Barclay James Harvest
| Barclay James Harvest | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | John Lees' Barclay James Harvest (since 1998) Barclay James Harvest featuring Les Holroyd (since 2002) |
| Origin | Oldham, England |
| Genres | Art rock, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Labels | UK Parlophone. Harvest, Polydor, Esoteric Recordings US Sire, MCA, Polydor, |
| Website | Barclay James Harvest Home Page |
| Members |
John Lees' Barclay James Harvest John Lees Craig Fletcher Kevin Whitehead Jez Smith Barclay James Harvest featuring Les Holroyd Les Holroyd Colin Browne Steve Butler Michael Byron-Hehir Louie Palmer |
| Past members | See "Former members" |
| Notable instruments | |
| Mellotron | |
Barclay James Harvest are an English progressive rock band. They were founded in Oldham, in September 1966 by guitarist/vocalist John Lees (b. 1947), bassist/vocalist Les Holroyd (b. 1948), keyboardist/vocalist Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme (1947–2010), and drummer/percussionist Mel Pritchard (1948–2004).
After signing with EMI's Parlophone label in the UK for one single in early 1968, they moved to the more progressively inclined Harvest label. The name for the band, according to The International Barclay James Harvest Fan Club, signifies nothing specifically. Having exhausted other possibilities, each of the band members wrote single words on pieces of paper which were drawn out of a hat one by one. All were rejected until only three were left: James, a guy who used to sing with the band, Harvest because they were living in a farmhouse, and Barclay after the bank, because they aspired to make money. These were then rearranged to get the best-sounding name - "Barclay James Harvest".
Their self-titled debut album was released in mid-1970 to positive reviews, but few sales. Their second album, Once Again, gained more favourable reviews, and the tour that followed was conducted with a full orchestra under the guidance of Robert John Godfrey. 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 Godfrey departed over writing issues behind "Mocking Bird" – one of the group's most consistently popular tracks.
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), is viewed by many as their artistic high point. This was shown by the album being played extensively on Radio Caroline, and by its appearance in the station's Top 100 All Time Albums Chart. It also led to the band being invited to a BBC Radio 1 session for John Peel. The double live album, Barclay James Harvest Live, which followed in late 1974, built on their solid fanbase, and was the first to chart in the UK, reaching No. 40.Time Honoured Ghosts (1975), which has the well known "Titles", recorded in the USA, followed, and this too charted in the UK, reaching No. 32.Octoberon followed in 1976 and reached number 19 in the UK. They finally broke into the mainstream European market with their 1977 set Gone to Earth, which contained the song "Poor Man's Moody Blues", a homage to that band's "Nights in White Satin."
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