EVERYONE IS EVERYBODY ELSE

A classic. I would think that this was the biggest seller for Barclay James Harvest but I could be wrong. It's a change in direction from their early, folk oriented albums and starts to sound a little progressive in places. I remember some reviewer suggesting that BJH were a poor man's Moody Blues and I couldn't disagree more. When it comes to symphonic 70's rock I've got the lot but I must have played "Everyone..." more than any other album of the time. Quality, easy listening prog rock.

The first album to come out after their break up with EMI, this album defines the BJH sound to come in later years. The lyrics also take a more meaninful role as by this time the band had lost some of its boyish charms. My pick of this album is - Child of the Universe, the first song on the album which defines the music to come in the later songs. Though often compared with the Moody Blues (which is unfair!), BJH has had less popuarity but in some cases a more refreshing sound.

I would definitely rate this album high almost at par with Once Again, one of their better efforts.

"Everyone's a loner till he needs a helping hand, everyone is everybody else"

This was BJH's first album for the Polydor label, who must have been delighted with what the band delivered. The album represents a subtle change of direction, with the heavier opening tracks "Negative earth" and "Child of the universe" indicating that the symphonic and orchestral influences apparent in their previous albums had been largely set aside in favour of a more rock orientated feel. This meant that the often cited Moody Blues similarities of their early albums were also less apparent.

"The great 1974 mining disaster", appears to be a "tribute" to the Bee Gees song of very similar name, with both lyrics and melody being uncomfortably close to that of the Brothers Gibb. "Crazy city" was one of their most commercial tracks to date (not a criticism!), and was therefore released as a single.

The album ends with a trilogy of tracks which join together to form a single piece. "Poor boy blues" and "Mill Boys" cleverly reverse 2 themes between their vocal and instrumental sections. These almost folk like songs give way to one of BJH's great powerful tracks, "For no one" (no relation to the Beatle song). The track crashes in, in similar fashion to "After the day" from "..and other short stories", with John Lees pleading vocals lifting the song to an impassioned climax. "Everyone's a loner till he needs a helping hand, everyone is everybody else".

A very complete album, which moved BJH's standing significantly further up the ladder.

this is easily their best album.1974 mining disaster,is a brilliant song which parrarels the bee gees hit with the politcal enviroment in the uk at the time.paper wings is also great,but there are no week songs on this disc.

The style involved here is folk/rock/hard rock music. The rythm is rather slow. This record contains acoustic and electric guitars through often a good sad floating keyboards. The bass is loud and well played. The lead singer is good. This is not music for party; it's rather for when you have a bit the blues. Most of the BJH stuff is made for those circumstances.

This was the first BJH not to feature any orchestral arrangement on any of the songs comprised in it. That meant, in instrumental terms, a most notable responsibility for Wostenholme's keyboards regarding the layout of symphonic ambiences via the mellotron and the Moog, with Lee's guitar leads creating melodic textures and effective riffs. Most of the repertoire consists of symphonic prog ballads, but it's not boring or conventionally romantic: in many ways this album is headed towards the realms of inner introspection and reflection to a massive degree, so it's perfectly understandable that there is not one single rocker here (the only rocky things are certain passages in some songs). The opener 'Child of the Universe' is an absolute BJH classic, depicting the absurd situation of children and young teenagers involved in civil wars and social violence - the crudeness of this subject is treated with a proper dramatic sense. Then comes 'Negative Earth', a meditative number driven by a solid confluence of electric piano jazzy chords and bass lines, and enhanced by the occasional mellotron textures and Lee's picked leads. 'Paper Wings' is the most bombastic number in the album, starting in an ethereal mood during the sung part, and then shifting into an explosive closure, which sounds a bit too brief to me; the climax cooks really fine, but maybe it could have been developed a bit further - a good number indeed. Just like the two aforementioned numbers, 'Crazy City' is also a Holroyd-penned song, being the rockiest piece in the album: that's basically in the intro theme and its closing reprise, since the sung parts that come in between are built on a folk-pop basis. This contrast portrays quite properly the opposition among the frenzy of modern society and the peace of mind that any sensitive soul longs to achieve. Track 4 follows in the same dramatic vein as the opening number, while track 6 keeps things a bit more sentimental: it's amazing how well these two Lee's compositions find a perfect voicing in Wostenholme's mellotron layers - without any use of pyrotechnics, Wooly manages to assume a kind of starring role here, almost making these songs his own. The country stuff makes its way into the record in the segued tracks 7-8, allowing the band to explore their acoustic side in a most candid manner. Just before Holroyd's final words in track 8 stop sounding, a brief drum roll by Pritchard kicks off the closing track, 'For No One'. This is another prog ballad, it reiterates the anti-war message of 'Child of the Universe', making the album come to its full circle finale - once again, the clean vocal harmonies, the dense, simplistic mellotron layers, and the guitar leads build an effective emotional peak. Overall conclusion: a very good recording, that shows BJH reaching their musical maturity and ordaining their own typical qualities. I rate it 3 ½ stars.

This album is the first in polydor label. The album show another direction in a Barclay James Harvest sound. This is a excellent album with a harmony between the songs. Who like the symphonic rock with beatiful melodies and naif vocals are here one of best moment in history of prog rock. All songs are very beatiful especially: "Child of Universe", "Negative Earth" and "For No One". Les Holroyd and Jonh Lees are in better form. Mel Pritchard (you are in heaven Mel) is a great drummer with many changes of time. Wooly Wolstenholme fiils the songs with a unique sound of mellotron. In this album, Wooly not have "your song" because polydor not agree with a inclusion of a symphonic piece called "Maestojo". because is very diferent style of the rest of the album and was dropped from the final track listing. Woolly later re-recorded it for his 1980 solo album, Mæstoso, but this shorter version, with Mel's drumming to the forefront, didn't get a release until it was included on the 1996 BJH rarities compilation, Endless Dream. Five stars if "Maestojo" was in album!

