Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Barclay James Harvest had streamlined their sound considerably after leaving the Harvest label, culminating (so many felt) in the mellifluous music of Gone to Earth. Their pretensions to progressive rock all but abandoned, BJH here invites comparison to contemporaries like Supertramp, REO Speedwagon, and Fleetwood Mac (some of whom were similarly tagged with the prog rock label early on). Even at their most ornate, songwriters John Lees and Les Holroyd were simple balladeers at heart, and the decision to unclutter their arrangements allows the material's intrinsic beauty to shine through with clarity. For this reason, Gone to Earth is regarded by many as the band's best album, and judged on a song-by-song basis, it's hard to argue against it. Lees' "Hymn" and "Poor Man's Moody Blues" swell from simple beginnings to majestic heights, while Holroyd provides a cache of catchy rock songs, incorporating Beach Boys' harmonies on "Spirit of the Water" and "Taking Me Higher," soaring with the Eagles on "Friend of Mine," and even dabbling in reggae on the popular "Hard Hearted Woman." Again, the album's lone orchestral moment comes from Woolly Wolstenholme, the transcendent "Sea of Tranquility." (The keyboardist, whose once-omnipresent Mellotron now played a diminished role in the band's sound, left after the subsequent tour, releasing the first of several solo albums in 1980.) Although the songs are almost uniformly light on their feet, the lyrics reveal some heavy thoughts: Lees' "Lepers Song" laments "The end of the line's where I'm at/'Cos there's nothing left to be," and "Spirit of the Water" deals with killing seals for coats. Fortunately, it's not the uneasy alliance you might expect. Rarely has the band sounded so comfortable in the studio, and the result is as lovely a record as they've made.
© Dave Connolly /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From kr133,33/month
John Lees, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Barclay James Harvest, MainArtist - Les Holroyd, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Stuart John Wolstenholme, Producer, Keyboards, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Mel Pritchard, Producer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Davie Rohl, Producer
℗ 1977 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
John Lees, ComposerLyricist - Barclay James Harvest, Producer, MainArtist - Davie Rohl, Producer
℗ 1977 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
John Lees, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Barclay James Harvest, MainArtist - Les Holroyd, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Stuart John Wolstenholme, Producer, Keyboards, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Mel Pritchard, Producer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Davie Rohl, Producer
℗ 1977 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
John Lees, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Barclay James Harvest, MainArtist - Les Holroyd, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Stuart John Wolstenholme, Producer, Keyboards, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Mel Pritchard, Producer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Davie Rohl, Producer
℗ 1977 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Barclay James Harvest, Producer, MainArtist - Les Holroyd, ComposerLyricist - Davie Rohl, Producer
℗ 1977 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
John Lees, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Barclay James Harvest, MainArtist - Les Holroyd, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Woolly Wolstenholme, ComposerLyricist - Stuart John Wolstenholme, Producer, Keyboards, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Mel Pritchard, Producer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Davie Rohl, Producer
℗ 1977 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Barclay James Harvest, Producer, MainArtist - Les Holroyd, ComposerLyricist - Davie Rohl, Producer
℗ 1977 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
John Lees, ComposerLyricist - Barclay James Harvest, Producer, MainArtist - Davie Rohl, Producer
℗ 1977 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
John Lees, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Barclay James Harvest, MainArtist - Les Holroyd, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Stuart John Wolstenholme, Producer, Keyboards, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Mel Pritchard, Producer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Davie Rohl, Producer
℗ 1977 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
John Lees, ComposerLyricist - Barclay James Harvest, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
John Lees, Producer, Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Barclay James Harvest, MainArtist - Les Holroyd, Producer, Acoustic Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Stuart John Wolstenholme, Producer, Keyboards, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Mel Pritchard, Producer, Drums, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Davie Rohl, Producer
℗ 1977 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
John Lees, ComposerLyricist - Barclay James Harvest, MainArtist
℗ 2003 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Barclay James Harvest, MainArtist - Les Holroyd, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1978 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
John Lees, Producer, Guitar, Recorder, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Barclay James Harvest, MainArtist - Les Holroyd, Producer, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - David Rohl, Producer - Stuart John Wolstenholme, Producer, Piano, Synthesizer, Baritone, Mellotron, AssociatedPerformer - Mel Pritchard, Producer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1977 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Album review
Barclay James Harvest had streamlined their sound considerably after leaving the Harvest label, culminating (so many felt) in the mellifluous music of Gone to Earth. Their pretensions to progressive rock all but abandoned, BJH here invites comparison to contemporaries like Supertramp, REO Speedwagon, and Fleetwood Mac (some of whom were similarly tagged with the prog rock label early on). Even at their most ornate, songwriters John Lees and Les Holroyd were simple balladeers at heart, and the decision to unclutter their arrangements allows the material's intrinsic beauty to shine through with clarity. For this reason, Gone to Earth is regarded by many as the band's best album, and judged on a song-by-song basis, it's hard to argue against it. Lees' "Hymn" and "Poor Man's Moody Blues" swell from simple beginnings to majestic heights, while Holroyd provides a cache of catchy rock songs, incorporating Beach Boys' harmonies on "Spirit of the Water" and "Taking Me Higher," soaring with the Eagles on "Friend of Mine," and even dabbling in reggae on the popular "Hard Hearted Woman." Again, the album's lone orchestral moment comes from Woolly Wolstenholme, the transcendent "Sea of Tranquility." (The keyboardist, whose once-omnipresent Mellotron now played a diminished role in the band's sound, left after the subsequent tour, releasing the first of several solo albums in 1980.) Although the songs are almost uniformly light on their feet, the lyrics reveal some heavy thoughts: Lees' "Lepers Song" laments "The end of the line's where I'm at/'Cos there's nothing left to be," and "Spirit of the Water" deals with killing seals for coats. Fortunately, it's not the uneasy alliance you might expect. Rarely has the band sounded so comfortable in the studio, and the result is as lovely a record as they've made.
© Dave Connolly /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 14 track(s)
- Total length: 01:08:32
- Main artists: Barclay James Harvest
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: UMC (Universal Music Catalogue)
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 2003 Polydor Ltd. (UK) This Compilation ℗ 2003 Polydor Ltd. (UK)
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.