158 replies to this topic

[tristanjblythe]

Sad news - it appears John Barry has passed away. See this story: http://www.denofgeek...y_19332011.html

[Guy Haines]

BBC Breakfast TV news confirmed this sad news some five minutes ago. The UK has lost one of its most distinguished musicians and composers. We on Cbn all applaud him for the massive contribution he made to the Bond series, but of course his film music ranged way beyond that. Personally, I mourn the loss of a man whose music I have enjoyed for over 40 years.

RIP, John Barry 1933-2011.

[sharpshooter]

My jaw dropped at this news. What a massive loss. John Barry is an absolute legend of James Bond. As important as Sean Connery, Cubby Brocolli and the rest of those giants. He set the tone for the films and it stands the test of time. He is the best composer this series will ever have. Rest in peace.

[K1Bond007]

What a huge loss.

[SecretAgentFan]

So sad. One of the greatest film composers ever. The Bond films would not be what they are without him. RIP, Mr.Barry.

[jaguar007]

Shockingly sad to hear, his contribution not only to Bond, but to many films cannot be underestimated.

RIP

[Mr Teddy Bear]

John Barry has to be one of the most significant contributors to Bond. Sad to read of his passing.

[Virgosy]

... Huh !

I thought I was dreaming when I saw this topic... James loses a kind of father today, and we also all lose a bit of our passion, we have to admit it. Barry has creaded the legend of James Bond with Sean Connery, Cubby Brocolli, Terence Young... I'm agree with Guy Haines. I can't really find the words...

[Icephoenix]

What horrible news to come home to. Without a doubt a musical genius and in my opinion, the greatest film composer of all time. Rest in peace, John.

[Forward Look]

Never expected he would depart that quickly. John Barry's contribution to the franchise has never been equaled. Apart from Cubby, JB is the best the franchise ever had, and the other composers pale in comparison. RIP, John.

[00Twelve]

Was saddened to hear the news. It's the end of an era.

[Vodka Martino]

So sad to hear of this. His mark on the Bond films was indelible and was as much a part of the Bond world as the Aston Martin DB5, Blofeld's cat and Jill Masterton covered in gold paint. His scores for other films such as "Out of Africa" and Dances With Wolves" showed that there was more to his music than Bond.
Condolences to his family and thanks, Mr Barry, for setting our pulses racing for all those years.

[David Somerset]

Was saddened to hear the news. It's the end of an era.

John Barry's music was strangely sombre, reflective and melancholic at times but when combined with the colourful high-action on-screen extravaganza of Bond helped to create that unique atmosphere that made it such a huge success.

RIP John Barry

[Liparus]

Good bye Master. An awful news...

[MarkA]

Along with Ken Adam, Barry was the other true genius to come out of the Bond films. I have lived with this man's music for over 40 years. It is engrained into my soul. Thank you so much. A very sad day. RIP

[Jim]

RIP.

[Major Tallon]

These touching, heartfelt tributes are a testament to how much this wonderfully gifted composer meant to the community of Bond fans. His contribution to our enjoyment of these films is almost beyond measure, and we mourn his passing deeply. RIP

[Professor Dent]

Indeed some very sad news. An icon of Bond & cinema music. Goldfinger was on BBC America last night &, as usual, I ended-up watching most of it. It's amazing how much I still enjoy that score after all these years. RIP.

[SamuelKevlar]

Was listening to this only a few hours ago.



A great loss to film music. May he rest in peace, rest in excitement, reincarnate well or whatever takes his fancy.

[The Shark]

Oh Christ, this hit more me than any of the deaths of stars from the last year or two.

I sent him a heartfelt handwritten letter last fall, with a musical few questions and congratulating on the lifetime achievement award he'd received. I know he couldn't personally collect it at the ceremony in the Belgium (I think David Arnold and Dodd did on his behalf) due to being ill, and at the back of my mind I dreaded something like that. Of course I got no reply, though I had no idea it was this serious, since he's had on and off periods of illness after he ruptured his oesophagus back in the late 80s. Making him vulnerable to colds and flu, but a heart attack is something else.

