EVERYONE IS EVERYBODY ELSE

Barclay James Harvest

Crossover Prog

3.90 | 278 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

After having been forced to omit the orchestra BJH had to re-define their identity and sound, say, with "She said" from the "Once again"-Album serving as an early blueprint.

The result, being their first Polydor-release, was an album full of first-rate- songs from both, John Lees and Les Holroyd, while Woolly Wolstenholme ( as a writer ) wasn't participating cause Producer Roger Bain felt that his "Maestoso ( A hymn in the roof of the World )" didn't fit in with the other songs... and though I can understand this decision ( "Maestoso" is a bit over-ambitious and far too complex to put in their somewhere, but on the re-mastered edition you get it as a bonus-track alongside with others ! ) I am definitely no fan of Mr. Bain producing BJH... not here, and not on "Barclay James Harvest Live" either, cause he was not quite good recording the drums and guitars, sounding too dry even if you consider that it was back in 1974 ! The bass is a bit too loud in the mix very often, too... but destroy the beauty and magic of the songs/performances Roger Bain could definately NOT !

For they were vintage BJH... "Child of the Universe", "Negative Earth" ( my favourite track on the album ) and "Paper Wings" ( Mel Pritchard's Lyrics belong to the best in the BJH- catalogue ! ), "The great 1974 mining Disaster" ( which is no Cover-Version of the Bee Gees' song !!!! )," Crazy City" and "For Noone" are classics one and all, with the beatlesque "See me see you" and the folky-interaction of "Poor Boy Blues" and "Mill Boys" not far behind.

Once you got used to the sound you're bound to love "Everyone is everybody else", it's a smash ( from a songwriter's point of view ) and it's been a very good start for "BJH without orchestra"...

Rupert

rupert | 4/5 | 2006-2-11

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