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Barclay James Harvest: Gone to Earth

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s

Artist: Barclay James Harvest
Title: Gone to Earth
Released: 1977.09.01
Label: Polydor Ltd. (London)
Time: 39:50
Producer(s): Barclay James Harvest
Appears with:
Category: Pop/Rock
Rating: *********. (9/10)
Media type: CD
Purchase date:  2000.12.16
Price in €: 10,39
Web address: www.bjharvest.co.uk

 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Hymn (John Lees) - 5:06
[2] Love Is Like a Violin (John Lees) - 4:03
[3] Friend of Mine (John Lees) - 3:30
[4] Poor Man's Moody Blues (John Lees) - 6:55
[5] Hard Hearted Woman (Les Holroyd) - 4:27
[6] Sea of Tranquility (Stewart Wooly Wolstenholme) - 4:03
[7] Spirit on the Water (Les Holroyd) - 4:49
[8] Leeper's Song (John Lees) - 3:34
[9] Taking Me Higher (Les Holroyd) - 3:07

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


JOHN LEES - Guitar, Vocals
LES HOLROYD - Bass, Vocals
MEL PRITCHARD - Drums
STEWART WOOLY WOLSTENHOLME - Keyboards, Vocals

DAVIE ROHL - Engineer, Co-Production
RICHARD SCOTT - Ass. Engineer
IAN COOPER - Mastering
MALDWIN REECE TOOTIL - Artwork

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1978 LP MCA 2302
1978 CS MCA 35038
1998 CD Polygram International 800092

Recording Studios: Strawberry Studios, Stockport
Recording Dates: March to June 1977


Title:
Gone To Earth really stemmed from the artwork, which suggests an animal's retreat from which it can watch the world outside. "Gone to earth!" is, of course, the traditional hunters' cry when a fox manages to reach its home.

Sleeve:
The cover was designed by Maldwyn Reece Tootill, and the original LPs had the entrance to the fox's earth cut out so that the full-colour inner sleeve showed through. This had the famous owl against the moon on one side, or, if reversed, showed the same scene by day. The inner bag also included full lyrics (more than full, in fact, as there is an extra verse on "Love Is Like A Violin" which did not appear on the finished recording!). A few copies of the LP escaped without the hole having been cut out, so the centre of the front cover is merely an enigmatic white blob!
Later pressings of the LP dispensed with the cut-out sleeve and simply printed the owl as an integral part of the design, and this is also how all cassette and CD copies have appeared. The montage on the back of the sleeve was put together by the band with David Rohl, and the photos were taken by Christopher B.Roberts.

A later reissue of the album from Korea was retitled Poor Man's Moody Blues and had a completely different cover.

Last words from Woolly:
"a lot of good things came together on Gone To Earth - some of John's best, like "Poor Man's Moody Blues" and "Hymn" and Les's "Spirit On The Water". There was a nice balance, the artwork was good and somehow everything happened at the right time."



The group's best album, featuring some of their most effective hard rock and their best tunes. John Lees' soaring, poetic "Hymn" became a major part of their stage act, but is still pretty powerful in its studio version, and Les Holroyd's "Hard Hearted Woman" also turned into a concert favorite. The real highlight, however, is John Lees' "Poor Man's Moody Blues," which manages to outdo the other band at their own game. (British import)

Bruce Eder, All-Music Guide



Kritiker warfen BJH immer wieder vor schwülstig und kitschig zu sein. Na und? Dieses Konzept geht auf "Gone To Earth" auf jeden Fall auf. Die erfolgreichste Platte, die die englische Softrockgruppe je hervorgebracht hat, wartet mit einer Reihe wunderschöner Songs auf. Gleich zum Einstieg gibt`s DEN Klassiker "Hymn", gefolgt von der schönen Ballade "Love Is Like A Violin". "Friend Of Mine" von Les Holroyd klingt für mich etwas zu stark nach Country-Musik. Doch danach ist wieder ein echter Klassiker zu hören: "Poor Man`s Moody Blues"- Der Song war als Antwort von John Lees auf die ewigen Vorwürfe der Kritiker gedacht, BJH würden wie die Moody Blues für Arme klingen. Die Qualität der restlichen Songs fällt zwar etwas ab, aber trotzdem bleibt der Gesamteindruck des Albums absolut positiv.