I stand can't believe this. His music, from BORN FREE to MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS and DANCES WITH WOLVES his moved me to the core like no other composer. He wasn't afraid of showing his soul in his work, but never got into sentimentality and self-pity as Williams occasionally does. There's something truly honest about the man's music. No doubt his experiences in the war of York being bombed in the blitz, and his strict Irish Catholic education/upbringing has an enormous affect. Giving that sense of longing and loss of something ideal, that's a common theme throughout this scores. Particularly the later ones.

I'll round this off with the only John Barry documentary on Youtube:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1grplq9UmoY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y80grM20DKA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xirXXin8MI&feature=related

And I'll end we these two pieces from THE LION IN WINTER:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKjqrEMzlbA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyPgm_t1cnY&feature=related

Long live John Barry. You may have passed on, but your music is eternal.

Rest In Peace.

[sthgilyadgnivileht]

R.I.P. to a key Bond originator. John Barry will be sorely missed. His music is part of the Bond series like butter is to bread. He firstly understood what the Bond films were all about and secondly had the amazing talent to write the perfect music for them.
Cinema has lost one of the great composers for sure. The most versatile musician in terms of what he was capable of but then had a sound that was uniquely and unmistakably his.

[Messervy]

Very sad news.
A massive loss.
He was an integral part of the very essence of Bond. And he was also instrumental in many other movies, lifting them wih his music. The "Barry Touch" was immense.
RIP

[Zorin Industries]

It is a mark of John Barry that I personally don't know which piece to pop on the gramophone first.

Along with Cubby Broccoli, Harry Saltzman, Ken Adam, Peter Hunt and Terence Young he was one of the founding fathers of James Bond on-screen. The work he did for the 007 films alone is a priceless piece of modern art in itself - something that has not aged nor been bettered. Fully understanding the hues and timbre each musical section could bring to a film, John Barry brought a humane dignity to every film he worked on.

It is no under-statement to say his work is timeless, dripping with gravitas and a complete understanding of the punctuation points of the films and TV shows he worked on. Any interview with John Barry suggest a wonderfully humble and centred individual - evidenced in THE BEYONDNESS OF THINGS and ETERNAL ECHOES, albums which soar with an understanding, acceptance and fascination with the human condition.

His music for MIDNIGHT COWBOY, THE CHASE, OUT OF AFRICA, SOMEWHERE IN TIME, DANCES WITH WOLVES, CHAPLIN, THE LION IN WINTER and of course the Bond films ARE those films. Using one example alone, MIDNIGHT COWBOY is in the consciousness of those that saw it at the time because of John Barry. He gave an X rated, Warhol inspired odyssey a humanity and elegance that lifted that film from its presbyterian detractors to Best Picture success and a deserved pedestal that cites the film as a classic of its time. The same can be said of OUT OF AFRICA, a soaring, adventurous film that saw two characters lives through the eyes of Sydney Pollack and John Barry and is ultimately one of the best scores ever aligned to a film.



The same can be said of his work on SOMEWHERE IN TIME, ZULU, ROBIN AND MARIAN, KING KONG, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED, BODY HEAT and even HOWARD THE DUCK - titles whose (sometimes) only saving grace is what Barry gave them.

And of course the Bond films... start late and leave early seemed to be the effective mantra for his sterling work on the Bonds and was certainly what he did in terms of longevity. Understanding how to sell Bond to a modern audience more than Saltzman and (maybe) even Terence Young, John Barry's work on the 007 films are as important to the 1960's cultural palette as the work of The Beatles, Bob Dylan or the Rolling Stones (three random creatives Barry could echo and mirror at the drop of a hat). He underlined Connery's performance and lifted it to a better plateau by giving his Bond a panther-like conviction, urgency, masculinity and wit.

Then there were the TV themes whose quality and toe-tapping familiarity were far better than they should have been. Yes, THE PERSUADERS is an airtight, topnotch overture but so too are the ORSON WELLES GREAT MYSTERIES, ELIZABETH TAYLOR IN LONDON and JUKEBOX JURY.

