[Guest post by Isaac Chotiner]
John Barry has died at age 77. Barry's name is not generally recognized, but he composed the scores for a variety of Hollywood films, including Out of Africa, The Lion in Winter, and, memorably, Dances With Wolves. But he is best known for his work on a number of James Bond movies, from Dr. No to The Living Daylights. There remains a tremendous amount of controversy over whether Barry or Monty Norman wrote the original and wonderful James Bond theme; no matter, Barry left his mark on the series. My favorite work of his is the opening to On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which I think rivals the main Bond tune in greatness. R.I.P.