Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Barclay James Harvest
Label: Polydor Records
Release: 1978
Running time: 78:47
Rating: 4.5/5
»Live Tapes« was, after »Barclay James Harvest Live« (1973), the second live album from British progressive rock legends Barclay James Harvest (BJH for short), recorded at the peak of their artistic powers and also their commercial success, at least in Central European countries led by Germany, where they enjoyed superstar status from the mid-seventies on. »Live Tapes« was originally supposed to come out for the American market only, which was a pretty daft idea, since the band was having its biggest successes on the aforementioned Central European soil, so luckily this recording, which was originally meant to be called »Caught Live«, was released for the countries where they were most adored. The title change came after they found out that The Moody Blues, the band certain media kept constantly comparing them to at the time, to the point where it got on their nerves enough that they put the self-mocking song »Poor Man’s Moody Blues« on the album »Gone To Earth« (1977), had already released an album with a similar title, »Caught Live Plus Five«, which also came out for the targeted European market.
Most of the material on this recording was captured during the 1976 and 1977 tours. The setlist accordingly covers most of the best-loved BJH classics from that period, and among the missing numbers, the evergreens like »Medicine Man«, »The World Goes On« and »Hymn For The Children« are the ones you miss most. The lineup that recorded »Live Tapes« was their strongest, made up of the original BJH quartet, meaning before the seasoned keyboardist and, when needed, lead singer Stuart ‘Woolly’ Wolstenholme, sadly now also deceased, left in 1978, after which they ran as a trio for a long time. The production on »Live Tapes« is relatively good, and many of the performances come out almost on par with the studio versions, so »Live Tapes« offers an unforgettable experience not only for loyal fans but also for anyone who’s just starting to explore their legacy.
Every single composition, starting with the pacifist opening anthem »Child Of the Universe«, which makes for a dreamy kickoff to »Live Tapes«, is a chapter of its own, proving the band was truly at the peak of its artistic drive back then. The hallmarks of the ‘classic’ BJH were always Wolstehnolme’s mighty symphonic arrangements on the Mellotron and the vivid, above all contrasting vocal harmonies between the characteristic tenor of guitarist John Lees and the (almost) falsetto approach of the bearded bassist Les Holyrod, who, as expected, shines especially on the rousing classic »Rock ‘n’ Roll Star«. Let’s not forget to mention the complex drum foundations from the, sadly also late, drummer Mel Pritchard, who always made ideal company for Holyrod’s melodic bass lines.
Among the highlights of the recording is definitely the already mentioned »Poor Man’s Moody Blues«, which contains an ironic allusion to the central motif of The Moody Blues classic »Nights In White Satin«, as they tried to illustrate once and for all that the difference between the always somewhat more pastoral BJH and the Moodies is more than obvious. That’s followed by the most recognizable song in the band’s story, the majestic Mellotron epic »Mockingbird« from the album »Once Again« (1971), an unforgettable lesson in symphonic prog rock subtlety, where BJH once again prove themselves as true masters of creating mighty ethereal expanses. The almost sacred-sounding vocal harmonies mixed with the melodramatic swells of the Mellotron are still a real feast today for all lovers of orchestral-flavored progressive rock.
»Hard Hearted Woman«, another »Gone To Earth« classic, where BJH demonstrate that they often had a taste for hard-rocking guitar phrases too, likewise comes out on par with the studio original, while the pastoral standard »One Night« is a real treat for all lovers of lavish organ-and-Mellotron harmonies and subtle vocalizations. On the ballad »Taking Me Higher«, Holyrod, the main ‘culprit’ for BJH sometimes being compared to the Bee Gees, gets another ‘starry’ chance for his falsetto vocal cooing, with the vocal lines touching the ‘sky’ as high as only he could manage in this band. The gorgeous performance of the »Octoberon« (1976) classic »Suicide?« is another one of the symphonic triumphs of »Live Tapes«, with Wolstenholme’s keyboard kingdom shining once more in full splendor alongside Lees’s subtle guitar passages.
The inconsolable, melancholic ether that was always inseparably tied to the BJH sound also reigns, thanks to a rending guitar phrase, on the, by their standards, unusually punchy »Crazy City«, an unforgettable proto-metal classic from the album »Baby James Harvest« (1972). Any listener who happens to love two bands as different as Yes and Iron Maiden in equal measure will always find plenty to interest their ears in this evergreen. BJH were, much like the aforementioned Yes, always big positivist dreamers, which is best reflected in the pastoral ballad »Jonathan« from »Time Honoured Ghosts« (1975), where Wolstenholme once again throws open the doors of his Mellotron kingdom. The ideal finish to »Live Tapes« comes from the ethereal »For No One«, where weeping guitar passages and melodramatic Mellotron swells reign once more, the punchy crowd-pleaser »Polk Street Rag« and the positivist, acoustic-orchestral anthem »Hymn«, which warns against drug abuse and was even a minor hit on German soil.
»Live Tapes« is, right behind »BJH Live«, the second-best official live document in the entire BJH catalog, catching the legendary collective at the peak of their concert powers, when they briefly found themselves in the unfamiliar role of genuine rock stars, which of course only held true for Central Europe, while their British homeland still treated them like a stepchild and on the other side of the Atlantic hardly anyone cared about them. Sadly, it also marked the end of an era, since Wolstenholme went solo after the studio album »XII« (1978), so BJH ran as a trio all the way until the band split into ‘two parts’ in 1998.
Lineup
John Lees – vocals, guitar
Les Holyrod – vocals, bass guitar, guitar
Stuart ‘Woolly’ Wolstenholme – vocals, keyboards, Mellotron
Mel Pritchard – drums
Production
Barclay James Harvest
Track list
CD1: (38:29)
1. Child Of The Universe (6:44)
2. Rock’N’Roll Star (5:25)
3. Poor Man’s Moody Blues (7:30)
4. Mockingbird (7:28)
5. Hard Hearted Woman (4:47)
6. One Night (6:35)
CD2: (40:18)
1. Taking Me Higher (4:38)
2. Suicide (6:46) 3. Crazy City (4:42) 4. Johnathan (6:03)
5. For No One (6:28)
6. Polk Street Rag (5:41)
7. Hymn (6:00)