The first Polydor album of the boys was quite a surprise. They left the classical influences behind them, focused somewhat more on progrock songs (although that term didnot exist by that time) and gave some room to their folk roots in two beautiful short songs, extremely nicely coupled by a simple chord. This is BJH at their absolute best! The album starts off very strongly with 'Child of the universe', an emotional and personal song by John Lees protesting against the bad things that grown-ups impend on children while arguing, making war of staying intolerant. The next two songs are by Les Holroyd and Mel Pritchard together, a combination that had never and would never exist again. Too bad for those two songs, Negative earth and Paper wings, are simply great. John Lees 'The great 1974 mining disaster does indeed reflect the BeeGees but he gives it a more rock-like spell, ending in a splendid guitar-driven coda. Crazy city is a rather straightforward rock song, yet being sung very well. See me see you has always been a favourite; it realy is too bad they never came to play it live! After the two folkish short songs that are so well combined the original album closes with what I reckon as being the best song that BJH has ever recorded in their more than 30-years career: 'For no one'. Actually it has been my all time favourite ever since I first heard in on Radio Caroline, fading in and out because of the weather conditions (those were the days!) The guitar is everywhere, John sings at his best (and then it is really good!), the lyrics grab you by the throat. The only criticism: it is way too short, it should have run for another 3 of 4 minutes, just soloing around the marvellous theme. What an album!! This is absolutely a classic, although it never became their biggest success which is, in my hunble opinion, one of the very very big puzzles in pop history!

This is really a masterpiece for Barclay James Harvest! It begins with a tour de force: Child of the Universe, Negative Earth, Paper Wings, The Great 1974 Mining Disaster, Crazy City. Only after these five songs, you enter in a more quiet and relaxing moment with See Me See You, Poor Boy Blues and Mill Boys. Finally the great and live classic For No One. After listening to that compositions anyone's deliberation should be: 5 stars!! Buy it! You will not be disappointed!!!!!!

The fifth work announced in 1974 "Everyone Is Everybody Else". The first work after it transfers the register from HARVEST to POLYDOR. The orchestration with the keyboard including the synthesizer is used. It is a content that this keyboard and the guitar become centers of the performance, and the influence of PINK FLOYD is felt in the sound. I feel the mutability outlook in this work though there is a feature and peculiar unreality, too. It is a most important work of BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST as a progressive rock.

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

Pilloried by press and public for a well-intentioned but ill-advised tour of South Africa; with neither record deal nor management; and seriously in debt. No wonder 1973 was the year that BJH could have broken up. Yet, after a sabbatical for band members to 'do their own thing' [in fact, only John Lees produced a solo album during this time, though its release was delayed for several years], they bounced back to enter a golden age of creativity and spiralling success. Everyone Is Everybody Else is the first fruit of this new phase, and the first of their long-term partnership with Polydor.

In many ways it represents the ultimate expression of that first 'incarnation' of the band, retaining a core of strong arrangements, incisive songwriting and inventive licks that typified their best work from those early years, but more streamlined, achieved without the aid of the now defunct orchestra, a sparser sound showing a vitality missing from the previous couple of albums, perhaps rejuvenated after surviving their difficulties. The result is a cleaner, more 'professional' sounding product, yet strangely lightweight: clarity perhaps at the expense of 'oomph'.

While the songwriting is universally excellent, there is a notable omission: the absence of a song from Woolly Wolstenholme, whose 'magnum opus' [Maestoso] was rejected for being 'too different'. Therein lies the key to this album - unlike earlier albums there are no deviances from the fundamental group identity. All songs sound as if they belong together, a harmonious and homogenious collection, flowing organically from the great opening piano chords of Child Of The Universe through to the majestic Mellotron drenched anti-war anthem For No-One, one of the few songs where John Lees lets rip with a genuine guitar solo.

In between are a bunch of top-drawer melodic Prog and soft-rock songs: inspired by the Apollo 13 near-disaster, Les's Negative Earth has an inventive song structure with a lightweight keyboard riff; a rewrite of a Bee Gees song, John's classic The Great 1974 Mining Disaster comments on the UK's destructive miners strike of that year; Les's riff-tastic live favourite Crazy City is about life in a big city [originally London but can be applied to anywhere]; and a cleverly linked pair of country-tinged rocker Poor Boys Blues and multi-part harmonies of Mill Boys deal with life on the bottom rung.

Faults are few: main weakness is the aforementioned production which robs some tracks of their ultimate energy - Crazy City and Negative Earth were awesome live, revelling in inherently powerful arrangements, but are here somewhat lacklustre by comparison; sadly, For No-One [and, less importantly, Crazy City] is unforgivably faded during John's classic axe work in the coda; and amongst so many brilliant songs, the simple but pleasant See Me See You is marginally below par.

Five of the best songs are reprised on the scintillating album Live [1974] which rather makes Everyone Is Everybody Else a touch less essential than it might otherwise have been. Nevetheless, it is a classic that sums up all that is good about early BJH.

What can I say.... this is my favourite album of all time. It delivers a powerful political message in the most english and resigned of ways. It almost cries out in reserved despair about the inevitable helplessness of every one of the negative situations that it portrays. The sound to me is wonderfully bleak at times as well as being thrillingly full when the melotrone and lead guitar are going full throttle to a quality that gives messers Gilmour and Wright a run for their money. What I love most about this album is that every single minute of it is good (except the grating opening chords of Crazy City which break the melancholy mood). We know Child of the Universe and For No One are classics..... particularly For No One, with it's soaring finale and it's anthemic lyrics that I have carried with me since I was a teenage. But the album is so much more than just these songs. Negative Earth and Paper Wings show Mel Pritchard to be a true innovator as he virtually conducts the music with his drumkit... the orchestra may not be in the recording but Mel is still conducting them as the tempo switches this way and that with sometimes just a bare nod to any steady beat. This is brilliant and understated musicianship, just like the rest of the indtrumentation on the album. I love the folk rock of Poor Boys Blues and Mill Boys too but to me the pinnacle of this record is the guitar solo at the end of 1974 mining disaster, the arrangement is truly inspired, the guitar solo is outstanding and the overall effect is one of the most magical pieces of music ever recorded. The spirit of this album reminds me of the time I was splitting up with a very close girlfirend of mine and we just held each other and cried together in silence... a kind of deep elation in the unification we felt from sharing our sadness... to me that is what this album is in both words and music a painfully english lament that is so beautifully executed that we cry in quiet ecstasy along with it.

This album is a clear change into BJH musical orientation. Not just a label change. The band has finally dropped this useless orchestra that almost brought them to bankrupcy during the ... Harvest years.

Even if some BJH anthems have been written during those years ("She Said", "Mockingbird", "After The Day", " Summer Soldier") this period is far from being my fave one (the wonderful "Once Again" being the exception).

The music proposed here is simple, melodic, symphonic. In one word : beautiful. Some might be irritated that a band produces just nice music. No intricate lyrics à la Genesis, no complex music à la Yes here. Only straight-forward compositions full of emotions like in "The Great 1974 Mining Disaster". We'll even a rockier number with the opener "Child Of The Universe".

