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Barclay James Harvest is a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 rock band specialising in Symphonic/Melodic Rock with folk/progressive/classical influences. The band was founded in Saddleworth
Saddleworth

Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and Hamlet amongst the Saddleworth Moor of the Pennines: Uppermill, Greenfield, Greater Manchester, Delph, Diggle, Greater Manchester and others....
, a civil parish
Civil parish

In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a civil parish is usually the lowest unit of local government, below district and county councils....
 now in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham

The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest town, Oldham, but covers a far larger area totaling , which includes the towns of Chadderton, Failsworth, Royton, and Shaw and Crompton....
, in September 1966 by John Lees
John Lees (Barclay James Harvest)

John Lees is an England musician who founded the rock music band , Barclay James Harvest. ...
, Les Holroyd
Les Holroyd

Les Holroyd , is the former bass guitarist, vocalist and songwriter with the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest....
, Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme
Woolly Wolstenholme

Woolly Wolstenholme was vocalist and keyboard player with the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest. ...
, and Mel Pritchard
Mel Pritchard

Mel Pritchard was the former drummer with the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest....
 (1948-2004).

History
After signing with EMI's Parlophone in the UK for one single in early 1968, they were moved to the more progressively inclined label of Harvest.






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Encyclopedia


Barclay James Harvest is a British
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 rock band specialising in Symphonic/Melodic Rock with folk/progressive/classical influences. The band was founded in Saddleworth
Saddleworth

Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and Hamlet amongst the Saddleworth Moor of the Pennines: Uppermill, Greenfield, Greater Manchester, Delph, Diggle, Greater Manchester and others....
, a civil parish
Civil parish

In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a civil parish is usually the lowest unit of local government, below district and county councils....
 now in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham
Metropolitan Borough of Oldham

The Metropolitan Borough of Oldham is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, in North West England. It is named after its largest town, Oldham, but covers a far larger area totaling , which includes the towns of Chadderton, Failsworth, Royton, and Shaw and Crompton....
, in September 1966 by John Lees
John Lees (Barclay James Harvest)

John Lees is an England musician who founded the rock music band , Barclay James Harvest. ...
, Les Holroyd
Les Holroyd

Les Holroyd , is the former bass guitarist, vocalist and songwriter with the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest....
, Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme
Woolly Wolstenholme

Woolly Wolstenholme was vocalist and keyboard player with the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest. ...
, and Mel Pritchard
Mel Pritchard

Mel Pritchard was the former drummer with the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest....
 (1948-2004).

History


After signing with EMI's Parlophone in the UK for one single in early 1968, they were moved to the more progressively inclined label of Harvest. Their self-titled debut album was released in mid 1970 to positive reviews, but few sales. Their second album Once Again
Once Again

Once Again was the second album released by Barclay James Harvest, in early 1971. It is generally regarded as one of their strongest efforts, featuring powerful, epic tracks such as "Song For Dying", "She Said", and "Mocking Bird", one of their best known songs....
 gained more favourable reviews, and the tour that followed was conducted with a full orchestra under the guidance of Robert John Godfrey
Robert John Godfrey

File:RobertJohnGodfrey1998.jpgRobert John Godfrey is a British composer, pianist and founder member of The Enid.Born on the Leeds Castle estate in Kent, England, Godfrey was educated at Finchden Manor in Tenterden, which was described by its founder George Lyward as a "therapeutic community for adolescents" , other alumni of which include...
. Their third album Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories was an even greater achievement, though Martyn Ford was brought in to supervise the orchestral work after Robert John Godfrey departed due to writing issues behind "Mockingbird" - one of the group's most consistently popular tracks - from the LP Once Again
Once Again

Once Again was the second album released by Barclay James Harvest, in early 1971. It is generally regarded as one of their strongest efforts, featuring powerful, epic tracks such as "Song For Dying", "She Said", and "Mocking Bird", one of their best known songs....
. By the release of their fourth album, Baby James Harvest, in 1972, the pressures of touring were beginning to have an impact on the band, and the album's inconsistency was noticed by both fans and critics alike.

