Their self-titled debut album featured backing by an orchestra organized by Robert John Godfrey. It was released in mid-1970 and was heavily touted by the musicians and the record label as the next big thing in orchestral rock, but met with overwhelmingly negative reviews and weak sales. Their second album, Once Again, was followed by a tour with a full orchestra under Godfrey's guidance. Godfrey departed over writing issues behind "Mocking Bird" – one of the group's most consistently popular tracks - so Martyn Ford was brought in to supervise the orchestral work for their third album, Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories. Years later Godfrey filed a lawsuit alleging he was owed composing credits and corresponding royalties on several of Barclay James Harvest's songs. By the release of their fourth album, Baby James Harvest, in 1972, the pressures of touring were beginning to affect the band.
After this album, they departed from EMI, moved management to Harvey Lisberg, and signed to Polydor; the move immediately resulting in greater sales. The next album, Everyone Is Everybody Else (1974) was voted 13th by listeners in Radio Caroline's 1977 Top 100 All Time Albums Chart. The band did a BBC Radio 1 session in 1974 for John Peel; Alan Freeman, however, would be the band's main champion on the station in the 1970s and again when he returned from 1989 to 1993. The double live album, Barclay James Harvest Live, which followed in late 1974, was the first to chart in the UK, reaching No. 40. Time Honoured Ghosts (1975), which has "Titles", recorded in the US, followed, and this too charted in the UK, reaching No. 32. Octoberon followed in 1976 and reached number 19 in the UK. They broke into the mainstream mainland European market with their 1977 set Gone to Earth, which contained the song "Poor Man's Moody Blues", a homage to the Moody Blues' song, "Nights in White Satin."
Wolstenholme – whose mellotron playing was a trademark of the band's sound in the 1970s – left in 1979 after the album XII (1978), as he began to suffer from clinical depression. He pursued a short solo career fronting the band Maestoso, before retiring from the music industry to farm. He remained inactive throughout the 80s before rejoining John Lees when BJH essentially split in two.
The remaining three members continued. In August 1980, they played a free concert in front of the Reichstag in West Berlin, with an estimated attendance of 250,000 people. They were the first Western rock band to perform in an open-air concert in East Germany (over two years before the Berlin Wall fell), playing in Treptower Park, East Berlin on 14 July 1987 to a 170,000-plus audience.
The band continued as a trio with regular guest-musicians until 1998. One album, Welcome to the Show, produced in 1990, was released under the abbreviated name BJH. However, because of criticism from fans, the full name was restored, albeit with the inclusion of the BJH moniker.
In 1998, musical differences amongst members of BJH saw the band essentially split into two different groups, each of which retained "Barclay James Harvest" as part of its name. John Lees released an album mixing new songs and classics of the band, entitled Nexus, under the 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". In 2006/7, Lees and Wolstenholme toured under the slightly modified band title "John Lees' Barclay James Harvest".
Mel Pritchard died suddenly of a heart attack in early 2004. Woolly Wolstenholme took his own life in December 2010, having apparently struggled with depression for many years. The two derivatives of Barclay James Harvest continue to record and tour to this day, and enjoy ongoing popularity, particularly in Germany, France, and Switzerland.
John Lees' Barclay James Harvest (since 1998)
This derivative of Barclay James Harvest features John Lees, bassist Craig Fletcher, drummer Kevin Whitehead and keyboard player Jez Smith. The band originally featured "Woolly" Stuart Wolstenholme on keyboards before his death in December 2010. The group formed in 1999 to record the album "Nexus". Craig Fletcher and Kevin Whitehead were from Wolstenholme's band "Maestoso", and John and Woolly were members of the original Barclay James Harvest. The band toured in the UK and Europe in 2006, and recorded the live album "Legacy" at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London. Since then, the band has played at venues in the UK, but more so in the rest of Europe, where they achieve good success. The band toured again around the UK in 2009. They played at the Berlin Wall anniversary festival at the Brandenburg Gate, Bad Homburg in Germany with JLBJH's best attendance of 17,500 people, and more recently in Porto, Portugal with an attendance of 5,000. The band recently visited America, and played in Philadelphia. John Lees' Barclay James Harvest is currently signed and managed by Esoteric Recordings. Mark Powell, founder of the label, works as the band manager. In October 2013 JLBJH released "North", a studio album of all-new material, recorded at John's own Friamere Studios, on limited edition vinyl, CD and deluxe CD with a bonus disc recorded live at the Buxton Opera House. "North" was very well received, going on to become Cherry Red's biggest selling album of the fourth quarter of 2013. The band played nine gigs on a UK tour to promote the album, followed by a live radio concert for Christmas on German station SWR1. The band also formerly featured Jeff Leach and Mike Bramwell as guest musicians.
