Showing posts with label Les Holroyd. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Les Holroyd. Show all posts

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Life is for living (Barclay James Harvest) (LP 277)

Barclay James Harvest Concert For The People (Berlin) (Vinyl - Polydor, 1982) ****

Genre: Progressive rock 

Places I remember: Chaldon Records and Books (Caterham on the hill) 


Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Mockingbird (glorious version clocking in at over 7 minutes)





Gear costume: Child Of The Universe 

Active compensatory factors: Barclay James Harvest's prog rock tag is a strange one and I guess comes from the association with the Harvest label and their prog band roster (Pink Floyd most notably).


The band members write great songs that don't fit into pop or rock categories - mainly thanks to the quietly distinctive vocals of John Lees and Les Holroyd (and before he left the band in 1979, Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme).  

This live album collects some of those great songs and with the help of some studio overdubs (the original live recording in Berlin had technical hitches) presents the band as they are in concert. 

It's all about the songs and the playing - no one would ever accuse the band members of being rebel rousing front men! 

Where do they all belong? Recorded in 1980 and released 1982, this one slots into their mid career adjustment following the departure of Woolly.

Friday, March 30, 2018

Crazy (over you) (Barclay James Harvest) (LP 215)

Barclay James Harvest Baby James Harvest (Vinyl - Harvest, 1972) ***

Genre: Progressive rock

Places I remember: Real Groovy (Auckland)  

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Delph Town Morn




Gear costume: Crazy Over You

Active compensatory factors:  Fourth album from Barclay James Harvest is a little time capsule from 1972. Quite possibly, my favourite year for music.

Primarily, BJH's distinctiveness was built around the superb vocal combination of John Lees (guitars) and Les Holroyd (bass and keyboards); secondly by John Lees' guitar sound.

The other aspect of this album that I really enjoy is the space around the instruments on songs like Crazy (Over You) and Delp Town Morn, which is also distinguished by its brass ensemble sound.

On the whole, the album is somewhat patchy, with a strong first side and then some lesser material on the second. The pastoral closer, Moonwater, is either overly twee or lovely, depending on your sensibility and cynicism level.

Where do they all belong? The seventies would not be complete without the periodic BJH album. Time Honoured Ghosts is next.