Baby James is a good but not an essential BJH album. The original's stripped down arrangements and hurried recording sound quality, due to record label pressures, are now compensated on this CD by re-mastering of the original, the 2002 remix of Woolly Wolstenholmes' epic orchestral composition "Moonwater", plus ten bonus tracks including the group's failed single attempts at commercial success under the names of BJH and Bombadil!
"Crazy (Over You)", "Delphtown Morn" and "Summer Soldier" remain among some of my BJH favourites - the latter becoming a classic BJH number, especially live. "Crazy (Over You)" is a catchy opener featuring John Lees' multi-tracked guitar parts and Woolly Wolstenhome's mellotron. "Delphtown morn" starts off sounding like a northern acoustic folk song and ends with the brass section of Syd Lawrence's Orchestra blowing free - a real gem.
Baby James Harvest was the band's last of their four albums for the EMI Harvest label and the end of chapter that some would argue was their most consistent musically - future commercial success, made by extensive touring and the gaining of wider European audiences, brought with it musical and lyrical blandness.
For me BJH are at their superb best on the orchestral numbers, BJH's second and third albums "Once Again" and "Other Short Stories" or EMI "Harvest's "Mocking Bird: Best of BJH" are ideal places to start for newcomers who love beautiful haunting melodies, strong vocals and harmonies, multilayered guitars, mellotrons and symphony orchestras.