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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
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This review is from: EARLY MORNING ONWARDS LP UK STARLINE 1972 11 TRACK TEXTURED BLACK GROUP SLEEVE DESIGN MATRIX A2/B1 (SRS5126) (Vinyl)
Three studio sets into their career, the band found themselves saddled with the release of a 'best of' compilation. In an interesting marketing move 1972's "Early Morning Onward" was released by EMI's budget Starline subsidiary, Retailing for about $1.50, the compilation pulled together a mixture of the group's earlier singles ('A' and 'B' sides) rounded out by a couple of album tracks. Surprisingly enjoyable and coherent, the eleven tracks serve as a good place for a potentially curious listener to start, though their psychedelic roots really weren't a good indication of future musical directions. Curiously, though the band spent much of the year touring the States, the set didn't see a domestic release.
- Anyone familiar with BJH's latter catalog was likely to be surprised by the band's earlier material - I was certainly surprised to hear how pastoral much of it was. And pastoral was a perfect description for 'Early Morning'. Their debut single (Parlophone catalog number R5693) the track featured a starkly beautiful, mellotron etched melody that quickly climbed into your head and wouldn't leave. Apparently inspired by Procol Harum's 'Whiter Shade of Pale', one of the ironies surrounding the track was the fact the band were forced to cover their own recording costs - Parlophone subsequently leased rights to the song releasing it as a single. rating: **** stars - Originally the 'B' side on their Harvest debut, 'Poor Wages' was a tasty Byrds-styed rocker. Very melodic with some wonderful John Lees lead guitar. rating: **** stars - The band's second single and their first for Harvest (Harvest catalog number HAR 5003), the Norman Smith produced 'Brother Thrush' continued the band's pursuit of a calm, pastoral sound. Apparently intended to spread a pro-ecology message, I'll admit the sentiments were lost on my ears. The track's actually quite pretty with Stuart Wolstenholme strumming along on a Fender Coronado 12 string guitar. Dock it a star for sounding a bit too similar to 'Early Morning'. rating: *** stars - ''Mr. Sunshine' originally appeared as the 'B' side to their Parlophone debut. Complete with flute solo and weird percussion (it sounded like Mel Pritchard was playing his cheeks), the song was a modestly interesting acid-folk tinged ballad. rating: *** stars - The band's second single for Harvest (catalog HAR 5025), 1970's 'Taking Some Time On' found the band charging off in a totally different direction. Showcasing John Lees fuzz drenched guitar and Mel Pritchard's frenetic percussion, this one demonstrated the band could actually rock out. Easily one of their most impressive performances. rating: **** stars - 'Mother Dear' was a non-single track originally released on the band's self-titled debut. With Wolstenholme turning in one of his most impressive vocals, the result was a pretty, heavily orchestrated ballad,. The song also featured some surprisingly grisly lyrics. rating: *** stars - One of the band's best known compositions, 1971's 'Mocking Bird' was the group's third single (Harvest catalog number HAR 5034). Originally written in 1968 (hence the throwback to a heavily orchestrated, pastoral sound), Lees was apparently inspired to write the song when he met his future wife Olwen. rating: **** - Penned by Les Holroyd, 'Song With No Meaning' was an album track pulled from their third studio set "Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories". A pretty, subdued ballad, the song benefited from some nice CS&N-styled harmony vocals and Holroyd's tasty electric guitar (though the heavily echoed sound gave the impression he was playing in a bathroom stall). rating: **** stars - Their fourth single (Harvest catalog HAR 5037), the minute 'I'm Over You' opened up you could tell it was written with an ear to commercial acceptance. A mid-tempo ballad, the song was actually far better than given credit for. Yeah, it was extremely sappy, but the melody was gorgeous with a sweet multi-tracked lead vocal, tasty Holroyd Hammond organ, and some great Lee lead guitar. One of my favorite JBH compositions, it should have been a massive hit. rating: **** stars - A non-LP track, 'Child Of Man' was originally relegated to the 'B' side of 'I'm Over You'. Penned by Lee, the song was interesting for a number of reasons, including the psych-tinged melody and vocals, the song's clear religious sentiments. rating: *** stars - Another track pulled off "Barclay James Harvest and Other Short Stories", 'After The Day' found the band delving into a weird mix of pastoral and progressive motifs. Like 'Child of Man', Lees' lyrics seemed to be espousing some sort of religious statement. Not one of my favorites, though Lees' guitar was nice and the end-of-song explosion added a cheesy touch. The track's been an in-concert staple for years. rating: *** stars The album was also released with two distinctive covers. The first version featured a group photo, but due to the fact the script was difficult to read (potentially costing them sales), subsequent pressings were issued with the more generic white cover. "Early Morning Onward" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Early Morning (Barclay James Harvest) - 2.) Poor Wages (Barclay James Harvest) - 3.) Brother Thrush (Barclay James Harvest) - 4.) Mr. Sunshine (Barclay James Harvest) - 5.) Taking Some Time On (Barclay James Harvest) - 6.) Mother Dear (Barclay James Harvest) - (side 2) 1.) Mocking Bird (Barclay James Harvest) - 2.) Song With No Meaning (Les Holroyd) - 3.) I'm Over You (John Lees) - 4.) Child Of Man (John Lees) - 5.) After The Day (John Lees) -
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