*. Barclay James Harvest .* (Remaster & Expanded 2013)

Album: Eyes of the Universe (1979)(Remaster 2013 + 4 Bonus)
Genre: Prog Rock (Art Rock/Crossover/Pop/Rock)  /  UK

Let's begin this review with a well known sentence: It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time. Nope, it is not the title of this 1979 album by Barclay James Harvest, and it doesn't refer to the whole album. Instead, I am speaking about the track sequence of the album. From 1974 to 1977, BJH released well-balanced quality albums that still had more than a bit to do with a thing called prog, and now in the 21st century, when progressive pop/rock is appreciated and even hyped, it would look reasonable to have an instantly recognisable, good tradition continuing track as an album opener. Genesis did just that up to 1980. But BJH chose to open the album with "Love on the Line", which became a single; and listening to Eyes of the Universe, it is clear from the first half minute that this is not the same BJH that used to open albums with songs like "In My Life" or "Hymn." However, I can sense that in 1979 the whole setting looked different: it was important for the band to express as immediately as possible that they were able to update their sound. Beneath the dominant monotonous synth riff, "Love on the Line" is a relatively ordinary BJH song. On the album it is followed by "Alright Down Get Boogie (Mu ala Rusic)", which, as anyone who knows BJH's mid-to-late '70s material can guess, is a parodic song in the style of "Titles." This time it parodies the disco lyrics of the late 1970s. Musically, the song is not disco but trapped in the no-man's-land between BJH's standard style and the typical (slightly disco-flavoured) rock soul of the day. Though "Alright Down Get Boogie (Mu ala Rusic)" is less worthy than "Love on the Line", it is not bad, but still it isn't exactly what a BJH enthusiast is yearning. Putting these two tracks at the top of the track list surely seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it feels just misleading. "The Song (They Love to Sing)" is an excellent number, followed by "Skin Flicks" which is a kind of misfire. As the side B opens with a slightly strained, generic prog number called "Sperratus" – which actually borrows its verse from the Moody Blues song "A Simple Game" (Poor Man's Moody Blues in action?) and its chorus from BJH's own song "Love Is Like a Violin" (1977) – it seems to make sure that Eyes of the Universe is not a fine album. Fortunately, better things are yet to come. The saviour doesn't appear in the shape of "Rock 'n' Roll Lady" (note: BJH already had a song called "Rock 'n' Roll Woman"), but at least the song is very much all right, if nothing mind-blowing either. However, it is followed by "Capricorn" which is even better than "The Song (They Love to Sing)", a stylish art pop/rock number that can be listened to right after BJH's earlier triumphs like "Hymn for the Children" and "Spirit on the Water." Finally the album closes with "Play to the World", which means yet another artistic victory. Why on earth are the best two tracks found on the bottom, and three of the best five similarly on the bottom? Isn't that quite annoying? After all, Eyes of the Universe is a nice album once again – not as fine as Gone to Earth, Octoberon and Time Honoured Ghosts, but equals Everything Is Everybody Else and certainly beats Once Again. By the way, this time Barclay James Harvest isn't a poor man's Moody Blues, but sounds much more like The Alan Parsons Project, which I like as well. 
Review by "fairyeee" (Rate Your Music).

RATING:  7.5 / 10

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