Maybe some numbers might sound a bit childish / naive like "Negative Earth", but I just love it. Of course this is easy listening music that does not require a lot of attention to discover whatever mysterious this or that. All these songs are very accessible but very personal and easily identifyable as well.

This album holds several very nice tracks like "Paper Wings", but the whole of this work flows easily from one song into the other. Almost no boring moments nor irritating passages. IMO, BJH starts the most brilliant period of their career with "Everyone". This peak will last for several years. Of course, John Lees is not the most brilliant vocalist but his voice fits perfectly well with the music : sweet, never unpleasant nor shouting but not boring either. You'll get this confirmed while listening to "Crazy City".

"See Me See You" is a bit too melowish, but as usual it is very melodic. The first weak moment is reached with the seventh track : "Poor Boy Blues". An accoustic and country song. I have never appreciate this genre (except some legendary tracks from C, S & N or Creedence). At this time of the album, it is obvious that BJH is short of inspiration. "Mill Boys" is another weak country/folk number. Press next if you have the CD version.

Fortunately, "For No One" is a great closing number. A superb and melodic ballad full of mellotron and nice guitar breaks.

Some might argue that this album lacks in variety, that it sounds about the same all the way through. Again, I just love it. It is a shame, though, that there are two weak numbers. Those prevent me to give the five stars rating. This album is one of their best studio one of their whole career. A great intro for a newcomer or just a curious one. A great yet simple symphonic moment. Four stars.

THE BEAUTIFUL SIDE OF PROG

I guess Polydor records saw something in BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST potential their former label Harvest hadn't. We don't know the name of the luminary brain who decided to sign the band...and take over the -huge- debts BJH accumulated through the years by using a symphonic orchestra on their 4 albums and on.....tour, but he will be proved right as the band will enter a successful commercial period starting with EVERYONE I EVERYBODY ELSE.

Listening to this album, one can notice quite a few changes in their musical directions from their Harvest days. Beside the fact the orchestra is now a thing of the past, the sound has been straighten out ,the format of songs have been shortened to the length of a potential single. You won't find any epics here, no fancy arrangements. Everybody is shooting in the same direction -almost- as the lone composition WOOLY WOLSTENHOLME brought to the table ''Maestoso'' would be rejected by the rest of the band and the producing staff from POLYDOR as ''too much out of place'' with the other songs. When you listen to ''Maestoso'' which is featured as a bonus track on this album , you can only agree with the decision as it sounds like going back to the former Harvest years.

However, 4-5 mns songs doesn't mean BJH is looking for the juke-box and mass commercialism. JOHN LEES and LES HOLROYD have high musical standarts and would prove it with EVERYONE IS EVERYBODY ELSE. They would become the kings at crafting beautiful symphonic rock songs,always looking for the perfect melody and lush romantic arrangements, occasionaly indulging in some more rockish tunes which wpuld be hits or misses.

Take some Beatles-like melodies, add a zest of west-coast a la Eagles sauce, coat it with some nice first period Crimsonian symphonic arrangements, cover with a quaint old english country athmosphere, make sure you're singing as nice as Justin Hayward and you're having the new BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST for dinner.

EVERYONE IS EVERYBODY ELSE is an almost perfect album in its own category. I wish the PA ratings would go to 10 as i would give this album a 9 out of 10. 10 would be to fanboy and it deserves more than the 4 PA rating. Why? Because if someone would tell me, he/she thinks there is no beautiful music to be found in rock or prog, this is the album i would use to counter the argument. This one or the next one TIME HONOURED GHOSTS or GONE TO EARTH.

In some of other reviews, i used the word MAGIC to describe some unbelievable music that seem to come right out of heaven. I know it's often a personal perception as everybody find its own magic in their own personal musical world. However, half of the songs qualify from this album as magical and the rest are still great songs. There ares no dudes on EVERYONE IS EVRYBODY ELSE. The best of the best is of course the strong opener CHILD OF THE UNIVERSE another J. LEES anthem that will become a staple on any BJH concert night after night. Strong lyrics about the lives of kids in war torn countries, a beautiful melody, a lot of mellotron, just a beautiful masterpiece.Goosebumps still guaranteed 33 years later!

The same will apply to other magnificent symphonic songs such as the majestic FOR NO ONE or THE GREAT MINING 1974 DISASTER, other JOHN LEES tunes who has found his stride and confidence in his vocal and compositional abilities. LES HOLROYD is not far behind coming with a few great tunes as well as the melodic NEGATIVE EARTH or the haunting PAPER WINGS with its drums attack at the end.

BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST will deliver one rocker on this album, the single CRAZY CITY which will get some -albeit small- success, but that's only the beginning. By the way, CRAZY CITY is one of the good rocker they created as they came up sometimes with sorry ones. Nothing mind blogging, but pleasant to listen to ! And a'' rocker'' performed by BJH will never endanger your sanity or make your grand parents run the other way!

If WOOLY WOLSTENHOLME has no writing credit on this album ,it doesn't mean he is absent; on the contrary, due to the dismissal of the orchestra, the symphonic sound now rests totally on his shoulders, better with his keyboards! He provides the goods, not in a Wakeman style with exhuberant demonstrations of his skills, but simply by creating a gorgeous soundscape mostly with the mellotron to embellish the songs. Never forget BJH music is not about instrumental prowess, but rather creating the perfect melody with a simple , but tasty arrangement. The same goes for the guitar of JOHN LEES; there are no 10000 notes played in a minute, no! just a few ones, but the ones that count, the ones that beautify the song harmoniously!

The South California influence can be heard on the two bridged tracks POOR BOY BLUES/MILL BOYS reminding me of some Eagles songs with steel guitar and CSN-like harmonies; a bit odd after all those so-English songs, but they are good songs anyway as good as the ones from the masters. But this is this discrepancy that will prevent this album the 5 star treatment.

EVERYONE IS EVERYBODY ELSE is an album for all those who like melodic songs with rich musical textures.There is nothing challenging here for your ears, just well crafted beautiful gems to enjoy peacefully with more great albums to come.

4.5 STARS

Is this the English version of America (the band)?

Am I crazy? Has anyone noticed that this album sounds like California folk-rock such as the band America? Nicely constructed pop songs with delicate harmonies, great electric and acoustic guitar parts, even an album cover with four lads looking like the guys on the front of America's "History" album. But seriously this album is a nice collection of songs if you're not expecting heavy prog.

