BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST

This is the way a re-issue should be made, what a perfect gift to the BJH fan! The sound has been improved (it was 1970, almost prehistoric times), the track list contains 13 bonustracks (including 7 previously unreleased) and the 16-page booklet features lots of track information, a comprehensive history and nice pictures.

The highlight is the 12 minutes version from their epic "Dark now my sky" delivering a bombastic orchestra sound (instead of the Mellotron that had inspired the band to use this orchestra), beautiful sensitive electric guitar, warm vocals, sparkling piano and impressive church organ waves. Most of the bonustracks are simple but wonderful melodic and harmonic compositions with strong echoes from The Sixties (The Moody Blues, Procol Harum, The Beatles, The Byrds) featuring beautiful keyboards (lush Mellotron along piano and organ), acoustic guitar and pleasant vocals.

If you compare this album from 1970 to the symphonic rock dinosaurs YES, GENESIS and PINK FLOYD in that year, you can analyse that BJH sounded very mature. The music press often nailed BJH as the 'Poor man's Moody Blues', this re-issue prooves that this was projection from the poor views from the music press themselves!