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Barclay James Harvest: Victims of Circumstance

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s

Artist: Barclay James Harvest
Title: Victims of Circumstance
Released: 1984.04.01
Label: Polydor Ltd. (London)
Time: 44:23
Producer(s): Pip Williams
Appears with:
Category: Pop/Rock
Rating: *******... (7/10)
Media type: CD
Purchase date:  2001.04.28
Price in €: 6,40
Web address: www.bjharvest.co.uk

 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] Sideshow (John Lees) - 4:56
[2] Hold On (Les Holroyd) - 4:26
[3] Rebel Woman (John Lees) - 4:23
[4] Say You'll Stay (Les Holroyd) - 3:55
[5] For Your Love (John Lees) - 5:31
[6] Victims of Circumstances (Les Holroyd) - 6:01
[7] Inside My Nightmare (John Lees) - 4:32
[8] Watching You (Les Holroyd) - 4:36
[9] I've Got a Feeling (Les Holroyd) - 6:03

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


JOHN LEES - Guitar, Vocals
LES HOLROYD - Bass, Additional Keyboards, Vocals
MEL PRITCHARD - Percussion, Drums

Guest musicans:
BIAS BOSHELL - Keyboards (Yamaha DX7, Roland JP8 and JX3 and a Steinway grand piano)
DAVID KATZ - Violin

GREG JACKMAN - Engineer
PIP WILLIAMS - Orchestral Arrangements
DAVID JACOB - Assistant Engineer, Digital Assembly
IAN COOPER - Digital Mastering
CREAM - Artwork, Design
IAN KAY - Artwork

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


1984 LP Polydor 5135

Recorded at Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Holland September 1983 to January 1984

Title:
Originally taken from the lyrics of John’s "Rebel Woman": I see the victims of circumstance Convicted without a crime Les was inspired by this to pen the title song.

Sleeve:
The very striking sleeve is closely based on a poster for a Berlin cabaret club and bierkeller called Senta Söneland, painted by the famous illustrator Jo Steiner in 1912. John had suggested the design after seeing it in a book of posters, and the only significant change which was made was the addition of the teardrop in the clown’s eye.

Gregg Jackman
Gregg was born in Kingsbury, London, in 1953, and is the son of a musician. He became a balance engineer, then Chief Engineer at RAK Studios where he met Pip Williams. He joined Handle Artists in 1980 and engineered for The Moody Blues’ as well as BJH.



A competent collection of lightweight 80s rock. The simple arrangement of opening track "Sideshow" is helped by the use of guest backing vocalists, and the title track is one of BJH's better efforts from this period. The weakest link is in the keyboards, which unfortunately are also front and center in the recording. Bias Boshell creates some pleasant atmospherics, but Wolstenholme's shoes are just too big to fill.

Paul Collins, All-Music Guide



Barclay James Harvest im Sound der 80er Jahre

Das 1984 erschienene Album spiegelt klar den Sound der 80er Jahre. Der Stil von Barclay James Harvest (BJH) veränderte sich zudem beim Übergang von den 70er zu den 80er Jahren recht deutlich, was möglicherweise als Ursache oder als Folge des Weggangs des Keyboarders W. Wolstenholme zu sehen ist.

Stärkste Kennzeichen des "neuen Sounds" im verbleibenden Trio von BJH sind 1984 ein knalliger, metallischer E-Bass und teilweise eine größere Aggressivität im Schlagzeug, in der meistens vezerrten E-Gitarre sowie im Gesang des Leadsingers. Darüber hinaus sind die der Zeit entsprechenden Synthesizerklänge zu hören, allzu exakte Rhythmen von Drumcomputern (?) und der sonst für BJH völlig untypische Reggae-Rhythmus in "Watching You". Außerdem gibt es als Kontrast zu dem insgesamt härteren Klang und der kälteren Atmosphäre der Aufnahmen die Schmusesongs "For Your Love" und "I`ve got a Feeling". So soft und zugleich balladenhaft wie in diesen beiden Stücken war BJH nur selten zuvor zu hören gewesen.