While I find this very far from what I consider prog there is no denying that this is some tasty rock music. The songs are ridiculously catchy and accessible with delightful lead vocals and backing harmonies. Pacing is generally quite slow occasionally stretching to a medium canter before slowing again. The guitar is mostly mild and pleasant with occasional fiery solos breaking out. The drumming and bass are modest and very clear on the Japanese remaster. The keyboards and mellotron drape the songs in a heavy air of melancholy, the music is pleasant but the moods not necessarily so. Was "Poor Boy Blues" written by Glenn Frey? Of course not but it sure sounds like it. BJH is a band that you could take on a fishing trip with your Dad (or Grandpa for you young ones) and he might like the album more than you. Inoffensive to the max and songs that you will think you've known all your life by the second time you hear them. Not exactly the description many prog fans want from their music, but again, this succeeds well enough at what it shoots for. Irresistible melodies and every song radio friendly.

No prog-nirvana here but easily recommended to fans of The Strawbs or US folk-rock bands like America, CSN, or even James Taylor. Fans of technical complexity or abrasive sounds should run in the other direction.

The music itself is so good and the vocal quality is excellent, why oh why must the lyrics be so preachy? The opening track plays like a whinier We Are The World and, in fact, the lyrics on the entire album are overwhelmingly whiney, preachy, and at times even scolding. The first 6 tracks are relatively soft and instrumentally enjoyable, as is the entire album, while tracks 7: Poor Boy Blues and 8: Mill Boys almost beg for comparisons to the softer side of southern rock (honestly, they made me think of a few softer MARSHALL TUCKER BAND songs) and are indeed the highlights of the album, as they are the only times you don't feel as though the band is trying to make you feel guilty for something. The last track is purely progressive and is an extreme delight instumentally but again the lyrics are excruciatingly sappy and preachy. I'm usually pretty good about being able to take a preachy song here or there on an album but this one really bludgens you with them. If I didn't speak english this album would be a favorite but since I do speak english I find myself having to grade the album this way: 4/5 instrumentally, 4/5 vocally, 1/5 lyrically. This amounts to an overall rating of 3 chi-i-ildren out of 5.

It took BJH longer to shed the orchestra than the Moody Blues, and the results were arguably more dramatic. It must also be said that the new record company, Polygram, and producer Roger Bain, who coaxed a more radio friendly and melodic sound out of the group, played a critical role. For the first time since "Once Again", BJH produced a consistent album in which the children actually play well with each other.

Speaking of children, the opening track "Child of the Universe" became an anthem for the group, and sent a clear signal that the group was open for business. The use of simultaneous piano and synthesizer is particularly powerful in this anti-war tune, Lees' guitar weeps in the closing sequence. Both "Negative Earth" and "Paper Wings" were unique Holroyd/Pritchard collaborations and reveal a maturity hitherto unimagined. Unlike many Holroyd solo compositions, they are more ponderous than poppy, but both are enhanced by mellotron soaked choruses and more expressive lead guitar. The greek-style section that closes "Paper Wings" is not particularly innovative but it sounds fresh given its previously placid surroundings. "The Great 1974 Mining Disaster" begins the tendency to write blatant spoofs of other bands' work rather than mere allusions. It's a bit too plodding although it is saved by the work of Lees' and Wolstenholme in the outro.

Side 2 contains two more BJH perennials, "Crazy City" with its raw riffs, acoustic interludes and fine harmonies, and "For No One", with a constant mellotron backing enhanced by Lees' vitriol. In between, the buildup via several Byrds/Eagles styled country folk rockers displays the versatility of the group. "Poor Boy Blues" contains a middle instrumental section that previews the melody of "Mill Boys", while "Mill Boys" harkens back to "Poor Boy Blues" for its break, but it is done subtly and in a refreshingly understated way rarely heard up to that point from BJH. This makes the fanfare of "For No One" seem all the more impressive.

"Everyone is Everybody Else" was the the right album at the right time for BJH. The songs are great, but together they form a cohesive work that left no doubt of the band's ability to progress.

This album doesn't sound much like prog to me..... Parts of it sound like Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young...Parts sound like the Strawbs....so maybe Prog Folk I guess....This is the only BJH album that I own....and I am not really tempted to get more....which means to me that it can't be a 4 star album....There are some nice songs here but nothing that grabs me and says wow....

Everyone Is Everybody Else's Somebody

Everyone Is Everybody Else is clearly one of the better studio albums by Barclay James Harvest and a distinct improvement over their last one, the disappointing Baby James Harvest. While listening to this album it feels like they finally gained the confidence in themselves that was lacking from their previous albums (at least the previous two ones). They have also, finally, shelved the overtly Baroque sound that was present on songs like Mockingbird and many others. Here they let the electric guitar speak and augment it with different keyboards, thankfully not restricted to just the Mellotron.

The identity of this band has never before, or since, been as strong as this - this might be the band's ultimate statement. And somehow everything fell into place here (apart from the dreadfully boring cover art!); the lyrics are never horrible and there are no songs containing the word 'love' in the title, nor are there any songs explicitly about Jesus! How is that for a change?

There are some quite strong songs on this album, and it flows pretty well from start to finish. It feels more like a complete piece instead of just a random collection of songs. The great song Child Of The Universe reminds me a lot of Queen. I can almost imagine Freddie Mercury singing this song (but Freddie would do it a lot better, of course!). The American-style Folk rocker Mill Boys is the only song I don't really like here. But this song is so well tied together with the other songs that I don't mind it too much.

The only criticism is that there is not one single Wolly Wolstenholme composition on this album.

Still, good album - possibly their best!

This one is not only my favourate BJH album but ít's aswell in my top-list porgrecords of all time.

This collection of songs are the best the band has ever written. Even Les Holroyd has written true classics for this one, like the outstanding Crazy City and Paper Wings

The album kicks off with perhaps one of the most famous tracks by the band. John Lees was never satisfied by the arrangment of the song is wich it appeared on this alubm, but it's fine by me.

Negative Earth wich it's electric piano and Paper Wings with it's heavy rock-ending are among the best Les has ever contributed to the band.

The Great 1974 Mining Disaster is based on a Bee Gees song and refers to several Bowie songs. A great solo by John Lees and if you can get hold of the remastered cd-version there's also an alternate mix included as bonustrack wich is even better.

Side two kicks off with the hard-rocking Crazy City, perhaps thaier hardest rocking track to date.Take Me Take Me Take You is lossely based on Hey Jude and features some really fine John Lees solo-guitar.

The following two tracks are intertwined and not all that important but a good listen. It's a little county-meets-folkish, not good, not bad.

