Barclay+james+harvest

BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST? Needless to say more about the indisputable reputation of this band who has been bringing their million-sellers like LIFE IS FOR LIVING or HYMN to succeeding generations of fans in dynamic live performances for four decades. They have been enjoying ongoing success since the seventies with band leader LES HOLROYD who gave the band their very specifically own sound in Classic Rock genre which somewhat reminds of the style of THE MOODY BLUES and PINK FLOYD. THAT WAS THEN… THIS IS NOW gives an eloquent overview of their repertoire, with a bonus DVD of their scene performances for the past 15 years in Europe…

In 1966 two R & B bands local to Oldham (UK) merged to form a blues outfit The Blues Keepers. With sponsorship from a local businessman (also their manager) they rented an 18th century farmhouse where they practised extensively, gradually moving towards a progressive rock style then beginning to emerge. On turning professional the name Barclay James Harvest was adopted, and the line-up stabilised as John Lees (guitars, vocals), Les Holroyd (bass, rhythm guitar, vocals), Stuart "Wooly" Wolstenholme (keyboards, vocals) and Mel Pritchard (drums). After releasing their first single in April 1968, the band joined the legendary progressive Harvest label, quickly expanding their musical horizons, chiefly by experimenting with longer evolving song structures and orchestrations…

Deluxe three CD + NTSC/Region 0 DVD edition. Features an additional 33 bonus tracks drawn from new 5. 1 surround sound and stereo mixes from the original multi-track master tapes, BBC radio sessions from 1968 and 1971, and non-album singles along with the 1968 short film Mr. Sunshine. The set also includes a lavishly illustrated 68-page book with previously unseen photographs and an essay by BJH specialists Keith and Monika Domone. Additionally, the set includes a facsimile of the 1970 Barclay James Harvest orchestral tour program and two facsimile press releases from 1968 and 1969, postcards and a replica 1968 record shop poster for the 'Early Morning' single….

In 1966 two R & B bands local to Oldham (UK) merged to form a blues outfit THE BLUES KEEPERS. With sponsorship from a local businessman (also their manager) they rented an 18th century farmhouse where they practised extensively, gradually moving towards a progressive rock style then beginning to emerge…

Barclay James Harvest was, for many years, one of the most hard luck outfits in progressive rock. A quartet of solid rock musicians – John Lees, guitar, vocals; Les Holroyd, bass, vocals; Stuart "Wooly" Wolstenholme, keyboards, vocals; and Mel Pritchard, drums – with a knack for writing hook-laden songs built on pretty melodies, they harmonized like the Beatles and wrote extended songs with more of a beat than the Moody Blues…

Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a new re-mastered four disc deluxe expanded boxed set limited edition (comprising 3 CDs and a DVD) of the legendary self-titled debut album by Barclay James Harvest.
In April 1968 Barclay James Harvest released their first single, Early Morning, on EMI’s Parlophone label and became the first signing to EMI’s progressive label Harvest Records (named after them) the following year. Their self-titled debut album was released in June 1970, and saw BJH successfully fuse an orchestra with rock to create a unique, sometimes pastoral, form of symphonic progressive rock. Produced by Norman Smith (also famed for his work with Pink Floyd and the Pretty Things), Barclay James Harvest was dominated by the twelve-minute epic Dark Now My Sky and also featured such wonderful material as The Iron Maiden, Mother Dear, When the World Was Woken…