| Track by Track Review
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DISC ONE
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The original stereo mix remastered
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Crazy (Over You)
This powers in with a cool rocking groove and builds outward from there. This has a more mainstream rock vibe in a lot of ways, but there is both folk music and prog in the mix. It is a dynamic and intriguing track with some cool hooks. |
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Delph Town Morn
Strummed guitar gets us going here. The track works out to a bouncy sort of soft rock arrangement. It does have some definite proggy elements, but also makes me think a bit of something America might do. The horns are a nice touch in the arrangement, and there are some intriguing twists and turns. This is proggier than the opener. They take this out into a killer jazzy jam further down the road. |
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Summer Soldier
Chiming bells and then other effects like crowds of people and war get this underway. Weird echoed, angry voices take over for a time. Then martial drums join and become the driving factor. Eventually guitar rises up and the song proper gets under way. This has plenty of folk music in the mix. There are both proggy and mainstream sounds at play as it continues. This has some psychedelia built into it at times. There is a mellower section later that makes me think of both Emerson Lake and Palmer and King Crimson. At almost ten-and-a-half-minutes of music, this is the epic of the set, and they really put that space to good use. It is dynamic and works out to more rocking proggy stuff for the closing movement. |
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Thank You
More of a straight-ahead Southern leaning rocker, this still manages to bring some proggy elements to the table within that concept. This is a fun song. It includes a fairly extensive instrumental section later. |
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One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out
This is another that makes me think of a proggier version of America a lot of the time. It does have both psychedelic and prog angles in the mix. |
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Moonwater
There is a real symphonic presence here, including the strings. A slower moving and mellower piece, this has prog, classical and folk elements all at play. There is a full-on orchestral instrument only section built into this later. That section is quite extensive really bringing the classical music concept to the fore. |
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Bonus Tracks:
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Child of Man (A-side of single)
I dig the psychedelic meets prog vibe on this song a lot. It gets some folk based sounds in the mix, too as it continues. |
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I’m Over You (B-side of single)
In some ways this has more of a mainstream rock vibe. It's another strong tune, and it does still have some definite prog built into it. It's a slower, mellower piece than the previous one. |
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When the City Sleeps (B- side of single)
A bouncy cut, this is all class. I really like this one so much. There are some great prog elements brought to it via the keyboards. |
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Breathless (A-side of single)
This is harder rocking than a lot of the music here. It has some definite prog vibes at play, though. It's a bouncing number that has some definite hints of glam rock. This instrumental track is a classy tune. |
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Thank You (alternative)
The guitar rock sound really shines on this alternative version of the tune. It's definitely more mainstream here. |
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Medicine Man (single version)
I dig the driving proggy groove on this so much. It has so much style and charm. It also has plenty of magic. |
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Rock and Roll Woman (A- side of single)
This is a cool rocking jam. It's very much a mainstream 1970s rocker. While not as strong as a lot of the other stuff here, it still works well. |
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The Joker (B-side of single)
I dig this psychedelically tinged rocker a lot. This has a classy accessible vibe to it. It gets a bit proggier further down the road. |
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Child of Man (BBC session 15th March 1972)
This version of the previous song seems more organic and grounded. It works well here in this format, but I think I prefer the other take. |
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DISC TWO
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New Stereo Mixes
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Crazy (Over You)
This powers in with a cool rocking groove and builds outward from there. This has a more mainstream rock vibe in a lot of ways, but there is both folk music and prog in the mix. It is a dynamic and intriguing track with some cool hooks. |
|
Delph Town Morn
Strummed guitar gets us going here. The track works out to a bouncy sort of soft rock arrangement. It does have some definite proggy elements, but also makes me think a bit of something America might do. The horns are a nice touch in the arrangement, and there are some intriguing twists and turns. This is proggier than the opener. They take this out into a killer jazzy jam further down the road. |
|
Summer Soldier
Chiming bells and then other effects like crowds of people and war get this underway. Weird echoed, angry voices take over for a time. Then martial drums join and become the driving factor. Eventually guitar rises up and the song proper gets under way. This has plenty of folk music in the mix. There are both proggy and mainstream sounds at play as it continues. This has some psychedelia built into it at times. There is a mellower section later that makes me think of both Emerson Lake and Palmer and King Crimson. At almost ten-and-a-half-minutes of music, this is the epic of the set, and they really put that space to good use. It is dynamic and works out to more rocking proggy stuff for the closing movement. |
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Thank You
More of a straight-ahead Southern leaning rocker, this still manages to bring some proggy elements to the table within that concept. This is a fun song. It includes a fairly extensive instrumental section later. |
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One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out
This is another that makes me think of a proggier version of America a lot of the time. It does have both psychedelic and prog angles in the mix. |
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Moonwater
There is a real symphonic presence here, including the strings. A slower moving and mellower piece, this has prog, classical and folk elements all at play. There is a full-on orchestral instrument only section built into this later. That section is quite extensive really bringing the classical music concept to the fore. |
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Bonus tracks
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Child of Man