But the final song is sublime. Very very good soloing by John Lees and wonderful anti-war-lyrics.

Even if you don't like BJH, you should at least own this gem. And if you're about to buy this one, buy the remastered version, it includes a Wolstenholme song never released before by BJH and some fine alternated mixes of Negative Earth and 1974, wich are rawer and imo better than the ones originally released.

A definate 5 stars-ranking!

This album is epic in so many ways! Alot of keyboards on this one, so you guitar proggies better get used to Ye Olde Mellotron for this album. That doesn't mean there aren't excellent guitar riffs on this album, it's just that this album is way more keyboards than guitars.

The opening track on this album is a classic, which you probably have heard on the radio before (if you listen to the radio, that is), is called Child of the Universe, a beautiful anti-war song written by Barclay James Harvest's guitarist, John Lees. The next few tracks are less Prog like and more Folky than other BJH songs and albums, then come the last three songs of the album, Poor Boy Blues, Mill Boys, and another excellent anti-war song, For No One.

Poor Boy Blues sounds like a blues song, but with a little Prog to it and not really the basic 12- bar you'd expect on a blues song (not saying every song featuring the word Blues is a Blues song). Mill Boys is sort of a Folk-Country song, different from the previous songs on the albums. Mill Boys has a sort of poppy feel to it, a mainstream feel, but we then discover it is only a prelude to the great track which bookends the album, For No One. For No One is another anti-war song written by Lees, sung about how everybody keeps leaning towards war, and never really care about peace. The song features fantastic guitar work by Lees, with the second guitar solo fading out, and ending the album.

This album is a masterpiece. Do not get Baby James, Gone To Earth, XII, Barclay Jamese, or any other BJH album before you get this one. This one is THE Barclay James Harvest album.

This is one of Barclay's best albums.

But is it prog? Well, BJH is loved by many prog fans, but that's something else. They are a crossover prog band which doesn't excel in complexity, musical virtuosity or an adventurous attitude.

So what do they have to offer? Good songs, that's one thing. Also: sophistication in their sound. Not that the Barclay albums are very rich in little details (they are not), but they're good in building an atmospheric sound with simple means. Most Barclay albums have a compelling layered sound, with a strong keyboard presence, and good guitar playing, especially by John Lees. Not prog in the strict sense of the word, but a sound that many prog fans will appreciate.

By the time of Everyone Is Everybody Else BJH didn't need an orchestra anymore, like they did on Once Again and BJH And Other Short Stories. They had learned now to be an orchestra on their own.

And that's quite an achievement, looking how sparse actually the instrumentation is. With few instruments and vocal harmonies they know how to build a full sound. Barclay's sound is heavily influenced by the Moody Blues, from the Days Of Future Passed / Nights In White Satin era. In fact, Barclay were being called a "poor man's Moody Blues". Barclay, like the Moody Blues, has mostly slow songs, stately, with simple but effective musical layers. Like Moody Blues, Barclay likes to make use of the mellotron. Keyboardist Woolly Wolstenhome is very important in this respect for the sound of the band. His keyboards play an important role in the Barclay sound. But Wolstenhome doesn't offer many compositions on most Barclay albums, neither on this one. The main composers of the band are Les and Lees, Les Holroyd en John Lees.

Why is this album so strong? It's not an album with a lot of diversity, but strangely enough that works out very well. The songs are on a very high level, and the fact that there is an enormous unity in sound between the songs doesn't make the album sound 'samey', but maximizes the emotional impact of the songs instead. Barclay had become masters in "less is more", and their composing skills not only help them carve out good songs, but they also know how to compose an album as a whole.

The album opener and the album closer are both true BJH classics. Both are anti-war songs, but on a very personal level, and John Lees' lyrics can send a real shiver down the spine. Yes, in album opener "Child Of The Universe" Lees brings a war which is far from home very close by in his lyrics: "I'm the child next door 300 miles away". Album closer "For No One" is also a highly emotional song, and the lyrics also address the listener on a more philosophical level (this is where the album title, which is part of the lyrics of this song, fits in conceptually).

Also a strong song is "See Me See You", and here at least we see some complexity, which is probably on the account of Wolstenhome.

Taken on their own, "Poor Boy Blues" and "Mill Boys" are not very special, but Barclay are masters in composing an album, and the songs do work out when put next to each other, and as an introduction to the emotion - laden "For No One".

As it comes to instrumentation: I already mentioned Wolstenhome's atmospheric keyboard layers. John Lees is also important for the sound: his guitar bits are not virtuoso in any respect, but he knows where to put an effective riff in the instrumental parts of the songs, adding to the emotional impact of a song.

Also a nice triviality is that Barclay likes to quote from other artists. In the lyrics, for instance: "Have you seen my life, Mr. Groan" from "The Great 1974 Mining Disaster" is a variation on a lyric from the Bee Gees' hit single "1941 Mining Disaster", where they sing: "Have you seen my wife, mr. Jones". Barclay's "Mr. Groan" refers to a British miner's leader in those days, called Joe Gormley. The lyrics of the song are also further on referring to the actual political situation.

There is also a musical quotation on the album: the wordless vocal harmonies in the middle of Crazy City form a clear variation on the "da-do-do-do-da-da-da" at the end of Yes' Roundabout.

This album, though not virtuoso, innovating or complex, is very good because of the strong songs, the intelligent lyrics and the unity in sound. This is not an album that will knock you out when you listen to it for the first time. If you'd buy this album because of this review, you might even be a bit disappointed in the beginning, because the music doesn't sound very ambitious. But when you keep listening to it, it will reveal its secrets. This is Barclay at its best.

After four back-to-back albums and excruciating touring proved to be disastrous for the band parted with EMI and were signed to Polydor label where they remained until splitting up in 1998.

This bold move proved to be quite successful both commercially and creatively because Everyone Is Everybody Else is a masterpiece of an album. I knew for certain that it would become a big favorite of mine just after my first listen. The first four songs, Child Of The Universe through The Great 1974 Mining Disaster are just flawless and make me smile every time I turn them on. After that the album takes a bit of a break from that majestic sound while still maintaining the great songwriting qualities. The final track For No One is probably one of the greatest closing track I've ever heard on an album and comes only second to the conclusion of In The Court Of Crimson King.

On the down side it's a pity that non of Woolly Wolstenholme's compositions made it on the album especially since Mæstoso (A Hymn In The Roof Of The World) is one of his strongest compositions to date and it's great that the track is made available on the remastered version of the album. At the same time I can't really consider that a flaw since that composition doesn't really fit the overall sound of the album and would probably ruin some on the momentum.

