John Barry

This compilation of work is as stylistically erratic as a compass in a tornado, jumping from trivializations of pop standards to the classic "James Bond Theme" to space age-pop outings to solid instrumental organ grooves that verge on R&B. In a sense, this versatility is unsurprising given that Barry was phasing out his pop instrumental recordings in favor of soundtrack composition, a profession in which adaptability is a necessity. But it also means that it's too uneven to be recommended as a satisfying listening experience. Cut this in half by throwing out the twee covers of tunes like "Blueberry Hill" and "Volare" and you'd actually gain by the subtraction, especially if you focused only on the numbers with gutsy guitar grooves, atmospheric strings and trombones, or (on "The Human Jungle") the creepy tones of the clavioline. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide