Barclay James Harvest

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Barclay James Harvest
Origin Saddleworth, Oldham, England
Country England
Years active 1966–present
Genres Rock, Classic Rock, Progressive Rock
Members John Lees
Les Holroyd
Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme
Past members Mel Pritchard

Barclay James Harvest is a British rock band specialising in Symphonic/Melodic Rock with folk/progressive/classical influences.

Contents

The band was founded in Saddleworth, a civil parish now in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, in 1966 by John Lees (*1947, vocals, guitars), Les Holroyd (*1948, bass, guitars, keyboards, vocals), Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme (*1947, vocals, mellotron, keyboards) and Mel Pritchard (1948-2004, drums, percussion).

After early success in the UK with their second album Once Again, the band broke into the mainstream European market with their 1977 set Gone to Earth.

Woolly Wolstenholme – whose mellotron playing was a trademark of the band's sound in the 70s – left in 1979. Woolly pursued a short solo career fronting Maestoso before retiring from the music business to pursue farming.

The remaining three members continued. At the height of their success they played a free concert in front of the Reichstag in Berlin (Germany), with an estimated attendance of 250,000 people (30 August 1980). They were also the first Western rock band to play an open-air concert in pre-Glasnost East Germany, playing in Treptower Park, East Berlin on 14 July 1987 to a 170,000+ audience.

The band continued as a threesome, with regular guest musicians supporting, until 1998. Some 1990s albums were released under the abbreviated name BJH.

In 1998, musical differences in the band saw the three members agree to take a sabbatical. John Lees subsequently released an album, Nexus, under the band name "Barclay James Harvest through the eyes of John Lees". Woolly Wolstenholme played in this band, subsequently resurrecting Maestoso to record and tour with new material, as well as back-catalogue favourites. Les Holroyd and Mel Pritchard teamed up to record under the name "Barclay James Harvest featuring Les Holroyd".

Mel Pritchard died suddenly in early 2004.

All three "derivatives" of the original Barclay James Harvest lineup continue to record and tour, and enjoy ongoing popularity, particularly in Germany, France and Switzerland.

The song entitled "Vanessa Simmons" on the well known album Once Again is thought to be about a girl that John Lees met in his younger years. It is rumoured that they met when Barclay James Harvest played at her university union and she became the muse for the song.

  • Barclay James Harvest, 1970
  • Once Again, 1971
  • Barclay James Harvest and other short stories, 1971
  • Early Morning Onwards, 1972
  • Baby James Harvest, 1972
  • LIVE, (live) 1974
  • Everyone Is Everybody Else, 1974
  • Time Honoured Ghosts, 1975
  • Octoberon, 1976
  • Gone To Earth, 1977
  • Live Tapes, (live) 1978
  • XII, 1978
  • Eyes Of The Universe, 1979
  • Mockingbird/Best of, 1980
  • Turn Of The Tide, 1981
  • Berlin - A Concert For The People (live), 1982
  • Ring Of Changes, 1983
  • Victims Of Circumstance, 1984
  • The Compact Story of BJH, 1985
  • Face To Face, 1987
  • Another Arable Parable, 1987
  • Glasnost, (live) 1988
  • Welcome To The Show, 1990
  • Alone We Fly, 1990
  • The Harvest Years, 1991
  • Caught In The Light, 1993
  • River Of Dreams, 1997

  • Nexus, 1999
  • Revival - Through The Eyes Of John Lees, 2000

  • BJH featuring Les Holroyd - Revolution Days, 2002
  • Live in Bonn, 2003
  • Evolution Years - The Best of Barclay James Harvest featuring the songs of Les Holroyd, 2003
  • Classic Meets Rock double CD with Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 2006
  • Classic Meets Rock DVD with Prague Philharmonic Orchestra 2006

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