This is the soundtrack album for the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love, composed of course by the incomparable John Barry. From Russia with Love is widely regarded to be one of the best two or three films in the series thanks to a classic villain (Robert Shaw's Red Grant) and a sense of atmosphere, suspense and danger that was largely jettisoned soon enough in favour of chases and gadgets. I don't agree myself with the theory that the early Bond films were somehow grounded and serious and From Russia with Love is certainly not Wild Strawberries but it does seem less fantastical than the films that followed and the European atmosphere and sixties superspy ...  Read the complete review

The James Bond theme is one of the most widely recognised pieces of film music in the world. As soon as you hear the music it is instantly recognisable. The theme was composed by Monty Norman for the first James Bond film, Dr No, in 1962. When it came time to make a second James Bond film, the makers turned not to Norman but to a composer known only for his Jazz Group at the time - John Barry. Born in York in 1933, Barry had been interested in working in film as a boy when his father was working in the film industry. When Barry served in the British Army in the 1950s, he took a course that led to him working in the military band. After leaving the army, ...  Read the complete review