As a reminder of the feelings a romantic film score can generate, this expanded re-recording of John Barry’s classic score soars, and reaches down to touch the soul. The original “Somewhere in Time” recording was hapless. Murky sound, remastered or not, is murky sound, and the limited selections did not do the score justice. For those cynics who already met Barry’s somewhat obsessive fondness for whole notes with OUT OF AFRICA and DANCES WITH WOLVES, the presence of yet more sluggish film scoring may sound unthinkably dull.

It seems that James Fitzpatrick has something of a passion for ZULU, one of John Barry's very earliest scores. Silva Screen released the original tracks back in the days before re-recordings, when the label was better known for re-issuing cult deletions such as this and DAMIEN: OMEN II. Even on that release, the notes expressed some dissatisfaction at the non-existence of a true stereo recording. Now, on Silva's third release of re-constructed John Barry scores with Nic Raine and the City of Prague Philharmonic, James has put this demon to bed.

At first one wonders why we need a new recording of OUT OF AFRICA. True, it is one of the great masterpieces of contemporary film music, a phenomenon far ahead of its film. It is a wonderfully lyrical and romantic score whose majestic themes and colorful orchestral moods make it a champion of romantic film scores for all time.

One of cinema’s most instantly recognisable songs forms the skeleton of John Barry’s 1966 double Oscar winning effort. What John Barry proved, no doubt to the chagrin of Jerry Goldsmith and the Hollywood pack, is that a great song sells. Not just records, but films and recognition. For Barry, already tarred with the brush of a pop background and a reputation for Bond films and comedies like THE KNACK, it may have set back his recognition as a serious film composer for years. But commercially minded or not, BORN FREE is one of those compelling, instantly inviting, complete listening experiences that is normally only found in the musical. It’s a show score with some laughs, some drama, and some tears, albeit rather Disneyesque in their superficiality. As standard easy listening it is perhaps less dramatically biting than so many other scores in Barry’s repertoire. But it worked.

John Barry’s score for the anticipated world war two thriller is far more appreciable than the ill-received MERCURY RISING. But then this film is a quality British drama, not a Bruce Willis lowbrower. Noticed and praised in many of the film’s domestic reviews, the score essentially has three elements: a triad of warm, simple themes for piano and strings; a small array of chase themes; and a substantial amount of music for suspense.

RAISE THE TITANIC is often misleadingly referred to as a film of the disaster genre, when in fact the only incident of fatal jeopardy in the entire movie occurs when a single submersible implodes while searching for the sunken liner. Sad for the crew, yes – but hardly a major disaster. There is no doubting, of course, the disastrous nature of the tale that inspired this 1980 film, which is in reality a silly Cold War drama with the great and tragic ship relegated to a cheap plot device about carrying a rare mineral to power a secret US defence system.

BODY HEAT is a well-judged score evoking the sex, passion, and intrigue of the film’s brilliantly drawn murder plot. Barry’s sexy synth chords, sizzling jazz, and soulful ambience make this the perfect music for the sleepy alcoholic haze of those hot Florida nights. From the stylish title designs to lawyer-in-heat Ned Racine’s calculated entrapment in Mary Ann’s grand design, Barry is irreplaceably intertwined with the narrative of Lawrence Kasdan’s slick film noir revival.