that because it meant Monty Norman getting a share out of the royalties? Then again, wouldn't Lionel Bart get a share out of these royalties given that he wrote the tune to FRWL?
Roger Moore 1927-2017
It's very similar to the arrangements in Barry's five subsequent Bond films, but not identical to any of them. It lacks the drum kit that's in TMWTGG and MR, which it has in common with OP and AVTAK. What's interesting here is that the opening stabs use the minor 7th rather than the EmMaj9 chord Barry would use in his five Bond films after this. But curiously in the next Bond film after this, Live and Let Die, George Martin would use the minor 7th in his stabs too, perhaps copying what Barry did on this album.
I suspect the Bond theme cues weren't included on the MR soundtrack because of royalties. On this album, Norman and Bart would have received royalties for the uses of their songs.