Singlehandedly the greatest film composer and cinematic tunesmith Britain ever produced, a musician whose CV is arguably more consistent than contemporaries like John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith, the soul of countless films whose audience affection is predicated on his work, a master of the oldest choral hymns and the newest jazz syths, and the dramatic heartbeat of more than just the Bond films. RIP John Barry Prendergast.

The moviola may have lost its voice, but not its song....

[pgram]

RIP, John Barry... and thanks!

[Simon]

A very nice piece Zorin.

RIP.

[Messervy]

It is a mark of John Barry that I personally don't know which piece to pop on the gramophone first.

Along with Cubby Broccoli, Harry Saltzman, Ken Adam, Peter Hunt and Terence Young he was one of the founding fathers of James Bond on-screen. The work he did for the 007 films alone is a priceless piece of modern art in itself - something that has not aged nor been bettered. Fully understanding the hues and timbre each musical section could bring to a film, John Barry brought a humane dignity to every film he worked on.

It is no under-statement to say his work is timeless, dripping with gravitas and a complete understanding of the punctuation points of the films and TV shows he worked on. Any interview with John Barry suggest a wonderfully humble and centred individual - evidenced in THE BEYONDNESS OF THINGS and ETERNAL ECHOES, albums which soar with an understanding, acceptance and fascination with the human condition.

His music for MIDNIGHT COWBOY, THE CHASE, OUT OF AFRICA, SOMEWHERE IN TIME, DANCES WITH WOLVES, CHAPLIN, THE LION IN WINTER and of course the Bond films ARE those films. Using one example alone, MIDNIGHT COWBOY is in the consciousness of those that saw it at the time because of John Barry. He gave an X rated, Warhol inspired odyssey a humanity and elegance that lifted that film from its presbyterian detractors to Best Picture success and a deserved pedestal that cites the film as a classic of its time. The same can be said of OUT OF AFRICA, a soaring, adventurous film that saw two characters lives through the eyes of Sydney Pollack and John Barry and is ultimately one of the best scores ever aligned to a film.



The same can be said of his work on SOMEWHERE IN TIME, ZULU, ROBIN AND MARIAN, KING KONG, PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED, BODY HEAT and even HOWARD THE DUCK - titles whose (sometimes) only saving grace is what Barry gave them.

And of course the Bond films... start late and leave early seemed to be the effective mantra for his sterling work on the Bonds and was certainly what he did in terms of longevity. Understanding how to sell Bond to a modern audience more than Saltzman and (maybe) even Terence Young, John Barry's work on the 007 films are as important to the 1960's cultural palette as the work of The Beatles, Bob Dylan or the Rolling Stones (three random creatives Barry could echo and mirror at the drop of a hat). He underlined Connery's performance and lifted it to a better plateau by giving his Bond a panther-like conviction, urgency, masculinity and wit.

Then there were the TV themes whose quality and toe-tapping familiarity were far better than they should have been. Yes, THE PERSUADERS is an airtight, topnotch overture but so too are the ORSON WELLES GREAT MYSTERIES, ELIZABETH TAYLOR IN LONDON and JUKEBOX JURY.

Singlehandedly the greatest film composer and cimematic tunesmith Britain ever produced, a musician whose CV is arguably more consistent than contemporaries like John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith, the soul of countless films whose audience affection is predicated on his work, a master of the oldest choral hymns and the newest jazz syths, and the dramatic heartbeat of more than just the Bond films. RIP John Barry Prendergast.

The moviola may have lost its voice, but not its song....

Very true and very to the point.
Adding to your list of Barry's work being the saving grace of various titles, I'd also mention The Specıalıst, an average Stallone/Stone movie, which Barry elevated and turned into a great watch simply thanks to his score.

[Bucky]

RIP JB, and thanks for everything.

He will be greatly missed.

[Brian Flagg]

One of the architects of Bond, gone. In the scheme of things, John Barry's scores were as essential to that franchise as Fleming's stories and Connery's performances. Another cruel blow in what has already proven to be a rotten year.

[Zorin Industries]

[007.5]

RIP John Barry. The music is one of the crucial elements of the Bond films and he did it brilliantly.