After this album, they departed from EMI, and signed to Polydor, the move immediately resulting in greater sales. The next album, Everyone Is Everybody Else
Everyone Is Everybody Else

Everyone Is Everybody Else is a 1974 album by British Rock Band Barclay James Harvest.It was released in the UK on the 14th June 1974 and was their first album for the Polydor label after they had parted company with EMI....
 (1974), is viewed by many as their artistic high point. The album being played extensively on Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline

Radio Caroline is a European radio station that started transmissions on Easter Sunday 1964 from a ship anchored in international waters off the coast of Felixstowe, Suffolk, England....
, and later appearing in their Top 100 All Time Albums Chart. It also led to the band being invited to a BBC Radio 1 session for John Peel
John Peel

John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, Order of the British Empire , known professionally as John Peel, was an England disc jockey, radio presenter and journalist....
. The double live album, Barclay James Harvest Live, which followed in late 1974, built upon their solid fanbase, and was the first to chart in the UK, reaching #40. Time Honoured Ghosts
Time Honoured Ghosts

Time Honoured Ghosts is an album released by English rockgroup Barclay James Harvest in 1975. The title was suggested by the wife of Harvey Lisburg, the band's manager at the time, though it is believe that she was quoting from another unknown source....
 (1975), recorded in the USA, followed and this also charted in the UK reaching #32. Octoberon followed in '76 and reached #19 in the UK. They finally broke into the mainstream European market with their 1977 set Gone to Earth
Gone to Earth (Barclay James Harvest album)

Gone To Earth is an album by the English rock group Barclay James Harvest released in 1977. It reached #30 in the UK charts, but in Germany it peaked at #10 and stayed for 197 weeks in the German album charts....
 containing the song "Poor Man's Moody Blues"; a homage to that band's 'Night's in White Satin', and also a title foisted upon Barclay James Harvest by press critics in the early 70s.

Woolly Wolstenholme – whose mellotron
Mellotron

The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphony keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin, which was the world's first sampling keyboard....
 playing was a trademark of the band's sound in the 70s – left in 1979 after the album XII. Woolly pursued a short solo career fronting Maestoso, before retiring from the music business to pursue farming.

The remaining three members continued. At the height of their success, they played a free concert in front of the Reichstag
Reichstag (building)

The Reichstag building in Berlin was constructed to house the Reichstag , the first parliament of the German Empire. It was opened in 1894 and housed the Reichstag until 1933, when it was severely damaged in a Reichstag fire supposedly set by Netherlands Communism Marinus van der Lubbe, who was later beheaded for the crime....
 in West Berlin (Germany), with an estimated attendance of 250,000 people (30 August 1980). They were also the first Western rock band to play an open-air concert in pre-Glasnost
Glasnost

was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of 1980s....
 East Germany, playing in Treptower Park
Treptower Park

Treptower Park is a park along the river Spree in Treptow, in the district of Treptow-K?penick, south of central Berlin. The park is a popular place for recreation of Berliners and a tourist attraction....
, East Berlin
East Berlin

East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet Union Allied Occupation Zones in Germany of Berlin that was established in 1945....
 on 14 July 1987 to a 170,000+ audience.

The band continued as a threesome, with regular guest musicians supporting, until 1998. One album, Welcome to the Show, released in 1990, was released under the abbreviated name BJH. However, due to criticism from fans, the full Barclay James Harvest name was restored, albeit with the inclusion of the BJH moniker.

In 1998, musical differences in the band saw the three members agree to take a sabbatical. John Lees subsequently released an album mixing new songs and BJH classics, entitled Nexus, under the band name "Barclay James Harvest through the eyes of John Lees". Woolly Wolstenholme played in (and composed for) this band, subsequently resurrecting Maestoso to record and tour with new material, as well as back-catalogue favourites. Les Holroyd and Mel Pritchard teamed up to record under the name "Barclay James Harvest featuring Les Holroyd". Lees and Wolstenholme recently (2006/7) toured under the slightly modified band title "John Lees' Barclay James Harvest"

Mel Pritchard died suddenly of a heart attack in early 2004.

All three "derivatives" of the original Barclay James Harvest lineup continue to record and tour, and enjoy ongoing popularity, particularly in Germany, France, and Switzerland.

External works

The band released a single "Breathless"/"When the City Sleeps" under the pseudonym
Pseudonym

A pseudonym, , is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name. In some cases, pseudonyms are adopted because it is part of a cultural or organizational tradition, as in the case of Religious names used by members of some religious orders and "cadre names" used by Communist party leaders such as Leon Trotsky and Joseph Stalin....
 of "Bombadil" in 1972. "Breathless", an instrumental
Instrumental

An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments....
, was credited to "Terry Bull" (actually John Lees
John Lees (Barclay James Harvest)

John Lees is an England musician who founded the rock music band , Barclay James Harvest. ...
). The B side
A-side and B-side

A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which single s were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or flipside, is a secondary song that ofte...
 "When the City Sleeps" was credited to "Lester Forest" (actually Woolly Wolstenholme
Woolly Wolstenholme

Woolly Wolstenholme was vocalist and keyboard player with the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest. ...
), who also played every instrument and sang. This obscure track made an appearance on the soundtrack in the 2007 series Life on Mars
Life on Mars (TV series)

Life on Mars is a British Academy Television Award and Emmy-winning British science fiction and police drama British television series. It was first broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007....
, although it was not featured on the CD release.