Der Sound wirkt aufs Ganze gesehen konventioneller und "steriler", aber auch professioneller als bei einigen der Alben von BJH aus den 70ern. Effekte und Hallgeräte kennzeichnen nach wei vor den BJH-Sound, aber er wirkt künstlicher als noch bei früheren Alben. Anstatt der einst von Wolstenholme mitreißend gespielten Hammondorgel hört man auf dieser CD so etwas wie eine billige Hammond-Imitation vom Keyboard. Neu ist auch, daß Frauen für die Backgroundvocals engagiert wurden. Immer noch sind Streicher zu hören, wie in den 70ern, als BJH zeitweilig ein vierzigköpfiges Orchster einsetzte, allerdings beschränkt sich hier die Rolle des Orchesters oder der davon übriggebliebenen Streicher überwiegend auf einige Verzierungen und effektvoll eingesetze Akzente z.B. in "Sideshow" und in "For Your Love". Wer also den alten Stil von BJH sucht, könnte mit dieser CD unzufrieden sein, trotzdem kann sie aber nach einer gewissen Eingewöhnungszeit auch "alten" BJH-Fans gut gefallen. Trotz einer gewissen Annäherung des Stils an den Mainstream der frühen 80er Jahre hebt sich diese CD immer noch vom Mainstream ab und bleibt etwas Besonderes.

walni@yahoo.de aus Freiburg , 21. Juli 2001

 L y r i c s


SIDESHOW

I have seen the streets and alleyways
Of a million faceless towns
The camera comes, the camera goes
Filming our blues for the late night news
We gather round
Never searching for our innocence
Our faith, our truth, our love
They're only there when things go wrong
Filming our blues for the late night news
We gather round

Show us peace and understanding
Brother love for fellow man
Cure us, we are sick from violence
In your sideshow of life

Impartiality is like
A coin they have to spend
The currency of the chosen few
They place their bets
Switch on your sets

There's world disasters by the minute
They tell us on the hour
And when we think we've paid our dues
They've filmed our blues for the late night news
We gather round

Show us peace and understanding
Brother love for fellow man
Cure us, we are sick from violence
In your sideshow of life

Sideshow of life

When it's late at night and you're all alone
With the one you love
Turn on the late night news and cry
Tears for all the lost and lonely people
Innocents in prime time

(Tragedies) of our life
(Tragedies) of our life
(Tragedies) of our life


HOLD ON

There's a girl that lives in the shadows
Of the street where the music plays
There she waits and looks from the outside
There's an angel in her face
But from her glass she sips a little comfort
From the boys she takes a little more
And she knows just how far she can take it
In a moment she's out on the floor
Hold on - she's got to keep a-moving
Hold on - dance with the light
Hold on - got to keep a-moving
Hold on - into the night

In her eyes they thought they saw a question
Maybe she is looking their way
As the night gets older are they wiser?
Who will take her? - no-one can say
Does she know just how they feel about her?
Can't she see she's driving them insane?
When the music starts playing again
They're saying...

Hold on - she's got to keep a-moving
Hold on - dance with the light
Hold on - got to keep a-moving
Hold on - into the night


REBEL WOMAN

They say that hell hath no fury
A fact that I can't deny
I see the victims of circumstance
Convicted without a crime
Call it aggressive behaviour
Call it the need to be free
Call it the cry of the innocent
That no-one can believe

Rebel, rebel woman, I know you well
Rebel, rebel woman, I know you well

They say there's truth in the old truths
No reason to cheat or lie
We're caught in the crossfire
Convicted without a trial

This mother's scorn is a strange thing
She pays her children for love
She heeds the cry of their innocence
They pay her with their blood

Rebel, rebel woman, I know you well
Rebel, rebel woman, I know you well

They say that hell hath no fury
A fact that I can't deny
I see the victims of circumstance
Convicted without a crime

Another plane in the ocean
Another wall in the sky
The victims of circumstance
Convicted without a trial

Rebel, rebel woman, I know you well
Rebel, rebel woman, I know you well


SAY YOU'LL STAY

Dreams and castles
We build them constantly
Who will see what we've done before?
Thoughts that follow me
Fools of destiny
This is what we've become

Say you'll stay with me
I just want to be
Here with you
Say you'll stay with me
I just want to be here

Taking chances with
Time that passes us
Who can tell what will be?