Barclay James Harvest featuring Les Holroyd (since 2002)
In 2001, Les Holroyd and Mel Pritchard returned to the studio to record the album 'Revolution Days' along with former Sad Cafe members Ian Wilson and Michael Byron-Hehir, as well as Steve Butler, Steve Pigott (Cher, Mike and the Mechanics), and Rabbit Bundrick (The Who). 'Revolution Days' was released in 2002, and a touring band was put together with Holroyd and Pritchard; Michael Byron-Hehir on lead guitar and vocals; Ian Wilson on guitar and vocals; Steve Butler on keyboards, percussion, and vocals; Chris Jago on drums; and former BJH sideman Colin Browne on keyboards and vocals. The first show was at the Colmar Wine Festival in August 2002. In October and November of that year, they undertook their first European Tour. More tours and festivals followed in 2003.
In January 2004, the band performed at the 'Art on Ice' spectacular at the Zurich Hallenstadion with Roger Hodgson, John Helliwell and Bob Siebenberg of Supertramp, Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues and Jeremy Spencer of Fleetwood Mac. Upon returning to the UK, Mel Pritchard died from a suspected heart attack.
In January 2005, BJHFLH toured with Asia featuring John Payne as support, returning the favour on four UK shows in March of the same year. In 2006, they undertook the Classic Meets Rock Symphonic Barclay Tour with the 25-piece Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. In July 2007, they toured the UK. Les Holroyd and Michael Byron-Hehir also worked on Alan Simon's Excalibur II album, Les joining the stage show in 2010. Les also performed in the live show of Simon's Anne de Bretagne. In 2011, Les joined the Rock Meets Classic Tour along with Ian Gillan, Lou Gramm, Dan McCafferty with The Bohemian Symphony Orchestra, performing four BJH songs: "Hymn", "Mockingbird", "Ring Of Changes", and "Life Is For Living".
Still touring Europe, the band introduced an acoustic spot into the set, showcasing their vocal harmonies with old favourites like "Poor Boy Blues", "Friend of Mine", and "Crazy City". They recorded their 2012 winter tour.
External works
The band released a single "Breathless"/"When the City Sleeps" under the pseudonym of "Bombadil" in 1972. "Breathless", an instrumental, was credited to "Terry Bull" (actually John Lees). The B side "When the City Sleeps" was credited to "Lester Forest" (actually Woolly Wolstenholme), who also played every instrument and sang. This obscure track made an appearance on the soundtrack of the 2007 series Life on Mars, although it was not featured on the CD release.
Members
Barclay James Harvest (1966–1998)
Les Holroyd – vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards (1966–1998)
John Lees – vocals, guitars (1966–1998)
Mel Pritchard – drums, percussion (1966–1998; died 2004)
Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme – vocals, mellotron, keyboards, guitars (1966–1979; died 2010)
John Lees' Barclay James Harvest
Current members
John Lees – vocals, guitars (1998–present)
Craig Fletcher – bass (1998–present)
Kevin Whitehead – drums, percussion (1998–present)
Jez Smith – keyboards (2009–present)
Former members
Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme – vocals, mellotron, keyboards, guitars (1998–2010)
Guest musicians
Jeff Leach – keyboards (1998–2006)
Mike Bramwell – keyboards (2006–2009)
John Joseph Lees – cornet (2006, 2009)
Liz Fitzpatrick – trumpet (2009)
Barclay James Harvest featuring Les Holroyd
Current members
Les Holroyd – vocals, bass, guitars, keyboards (2002–present)
Colin Browne – keyboards, guitars (2002–present)
Steve Butler – guitars, keyboards (2002–present)
Michael Byron-Hehir – lead guitars (2002–present)
Louie Palmer – drums, percussion (2011–present)
Former members
Mel Pritchard – drums, percussion (2002–2004)
Ian Wilson – guitars (2002–2009)
Chris Jago – drums, percussion (2002–2003, 2004–2005)
Roy Martin – drums, percussion (2003–2004, 2006–2007)
Paul Walsham – drums, percussion (2005–2006, 2007–2011)
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barclay_James_Harvest
Studio albums
Barclay James Harvest (1970)
Once Again (1971)
Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories (1971)
Baby James Harvest (1972)
Everyone Is Everybody Else (1974)
Time Honoured Ghosts (1975)
Octoberon (1976)
Gone to Earth (1977)
XII (1978)
Eyes of the Universe (1979)
Turn of the Tide (1981)
Ring of Changes (1983)
Victims of Circumstance (1984)
Face to Face (1987)
Welcome to the Show (1990)
Caught in the Light (1993)
River of Dreams (1997)
The World
Barclay James Harvest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My world it was so small
The empty playground swings
The corner shop, the penny drinks
The backyard walls
Of a brave new world
As those years passed by
I never thought to try
The childhood fantasies
Of a brave new world
Some things change, some stay the same
Some don't even notice, some feel the strain
It's everyone's fault and nobody's blame
And who can say if that's too much to ask?
