Based on what I know of your tastes, OnyaBirri, I'd recommend the following four scores:
Petulia The Whisperers
I have both of these and need to revisit them. I remember liking Petulia but I don't remember too much about The Whisperers. I have seen the latter but, unfortunately, I have never seen Petulia.
The Day of the Locust
I just watched this recently, and while I loved the film, the music did not make much of an impression on me. Maybe I need to check out the audio samples.
No, as I said, my impetus for starting this thread is that I can't think of another composer who has written a handful of scores that I absolutely love, and then a bunch of stuff that hasn't grabbed me at all. The work of other composers whose work I like is much more evenly spread out over the continuum, with much of it clustered around the good-to-great part of the spectrum. I am trying to determine if there are Barry scores that will form a more complete picture for me.
But, yes, of the four film scores suggested earlier by Justin and Joan, "Dances" was my least favorite of the four.
Some interesting comments on the thread. I remember reading before (was it in a book? CD notes?) that the period when you got into Barry would be more likely the stuff you prefer. I'm probably one of the few who actually prefer his later 80s/90s "symphonic" work than his earlier stuff as this was the era I listened to first and liked. Really I've never been that bothered about how effective these scores were in the films as they make for fantastic music to listen to on their own. Obviously I own pretty much everything by now, but I still listen to a lot of his later scores more regularly.
Did you try out classic Barry scores like "Dances with Wolves" and "Somewhere in Time"?
I have to throw in with JB for a strong "Seconded" for these two. If you don't actually like the movies that's pretty tough to overcome. For me they hold very powerful memories of seeing movies in the theater with my Mom.
John Barry himself talked about what those scores meant to him as he was grieving (I believe) when he wrote SiT and had a major health scare just before DwW.
Another I'd push for is Chaplin. Great movie and perfect music to match. I listen frequently.
You should try one of his latter scores, Swept from the Sea (1997).
It was a blind buy, back in 1997, and it's one of my best loved CDs. I never saw the movie but the music tells a story of its own, with very strong themes and variations. Think about an ancient time, think about the sea and create your own images...
Really I've never been that bothered about how effective these scores were in the films as they make for fantastic music to listen to on their own.
If you don't actually like the movies that's pretty tough to overcome. For me they hold very powerful memories of seeing movies in the theater...
As a member of the orthodox branch of film music appreciation, for me the greatest are they who make the films better and then their music makes for wonderful stand-alone listening. That's why John Barry is one of the greatest.
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