Barry White was a total force of nature. He gets stereotyped as the stereotypical R&B love men, and he was certainly excellent at that. But his recordings with the Orchestra are fantastic revelations of his skill as a writer, producer, arranger and conductor that many would not guess he had. And he was skill enough to use the orchestra not only for lush tunes like the classic #1 hit "Love's Theme" but also for rockers like his version of the theme from the 1976 version of "King Kong", which totally kicks ass.
I had totally forgotten about the 1976 version until you mentioned it, so I gave it a listen just now. Totally right, the rock version proves the composition can hold up under multiple, diverse arrangements. Barry was such a unique talent.
Barry White was a total force of nature. He gets stereotyped as the stereotypical R&B love men, and he was certainly excellent at that. But his recordings with the Orchestra are fantastic revelations of his skill as a writer, producer, arranger and conductor that many would not guess he had. And he was skill enough to use the orchestra not only for lush tunes like the classic #1 hit "Love's Theme" but also for rockers like his version of the theme from the 1976 version of "King Kong", which totally kicks ass.
I had totally forgotten about the 1976 version until you mentioned it, so I gave it a listen just now. Totally right, the rock version proves the composition can hold up under multiple, diverse arrangements. Barry was such a unique talent.