My biggest question concerning the rating of Everyone Is Everybody Else and the albums prog credentials. I can't really call it a masterpiece of progressive rock music since most of its prog qualities are subtle to say the least. But at the same time Barclay James Harvest has never been a band that showed off their impressive musical skills. It's basically all about the great songwriting and those small but memorable moments like the jam at the end of Paper Wings and the transitions between the last three tracks that makes it progressive in its own right.

***** star songs: Child Of The Universe (5:02) Negative Earth (5:28) Paper Wings (4:14) The Great 1974 Mining Disaster (4:35) For No One (5:08)

**** star songs: Crazy City (4:05) See Me See You (4:32) Poor Boy Blues (3:05)

*** star songs: Mill Boys (2:47)

Everyone Is Everybody Else is cited by many Barclay James Harvest fans as capturing the band at their very best. I certainly wouldn't disagree with that except perhaps for having a slight preference for their excellent 1974 live album which contains some of the songs featured here as well as having definitive versions of some of their earlier classics.

BJH were never the most complex of prog bands, a strong melody taking precedence over complex instrumental workouts. This is perfectly demonstrated here where they go for a more direct songwriterly approach than ever before, abandoning the orchestral elements that had sometimes featured on their previous albums. Often compared to The Moody Blues, which while being a useful reference point doesn't really do them justice as they had their own identity and are in my opinion a superior band.

The album consists of nine short, no messing, straight to the point songs with strong melodies in abundance. Largely on the mellow side, Crazy City being the only rocking moment and even this alternates between John Lees powerful guitar riffs and the acoustic fuelled verse. It also features an inventive off beat drum pattern from the underrated Mel Pritchard.

There are many songs here that have since gone on to be regarded as BJH classics. Apart from Crazy City, there's the piano dominated Child Of The Universe, Negative Earth and The Great 1974 Mining Disaster, all essential tracks to hear in the bands repertoire. Perhaps best of all though is closing track For No One; Mellotron lovers will be in heaven and Lees supplies some searing guitar work. The weakest point of the album comes in a duo of songs, Poor Boy Blues and Mill Boys. Not that they're particularly bad but seem a little incongruous to the rest of the album, having a light country rock feel.

If you enjoy symphonic rock generally on the mellower side with a strong emphasis on melody and not heard BJH then this excellent album is the perfect place to start. Highly recommended.

I like it when albums have perfectly suiting artwork. This one sends out a loud and clear "stay away" to me. But given the high ratings and the free-lending policy of the library, I had a go at it anyway. Conclusion: yes indeed it sounds exactly as mellow, sweet and flowery as its package and it's definitely no album for me. On the other hand, personal issues aside, this is an acceptable classic album indeed.

The music is soaked in mellotron, violins and that typical 70s velvety atmosphere, a reason why it might appeal to fans of that era, including Prog fans. But the music has little ado with progressive rock. It's the professionally played mainstream balladry, just like everything was professionally played those days. But that is not enough to make it interesting or able to stand the test of time. Something at which this album largely fails. Even when trying to emulate some of the grandeur of Prog (eg For No One), the exaggerated romanticism make it too inoffensive and the tame. Love the guitars though.

When it comes to songwriting this is a fine album and I can enjoy it when taken in small doses. But after less then 10 minutes of this sweet and dreamy ear-candy I get sugar-high and urgently need something with more needles and pins. A good nostalgia trip but no 3 star rate for this site.

Listening this album today, more than 30 years after its release, "For no one" still sends shivers down my spine ... Probably the album was not a prog masterpiece in itself, but that song actually IS a real progsong that you can label as a masterpiece ... The majestic mellotrons, the heart-felt lyrics, the great guitar solos, the subtle drumming of the late Mel Pritchard ... If you add some strong songs (Child of the Universe, Negative Earth, The Great 1974 Mining Disaster) and some state-of-the-art compositions, full ob subtlety (Paper wings and, specially, See me see you), reaching the highest point with that final song that culminates an apparent intertwined "folkie" songs, then you have, no doubt, a great album.

Now that I'm getting around to writing a review of 'Everyone is Everybody Else' I find myself rethinking the four (out of five) stars I gave to 'Baby Harvest' some time back. The reasons for the volte-face are quite simple. First, this album (the band's first on the Polydor label) was much more well-thought-out and organized than 'Baby Harvest' with its revamped closing epic, the weird rolling credits-like "Thank You" and lack of overall thematic or aural continuity. And second, this one seems to have the mood and tone of more of a true team effort despite the poor choice of hard-rock impresario Rodger Bain as producer which reportedly caused friction, especially between Bain, John Lees and keyboardist Wooly Wolstenholme.

No matter, I'm not going to go back and revisit that decision. But I am going to sprinkle faint praise on this album even though it came out at a time when this sort of music was so much in decline as to be almost non-existent, very much in the process of being replaced by glossy pop, disco, and aging progressive and folk rockers reconstituted as easy- listening pop-country and arena rock acts. Despite their sound becoming rapidly outdated Barclay James Harvest stayed the course and as a result managed to crank out a handful of very solid psych/folk progressive albums that stand up and are appreciated today far more than when they were new.

As with the last album the orchestral arrangements are gone on this one, replaced solely by Wolstenholme's mellotron and other keyboard wizardry. Anyone who's heard the closing "Summer Soldier" from 'Baby Harvest' will recognize Wolstenholme's signature contribution to the band on that song and sprinkled liberally throughout this one, despite the fact Bain, Holroyd and Lees finalized the playlist without including a single Wolstenholme composition. In particular the opening "Child of the Universe" and "For No One" are quite lush with keyboards and mellotron and stand up well with the best of similar acts like the Moody Blues, Camel and Harmonium circa the same period.

The one mild complaint I have about this album is a bitch I have with several lighter, more symphonically-inspired progressive classics of the period; that is, the music tends to be just a tad bit too subtle, too restrained and dare I say too smooth. Pink Floyd perfected smooth with 'Dark Side of the Moon' and 'Wish You Were Here', but they did so without losing that psych tinge or ability to force the listener to come face-to-face with the music and its meaning, and to form a bond with both. This album, while quite technically proficient and even very pleasant to listen to, doesn't quite do that. Right now I find myself having to labor just slightly and (egad) to take notes on what I want to say about it once the music finishes playing. That would certainly never happen with Floyd, or with any of the Moody Blues' big seven albums, or even with a contemporary of this album, Supertramp's 'Crime of the Century', that is every bit as polished and smooth but could never be described as a 'pleasant yet passive listen'.

