Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Barclay James Harvest
Label: EMI Records
Release: 1971
Rating: 5/5
Barclay James Harvest didn’t skimp on great musical ideas on their second album either, the same ones that made their solid debut stand out. What’s more, with “Once Again” they cemented and deepened their signature sound even further, and perhaps went further than ever in exploring the progressive side of their music. This time too, BJH have their own orchestra, whose arrangements once again enrich individual compositions nicely and give them an extra mystical touch. Those orchestral palettes, which made up a good chunk of their debut, take a dominant role this time only on their best-known classic, “Mockingbird”, which is probably one of the main reasons why the average fan of the band would call this their favorite album. With every new listen, “Once Again” confirms that in a short time BJH had broken through into that handful of prog bands who always had a completely their own, instantly recognizable sound. The individual members, especially the two main vocalists, guitarist John Lees and bassist Les Holroyd, get more room to shine this time and nicely show how far they’ve come since the debut. Drummer Mel Pritchard lives up to his status as one of the most versatile drummers of his day, while the band’s main engine is once again keyboardist Woolly Wolstenholme, who doesn’t hold back one bit with his masterpieces, especially on the mellotron and Hammond organ. The album’s greatest strength, though, once again isn’t the technical chops of the band members but the incredible atmosphere and heart radiating from most of the compositions. And despite the fact that they were never masters of deeply profound poetry, especially compared to their far better-known prog peers, few bands could blend their messages, which today seem simple and naive but are timelessly universal, into a pastoral mood so well.
The hugely dramatic and melancholic epic “She Said” is one of their classics, a song about unfulfilled love. The thick layer of mellotron that ushers us into the piece blends beautifully with Les’s vocals, full of pathos and expressing immense pain, and peaks in the dramatic chorus. Energetic guitar passages, mighty percussion transitions and an ever-active bass crank up the tension. In the middle section it all calms down completely for a while, as an exceptionally beautiful, Celtic-tinged section on flute with orchestral arrangements in the background takes over. These melancholic pastoral harmonies last until the mellotron erupts again and the main motif comes back, where John adds an emotional guitar solo. His weeping passages, interwoven with the percussion and bass, create incredible tragedy. A true epic treat for all mellotron lovers and certainly one of the best symphonic prog epics in their rich musical career.
“Happy Old World” is a melancholic hard rocker, full of great orchestral arrangements and clever use of keyboards. It’s marked by a mysterious intro, where Les shines again with his mighty bass line and trademark angelic vocals, plus nice Hammond transitions, while the chorus, despite being melodic, is fairly permissive in mood. This eco-minded piece creates a big contrast between the pessimism of the music and the optimism of the lyrics. In the finale, Woolly serves up excellent solos on piano and Hammond organ. It doesn’t offer any real peaks, but it’s still a very solid composition.
On “Song For Dying”, BJH once again show off their knack for deeply confessional pieces, along with a remarkable feel for drama and Celtic melody, turning a seemingly simple creation, through clever use of arrangements and individual instrumental sections, into something better than another band would have managed. Through John’s epic, melancholic vocals the mood keeps shifting from sad to breathtakingly beautiful. Thick layers of keyboards, with the mellotron again standing out, interweave nicely with excellent guitar passages, with which John proves he’d stopped being stingy with his now-trademark guitar licks since the debut. In the closing stretch we’re also treated to witty bass playing, which clearly shows Les’s progress too.
Next up is the gorgeous mystical ballad “Galadriel”, marked by exceptionally beautiful passages on piano and mellotron, acoustic guitar, wonderful orchestral arrangements and above all John’s deeply felt singing. It’s a sort of ode to the beauty and immortality of mother nature, through a character from Tolkien’s mythology. Some may find it slightly naive, but even those who aren’t fans of Tolkien’s stories can’t deny the incredible beauty and magic of this excellent ballad, which is even the most beautiful and sincere of all their ballads (and there are really quite a few in their career!).
