The Ultimate John Barry

Yet another John Barry compilation from EMI, this one built on his film and pop stylings alike, with a decided bias toward the latter. The John Barry Seven were one of the two top instrumental bands in England during the early/middle '60s, rivalling the Shadows, a fact brought home with the opening track here, their beautifully played cover of "Walk Don't Run." Vic Flick's guitar is worth the price of admission, even if the whole track sounds a bit cleaner than the textures achieved by the Ventures. "Beat for Beatniks," which follows, intersects with Barry's early film music, and in some respects — principally the rhythm section — anticipates his superb music for Anthony Harvey's Dutchman. "Blues for Beatniks" is exactly what its title indicates, a bluesy workout for guitar and tenor sax, with some bongos well forward in the mix. And "Cherry Pink and Appler Blossom White" shows off the band delivering pure pop, again with the kind of dexterity one expected from the Shadows, while "Hit and Miss" has a string section so vividly recorded and so far forward in the mix, it could easily fit onto an audiophile, "bachelors's den"-type collection — especially when the electric guitar kicks in midway through. The makers have even slipped in one vocal number, "Keep a Walkin'," which is not bad in a Bobby Vee pop/rock manner. The producers have also extended the range of this CD up well past the JB7's history, to include Shirley Bassey's rendition of "Diamonds Are Forever," as well as the "James Bond Theme" (and "Goldfinger"), but most of the material here dates from the early '60s and the heyday of Barry's pre-motion picture career.