Discography


Barclay James Harvest Studio and Live Albums 1970-1997

  • Barclay James Harvest, 1970
  • Once Again
    Once Again

    Once Again was the second album released by Barclay James Harvest, in early 1971. It is generally regarded as one of their strongest efforts, featuring powerful, epic tracks such as "Song For Dying", "She Said", and "Mocking Bird", one of their best known songs....
    , 1971
  • Barclay James Harvest And Other Short Stories, 1971
  • Baby James Harvest, 1972
  • Everyone Is Everybody Else
    Everyone Is Everybody Else

    Everyone Is Everybody Else is a 1974 album by British Rock Band Barclay James Harvest.It was released in the UK on the 14th June 1974 and was their first album for the Polydor label after they had parted company with EMI....
    , 1974
  • LIVE, (live) 1974
  • Time Honoured Ghosts
    Time Honoured Ghosts

    Time Honoured Ghosts is an album released by English rockgroup Barclay James Harvest in 1975. The title was suggested by the wife of Harvey Lisburg, the band's manager at the time, though it is believe that she was quoting from another unknown source....
    , 1975
  • Octoberon, 1976
  • Gone to Earth
    Gone to Earth (Barclay James Harvest album)

    Gone To Earth is an album by the English rock group Barclay James Harvest released in 1977. It reached #30 in the UK charts, but in Germany it peaked at #10 and stayed for 197 weeks in the German album charts....
    , 1977
  • Live Tapes, (live) 1978
  • XII, 1978
  • Eyes of the Universe, 1979
  • Turn of the Tide, 1981
  • Berlin - A Concert for the People (live), 1982
  • Ring of Changes, 1983
  • Victims of Circumstance, 1984
  • Face to Face, 1987
  • Glasnost, (live) 1988
  • Welcome to the Show, 1990
  • Caught in the Light, 1993
  • River of Dreams, 1997
  • BBC in Concert 1972, 2002
  • After The Day The Radio Broadcasts 1974-1976, 2008


Barclay James Harvest Compilations

  • Early Morning Onwards, 1972
  • The Best of Barclay James Harvest, 1977
  • The Best of Barclay James Harvest, Volume 2, 1979
  • Mockingbird/Best of, 1980
  • The Best of Barclay James Harvest, Volume 3, 1981
  • The Compact Story of BJH, 1985
  • Another Arable Parable, 1987
  • Alone We Fly, 1990
  • The Harvest Years, 1991
  • Sorcerers and Keepers, 1993
  • Endless Dream, 1996
  • The Best of Barclay James Harvest, 1992* The Best of Barclay James Harvest, 1997
  • Mocking Bird, 1997
  • Master Series, 1999
  • The Collection, 2000
  • Mockingbird, 2001
  • Mocking Bird - The Best of Barclay James Harvest, 2001
  • All Is Safely Gathered In, 2005


John Lees' Barclay James Harvest

  • Nexus, 1999
  • Revival Live 1999 - Through the Eyes of John Lees, 2000 (Live)
  • Legacy, 2007 (Live, CD and DVD)


BJH feat. Les Holroyd

  • Revolution Days, 2002
  • Live in Bonn, 2003
  • Evolution Years - The Best of Barclay James Harvest featuring the songs of Les Holroyd, 2003
  • Classic Meets Rock double CD with Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 2006
  • Classic Meets Rock DVD with Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 2006


Personnel

  • John Lees (b. 1947) - vocals
    Singing

    Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the human voice, which is often contrasted with regular speech. A person who sings is called a singer or vocalist....
    , guitar
    Guitar

    The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
    s
  • Les Holroyd
    Les Holroyd

    Les Holroyd , is the former bass guitarist, vocalist and songwriter with the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest....
     (b. 1948) - bass
    Bass guitar

    The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
    , guitars, keyboards
    Keyboard instrument

    A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organ s as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic musical instrument....
    , vocals
  • Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme
    Woolly Wolstenholme

    Woolly Wolstenholme was vocalist and keyboard player with the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest. ...
     (b. 1947) - vocals, mellotron
    Mellotron

    The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphony keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin, which was the world's first sampling keyboard....
    , keyboards, guitars
  • Mel Pritchard
    Mel Pritchard

    Mel Pritchard was the former drummer with the British progressive rock band Barclay James Harvest....
     (1948-2004) - drums
    Drum kit

    A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbell s, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single drummer....
    , percussion
    Percussion instrument

    A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration....


External links