Bandleader, composer, arranger and producer John Barry was a key figure in the burgeoning rock ‘n’ roll scene in the UK during the mid-to-late 1950s and into the ’60s, before going on to become a hugely successful and respected composer of film music, in particular being associated with the themes for the James Bond movies over the years. His band was very much involved in the early TV pop shows in the UK, and he was at the forefront of the creation of a strand of British guitar-based instrumental rock ‘n’ roll to rival the output of the USA. 

He was closely associated with EMI throughout this era, and this 69-track 2-CD collection (records were very short in that era) comprises most of his A&B sides on Parlophone and  Columbia from this era, plus selected titles from the albums “Six-Five Special”, “Drumbeat”, “Stringbeat” and the movie soundtrack “The Beat Girl”. It features all his UK hits from these years, including “Hit And Miss” (the theme of the TV show “Juke Box Jury”, which he composed), “Blueberry Hill”, “Walk Don’t Run”, “Black Stockings”, “The Magnificent Seven” and “The James Bond Theme”. 

He became a highly significant personality in the world of movie music, and this collection traces his early days as he operated successfully at the heart of the UK pop scene.