Audio


A superb album already, Barclay James Harvest's 1977 Gone to Earth got a lot better in this reissue edition. For starters (before we even get to the bonus tracks that nearly double the running time of the original LP), there's the sound -- the state-of-the-art remastering puts all of the instruments practically right in your lap, but most especially John Lees' various guitars and Stewart Wooly Wolstenholme's keyboards, which get a really close sound. What's even better is the warmth of the overall sound -- the vocals and the playing may be intense, but there's an engaging, seductive richness to all of it, from Lees' electric lead guitar runs on "Love Is Like a Violin" or Wolstenholme's Mellotron on "Poor Man's Moody Blues," which offers some of the richest textures ever heard from that too-often-forgotten instrument. The bonus tracks open with an enjoyable outtake, "Lied," a previously unissued song that's a good showcase for Lees' playing; "Our Kid's Kid" is a catchy, upbeat B-side, with a great melody and a gorgeous overall texture mixing electric/acoustic guitars on lead and rhythm, which might've just worked as a "play" side; a previously unreleased single-edit of the album opener, "Hymn," follows, that might just be even prettier than the LP version, and heralds the single version of "Friend of Mine," which is still one of the most hummable pieces of music ever to come out of the whole art rock boom. It all ends with an 11-minute live rendition of "Medicine Man" that showcases not only Lees' playing, but also Les Holroyd's killer bass work and a performance by drummer Mel Pritchard that's as dazzling to us as it must've been exhausting to him. All of that, coupled with well-written and detailed annotation, plus the lyrics, make this a must-own disc even for relatively casual fans of the band -- indeed, this could be the best showcase of BJH's overall range as any hits compilation that one is likely to find.

Bruce Eder All-Music Guide



Quintessential Harvest

For those of you who are unfamiliar with your rock history, Barclay James Harvest were one of a long line of symphonic rock bands that were swept away in 1976 when the storm broke. Once laughably unhip, it has taken 20 years or more before their name can be mentioned in polite society without being attacked with a pair of rusty scissors. A shame, because they were not half bad. Favouring grandiose orchestral arrangements they were often compared with the Moody Blues, but whereas the Moodies' lyrics often consisted of meaningless twaddle, BJH's beautiful melodies often fronted black social comment and realism. Beneath the lushness, there was a simple, unpretentious approach to songwriting best showcased on their 70s output and before the departure of their keyboard player and one-man symphony orchestra, Woolly Wolstenholme. Gone to Earth is the last of these. OK, the production sounds a tad dated, but the fact still remains that the Barclay James Harvest was a band whose 4 members complemented each other to produce a well-balanced, homogenous sound. The material on Gone to Earth is strong, and the highlights - Hymn, Sea of Tranquillity and Higher and Higher - are beautiful, inspiring and crying out for rediscovery

Mons Gregemark from Stockholm , November 28, 2000



Be Different -- Don't Overlook this Masterpiece!

This is one of those true gems that commercialized radio swept under the carpet -- choosing instead to play predictable swill, all in 4:4 time. Barclay James Harvest is a great band that has often released 'uneven' albums that haven't helped make their case as a great band. But this album is at the top of the heap when it comes to brilliant material. 'Hymn' and 'Poor Man's Moody Blues' are superb, as is Wooly Wolstenholme's Mellotron-laced 'Sea of Tranquility.' A beautiful album; lush, orchestral and at times very cutting -- this is the band at their very best. Once you play this album, you'll see why many BJH fans have stayed with the band from the late 60's until today. Be different -- don't overlook this orchestral rock masterpiece! Help correct the error made by radio programmers in the late 70's.

theboomer from Cambria, California , May 25, 2000



BJH flies high on Gone To Earth.

A stunningly gorgeous album, Gone To Earth displays mid-period BJH at their absolute peak. The band stumbled on Time Honored Ghosts, regained their footing on the previous Octoberon, and sound downright brilliant on this '77 release. Crank up the headphones and totally immerse yourself in the beauty and lushness of this album: Hymn, the unforgettable, mellotron-drenched leadoff track, Poor Man's Moody Blues (a sly tweak at those who accused the band of mimmicking the Moodies), the haunting Spirit On The Water, or keyboardist Woolie Wolstenholme's epic Sea Of Tranquility. If you're into '70s progressive rock and want to own one album by this long-standing British band, let it be Gone To Earth.