But I don't have any trouble saying that about the Strawbs 'Hero and Heroine' or Camel's 'Mirage', and I don't have trouble saying it about this one. A very good album, and "The Great 1974 Mining Disaster" in particular is an overlooked gem in the band's catalog.

In the end this is not among their top two or three records despite the fact that airplay and attention from John Peel for this album led to arguably their most productive period in terms of popularity and quantity of work. Three stars in the end, and recommended for anyone who wants to appreciate the entirety of BJH's body of work, but not recommended as much as the EMO records or even 'Octoberon'.

peace

Everyone Is Everybody Else finds Barclay James Harvest taking the Supertramp approach, offering up a charming and accessible brand of soft prog that may lack flashy displays of technical complexity but makes up for it in spades with a deeper and more direct level of emotional engagement. Opening with the majestic and melancholy call for peace of Child of the Universe, it presents a selection of songs which inaugurates Barclay James Harvest's most successful period and represents them hitting the ground running with their new label Polydor, who had snagged them away from Harvest. (Should they be called Barclay James Polydor at this point, in that case?)

Perhaps I should say that, rather than Barclay James Harvest taking the Supertramp approach with this album, instead Supertramp took the Barclay James Harvest with Crime of the Century, seeing as this one predated the other. At the same time, when it comes to making this sort of sonic shift I think Supertramp were mildly more successful at capturing a truly timeless sound and a broad emotional palette. Conversely, the material on this album feels very much of its time, to an extent where it can feel a little dated, and the songs all tend to bleed into each other a little as the band rely a bit too much on the same set of emotional levers.

Review #16 Barclay James Harvest were formed in Manchester, in September 1966 as a quartet. Their first contract was with 'Parlophone' for just one single in 1968, and right after that they moved to Harvest. Their debut album 'Barclay James Harvest' was released in 1970, received positive reviews, but failed to reach a wider audience . Their second album 'Once Again' received again very good reviews, and the tour that followed was conducted with a full orchestra under the guidance of Robert John Godfrey. (Who later on formed 'The Enid'). Despite all that, the album's sales were very low once more. After 'Once Again', the band released another very good album in the same year (1971), named 'Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories', which was the band's greatest achievement so far. In the meantime, Robert John Godfrey had been replaced by Martyn Ford. The pressure and the tiredness of the long tours started to have an impact on the band, and that became clear with the release of their fourth album 'Baby James Harvest', which was their weakest moment, and also was the last album they released for 'Harvest'.

In 1973 they signed a contract with 'Polydor', and one year later they released the brilliant 'Everyone is Everybody Else' (1974). This album is considered by many, as their artistic high point, and it was produced by Rodger Bain, who had previously worked with Black Sabbath in producing their first three albums. At the same time, he was also the producer of Judas Priest and Budgie. The album was including one of the band's most famous songs, 'Child of the Universe', which together with 'For no One' received a massive 'air play' by many Radio stations, and made Barclay James Harvest famous to a wider audience.

The album includes 9 songs, and has a total running time of almost 40 minutes. (In the original version). Almost all the songs are great compositions, filled with the characteristic melodic and melancholic sound of Barclay James Harvest. Surely 'Child of the Universe' capture the listener's attention from the first listen, but all the songs are almost equally good in my opinion. If I had to find the album's 'weakest' moment, I would say the song 'Mill Boys' which is a sweet ballad, but nothing more. All the other 8 songs are beautiful to say the least.

I bought this album almost 27 years ago on vinyl, (later on I also bought the extended cd version), and during these years I have listened to it hundreds of times. As you can understand I know all the songs by heart, and I can't say that I'm bored of them. It's quite the opposite actually! I still love every minute of it!

'Everyone is Everybody else' is without any doubt a wonderful album, which I strongly recommend.

As for my rating, I would give 4.50 out of 5.00 stars.

What a difference a change of label makes. In retrospect being deprived of their precious orchestra was the best thing to happen to BJH. Being effectively forced to toughen up their sound to make up for it made them a far more commercially viable group Gone were the bloated arrangements and tentative melodies and in came some genuinely powerhouse playing and arrangements. Individually, the songs on "Everyone is Everybody Else" stand up extremely well but collectively they make up a song cycle that is frankly stunning- a real case of an album being so much more than a sum of its parts. The legendary English radio presenter and producer, John Peel famously gave a tick next to every track when deciding which tracks he would play on his show- not something he would normally do and it is easy to see why. Every song is an absolute cracker and as a result it is hard to pick out any highlights. There are some obvious standout moments such as the brilliant drum heavy second half of "Paper Wings" and the superb guitar solo in the closing track "For No One" but the playing and arrangements throughout are just about faultless. Interestingly the re-arranged version of "Child Of The Universe" (originally planned as a US single) but apparently never released is actually more dramatic and effective than the original version and is closer to the live version which appears on "Live Tapes"This version is included as a bonus track on the Remastered CD.u Another bonus track is Wolstenholme's mini epic "Maestoso"Even though it is another brilliant, very proggy contribution which was notoriously left off the original album I am not sure where it would have fitted in-something which the producer Roger Bain apparently decided at the last minute. Nevertheless, even without any solo contributions from the keyboard player the album remains an absolute classic which never seems to age.

My rating-5 stars

1 Child Of The Universe with the nostalgic start, clean Serero drums, keyboards, a piano, a tune, a rhythm, oh yes, dive back into it with headphones or in 7 points, before the atmosphere drives you crazy; here it vibrates, it's soft, rhythmic, ah that I already wrote it, it's moving and these piano notes which could come out of a SUPERTRAMP title and this final guitar solo by John which floods the room, gorgeous 2 Negative Earth vibration of the air by a... frenzied, metronomic tune, it's Les on vocals, I have more trouble; it smells of nostalgia, sticky spleen, the style of the group too; the guitar that arrives, does it scream, does it cry? The genre, rock but crossover, yes when you're lost that's what we put on; the solo is very serious, here I am starting to speak like a young person... that I am still well-heard to see my progue friends who are declining; Well I'm not going to make any friends tonight; the solo returns, latent, BJH often puts their trump card at the end not to furnish for crossover precisely, this one is very Gilmourian 3 Paper Wings with the drums saturating the speakers, ah that memory where you feel like your ears are closing up; ah this direct solo I wrote that it was at the end; ah this languorous organ on the verge of slow; ah this acoustic guitar, a used sound but how well done it was with this rise during the chorus, with these ageless choirs... it would make a good whiskey without moderation; Mel's hit resembles that of Bruford from KING CRIMSON, the solo is clearly stamped BJH; this well-focused solo on the left, the drums on the right, that was also the prog rock of the 70s 4 The Great 1974 Mining Disaster slow intro to 'Amicalement votre' with an airy and crystalline piano; I'm often told to stop writing with two adjectives, you're going too much/very quickly, take your time... like prog, but I actually take the time... I've been listening to this album for almost 50 years , it is part of my musical memory; a title which shows that prog could live in 5 minutes flat too; the anthemic title before the eponymous one, majestic, symphonic which imposes and Mel still ahead with John who splits a stereo solo, brilliant