Words that call to me
Eyes that try to see
Make it all mystery

Say you'll stay with me
I just want to be
Here with you
Say you'll stay with me
I just want to be here

Can you hear those little people
Tell me what to do?
They cannot see there's no tomorrow
But for me and you

Say you'll stay with me
I just want to be here...


FOR YOUR LOVE

For your love I cry
The long lonely hours
Before the dawn
In my dreams I try
To hold back the dark
To hold back the fear
But I'm not alone tonight
So help me turn the tide
Light up the flame of love
And let it shine

I have hope, I pray
That someday we'll all
Have love of our own
In the long lonely night
I'll hold to the fire
That's burning so bright

But we're not alone tonight
So help me turn the tide
Light up the flame of love
And let it shine

We're not alone tonight
So help me turn the tide
Light up the flame of love
And let it shine

Let it shine

Let it shine


VICTIMS OF CIRCUMSTANCE

Saw the paper the other day
Started to read
Seems they've got a new way
Of fighting all their wars
Just what we need
When will you stop playing all your games?
Won't you listen when we say
I don't remember anyone asking me about it
Or don't we matter anyway?
Victims of circumstance that's what we are
Hidden from light so we can't see
Victims of circumstance that's what we are
You and me, you and me

Those mistakes that you all made in the past
You never seem to see
Do you have to bring your ships across the water?
Please let us be
Master, master, I really want to live!
Do we always have to plead?
Looks like you've put us in the frontline once again
Won't you stop this insanity?

Victims of circumstance that's what we are
Hidden from light so we can't see
Victims of circumstance that's what we are
You and me, you and me


INSIDE MY NIGHTMARE

Flashing lights in the club
Memories of our wild affair
The first night we met
I just can't forget
Flashing lights, I was cool
What a fool, didn't realise
I just threw the dice
With my baby's life

Talk about a dream, I'll talk about an angel in white
Making all my wildest dreams come true

I remember driving wild
She was laughing by my side
One small mistake, too late to change
Now I live inside my nightmare

Flashing lights in the night
Memories of the girl I loved
I still feel her touch
I never loved so much

Flashing lights in the night
Memories of the cold despair
Just like a man insane
My tears fall like rain

Talk about a dream, I'll talk about an angel in white
Making all my wildest dreams come true

I remember driving wild
She was laughing by my side
One small mistake, too late to change
Now I live inside my nightmare

I was flash, driving fast through the night
Never saw the sign
Bad road, bad bend
I never felt the end

Flashing lights brought me back
But they left my baby there
Those blue, blue lights
In my blue, blue nights

Talk about a dream, I'll talk about an angel in white
Making all my wildest dreams come true
Talk about a fool, you're looking at the man she loved
Who'll never find another girl like you

I remember driving wild
She was laughing by my side
One small mistake, too late to change
Now I live inside my nightmare


WATCHING YOU

Try to see it from the other side
Keep on looking for a place to hide
You don't have to tell me
It's easy to find
If you're trying to make your dreams come true
Then just keep on doing what you do
And if you don't break the rules
It's going to be fine
So I'm just sitting here
Watching for the dawn to break
Just sitting here
Waiting for the time it takes
I'm sitting here
Searching for a clue - watching you

Here, this is me
I'm living my life through the night constantly
Or so I've been told
Hope I can make it before I grow old
With love on my side
I could write you a song that would make your heart fly
So good for your soul
But there's something about you
That's leaving me cold

So I'm just sitting here
Watching for the dawn to break
Just sitting here
Waiting for the time it takes
I'm sitting here
Searching for a clue - watching you


I'VE GOT A FEELING

And though I think of you tonight
I cannot hope to hold you tight
But I've got this feeling in my heart
And when tomorrow I'll be gone
How can I hope to carry on?
I've got a feeling in my heart

I can no longer see
What's making things go wrong
You've stayed away before
It always seems so long

But wherever you go
Whatever you do
You know I'll always be with you
'Cause I've got this feeling deep in my heart

I can no longer see
What's making things go wrong
You've stayed away before
It always seems so long

But wherever you go
Whatever you do
You know I'll always be with you
'Cause I've got this feeling deep in my heart

Baby, you're in my heart

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


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