Saturday, November 2, 2024

Barclay James Harvest - Baby James Harvest [10 bonus tracks] (1972)

Year: 10 November 1972 (CD Feb 14, 2008)
Label: EMI Records (Japan), TOCP-70349
Style: Art Rock, Symphonic Rock
Country: Oldham, England
Time: 78:54
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 502 Mb

"Baby James Harvest" is felt by many to be the weakest of their first four albums which were all released on the Harvest Label. This would be their last album for that label. This album is more of an acquired taste than their previous, more accessible releases. I remember being disappointed with the original LP release due to both the music and to the rather uninspired baby in a flowerpot cover, and lack of a gatefold sleeve. In retrospect however, the album was well worth getting to know.
The album contains just six tracks in all. There is the prog rock classic "Summer soldier", surely one of the most underrated prog epics by anyone. Constructed in two distinct parts, it has passing similarities with Uriah Heep's "July Morning". The final track "Moonwater" has a classical sound and structure, with delicate vocals and significant orchestration.
The diversity of the band's first album returns, with the rocking "Thank you", (a tribute to their road crew and literally everyone else), and the brass backed "Delph town morn". Elsewhere, "One hundred thousand smiles out" has more than a hint of "Space Oddity" to it.
The tracks are generally longer than those on previous albums allowing the band to develop them slightly more. The remastered version has some interesting bonus tracks, including the excellent non-album single "The Joker".
(https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=3383) Review by Easy Livin. February 20, 2004
This is a second miss in-a-row for Barclay James Harvest for the same exact reasons as their previous release. On top of that the official website clearly states that the whole of this album was written and recorded in a matter of four week which is not something to be proud of!
The bands songwriting is all over the place ranging from rock & roll to classical music. The album kicks off with the rocker Crazy (Over You) which sounds a lot like In My Life from Time Honoured Ghosts. The whole rock & roll attitude doesn't really bother me that much until Thank You which is the only composition that I think a man of John Lee's great talent should be ashamed for even proposing to the rest of the band. Even Woolly Wolstenholme manages to go over the border with his Moonwater which sticks out like a sore thumb in comparison to the rest of the album.
There is clearly a lot of potential on Baby James Harvest but since writing and recording was so rushed the end result is anything but satisfactory. I actually consider it to be a miracle that the band managed to compose and record a great track like Summer Soldier which incidentally also marks the only real band effort on this album.
(https://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=3383) Review by Rune2000. January 10, 2010

01. Crazy (Over You) (04:17)
02. Delph Town Morn (04:48)
03. Summer Soldier (10:27)
04. Thank You (04:23)
05. One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out (06:04)
06. Moonwater (07:30)
07. Child Of Man (bonus) (03:21)
08. I'm Over You (bonus) (03:52)
09. When The City Sleeps (bonus) (04:15)
10. Breathless (bonus) (03:08)
11. Thank You (aternative version) (bonus) (04:27)
12. Medicine Man (single version) (bonus) (04:29)
13. Rock And Roll Woman (bonus) (03:17)
14. The Joker (bonus) (03:32)
15. Child Of Man (BBC Session 15.03.1972) (bonus) (03:36)
16. Moonwater (2002 Remix) (bonus) (07:20)

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