Once Again, the second album by Barclay James Harvest, from 1971.
I have already spoken about the Barclay James Harvest on the occasion of reviews of some of their important works. They are a British progressive rock group formed in 1967. The original lineup consisted of John Lees, Les Holroyd, Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme, and Mel Pritchard. Their sound is a fusion of rock with orchestral arrangements.
The original band disbanded in 1998, giving rise to two separate projects: Barclay James Harvest by John Lees and Barclay James Harvest with Les Holroyd.
John Lees' Barclay James Harvest continued to perform and released new material, including the new album, Relativity, from 2025, with John Lees (the only member from the original lineup), Craig Fletcher, Jez Smith, and Kevin Whitehead.
Once Again is a crucial album in their career which, after the more energetic tracks of the debut, moves towards their typical "soft prog" and "art rock" sound, blending catchy pop melodies with orchestral and symphonic arrangements with great balance and refinement, with moments of great emotional intensity and instrumental virtuosity. It is one of the classics and one of the band's most beloved records.
The shift to the monumental sound of Once Again compared to the debut was the result of technical and artistic evolution. The first album did not achieve the hoped-for success, and the band and the Harvest label felt the need to create a work with greater impact and therefore decided to focus everything on "grandeur," creating a wall of sound that was unique in the musical landscape of the time. The band then abandoned the psychedelic and beat influences of the '60s to focus on longer, epic, and melancholic compositions, typical of the emerging progressive rock.
First of all, the band came under the guidance of producer Norman "Hurricane" Smith, who had worked as a sound engineer for the Beatles and produced the first albums of the Pink Floyd, bringing a professional and sophisticated approach, helping the band translate their symphonic ambitions into crystalline recordings at Abbey Road studios. In fact, unlike the first album, where the orchestral element was still experimental, in Once Again the band made massive use of the Barclay James Harvest Symphony Orchestra. Robert John Godfrey's arrangements became an integral part of the structure of the tracks (as in the crescendo of Mocking Bird) rather than just an accompaniment, defining the "orchestral rock" genre. Moreover, keyboardist Woolly Wolstenholme perfected the use of the Mellotron, to reproduce string and choir sounds in a spectral and majestic way, which became the "trademark" of their new sound, integrating the rock section (guitar, bass, drums) and the real orchestra. John Lees himself began to use more modern instrumentation, the electric guitar and amplifiers that gave a warmer and more sustained sound.
The central idea was to integrate an orchestral section into the band's rock sound by exploring universal and often dark themes, creating a strong contrast with the pastoral and dreamy melodies:
The album in fact deals with themes of loss and regret with Mocking Bird, a metaphor for lost love where the mocking bird symbolizes the torment of memories. That of mortality and existentialism with Song for Dying and Happy Old World. But also alienation and addiction with Ball and Chain and The Midnight Drug.
The album also draws from the fantasy world typical of English prog of the time and is inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien.
A very accurate and well-constructed project, therefore, with which an evolution towards a lyrical, poetic, more measured rock was accomplished, with an excellent balance between softer tracks and powerful symphonic sections, with the great ability to create a unique sound, with great virtuosity, research in sounds combined with a romanticism that makes this album and the following ones of great emotional impact.
- She Said is a powerful and captivating track with a splendid arrangement and a spectacular overdubbed flute and guitar solo, combining dreamy moments and complex rhythmic interludes, showing the experimental side of the group.
- Mocking Bird is an epic, majestic track, one of the band's most famous, with an orchestral introduction that evolves into an exceptional prog piece. It begins as a delicate acoustic ballad and then explodes into an epic orchestral crescendo led by John Lees' great guitar.
- Song for Dying opens with whispered verses and evolves into powerful choruses with great vocal interpretation by Lees and fantastic keyboards by Woolstenholme.
- Happy Old World is an emotional track, with beautiful organ and piano parts.
- Galadriel is a real gem, inspired by Tolkien's work, characterized by light vocals and a magical atmosphere.
- Happy Old World, composed by Woolly Wolstenholme, has a beautiful sweet melody and dark, melancholic lyrics.
- Ball and Chain is the most rock and aggressive track on the album, with strange vocal effects obtained by singing through a paper cup.
For the first time so explicitly, the iconic symbol and true logo of the band, the butterfly, appears, which was already present on the cover of their self-titled debut album but integrated into a design reminiscent of a stained glass window.
The symbol appears for the first time in full, and by opening the Gatefold cover of the original album, its beauty and style can be clearly perceived, a symbol that has become indispensable to the point that, when the band tried to replace it with a simple circular logo with the initials "BJH," there was such a protest from fans that the group was forced to reinstate it immediately.
A masterpiece of soft prog, of great melodic beauty and instrumental mastery, an album that defined the sound of a band unique in its genre.
Note: All links to the musicians' works are in the TAGS under the article title or on the "Artists" page
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)
Duration 40:21
LineUp
- John Lees - lead vocals (4, 6), guitars, recorder
- Stuart "Woolly" Wolstenholme - lead vocals (1-3), organ, piano, Mellotron
- Les Holroyd - bass, backing vocals
- Mel Pritchard - drums, percussion
With:
- Alan Parsons - Jew's harp (8)
- BJH Symphony Orchestra (4, 5)
- Gavin Wright - conductor
- Robert Godfrey - conductor
.jpeg "Relativity by John Lees' Barclay James Harvest")
