An Appreciation of BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST

September 23, 2014 · by Make Your Own Taste · in Acoustic, Folk, Folk-rock, Piano, Progressive, Psychedelic, Rock. ·

This page contained a long article praising the discography of Barclay James Harvest. I received an email from a guy who apparently had some association with them, correcting factual errors in my article. Which I would normally welcome and adjust accordingly. However, this guy did that in such a hostile, pompous, and unpleasant way that it nullified my own pleasure in having talked about my enjoyment of this music. So, because of him here’s one less article that could have led new listeners to BJH’s music.

10 responses to “An Appreciation of BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST”

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Dave Leeke October 1, 2014 at 9:13 pm · · Reply →

Interesting post. I was never a huge fan but I did see them at Weeley. The band performed with a 50 piece orchestra – it was funny, even as 15 year old – watching the various members of the orchestra passing joints along whilst the band were squashed up against the sides of the stage.

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- Make Your Own Taste October 1, 2014 at 9:18 pm · · Reply →
  
  Yeah, they got better upon dropping the orchestral thing; then worse at the end of the decade when they tried to become Seals and Crofts or something.
  
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- Steven Kalka November 13, 2016 at 9:17 pm · · Reply →
  
  I saw them at Weeley in 1971 at the age of 20. I do recall them playing She Said from the LP Once Again. I’ve been a fan since. I haven’t seen t hem live again as I’m a resident of the USA where they’ve never toured. They probably played Mockingbird,.
  
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forestpunk October 17, 2014 at 4:13 am · · Reply →

Yr kind of blowing my mind, right now. I was just listening to ‘Time Honoured Ghosts’ earlier today. Not even sure where i heard of these guys! Probably digging through my unhealthy ghost obsession. Don’t you think you might be A LITTLE HARD on James Taylor, though? I’ve always thought he was a fantastic guitar player, if nothing else. And i still can’t figure out, for the life of me, how there’s managed to be a Hall & Oates resurgence, and everybody still hates JT!

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- Make Your Own Taste October 17, 2014 at 9:17 am · · Reply →
  
  Thanks for the kind remarks, but I can’t change my stance on Taylor- his voice makes me murderous! He can play, though, you’re right.
  
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  - forestpunk October 17, 2014 at 6:58 pm · ·
    
    i can see that. He’s rather sad sack. I have a lifelong weakness for Iron & Wine, which probably gave me a proclivity for mopey, milquetoast folk rock. And if i ever wrote a song that was 1/10th as good as “Fire And Rain”, i would probably commit suicide immediately, and go out on a high note!
    
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  - Make Your Own Taste October 17, 2014 at 8:30 pm · ·
    
    Love mopey folk but still hate JT! I even prefer Jackson Browne, god help me!
    
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  - forestpunk October 17, 2014 at 10:10 pm · ·
    
    that’s one songwriter i have yet to get into. I know he’s a “songwriter’s songwriter”, i just haven’t put the time in yet. I don’t think i was into country enough, when i first tried.
    It’s pretty understandable, with James Taylor, it’s been rather stuffed down our throat for years. I will always love the record Sweet Baby James, mainly for autobiographical reasons, as usual.
    
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Mike Crompton March 21, 2017 at 7:23 pm · · Reply →

Well, if you were there in the beginning…BJH were superb. First saw them at Blackpool in front of about 40 fans late 60’s. Then big audiences at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester…superb with inflatable giant butterfly. Once Again is a classic and even though the follow up Other Short Stories is less so, it is still full of great tracks. They got tighter with Octoberon and Gone To Earth. Fine albums and I say that as someone who struggles to appreciate Pink Floyd. BJH were strong on melody and have a solid if ageing fan base in the North of England. Tracks such as Song With No Meaning, Jonathan, and the complex May Day still stand up well….melodic bliss. Then sonic stereo separations with tracks such as Believe in Me where the music and vocals bounce between the speakers! Love Is Like A Violin is a marvellously beautiful track and Sea of Tranquility might appeal to space travellers and USA music fans. The later beauty of Turn Of The Tide includes the brilliant I’m Like A Train again with stereo separation that is just wonderful. Then the apt In Memory Of The Martyrs so relevant to Northern Island’s difficulties at the time. All wrapped in glorious album sleeves too. Readers…look at my own art which has been so influenced by listening to BJH….a salute to classic music in a difficult period for quality rock music. Sustained listening brings huge rewards with this band.

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