A music fan from Warren, MI , September 23, 1998



Mellotron Musings from the World's Best Unknown Band

Barclay James Harvest, to all you folks who have never heard of them, are a progressive rock band from England. They have been around since the late 1960's, and have been recording albums since 1971. Their style is very "Moody Blues-Procul Harem" like, featuring a lot of Mellotron music. (A Mellotron is a kind of primitive synthasizer, or tape sampling device) They also use conventional instruments, guitars, bass, drums, and some of their earlier work featured a full orchestra. Gone To Earth is one of their finest early albums, featuring the hits Hymn, Poor Man's Moody Blues, and Love is Like a Violin. This is a majestic, soaring, spiritual album which features the band at their very peak of energy and excellence. I highly recomend it to anyone who enjoys progressive rock, particularly Moody Blues fans. Barclay James Harvest has a home page on the WWW, and a fan club based in England that carries a lot of their out of print material. Check them out, you will be glad that you took the time.

Jim Wilkins (jimwilkins@mailcity.com) from Linden, Virginia , June 23, 1998



A Musical Masterpiece

BJH have, as long as I've known the band, been compared to the Moody Blues. A (very)old friend of mine once cynically referred them as being a "watered down version of the Bee Gees" - I think not (to either opinion)The ultimate tribute to a truly outstanding band was EMI naming the Harvest label after them! Gone To Earth is the band at their very best. Each track in its own way is outstanding. My personal favs are (naturally) 'Hymn', 'Poor Man's Moody Blues', 'Sea Of Tranquility' and 'Spirit On The Water' - Hell - all of them! BJH almost made it big time during the mid/late '70s, but tragically the music press at that time were more interested in following the fortunes of the glam rock scene, so BJH didn't get the coverage their music deserved.Personally, I preferred them after they dumped the orchestra, thus allowing Stuart Wolstenholme to demonstrate he's as good a keyboard man as Wakeman, Emerson, Banks et al.I saw them around 1975 time in Glasgow's City Halls, and they were superb!John Lees is a gifted guitarist and songwriter, and Les Holroyd also played a major part as bassist and songwriter. The album is timeless; it'll never grow old.After 23 years it's still as good as it was when first released. I'd recommend it to anyone.

wright_ag@hotmail.com from Aberdeen, Scotland 3 December, 2000



A timeless classic by one of the UK's most enduring bands

I bought this album over 20 years ago , it remains one of my most listened to of an extensive collection. It encompasses all aspects of British rock music of the time but most importantly remains 'timeless'. The song 'Hymn' is a recognised classic and is one of the groups 'signiture tunes'. The group have continued to release albums and to date in excess 20 (not including compliations etc).'Gone to Earth'is therefore an excellent introduction . BJH's style is typically compared to the Moody Blues. Be prepared to be impressed !

glr_john@hotmail.com from Hertfordshire 6 July, 2000



DAS Barclay James Harvest Album

Kritiker warfen BJH immer wieder vor schwülstig und kitschig zu sein. Na und? Dieses Konzept geht auf "Gone To Earth" auf jeden Fall auf. Die erfolgreichste Platte, die die englische Softrockgruppe je hervorgebracht hat, wartet mit einer Reihe wunderschöner Songs auf. Gleich zum Einstieg gibt`s DEN Klassiker "Hymn", gefolgt von der schönen Ballade "Love Is Like A Violin". "Friend Of Mine" von Les Holroyd klingt für mich etwas zu stark nach Country-Musik. Doch danach ist wieder ein echter Klassiker zu hören: "Poor Man`s Moody Blues"- Der Song war als Antwort von John Lees auf die ewigen Vorwürfe der Kritiker gedacht, BJH würden wie die Moody Blues für Arme klingen. Die Qualität der restlichen Songs fällt zwar etwas ab, aber trotzdem bleibt der Gesamteindruck des Albums absolut positiv.

markus-rupp@gmx.de , 21. August 2000



Einfach schön!

