EVERYONE IS EVERYBODY ELSE

"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.

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 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!!!!!!

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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 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*)