HYMN: THE BEST OF BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST LIVE

This "Best Of..." pleases me a lot. It does not claim to be a masterpiece, however does well its duty. The songs are very warm and I should say that on everything myself like: "The Iron Maiden", "Mockingbird", "Loving Is Easy", "Poor Man's Moody Blues" and "Suicide?". Commercial symphonic, but really excellent.

HYMN: the best of BJH LIVE is not necessary listening as there is nothing new, even for the die-hard BJH fan to discover! This is mainly JOHN LESS and WOOLY WOLSTENHOLME playing live their old classics with the help of CRAIG FLETCHER on bass, KEVIN WHITEHEAD on drums and, yes another keyboardist JEFF LEACH.

This album features only tracks composed during in the 70s when WOLSTENHOLME was on board. A longer version of this recording exists under the name ''REVIVAL-LIVE VERSION 1999'' which includes also live versions of some of the new songs featured on NEXUS.So of course, you are getting- one more time--MOCKINGBIRD, SHE SAID (an HOLROYD song,but a good one!), FOR NO ONE, SUICIDE and other POOR MAN'S MOODY BLUES. Did i forget HYMN?? Yes, incredible as it is , HYMN is featured here; the opposite would have been schocking.

So there is no surprise with the track selection, the same goes for the musical performance as it seems the band just tries to play close to the originals, except a very few new arrangements here and there. I guess the concerts were played in small venues as it seems you can count the clapping hands at the end of each song. No,there is no LIVE TAPES, BERLIN or GLASNOST athmosphere where thousands and hundred of thousands of people rushed to attend a BJH concert back then.

It is sad that by now, no new studio albums from this BJH with John and Wooly have been released since NEXUS as it seems only WOOLY WOLSTENHOLME is still very creative with his MAESTOSO project ( yes, i know he took a 20 year-break!)LES HOLROYD released only one album REVOLUTION DAYS(no, don't ask, i haven't taken the time to listen to it) and plenty of live albums, but i don't know what's next for him as MEL PRITCHARD passed away in 2005.

Will we see one day HOLROYD regrouping with LEES and WOOLY? Everything is possible as bad feelings of the past might disapear thanks to the passage of times! But passage of times also means that our 3 guys are not getting any younger by now! So hopefully something good will happen soon. Anyway thanks for the music JOHN, WOOLY and even LES!

As this (good) album is for BJH collectors only as new fans should start somewhere else, i will follow the PA ratings

2 STARS.