Search - Barclay James Harvest :: Gone to Earth

Mellotron Musings from the World's Best Unknown Band

06/24/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Barclay James Harvest, to all you folks who have never heard of them, are a progressive rock band from England. They have been around since the late 1960's, and have been recording albums since 1971. Their style is very "Moody Blues-Procul Harem" like, featuring a lot of Mellotron music. (A Mellotron is a kind of primitive synthasizer, or tape sampling device) They also use conventional instruments, guitars, bass, drums, and some of their earlier work featured a full orchestra. Gone To Earth is one of their finest early albums, featuring the hits Hymn, Poor Man's Moody Blues, and Love is Like a Violin. This is a majestic, soaring, spiritual album which features the band at their very peak of energy and excellence. I highly recomend it to anyone who enjoys progressive rock, particularly Moody Blues fans. Barclay James Harvest has a home page on the WWW, and a fan club based in England that carries a lot of their out of print material. Check them out, you will be glad that you took the time."

BJH flies high on Gone To Earth.

09/24/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A stunningly gorgeous album, Gone To Earth displays mid-period BJH at their absolute peak. The band stumbled on Time Honored Ghosts, regained their footing on the previous Octoberon, and sound downright brilliant on this '77 release. Crank up the headphones and totally immerse yourself in the beauty and lushness of this album: Hymn, the unforgettable, mellotron-drenched leadoff track, Poor Man's Moody Blues (a sly tweak at those who accused the band of mimmicking the Moodies), the haunting Spirit On The Water, or keyboardist Woolie Wolstenholme's epic Sea Of Tranquility. If you're into '70s progressive rock and want to own one album by this long-standing British band, let it be Gone To Earth."