Jetzt ist es gepackt! Nach einem Dutzend Alben das ich hier bewertet habe gibt es das erste Mal fünf Sterne. Zwar ist hier alles ein wenig schmalzig geraten, aber das ist halt einmal der Stil von BJH. Und was soll`s auch, Hauptsache ist, das einem das Ganze gefällt, und das tut es. Gleich nach der Anfangssingle "Hymn" kommen noch insgesamt vier Songs denen ich die beste Note in der Einzelbewertung geben konnte. Aber holt euch das Album, das übrigens auch ein lohnendes Cover hat, doch einfach und Ihr werdet feststellen: Einfach schön!

rastoul@gmx.de aus Zweibrücken in Rheinland-Pfalz , 6. Februar 2000



Gone To Earth

Das ist sie also: Die bekannteste CD von Barcley James Harvest. Auf der „GONE TO EARTH" ist gleich als erstes Lied „HYMN" drauf. Der absolute Klassiker der Gruppe und auch das beste Lied in der ganzen Sammlung. Gute 5 Minuten geht es hier richtig überirdisch und auch etwas bombastisch ab. Die Lautstärke und die Anzahl der Instrumente steigert sich von Minute zu Minute. Auch einen guten Anteil am Erfolg wie dem enormen Spassfaktor beim Zuhören hat mit Sicherheit der Sänger im Zusammenspiel mit seinem Chor. Es kling einfach genialbombastisch. Am besten richtig aufdrehen oder den Kopfhörer aufsetzten. Leider gibt es grosse Unterschiede in der musikalischen Qualität der Lieder. So ist erst das vierte „Poor man´s moody blues" wieder richtig gut. Geht recht ruhig zur Sache der Titel, ist aber gut geeignet zum Abschalten vom Alltagsstress. Und zusammen mit dem tollen Cover ( Ein landender Vogel, wahrscheinlich so was ähnliches wie ein UHU in surrealistischer Landschaft, eingefasst in goldenem Rahmen ) ein gutes Geschenk für Freunde.

Eine Hörerin oder ein Hörer aus Mainz-Bretzenheim , 3. Januar 2000



Irgendwie ist die Musik heute anders, aber nicht besser ...

Dies ist wirklich ein Fingerzeit aus einer anderen Zeit. Damals noch weite Schlaghosen (hatten wir auch schon wieder), Glitzerklamotten und einfach gute, normale Bands: Schlagzeug, Gitarre, Bass! Musik tatsächlich noch handgemacht. Gut, das hört man dann auch, die Aufnahmen sind dann eben nicht digital aufgenommen und manchmal knistert es vielleicht auch, aber dafür - denke ich manchmal - sind diese Songs wenigstens ehrlich. Nicht in Massenproduktion auf denn Markt geworfen. Und jedes Stück anders, erzählt seine eigene Geschichte.

Für mich einfach ein schönes Album mit jeder Menge (meist) romantischen Songs, bei denen man sich gut mit der (dem) Liebsten irgendwohin verkriechen kann und einfach nur schmusen möchte. Ganz toll: "Hymn" und "Taking me higher"!

devries@uni-bremen.de aus Bremen , 25. Dezember 1999
 

 L y r i c s


HYMN

Valley's deep and the mountain's so high
If you want to see God you've got to move on the other side
You stand up there with your head in the clouds
Don't try to fly you know you might not come down
Don't try to fly, dear God, you might not come down
Jesus came down from Heaven to earth
The people said it was a virgin birth
Jesus came down from Heaven to earth
The people said it was a virgin birth

He told great stories of the Lord
And said he was the saviour of us all
He told great stories of the Lord
And said he was the saviour of us all

For this they/we killed him, nailed him up high
He rose again as if to ask us why
Then he ascended into the sky
As if to say in God alone you soar
As if to say in God alone we fly.

Valley's deep and the mountain's so high
If you want to see God you've got to move on the other side
You stand up there with your head in the clouds
Don't try to fly you know you might not come down
Don't try to fly, dear God, you might not come down

(John Lees, © St. Annes Music Ltd)


LOVE IS LIKE A VIOLIN

Love was like a violin playing soft and low
In your heart you held the strings, in my heart the bow
Together we made soft sweet music, together we believed
In every day in every hour our love was everything
Love was like a summer breeze, after pouring rain
Blowing all the clouds away, bringing sun again
Together we made soft sweet music, together we believed
In every day in every hour our love was everything

First dance you were mine, first dance we made it
Last dance, last chance, you know I know you were wrong
You know you were wrong, you know for every feeling there's a song