5 Crazy City and the heavy riff on a soft organ, sublime oxymoron; the tune in the chorus that still surprises you today; a rhythmic softness, a guitar arpeggio, two voices in chorus and off we go; ah the riff becomes nervous accentuated by the percussion, a little treasure this title with the final organ here 6 See Me See You for the title neither too much nor not enough; always between consensual rhythm and symphonic air, with its share of progressive sound, letting here and there the atmosphere bathe, take me, take you... what you say, in short it flows by itself; very soft this title and very moving with the Mellotron 7 Poor Boy Blues for the country ditty that goes great, folk rock surfing on FLEETWOOD MAC or Chet ATKINS it's up to you 8 Mill Boys finally continues I always told myself that this was the case; Mel officiates and rhythms, always on a bluesy western track and 9 For No One drives the point home with the 3rd track, yes it's 11 minutes, you counted correctly; John on the guitar which tears the air, an anthem before its time, that too was one of the characteristics of BJH, tearing with the voice and the guitar, strafing from the bass part and abusing the Hammond organs and others to melt; a title which seemed simple at first glance, which was criticized for its soft rock rather than prog aspect but which influenced a parabolic opening like this stratospheric final solo which made you climb even higher; yes listen to this solo which never ends and... this organ; of the program I am writing to you.

Review Nº 657

"Everyone Is Everybody Else" is the fifth studio album of Barclay James Harvest that was released in 1974. This was the first album from the band released for Polydor label and represents a subtle change into their music. This was their first album not to feature any orchestral arrangements and the final result was a more rock oriented sound and the early similarities with The Moody Blues became less apparent. It showed the band had a better and more polished production than the albums on the Harvest Records, and this actually helped them to develop a sound that was more of their own.

"Everyone Is Everybody Else" has nine tracks. The first track "Child Of The Universe" written by John Lees is a song about the violence in Northern Ireland and Vietnam and the apartheid in South Africa and is a classic theme of Barclay James Harvest. It's also one of the most known songs of the group and is also one of the most performed live by them. It's a very emotional and personal song perfectly treated with a proper dramatic sense. The second track "Negative Earth" written by Les Holroyd and Mel Pritchard is a song based on the disastrous 1970 Apollo 13 space mission, that in spite of everything and in the ending, the space crew returned safely to Earth. This is a very melodic and accessible song perfectly identified with the more oriented pop style of Les Holroyd. The third track "Paper Wings" written by Les Holroyd and Mel Pritchard is another melodic song but with a more rock and frenetic rhythm, especially because the drum attacks at the end of the song. It's a good song very easy to here and that doesn't require too much attention to listening. The fourth track "The Great 1974 Mining Disaster" written by John Lees seems to be based to the Bee Gees song of a very similar name. Deconstructing the lyrics of the Bee Gees "New York Mining Disaster 1941", it retold the story of the 1974 UK miner's strike that led to the downfall the British government. It's a very nice and interesting song with beautiful guitar moments, especially its great guitar solo. The fifth track "Crazy City" written by Les Holroyd is a superb song with great gritty guitar riffs and nice vocal harmonies and that was therefore released as a single. It's the rockiest song on the album and is also very well sung. It's one of the most commercial songs of the band, but sincerely I think that it isn't necessarily a bad thing. The sixth track "See Me See You" written by John Lees is, as usual, another very melodic track with nice and fine musical parts which gives us a great moment of relaxing pleasure. This is a song with some musical complexity and one of my favourite songs of the album. The seventh track "Poor Boy Blues" written by Les Holroyd and the eighth track "Mill Boys" written by John Lees are two simple and beautiful folk songs with nothing of special to offer. They're two songs with a country rock feel that seem a little out of the place in the context of the album. They aren't bad songs but both represent, without doubt, the weakest point of the album. The ninth and last track "For No One" written by John Lees is an anti-war song like "Child Of The Universe" and a great song to close the album. It's a powerful song with clean vocal harmonies, dense and simplistic Mellotron and great guitar performance and where John Lees pleading vocals, carry the song to an impressive climax. In my humble opinion, "For No One" is with "Child Of The Universe" the two highest points of this great album. Both remain two excellent tracks, even today.

My "Everyone Is Everybody Else" version has five bonus tracks. Usually I don't review bonus tracks. However, this time I'm going to do an exception with "Maestoso (A Hymn In The Roof Of The World)" written by Woolly Wolstenholme. The recording sessions produced this track that would remain locked for about twenty years because Polydor didn't agree with the inclusion of this symphonic piece on the album, with the argument that it has a very different style from the rest of the album. This is an epic track with the lyrics telling the story of a chance meeting between a Russian and an American mountaineer at the top of the World, in Mount Everest. Woolly Wolstenholme later recorded it on his debut solo studio album "Maestoso". It was a shame this track hasn't been included because it would have been the only real progressive song on the album. This is also one of the best and most spectacular compositions composed by the band.

Conclusion: "Everyone Is Everybody Else" is one of the best Barclay James Harvest studio albums, indeed. However, I don't consider it their best studio work. Sincerely, I'm absolutely convinced that they have better studio works, such as, their two next studio albums, "Time Honoured Ghosts" and especially "Octoberon". "Everyone Is Everybody Else" isn't as cohesive and well balanced as "Time Honoured Ghosts" and "Octoberon" are. It has especially two weak songs "Poor Boy Blues" and "Mill Boys" that constitute the Achilles' heel of this album. By the other hand, it's completely inexcusable the editor's decision of not include one of the greatest music pieces composed by Woolly Wolstenholme, "Maestoso (A Hymn In The Roof Of The World)". If that hadn't happened, "Everyone Is Everybody Else" would be a better album. Still, for many persons, "Everyone Is Everybody Else" remains BJH's most solid and consistent release.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)