(2020) Barclay James Harvest - Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories [Expanded Edition]
Review:
…features the original UK stereo mix re-mastered from the original master tapes and also includes a new stereo mix on a second CD. In addition there are 3 rare US album versions of ‘Medicine Man’, ‘Harry’s Song’ and ‘Someone There You Know’, along with 5 BBC Radio session tracks from July 1971 and March 1972, along with 2 rare John Lees demo recordings from 1971 and 3 mono reduction mixes made at Abbey Road studios in July 1971. Like the work of Buffalo Springfield or the Moody Blues in the first go ’round, you’ll need to take it on faith that the Baroque touches on Barclay James Harvest and Other Stories were effective for their time. The fuzzed guitars, Mellotron, bongos, heavy orchestration and dreamy arrangements may sound stilted today, but strip them away (or simply acquiesce to enjoy them) and a very good collection of songs reveals itself. There are obvious nods to the Beatles (“Blue John Blues,” “Medicine Man”) and the Moodies (the lovely “Ursula”), but that’s a fait accompli on any Barclay James Harvest album. Although the album doesn’t really tell any stories (an optimistic acceptance of mortality comes into play on a couple of tracks), the band does aspire to bigger things on the aptly titled “The Poet.” The only knock on this album (and it pertains to Barclay James Harvest in general) is that you wish they aspired to more. The classical arrangements are stunning, and when the band musters a big orchestral ending for a song like “Little Lapwing,” you can’t help but wonder how much better it would have been if they’d invoked it sooner. Musically the band is solid; Mel Pritchard’s Ringo-isms on the drums are especially neat, while John Lees gets in some nice distorted guitar parts and Stewart Wooly Wolstenholme steals the show when the Mellotron comes into play. The epic “After the Day” closes things on a high note, ending with an explosion that announces all bets are off. Barclay James Harvest and Other Stories is itself a high note in the band’s early catalog and worth a flyer for anyone interested in the band’s oeuvre.
Tracklist:
CD1
01 - Medicine Man
02 - Someone There You Know
03 - Harry's Song
04 - Ursula (The Swansea Song)
05 - Little Lapwing
06 - Song with No Meaning
07 - Blue John's Blues
08 - The Poet
09 - After the Day
10 - Brave New World (John Lees Demo)
11 - Hymn to a White Lady (John Lees Demo)
12 - She Said (BBC Radio 1 Bob Harris Show Session 1971)
13 - Galadriel (BBC Radio 1 Bob Harris Show Session 1971)
14 - Ursula (The Swansea Song) (BBC Radio 1 Bob Harris Show Session 1971)
15 - Someone There You Know (BBC Radio 1 Bob Harris Show Session 1971)
16 - Medicine Man (BBC Radio 1 Bob Harris Show Session 1972)
CD2
01 - Medicine Man (New Stereo Mix)
02 - Someone There You Know (New Stereo Mix)
03 - Harry's Song (New Stereo Mix)
04 - Ursula (The Swansea Song) (New Stereo Mix)
05 - Little Lapwing (New Stereo Mix)
06 - Song With No Meaning (New Stereo Mix)
07 - Blue John's Blues (New Stereo Mix)
08 - The Poet (New Stereo Mix)
09 - After The Day (New Stereo Mix)
10 - Medicine Man (71 US Album Version)
11 - Harry's Song (71 US Album Version)
12 - Someone There You Know (71 US Album Version)
13 - Medicine Man (Abbey Rd Rough Mono Reduction Mix)
14 - Ursula (Abbey Rd Rough Mono Reduction Mix)
15 - Someone There You Know (Abbey Rd Rough Mono Reduction Mix)
Media Report:
Genre: folk-rock, prog-rock
Format: FLAC
Format/Info: Free Lossless Audio Codec, 16-bit PCM
Bit rate mode: Variable
Channel(s): 2 channels
Sampling rate: 44.1 KHz
Bit depth: 16 bits