The James Bond theme

John Barry did not get the chance to see any footage and he had not read any of Ian Fleming’s books when he was called in to work on the music for the first James Bond film, Dr No (1962), for which Monty Norman had originally been commissioned to write the score. 

“I was just given a timing and told that it was about this Secret Service guy,” said Barry, who’d had a few instrumental hits and was already a minor pop star.

The resulting piece of music became one of the most familiar themes in cinema and also one of the most argued over.  The official composer went to Norman; though the music, as it is used in the film, has the distinctive mix of twangy guitar and brass that was so characteristic of Barry at that time.

“Man with the golden tunes”, The Times, in The Australian, 2 February 2010.  Click here for full article.

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