Work James

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…

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…

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…

100 privileged guests form part of this concert with a band who have played to hundreds of thousands at one gig alone-and see the wry introduction of "Poor Man's Moody Blues" by John Lees. Recorded at the end of 2010 the band welcomed the audience to "John's bedroom" and gave virtually a song-by-song rendition of the story of Barclay James Harvest. Filmed live for ITV in the intimate surroundings of London's Metropolis Studios on 4th December, 2010. The band was appearing as a quartet in the absence of Woolly Wolstenholme, who was unable to appear due illness, and who tragically died nine days later.

James Levine's is a more recent entry in the realm of Dutchman recordings, and sonically the recording is absolutely stunning, with great attention having been paid to the recording process. The casting for this Metropolitan Opera effort is also uniformly first rate, even in the less grateful roles of the hapless Erik, sung by the impressive Ben Heppner, and the scolding nurse, Mary, sung by Birgitta Svendén. Morris's brooding Dutchman is hard to match on any other available recording, and Deborah Voigt is a ravishing Senta. The chorus work is quite good, though not quite as rich as that heard in the Solti/Chicago recording. Overall, Levine does a workmanlike job of conducting these impressive forces, though there are passages in which his tempi seem to drag. This recording is a must for anyone who needs a completely up to date version of Wagner's first major opera.

Revered for his "Dust My Broom" riff, the biggest slide guitarist in postwar blues was a major link between traditional Delta and modern Chicago blues.