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Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This album is often overlooked in favourites lists, but it is one of my favourite Barclay James Harvest albums. It has a different,with the orchestra, but still the unmistakable BJH sound, enhanced by all the extra previously unreleased tracks on the remastered cd.
Some of the lovely folky melodies are occasionally lost in the erratic quality of the orchestral arrangements. However, it so captures the atmosphere of then, , for all its naivity and underdevelopment for the hippy, trippy 60's feel.
Some of the lovely folky melodies are occasionally lost in the erratic quality of the orchestral arrangements. However, it so captures the atmosphere of then, , for all its naivity and underdevelopment for the hippy, trippy 60's feel.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Whilst perhaps not as successful as Once Again and Other Short Stories (their second and third albums) this first album of Barclay James Harvest still sounds good today, nearly forty years after its release.
The trademark BJH sound, the beautiful understated melodies, is there in some superb songs such as "The Iron Maiden", "When the World Was Woken", "Mother Dear" and "The Sun Will Never Shine". This first album, like all of their first four, features the band playing with an orchestra to good effect on a couple of songs: "When the World Was Woken" and the vibrant "Dark Now My Sky".
This latest CD of the remastered album includes 13 extra bonus tracks (!) taken from the band's formative years before the album's release. I prefer to listen to these separately to the album itself because I'm so used to its cohesiveness but there are some excellent songs amongst them such as "Brother Thrush", "Poor Wages" and the beautiful first single "Early Morning".
All in all, there's more here than just for hardened fans of the band.
The trademark BJH sound, the beautiful understated melodies, is there in some superb songs such as "The Iron Maiden", "When the World Was Woken", "Mother Dear" and "The Sun Will Never Shine". This first album, like all of their first four, features the band playing with an orchestra to good effect on a couple of songs: "When the World Was Woken" and the vibrant "Dark Now My Sky".
This latest CD of the remastered album includes 13 extra bonus tracks (!) taken from the band's formative years before the album's release. I prefer to listen to these separately to the album itself because I'm so used to its cohesiveness but there are some excellent songs amongst them such as "Brother Thrush", "Poor Wages" and the beautiful first single "Early Morning".
All in all, there's more here than just for hardened fans of the band.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Given I first 'discovered' BJH one frosty winter's night when out walking the dog, for on my 'pocket trannie' was BJH live at a BBC session, it seems appropriate that their first album now comes remastered and with BBC sessions I've never heard. To my ears, there are three outstanding tracks here: the deceptively simple melodies of 'Mother Dear' & 'Iron Maiden' whose lush melodies cloak darker, mysterious lyrics, and the epic majesty of the soaringly apocalyptic 'Dark Now My Sky', driven by an orchestral tempest, and John Lees anguished guitar. Two other tracks follow the partnership with orchestra, the melodically driven 'The Sun Will Never Shine' and 'When the World was Woken', but these are weaker lyrically. The remaining two tracks are simple rock numbers, which sit less well in the overall context of the album.
If this were all there were, I'd give four stars, given the excellence of the best bits, but the exciting discovery for me and I'm sure other BJH fans, is the bonus tracks added. Certainly the simply lovely 'Early Morning', 'Poor Wages', 'Mr Sunshine' and 'Brother Thrush' all featured on a BJH album called 'Early Morning Onwards', but even more exciting are the tracks added from BBC sessions. Although a few of these are of variable quality, the majority are worthy additions to the BJH canon, including an orchestra-free version of 'Dark Now My Sky' with different lyrics and melody. If you're a fan, this album is clearly a must-have; if you don't know BJH, but enjoyed Moody Blues, King Crimson or Genesis in the 70's, check out the samples. A quite wonderful surprise.
If this were all there were, I'd give four stars, given the excellence of the best bits, but the exciting discovery for me and I'm sure other BJH fans, is the bonus tracks added. Certainly the simply lovely 'Early Morning', 'Poor Wages', 'Mr Sunshine' and 'Brother Thrush' all featured on a BJH album called 'Early Morning Onwards', but even more exciting are the tracks added from BBC sessions. Although a few of these are of variable quality, the majority are worthy additions to the BJH canon, including an orchestra-free version of 'Dark Now My Sky' with different lyrics and melody. If you're a fan, this album is clearly a must-have; if you don't know BJH, but enjoyed Moody Blues, King Crimson or Genesis in the 70's, check out the samples. A quite wonderful surprise.
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