As if the feast of John Barry expanded film scores, from James Bond to Out of Africa, hasn't been exciting enough, Quartet Records kicked off the new year with the announcement of more rarities from the celebrated British composer.

The label has issued The Polydor Years, a 3CD collection that brings together re-recordings of classic themes, unique arrangements and original music released on albums, singles and compilations in the mid-'70s in Europe. 1972's The Concert John Barry, 1974's Play It Again and 1976's unique Americans have been exceedingly rare to come by on CD, released only in France in the early 2010s - but these remastered editions also feature seven even rarer bonus tracks - including a suite from one of the albums that was never released. Engineer Chris Malone has mastered all the audio for this set, and each disc is housed in its own jewel case inside a hardcover slipcase along with a 28-page booklet featuring liner notes by Barry historian Jon Burlingame.

The Polydor Years kicks off with The Concert John Barry, a lavish affair that saw the composer lead The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra through new recordings and suites of Oscar winners and nominees like Born Free and Mary, Queen of Scots; crowd-pleasers like Midnight Cowboy and Barry's song score for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (featuring lyrics by Don Black); and, of course, a lengthy arrangement of eight themes Barry composed or arranged for the then-decade old series of films based on Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. (The series at this point had only seen Sean Connery and George Lazenby put on the tuxedo.) As a fine extra treat, the disc includes a suite from Barry's Academy Award-winning work on The Lion in Winter from the same session, inexplicably left off the final pressing of the album but present on the original album tapes.

Next is an offering of smaller ensembles under Barry's baton, taking on unique arrangements and lesser-known original works of his throughout the early to mid-'70s. The first dozen - including numbers from Barry-related stage musicals Billy and Lolita, My Love, the television program Orson Welles' Great Mysteries, and "We Have All the Time in the World" from the Lazenby-led Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service - were released on the album Play It Again (Themes from Stage, Screen and Television) in 1974. The other six were released on non-LP singles or compilations and have only made sporadic appearances on CD.

On the final disc, Barry aficionados will find a rare jewel that had nothing to do with film: the 1976 album Americans, a conceptual piece about the sights and sounds of the United States. Recorded in Los Angeles on the Paramount Pictures lot, Barry assembled a 42-piece orchestra along with a crack team of jazz luminaries for featured solos and musical color, including drummer John Guerin (who kept time for L.A. Express and played on several of Joni Mitchell's albums), keyboardist Artie Kane, Ronnie Lang (an alto sax player who'd record a notable solo for Bernard Herrmann's Taxi Driver later that year), Dick Nash (a frequent trombonist for Henry Mancini's scores), bassist Meyer "Mike" Rubin and Tony Terran (trumpeter for The Wrecking Crew). Unusually overlooked at the time, Barry regarded it as an exciting work in his catalogue - and it's taking its place for admirers of the composer to enjoy anew.

Barry's The Polydor Years is available to order from Quartet Records at the link below, where you'll also find a full track breakdown.

John Barry, The Polydor Years (Studio Album Collection 1972-1976) (Quartet QR572-1, 2025)

* previously unreleased

Disc 1: The Concert John Barry (with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Polydor 2383 156 (U.K.), 1972)

1. James Bond Suite: Goldfinger/James Bond Theme/From Russia with Love/Thunderball/007/You Only Live Twice/On Her Majesty's Secret Service/Diamonds Are Forever
2. Born Free
3. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: Curiouser and Curiouser/I've Never Been This Far Before/The Me I Never Knew
4. Midnight Cowboy
5. Mary, Queen of Scots
6. The Lion in Winter *
7. The Adventurer

Disc 2: Play It Again (Themes from Stage, Screen and Television) (1-12, released as Polydor 2383 300 (U.K.), 1974) and bonus tracks (13-18)

1. Sail the Summer Winds (from the film The Dove)   
2. Walkabout
3. Play it Again (from the film The Tamarind Seed)
4. Billy (from the stage musical Billy)
5. The Good Times Are Coming (from the film Monte Walsh)
6. Lolita (from the stage musical Lolita, My Love)
7. Orson Welles' Great Mysteries (from the TV series Orson Welles' Great Mysteries)  
8. Love Among the Ruins
9. We Have all the Time in the World (from the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service)
10. This Way Mary (from the film Mary, Queen of Scots)
11. Boom!
12. The Glass Menagerie
13. The Adventurer (single A-side - Polydor 2058 275 (U.K.), 1972)
14. Follow, Follow (from the film Follow Me) (single B-side - Polydor 2058 275 (U.K.), 1972)
15. Diamonds Are Forever (B-side to "This Way, Mary" - Polydor 2058 216 (U.K.), 1972)
16. A Doll's House (from The Very Best of John Barry - Polydor 2383 461 (U.K.), 1977)
17. Curiouser and Curiouser (from the film Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) (from The Very Best of John Barry - Polydor 2383 461 (U.K.), 1977)
18. The Whisperers (from The Great Film Composers - Polydor 2489 123 (U.K.), 1976)

Disc 3: Americans (Polydor 2383 405 (U.K.), 1976)

1. Yesternight Suite (interpolating "By Myself" and "As Time Goes By")
   
2. Downtown Walker
3. Scorpio
4. Social Swing
5. Strip Drive
6. Speaking Mirrors