Barclay James Harvest
The Best Of

THE REVIEW

Barclay James Harvest is an English band that formed back in 1966 in Saddleworth. It was a period when bands that would later become legendary were starting to form. The band consisted of John Lees, vocals and guitar, Les Holroyd on bass and keyboards, Stuart 'Woolly' Wolstenholme on keyboards, and Mel Pritchard on drums. Musicians of great caliber who managed to compose wonderful pieces. The undisputed leader of the band remains still today John Lees, the charismatic singer and frontman of the group.

After modest success in Britain with the first albums, the band soon became famous, and each member's skill and technique in composing emerged. On August 30, 1980, the band played in Berlin in front of 250,000 people, and that was a great success. In the meantime, the group’s brand became BJH, an abbreviation of the name. The band's symbol was a butterfly woman, depicted on each of their albums. There has always been a special relationship between the group and the audience, in fact, a live album in Berlin was also released, and the name of the album was 'Concert For The People'. Even today, in their live appearances, the band is greatly loved by fans.

This album, which is a collection, best represents the band's sound. A record composed of hits that have been hugely successful in Britain and around the world. Memorable songs that defined an era. 'Hymn' with its acoustic guitar intro that then evolves into a crescendo of unique emotions with John Lees delivering a great performance. ' Berlin ', a tear-jerking song. 'Child Of The Universe' very melancholic and dominated by keyboards. 'Mockingbird', the most beautiful track in the entire album, in a live version. A splendid piece, with the audience participating and fully experiencing the emotions. Truly unique. 'Welcome To The Show' is a very cheerful track in typical BJH style, with very beautiful vocal harmonies. 'Rock'N'Roll Star' is another very inspired piece. 'Cheap The Bullet', the most rock song on the entire album, with a very fast tempo.

This band has always been overshadowed by the greats of the era, Genesis, King Crimson, Emerson Lake & Palmer. But it was indeed an excellent group, releasing outstanding albums. Nonetheless, they managed to carve out a spot in the rock firmament. Even today the group is active, and even today they manage to attract their fans. The 'Butterfly Woman', more than forty years after its birth is still able to fly and shine with its own light.