BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST LIVE

This is the first of the many live albums that Barclay James Harvest has release over the years and it's by no means a gimmick because these four individuals were brilliant live performers. I would like to go further and actually claim that Barclay James Harvest is the only UK band that has, so far, managed to greatly improve on their studio versions through a live recording!

The album starts off with almost unrecognizable versions of Summer Soldier and Medicine Man which I would pick any day over the studio recordings. Summer Soldier skips the transitions that ruined the original version while the four minute Medicine Man is transformed into a ten minute epic track that just knocks me off my feet every time I hear it! This transformation trend wasn't only applied to the older compositions since even tracks off the latest studio album like Crazy City and The Great 1974 Mining Disaster have received makeovers with sharper harmony sections.

Barclay James Harvest Live is definitely one of my top five favorite live albums! It's a pity that this release is so hard to track down since it would serve as a perfect introduction to this great band! But after all the praise I still hesitate to call it an essential release although this time it has nothing to do with the band's progressive merits since there are quite a few of them here. Although I love all the individual performances I've never got the same type of kick out of this album as I have after listening to Everyone Is Everybody Else but it's safe to say that Barclay James Harvest Live is on the heels of that studio album!

***** star songs: Medicine Man (10:25) Crazy City (4:58) The Great 1974 Mining Disaster (6:30) Negative Earth (6:20) Mockingbird (7:37)

**** star songs: Summer Soldier (10:17) After The Day (7:27) Galadriel (3:18) She Said (8:33) For No One (5:53) Paper Wings (4:19)