John Barry - The Best of John Barry Seven & Orchestra (EMI 1979) 24-bit/96kHz Vinyl Rip

In the beginning, John Barry was a rock ’n’ roller! Fresh out of the army, brimming with ideas, eager to be heard and determined to take on-and ultimately conquer-the whole wide world of popular music. Which, of course, is exactly what he did. But all that was long ago-before the James Bond films and countless other movie blockbusters benefited from his musical scores; ahead of the hit songs and stage musicals; and well in advance of the coveted Oscar that remains a high point in his career.

It was the late fifties-the days of ‘6.5 Special’ and all that jazz. Rock music was still in its infancy-wild, raucous and exciting but lacking purpose and direction. But times were changing-rock was growing up and raw power was slowly giving way to a more subtle approach. Trained musicians began to accept that rock ‘n’ roll was here to stay. The torrents of scorn and abuse poured on the new music began to subside and important and gifted young musicians surfaced. Among them was York-born John Barry, whose twin talents as a writer, arranger and trumpet player of considerable ability immediately placed him in the forefront of the ‘new wave’ of British rock pioneers.
His first band, the John Barry Seven, was perhaps, the most progressive rock-based outfit to hit the road, and its influence was enormous. Tight arrangements, a punchy rhythm section, plenty of improvised solos and durable song-these were the trademarks of the John Barry Seven as they packed theatres, dance halls, and concert venues all over the country. The band had class, which really isn’t too surprising when you consider that the line-up included some of the most durable talents to emerge from the early days of British rock-people like Alan Bown (later to front his own band), flautist/saxist Bob Downes (now a leading figure in the world of avant-garde jazz), guitarists Vic Flick and Ray Russell. Keith Goodwin (from the sleeve notes)

Track listing:

01. Hit & Miss (Theme from Juke Box Jury) (1960)
02. Big Guitar (1958)
03. Rodeo (1958)
04. Big Fella (1960)
05. Walk Don’t Run (1960)
06. Bee’s Knees (1958)
07. Ev’ry Which Way (1958)
08. Main Title-Beat Girl (1960)
09. The Human Jungle (1963)
10. I’m Moving On (1960)
11. Zapata (1961)
12. Like Waltz (1961)
13. Black Stockings (1960)
14. The James Bond Theme (1962)
15. Lost Patrol (1962)
16. The Magnificent Seven (1961)
17. Hideaway (1958)
18. The Menace (1961)
19. Never Let Go (1960)
20. The Sharks (1960)

All tracks produced by Norman Newell/John Burgess
Cutting engineer Harry Moss
A Colin Miles Compilation