When I was twenty-four
My small world closed the door
I felt like I should cry
I saw men born to kill and born to die
For this brave new world
So now I'm old and grey
And life has passed my way
Those tears have all run dry
Death's desperation lies on every eye
In this brave new world
Some things change, some stay the same
Some don't even notice, some feel the strain
It's everyone's fault and nobody's blame
And who can say if that's too much to ask
Of a brave new world?
You know you were dreaming
You know that the streets weren't paved with gold
You know you were dreaming
It's part of the scheme of things
That "Brother Thrush" grows old
In Barclay James Harvest's song The World, the lyrics describe the contrasting lifestyles and perceptions of the world from a child's view to adulthood. The song opens with the nostalgic memories of youth, where the world was innocent, and life was simple. The empty park swings, corner shop, penny drinks, and backyard walls are symbols of the happy, carefree times. The child's world was a "brave new world" full of hope and dreams, which he never tried to memorize.
However, as the child grows up, the world begins to change. Some things remain the same, and some don't, but only a few people notice. The lyrics suggest that everyone is responsible for the changes, but no one would take the blame, and that becomes too much to ask of a "brave new world." The second verse shows the singer as an adult and closing the doors to his small world. Here, he witnesses men born to kill and die for this "brave new world."
Finally, in the last verse, the singer accepts his old age and how life has passed him by. The tears have run dry, and the desperation of death lies in every eye. The lyrics specify that the singer was well aware of his dreams and that the streets weren't paved with gold. The repetition of "You know you were dreaming" signifies the lost childhood fantasies that have remained a part of the scheme of things. In essence, the world remains "brave new," but it comes with a cost.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was just a child
I reminisce about my childhood days when my world was small and limited.
My world it was so small
I only had the playground, corner shop, and my backyard walls to define my world.
The empty playground swings
The playground was a symbol of emptiness and lack of imagination during childhood times.
The corner shop, the penny drinks
The penny drinks from the neighborhood store was a big deal and a part of the life of a child.
The backyard walls
The backyard walls limit my vision of the world, and it feels as if the world ends there.
Of a brave new world
The phrase 'Brave New World' represents an unknown and exciting future that a child could only imagine.
As those years passed by
As time goes by, the concept of 'Brave New World' starts fading, and reality sets in.
I never thought to try
I didn't try to pursue my dreams and fantasies, and let them fade.
To memorize the dreams
I didn't take enough steps to keep my childhood dreams and aspirations alive in my memory.
The childhood fantasies
The childhood fantasies depicted a world that is impossible to achieve in reality.
Some things change, some stay the same
Life is unpredictable and constantly changing, but some things remain the same.
Some don't even notice, some feel the strain
Some people are oblivious to the changes, while others try to adapt and cope with the changes.
It's everyone's fault and nobody's blame
Everyone is responsible for the changes, but no one can be blamed for the inevitable change of life.
And who can say if that's too much to ask?
The hope for a better tomorrow is an expectation unfulfilled, but still worth striving for.
When I was twenty-four
At the age of twenty-four, my world got smaller, and my perspective changed.
My small world closed the door
My limited perspective of the world started to close down and diminish.
I felt like I should cry
The realization of a limited world evokes a feeling of despair and sadness.
I saw men born to kill and born to die
The harsh reality of the world is that some men are destined to kill, while others are destined to die.
For this brave new world
The 'Brave New World' is not as exciting as once imagined, but instead holds harsh realities.
So now I'm old and grey
As time passed by, I grew older, more experienced about the harsh realities of life and accept them.
And life has passed my way
I have experienced the different, unpredictable facets of life.
Those tears have all run dry
The emotional and nostalgic feelings have faded away, leaving me with a mature perspective of life.
Death's desperation lies on every eye
Everyone fears and dreads the inevitability of death, which becomes evident as people age.
In this brave new world
The harsh realities of life are part of the 'Brave New World' experience.
You know you were dreaming
The dreams of childhood are not based on reality, but instead on imagination.
You know that the streets weren't paved with gold
The hopes and dreams of a better life are unrealistic since life is unpredictable and full of harsh realities.
It's part of the scheme of things
The harsh realities of life are inevitable, and a part of the natural order of things.
That 'Brother Thrush' grows old
'Brother Thrush' symbolizes the inevitability of aging and the harsh realities of life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Kassner Associated Publishers Ltd
Written by: JOHN LEES, STUART JOHN WOLSTENHOLME
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind