Depending on how you feel about re-recordings,
this new release of John Barry’s score to Born Free will either
have you jumping about in ecstasy, or yelling "Sacrilege!" at the
top of your lungs. I have not heard the original score, nor have I see the
film, so I cannot comment on just how good of a job was done to this one,
but I do have to say that the Barry sound is left completely intact. The
sound quality is terrific and I was pleased with this release.
Born Free followed on the heels of the
James Bond flick, Thunderball. For the main title song, which was
originally disposed of until the producers saw that it made for a successful
cover release, Barry continued his collaboration with Don Black, whom he had
also used for the lyrics to Thunderball (among a number of other Bond
films). Unfortunately, the lyrical version of the main theme is absent from
this CD.
It is a good thing that the main theme is so
well composed, since it pops up with great frequency (as is a common tenet
of Barry scores). This score is comprised of gentle, reflective music for
the most part, though it does break into sequences that remind me of his
Bond scores (hey, I’m a big Bond fan so most of my Barry knowledge comes
from Bond!). "Jungle sounds" permeate throughout and are used to
great effect. Certain tracks are very lighthearted and fun, such as Playtime,
which others are a bit more ominous and make use of that famous Barry Bond
sound (Elephant Stampede).
This is another excellent score from John Barry.
Since the original recording releases are limited to LP and cassette tape,
this is the only way to have this excellent score on CD. This release sounds
really good and for those of you who are not opposed to often interpretive
re-recordings (which I’m not keen on how far this is the case here), would
be wise to check this CD out. *****