The epic masterpiece “Mocking Bird”, probably their best-known work ever, is one of the classics of symphonic prog rock and also one of the most beautiful and saddest epics in the history of rock music. John’s vocals are again full of melancholy. The excellent choruses sit wonderfully on top of gorgeous orchestral arrangements that carry the central melody and create an unforgettable, magical atmosphere. Mel’s percussion deliberately conjures up the sound of birds rattling here and there, while the lovely backing vocal harmonies deepen the mood even more. John’s weeping guitar licks raise every hair on your body while the orchestra drives the tension to a cataclysmic climax, when suddenly there’s a total turnaround that pierces the rainy sky like a ray of light and shines with full force over a landscape that was completely gray and dead only a moment ago. The peak of the album and one of those classics that will forever stay etched in the annals of progressive rock.
The simple acoustic ballad “Vanessa Simmons” arrives at just the right time. Despite its lyrical naivety, it radiates an incredible beauty that’s typical of these symphonic masters of English pastoral. Once again John Lees is the central musician, contributing the lion’s share of this piece’s beauty through his vocals and acoustic guitar. It’s a classic example of a ballad that, in some other, bygone times, when certain things carried far more weight in the social patterns of modern society, you’d have played on acoustic guitar for your chosen one.
“Ball And Chain” is a solid hard rock attempt to flex some muscle against their tougher peers, and it turned out pretty well, even if it’s a bit out of context given the overall pulse of the album. BJH transform here into a completely different kind of band and show how to serve up excellent guitar solos, energetic riffing and bluesy vocal parts seasoned with a protest lyric.
“Lady Loves” is yet another lovely, slightly naive ballad on piano, with nice dual guitar harmonies and emotional vocals. In the background you can also hear a short but important contribution from Alan Parsons, then a practically unknown sound engineer, on jew’s harp. Despite its simple structure and the absence of any symphonic arrangements, it’s a good way to close the album.
The bonus tracks from the reissue are mostly alternate sound versions of songs already on the original release, like “Happy Old World”, “Vanessa Simmons” and “Ball And Chain”. “Introduction – White Sails” is a short orchestral piece directed by Woolly. The best of these bonuses is undoubtedly the witty progressive hard rocker “Too Much On Your Plate”, which in this respect even invites comparison with some of the creations of Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash. A mighty rhythm line, energetic and emotional vocals, and excellent passages on guitar and Hammond. A real art rock treat and, as far as hard rock elements go, even better than “Ball And Chain”.
“Once Again” is their most progressive album ever, the moment they went furthest in exploring how well symphonic orchestral arrangements and a pastoral approach to melodic rock could work together, and so developed their signature sound. In that sense it’s even their most important album. In its second half, where some might have wished for one more progressive epic, they suddenly veer into hard rock and balladesque waters, but it’s clear that BJH never really intended to become symphonic prog players in the true sense of the word. What really wins you over on the album is the incredible magic between the band members and the wonderful pastoral mood, of which there’s a touch more here than on most of their best albums. And that’s exactly why “Once Again” is the glowing sample on the wings of a colorful butterfly drifting over the fields, while Galadriel strolls on silken steps through the forest meadows and watches a cuckoo in flight across an unblemished sky.
Lineup
John Lees – vocals, guitar
Les Holroyd vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards
Mel Pritchard – drums, percussion
Stuart “Woolly” Wolstenholme – keyboards, mellotron, guitar, backing vocals
Production
Norman Smith
Tracklist
1. She said (8:19)
2. Happy old world (4:39)
3. Song for dying (5:01)
4. Galadriel (3:14)
5. Mocking bird (6:38)
6. Vanessa Simmons (3:45)
7. Ball and chain (4:48)
8. Lady loves (3:57)
Album length: 40:21
Reissue bonus tracks (2002):
Introduction – White Sails (A Seascape)
Too Much On Your Plate (live in the studio)
Happy Old World (quad mix)
Vanessa Simmons (quad mix)
Ball And Chain (quad mix)
