When the Oscars come ’round, they’re going to have to make a special place for the greatest musician to work in Hollywood – John Barry – who has sadly thrown off his mortal coil and gone off toward heaven, presumably, with a really great fanfare arranged for himself. He was 77.

John Barry, a chap who spent his youth in Yorkshire and Lancashire and ended up living and breathing life into the silver screen, won five Oscars and an OBE in a career that saw him pretty much surpass everyone else who every wrote a note for a film. Along with Lalo Schifrin and John Williams, Barry was one of the golden three who could managed to find fame outside of the trivia books of movie buffs.

Working famously on a number of James Bond films, as well as Dances With Wolves, Ipcress File, Born Free, Midnight Cowboy and Out of Africa the lad born John Barry Prendergast, made some of the most enduring soundtracks in cinema’s long history. It’s here we celebrate him with his own music.

Before starting his career as a grand orchestrator for film, Barry found fame in the pop-charts with beat-jazz combo, the John Barry Seven.

It was his ear for a good pop melody and a background in jazz that saw his soundtracks elevated above many, making gloriously grand themes coupled with catchy, beat driven scores.

We’ve lost one of the most outrageously gifted musicians to ever tread foot in England, and here, we look at ten of his best pieces of work.

Of course, we have missed loads out – why not tell us your favourites in the comments? There’s a Spotify playlist for those that have it, here.

Midnight Cowboy

For our money, Midnight Cowboy is Barry’s greatest score. While he’ll forever be associated with Bond, the theme from Midnight Cowboy shows the depth of Barry’s range. That nod to the West with that lone, bittersweet harmonica and one of the most lush, beautiful orchestrated backings in cinematic history… this is tough to beat for greatest piece of music to be used by Hollywood.

Beat Girl (Main Theme)

Exploito 60s film, Beat Girl, was made to cash in on the beatnik craze that was rampant in Britain all those years ago. Not a problem for John Barry as his fondness for creating a mood, alongside his penchant for jazz made him the perfect man to create the music for a buncha degenerates.

Theme from The Persuaders

Another classic theme, this time, for cult TV favourite, the Persuaders. A galloping, shadowy theme was created to give the show an injection of intrigue and, above all, class.

Goldfinger

Perhaps Barry’s most famous piece of work, Goldfinger could well have been written about the man himself as he undoubtedly was the man with a Midas touch when it came to making music. We don’t need to say much more. Just listen to the damn thing.

Born Free

With Don Black, Barry has, quite possibly, made the soundtrack to the great outdoors and that spirit of adventure. Barry won numerous awards for his work on this score.

Game Of Death

One of Barry’s lesser-favoured works, mainly thanks to the fact that the film itself was a badly judged piece of work, designed to cash-in on the death of Bruce Lee. That doesn’t make John Barry’s music any worse though. Game of Death sees Barry in full pomp, making a dramatic piece of music filled with swelling strings, brash brass and synthesisers. One of his finest themes.

James Bond Theme

There’s been much quarrelling and speculation about John Barry’s involvement with the James Bond theme – did he write it? Did he only put (admittedly, incredible) flesh on the bones of Monty Norman’s brass melody? Either way, Barry’s involvement can’t be underestimated as this remains probably the most famous theme in the world. One argument for Barry’s contribution to the piece is…

Bee’s Knees

Bee’s Knees is often held up as a piece of work by Barry that shows just what he gave to the James Bond theme. A lot of the ideas in this great little beat-track can be found in the Bond theme, while Monty Norman’s score for Dr No, theme aside, sounds nothing like it. Barry’s part in the track made it magic, no question.

John Dunbar Theme (from Dances With Wolves)

While you may not like Kevin Coster or Dances With Wolves, the music contained in the film is one of John Barry’s greatest works.

We Have All The Time In The World

What else could we finish with? You’ll be missed John!

Follow hecklerspray on Twitter or join our Facebook group or BUY ONE OF OUR STUPID T-SHIRTS!

Some TV themes just refuse to go away and leave us in peace.

They are stuck in our heads forever. You could be innocently sitting in a bar or a pub having a nice drink, when someone’s annoying mobile starts playing the A-Team. Then, bang! You can’t get the damn tune out of your head. What makes it even worse is you don’t want to either.

Give it a few more hours (and a few more drinks) and you will annoyingly start shouting “a pity the fool” at your mates, who despite their protestations, also start to feel nostalgic and end up humming the tune on their drunken way home. It’s like torture.

Well, just to continue the cycle, hecklerspray has come up with 10 TV tunes from the glorious 80s for you to ponder. Now, some of the series started in the 70s. We are well of it, but we only picked the ones which subsequently ran during most of the 80s. Anyway, enjoy. If you can.

15. Dallas

Crap series, but undeniably catchy tune.

14. Bergerac

This British cop drama, just like the Channel Island of Jersey where it was set, had very little else going for it. Almost made you want to watch it – almost!

13. Blackadder

One of the best British comedies ever – with a fantastic theme tune to match.

12. Only Fools and Horses

Has a theme tune ever summed up a series better?

11. Diff’rent Strokes

The third best reason to watch the series, with the second being the amusing midget. So what’s the first? A morbid curiosity over what happened to their child stars.

10. Knightrider

Gotta love the Hoff, the best Kit car ever – and the annoying catchy theme tune.

9. Taxi

Sometimes strays into the world of 70s cheese, but very catchy nonetheless. Definitely one you would whistle too.

8. Monkey

If you have never seen Monkey, please bear with us. It’s not something you can really describe in just a few sentences. The last person we tried to describe it to assumed we were taking something. In fact, an acid trip is possibly the best way to describe it. OK, here goes. A monkey god is thrown out of heaven and enslaved in a mountain for pissing on Buddha’s hand. He is freed by a very feminine-looking boy priest on the understanding he helps protect her, sorry, him to India on some kind of religious pilgrimage. Are you keeping up? To help them they have a fish monster called Sandy, a pig monster called Pigsey and a talking horse. OK, we give up. Anyway, the theme tune, just like Monkey himself, is kickass. Although started in the 70s, it ran mainly during the 80s (mainly in the UK).

7. Magnum

Gotta love the funky guitar.

6. Airwolf

Hands up if you have tried to play this on a keyboard. Sad, isn’t it?

5. Miami Vice

A theme tune which caught the mood of the time perfectly. Even if Crocket’s dodgy suits didn’t.

4. The Dukes of Hazzard

You just can’t help singing along.

3. Hill Street Blues

We are not ashamed to say it’s actually a really nice tune.

2. Cheers

An undeniable classic theme tune which still holds up today.

1. A-Team

The sad thing is – this really is my ringtone. So many good memories.