This version of the cut has some cool mainstream rock sound built into it. It's another classy piece. |
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Sweet Faced Jane (previously unreleased)
I like this mainstream rocker a lot. It doesn't have much progressive rock built into it, but it's catchy and energetic. |
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When the City Sleeps (B- side of single)
A bouncy cut, this is all class. I really like this one so much. There are some great prog elements brought to it via the keyboards. |
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Breathless
This is harder rocking than a lot of the music here. It has some definite prog vibes at play, though. It's a bouncing number that has some definite hints of glam rock. This instrumental track is a classy tune. |
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Medicine Man (single version)
I dig the driving proggy groove on this so much. It has so much style and charm. It also has plenty of magic. |
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Moonwater (Strawberry Studios demo)
This doesn't sound all that different from the other version of the song. I really like this one a lot, too. |
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DISC THREE
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BBC Radio One “In Concert” 16th November 1972 with The Barclay James Harvest Symphony Orchestra – Mono UK broadcast version
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Mockingbird
There is an extended spoken introduction at the beginning of this. The music rises up with classy folk prog stylings at its heart. This is beautiful and evocative. The symphony orchestra adds so much to this, particularly when it gets out into the more rocking, powered up stuff later. This works through some killer twists and turns and has so much drama and magic built into it. There is some world music incorporated later, too. |
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Medicine Man
As much as I like the other versions of this song on this set, this one is so much more powerful. The symphonic arrangement adds so much to this thing. It's a real winner that is definitely elevated while keeping every bit of magic heard earlier. |
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Galadriel
Symphonic and folk elements merge on this number. It is potent and poignant, if more mellow and balladic. |
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Summer Soldier
They forego the unusual introductory stuff from the studio version. Instead, this comes out as a folk prog number that works really well. This is complex and so classy with so many prog twists and turns. The ELP meets King Crimson movement works quite well in this live performance. Then again, it's magical on the studio take, too. |
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The Poet
This is another piece that is largely symphonic. It's also very ballad-based and still has plenty of folk and prog in the mix. |
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After the Day
There is more of an electric treatment to this and it really soars. It is classic BJH done with style and charm. They make good use of the symphonic elements, but don't lean on them as much here as they do in other places in the performance. |
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Moonwater
Symphonic and balladic, this is mellower, but no less powerful or evocative. It goes through some changes, but remains orchestral. |
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Dark Now My Sky
A pounding drum is the backdrop for a musical theater styled vocal. This is a bit campy for my tastes in this early section. Then it shifts to a full symphonic treatment once that voice drops away. The rocking prog meets psychedelic jamming rises up in instrumental fashion from there. That holds it until near the five-minute mark. Then it drops way down to a particularly sedate movement and more traditional rock ballad vocals emerge. That works through and we're brought into more powered up prog instrumental zones beyond with the orchestration adding a symphonic prog quality to it. That eventually drops down to more of a full symphonic treatment after a time. A powerful building movement crescendos to end the song and the show with real drama. |
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DISC FOUR
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BBC Radio One “In Concert” 16th November 1972 with The Barclay James Harvest Symphony Orchestra – Stereo version
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Mockingbird
There is an extended spoken introduction at the beginning of this. The music rises up with classy folk prog stylings at its heart. This is beautiful and evocative. The symphony orchestra adds so much to this, particularly when it gets out into the more rocking, powered up stuff later. This works through some killer twists and turns and has so much drama and magic built into it. There is some world music incorporated later, too. |
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Medicine Man
As much as I like the other versions of this song on this set, this one is so much more powerful. The symphonic arrangement adds so much to this thing. It's a real winner that is definitely elevated while keeping every bit of magic heard earlier. |
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Moonwater
Symphonic and balladic, this is mellower, but no less powerful or evocative. It goes through some changes, but remains orchestral. |
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Summer Soldier
They forego the unusual introductory stuff from the studio version. Instead, this comes out as a folk prog number that works really well. This is complex and so classy with so many prog twists and turns. The ELP meets King Crimson movement works quite well in this live performance. Then again, it's magical on the studio take, too. |
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The Poet
This is another piece that is largely symphonic. It's also very ballad-based and still has plenty of folk and prog in the mix. |
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After the Day
There is more of an electric treatment to this and it really soars. It is classic BJH done with style and charm. They make good use of the symphonic elements, but don't lean on them as much here as they do in other places in the performance. |
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Galadriel
Symphonic and folk elements merge on this number. It is potent and poignant, if more mellow and balladic. |
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Dark Now My Sky
A pounding drum is the backdrop for a musical theater styled vocal. This is a bit campy for my tastes in this early section. Then it shifts to a full symphonic treatment once that voice drops away. The rocking prog meets psychedelic jamming rises up in instrumental fashion from there. That holds it until near the five-minute mark. Then it drops way down to a particularly sedate movement and more traditional rock ballad vocals emerge. That works through and we're brought into more powered up prog instrumental zones beyond with the orchestration adding a symphonic prog quality to it. That eventually drops down to more of a full symphonic treatment after a time. A powerful building movement crescendos to end the song and the show with real drama.
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