Track Listing
1. This Way Mary
2. Diamonds Are Forever
3. Play It Again
4. Dolls House, A
5. Good Times Are Comiing, The (Vocal Cass Elliott)
6. Follow Follow
7. Lolita
8. Theme From the I P C R E S S File
9. Lonely Hearts (Vocal Paul Williams)
10. Salt the Summer Winds
11. Midnight Cowboy
12. Down Deep Inside (Vocal Donna Summer)
13. Orson Welles Great Mysteries
14. Boom
15. Whisperers, The
16. Walkabout
17. This Way Mary (Vocal Scott Walker)
18. Adventurer, The
19. Billy
20. We Have All the Time in the World
| Details | | Distributor: | Phantom Import Distributi | | Recording Type: | Studio | | Recording Mode: | Stereo | | SPAR Code: | n/a |
Album Notes
This 20-track anthology collects some of British lounge-jazz and soundtrack composer John Barry's best work from the 1960s and '70s, including his James Bond theme "Diamonds Are Forever."
Although he is best known to general audiences as the main composer behind James Bond's cinematic exploits, John Barry has scored all sorts of non-action films. He has also recorded several mood music reworkings of his classic movie themes, and this side of his output is given a decent representation by Lounge Legends, a collection of recordings that shows Barry's skills at their most subdued. Most of the selections on this disc come from a string of easy listening albums that Barry recorded for Polydor during the 1970s, albums that he used as an opportunity to explore new, subtler dimensions to these tunes. As a result, the album has a very mellow, stripped-down feel to it: For instance, "Diamonds Are Forever" is stripped of its vocal version's bombast to become a moody keyboard-driven track underpinned by the ominous drone of a synthesizer. Other memorable tracks in this area include "Midnight Cowboy," which forsakes the country elements of its soundtrack version to become a stately, string-driven orchestral exercise, and a stately instrumental version of "We Have All the Time in the World," which replaces the vocal with an arrangement built on mandolin and flute. Lounge Legends also throws in a few Barry-penned theme songs, including a lush, devastating Paul Williams ballad called "Lonely Hearts" and "Way Down Deep," a Donna Summer cut that tarts up Barry's gift for melody with a throbbing beat and disco synthesizers. In the end, Lounge Legends isn't an essential collection of Barry's work (its mood music mindset sometimes causes it to lapse into blandness), but it makes an interesting companion piece to his soundtracks for fans who want another take on this gifted composer's work. ~ Donald A. Guarisco
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