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Taken from the Fantastic Voyage press release:
John Barry – one of the most distinguished composers of film music in the world – receives worthy acknowledgement in the form of Soundtracks & Singles 1963 – 1966, a 3CD retrospective which highlights a particularly fertile period. An appropriate accompaniment, November also sees the release of a long out of print 180 gram vinyl edition of the original Zulu soundtrack.
One of Barry's most iconic works, the 1964 Zulu soundtrack is a momentous early achievement that sits comfortably with his famed contributions to the James Bond series. Mastered from original stereo tapes and featuring bit part narration by Richard Burton, the original music of the BAFTA-nominated film is here fleshed out with Southern African-influenced beat instrumentals performed by the John Barry Seven. As well as a vinyl edition housed in original artwork and label design, Zulu also forms the first disc of Soundtracks & Singles.
Succeeding Zulu a year after and compiled on the second disc of the Soundtracks & Singles 1963 – 1966 collection is the original soundtrack to 1965's Four In The Morning, a critically acclaimed film which won plaudits for a young Judi Dench. Presented in mono format, as well as stereo, its soundtrack is a more subdued, haunting entry in Barry’s oeuvre. On this edition, the atmosphere of the film is further ingrained through dialogue excerpts featuring Dench, Ann Lynn, Norman Rodway, Brian Phelan and Joe Melia. Both Zulu and Four In The Morning were originally released on British independent label Ember, where John Barry was associate producer and head of A&R in the early sixties.
Compiled on the final part of the set are Barry's other Ember recordings, productions which include an alternative organ-accompanied version of the From Russia With Love theme – a major UK hit single in its time – and a curio centred around the Profumo scandal, mysteriously credited to a certain 'Miss X'. The 60s masterworks of a true British maestro lovingly restored.
The box-set also includes an 8-page booklet with full track-details and a rather nice, if familiar, period photo of John Barry.
