Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Barclay James Harvest
Label: Polydor Records
Release: 1990
Runtime: 58:07
Rating: 3/5
Barclay James Harvest (abbreviated BJH) were, at the start of the nineties, one of those cult bands from the golden era of symphonic prog rock that had been mostly ‘forgotten’ on their home turf in Britain, even though they’d long since mutated into a kind of pop/soft rock with the occasional art and folk rock flash. They’d probably have quickly started ‘languishing’ somewhere on the fringes of the music scene if it weren’t for the incredible support of their (still) loyal German fans. In the second half of the seventies and throughout the entire eighties they’d managed to win star status in Germany, while also enjoying some solid support in Switzerland and France, but back home hardly anyone remembered them in 1990, and the few who did mostly mixed them up with their better-known ‘close relatives’ The Moody Blues.
»Welcome to the Show« was one of the last BJH albums to come out before the band split into two (feuding) factions in the late nineties. The cover was designed by the famous graphic designer Storm Thorgerson, best known for his work for the legendary Pink Floyd. The abbreviation BJH on the cover reportedly caused quite a bit of grumbling among fans, so on the next album the band had to spell out their name in full. The two main songwriters and arrangers, John Lees and Les Holyrod, were by this point in their career running seriously low on fresh ideas, so the album as a whole left a pretty mixed impression. Kevin McAlea helped out on keyboards as a guest musician, but his contribution couldn’t do much to enrich some of the rather bland synth arrangements of the bearded bassist Holyrod.
The individual songs are of rather varied quality. For the most part they’re quickly forgettable and average, with a few rare brilliant flashes that remind you what a superb band BJH were in their best creative period (the seventies). »The Life You Lead« is a Holyrod pop rocker driven along by the bassist’s distinctive falsetto, which makes the song sound a bit like some of the lesser-known efforts of the trio Bee Gees. »Lady Macbeth«, one of the few more inspired moments, has a fairly interesting setup and a good guitar solo, and its mood is a bit darker than the rest of the album, hinting that Lees was by then the only member of the band who still cared about their experimental roots. »Cheap The Bullet« is a solid but quickly forgotten hard rocker, where drummer Mel Pritchard finally comes to life a little. The title track, with better synth textures and had it come out a year or two earlier, could even have had hit potential, which is a rather nice compliment to its creator Holyrod.
»John Lennon’s Guitar« is a weak piano ballad based on a true story, when John Lees got the chance at the start of the seventies to play one of his idol John Lennon’s guitars in the studio, purely by chance. Promising symphonic arrangements and an interesting setup are ruined by overly boastful lyrics and a cheap chorus. »Halway to Freedom« is Holyrod’s ‘moaning’ ballad, dedicated to all the nations that had just broken through the so-called Iron Curtain in hopes of a better life under (quasi) democratic capitalism. »African Nights«, in which Holyrod revisits memories of BJH’s South African tour in the early seventies, features a synth arrangement built on an eighties sonic base plus world-music-style percussion. »Psychedelic Child«, with Lees on lead vocals and some good guitar riffs, is a surprising hard rocker and one of the few lively tracks on »Welcome to the Show«. »Where Do We Go« is a characteristic Holyrod ballad with good symphonic arrangements and heartfelt singing. »Origin Earth« is yet another positive-vibes pop rocker that leaves no deeper impression. »If Love Is King« fares a bit better, a melodramatic number with superb guitar-and-keyboard harmonies led by a brilliant closing guitar solo, while Holyrod’s closing opus, »Shadows On the Sky«, also dedicated to Africa, quickly gets boring with its overly repetitive chorus.
»Welcome to the Show« was a pretty ‘sleepy’ album by usual BJH standards, the sound of a cult band chronically short on fresh arrangement ideas, mostly taking the ‘path of least resistance’ when writing songs just to keep their devoted German fans happy. Compared with most of their eighties albums, which are full of bullseyes and total misses alike, it did represent a slight step up, but it was still a long way from what they’d made in the seventies. BJH never really recovered after founding keyboardist Stuart ‘Woolly’ Wolstenholme left in the late seventies, and spent most of the rest of their output as an average pop/melodic rock trio with the occasional art rock flash.
Lineup
John Lees – vocals, guitar
Les Holyrod – vocals, bass guitar, keyboards
Mel Pritchard – drums, percussion
GUEST MUSICIAN:
Kevin McAlea – keyboards
Production
Andy MacPherson and Jon Astley
Track list
1. The Life You Lead (3:49)
2. Lady MacBeth (4:34)
3. Cheap The Bullet (4:30)
4. Welcome To The Show (4:15)
5. John Lennon’s Guitar (5:41)
6. Halfway To Freedom (4:37)
7. African Nights (5:26)
8. Psychedelic Child (3:41)
9. Where Do We Go (5:09)
10. Origin Earth (4:57)
11. If Love Is King (6:02)
12. Shadows On The Sky (5:26)
