Artist : Barclay James Harvest

Album : Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories

Release Date : 27-08-2020

Added : 18-10-2020

No, I won't present you a new album of 'BJH' ('Barclay James Harvest') because as any fan of the band knows, the split between 'John Lees' and 'Les Holroyd' dates after the release of the last album 'River of Dreams' in 1997 which did not hit the headlines at the time but which was for me a good album of 'BJH'. Actually, I'm writing this review because it just released the remastered album of 'Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories' which is the second opus of 'BJH' from 1971 and in addition of the remastered version, offers us 22 other titles either already known or unreleased which for any fan of 'BJH' is a very nice surprise.

For my part, I am discovering tracks that I did not know in the career of 'Barclay James Harvest' : for example, 'Brave New World', which was sung in the late 90s by 'John Lees' appears in demo recorded by the Englishman in 1971 and is well in the vein of what 'BJH' was doing at the beginning as this new version of 'She Said' which shows the progressive side of the group from its beginnings or even 'Song With No Meaning' emerged from who knows where. Also note 'Hymn to a White Lady' which is none other than the title 'Hymn' released in 'Gone to Hearth' from 1977 and which has been written finally several years before. Although the majority of the added titles are known (there are 4 different versions of 'Someone There You Know' and the same number of 'Medicine Man'), all these versions are a gold mine for fans of 'BJH', and, for my part, the 'Medicine Man' version of the 'Bob Harris Show' from 1972 is a real progressive gem (dare you say after that 'BJH' never made a progressive) or the extended version of 'Blue John's Blues' still gives me as much pleasure as the first listening some 40 years ago as well as the continuation of the two magical symphonic titles of 'The Poet' and 'After the Day'.

In short, as you will understand, this release of the remastered album of 'Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories' is a great opportunity to immerse yourself in the beginning of the English discography by listening to all these legendaries songs that have worn out an impressive number of sapphires or diamonds on their vinyl platinum in quite a few sixty-year-olds...

Line Up / Musicians

John Lees (Vocal, Choirs, Guitar, Percussions), Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme (Vocal, Mellotron, Choirs, Organ, Piano, Guitar), Les Holroyd (Vocal, Coeurs, Bass, Piano, Guitar), Mel Pritchard (Drums, Percussions, Congas, Timpani) + Guests : Martyn Ford (Chef d'orchestre)