Album title: Once Again
Artist: Barclay James Harvest
Nationality: English
Label: EMI
Chronology: Second
Grade: B
Tracklisting: She Said/ Happy Old World/ Song for Dying/ Galadriel/ Mocking Bird/ Vanessa Simmons/ Ball and Chain/ Lady Loves
Comments: It’s not hard to see why BJH acquired the rather derogatory nickname as “the poor man’s Moody Blues”. As soon as “She Said” begins I hear Justin and the boys, and maybe it’s unfair, because I feel they are or were a good band, and almost certainly did not copy the Moodies, just happened to come along at the same time as them, with the Moodies getting the more press. Had it happened the other way around, we could have been talking about “the poor man’s Barclay James Harvest”. But we’re not, and they were stuck with that label.
The opener is a really nice blues-style slowburner with a sort of mystical feel to it, the longest by some way on the album at nearly eight and a half minutes, some fine guitar work from John Lees backed by powerful Mellotron and organ from Stuart Wolstenholme. In the middle it stops entirely and then comes back very very slowly and quietly indeed, to the point in fact that, were you listening to it and didn’t know how long the song was you might have switched off at the halfway point. I would say it’s flute you hear very low in the background, but recorder is mentioned so I guess it’s that. It finally punches up on hard guitar around the sixth minute and this climbs into a pretty evocative solo which reminds me, of all things, of Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World”, the ending of it anyway. Basically it’s a reprise from here and I would question, as I often do, why this is so long a song?
“Happy Old World” rides very much on the organ, with elements of very early Genesis I feel, with rather a nice if naive message, that life is what you make of it. Oh but maybe not, as there’s a reference to suicide, possibly quite risque for 1971 I would imagine. Maybe it’s an acerbic, sarcastic lyric? Some really nice piano melding with Mellotron to fade it out, kind of liked that one. Next up then is the rather fatalistically-named “Song for Dying”, (sounds like this is the one that should be about suicide, no?) which runs on a soft piano line, then rising guitar and a stronger and more impassioned vocal than we’ve heard from Lees to date. Up to now I feel he’s been sort of singing almost apologetically, low and soft, as if afraid someone will hear him. Nice song, as is “Galadriel”, though I think all this pastoral flower power could be helped by a big snarling guitar or pounding organ; just kick out the stays once in a while guys. It’s a little snooze-inducing.
Well, “Mocking Bird” is another slow one, seems to be based on the nursery rhyme/lullaby, though very nice. Love the orchestra here, very effective and the vocal is very clear without being forceful (these guys? Really? Forceful?) while I also get a sense of Alan Parsons Project here. Yes yes I know, but look who pops up on the final track, hmmm? Coincidence? What are you drivelling about Trollheart? I’ll explain when we get there. I think this is my favourite track so far. Quite excellent. Another soft acoustic track in “Vanessa Williams”. Sorry “Vanessa Simmons.” Vocal is gone back to that shy, hiding sort of thing Lees does on much of this album, though it does poke its head out now and then. Again, a nice song. It’s a short one, and I feel it’s going to be little else than vocal and acoustic guitar. Nothing wrong with that. Maybe a little light percussion.
Ah, finally! Something with a little teeth, some balls to it. And a chain, apparently. Good howling guitar, punch drums, something almost like a really early Matt Johnson in style. The vocal, again, could be stronger, but not bad. A song like this though really needs him to cut loose and just give it some. I heard Don Henley do something like this on his solo album
Inside Job. I’ll be honest and say he did a better job, but this at least blows a few of the cobwebs away. But now I’m not sure if it sounds out of place, as if it’s only there because they think there should be a “harder” track. I know: never satisfied, am I? And the closer goes back to the slow love songs, lazy sitting in the garden squinting at the sun sort of thing. Really laconic slide guitar and a certain Alan Parsons (see? I told you it would all become clear) on Jew’s harp of all things. So now I have to ask, did he get the idea for the famous APP music motif from BJH?
Favourite track(s): Happy Old World, Song for Dying, Galadriel, Mocking Bird, Vanessa Simmons, Lady Loves
Least favourite track(s):
Overall impression: A really laid back album, perhaps too laid back, but I would think very pleasant to listen to when you want to relax. Certainly enjoyable, but again can you call it prog rock? Ask me later.
Personal Rating: 4.0
Legacy Rating: 2.0
Final Rating: 3.0