You were like a mountain stream, flowing fast and free
You were like the autumn leaves blowing from my tree
Together we made soft sweet music, together we believed
In every day in every hour our love was everything

After all the leaves had gone, you were winter snow
You were so cold and far away, I had to let you go
Together we made soft sweet music, together we believed
In every day in every hour our love was everything

(John Lees, © St. Annes Music)


FRIEND OF MINE

When the lights are fading slowly on another show
And the crowd has gone, the people cease to shout for more
You'd better run, stop from crying all the time
Don't you know it's got to end, I thought you were a friend of mine
Goodbye bright light city heading for the sun
Where the southern girls are pretty and there's two for one
You'd better run, stop from crying all the time
Don't you know it's got to end, I thought you were a friend of mine

(Les Holroyd, © St. Annes Music)


POOR MAN'S MOODY BLUES

All the nights that I've missed you
All the nights without end
All the times that I've called you
Only needing a friend
Now your eyes shine with beauty
That I missed long ago
Guess the truth is I love you
I can't say any more
'Cause I need you
Yes I want you
Yes I love you
As I look from my window
To the streets where you stand
I am gazing through dark glass
We can't walk hand in hand
Though your friends try to tell me
Though your friends you defend
They keep my heart from your heart
We must be in the end
'Cause I love you
Yes I need you
Yes I love you

All the nights that I've missed you
All the nights without end
All the times that I've called you
Only needing a friend
Now your eyes shine with beauty
That I missed long ago
Guess the truth is I love you
I can't say any more
'Cause I need you
Yes I want you
Yes I love you

(John Lees, © St. Annes Music)


HARD HEARTED WOMAN

She's a hard hearted woman
See the way that she's watching you
Victims falling before her
And there's nothing that you can do
Love comes, holding on to us all
Love comes, holding on to us all

See the hard hearted woman
Watch the way that she's dancing now
Eyes are flashing before you
Break her spell, please tell me how

Love comes, holding on to us all
Love comes, holding on to us all

(Les Holroyd, © St. Annes Music)


SEA OF TRANQUILITY

We steered our ship to the Sea of all Tranquility
The only sound our voices, as star-struck we fly
Our hopes ever high
That the songs we sing and the words we bring
Should never die
We set our sights on the Sea of all Tranquility
Our pointless flight betraying now fallen we are
(Gods of old now broken and defaced)
Compared to a star
And the final reach to that barren beach
Is much too far

Yesterday our songs of glory shone
A dream of ages every one
We sold our souls for senseless gain
And brought our harvest home in vain
(Above the seven seas is one)

Yesterday our songs of glory shone
A dream of ages every one
We sold our souls for senseless gain
And brought our harvest home in vain

(Woolly Wolstenholme, © St. Annes Music)


SPIRIT ON THE WATER

There's a spirit floating on the water
There's a shadow lying down by the shore
Wasn't he there a year before?
A sacrifice for the coat he's wearing
A 'paradise' for the lady
Who dares colour him red upon the shore?

We carry the burden upon our shoulder
We carry their lives in the palm of our hand
Don't you care about the state you're in
Or don't you understand?

See the spirit floating on the water
See the shadow lying down by the shore
Wasn't he there some years before?


We carry the burden upon our shoulder
We carry their lives in the palm of our hand
Don't you care about the state you're in
Or don't you understand?

(Les Holroyd, © St. Annes Music)


LEPER'S SONG

Well I feel like I've come to the end of a long long road
My body's tired and my mind's got no place to go
The end of the line's where I'm at, 'cos there's nothing left to be
Just a burnt out case, God, the leper and me
Well i feel like I've come to the end of a long long day
The victim of a life that I tried to give away
A prisoner of the isles where there's nothing left to be
Just a burnt out case, God, the leper and me

Well I feel like I've come to the end of a long long road
My body's tired and my mind's got no place to go
The end of the line's where I'm at, 'cos there's nothing left to be
Just a burnt out case, God, the leper and me

(John Lees, © St. Annes Music)


TAKING ME HIGHER

Used to be a dreamer
But you know I've found
A better way - you
Thought I was a loser
But you proved me wrong
You're taking me so much higher
You're taking me so much higher

Higher and higher

(Les Holroyd, © St. Annes Music)

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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