On 2013 album North, Barclay James Harvest’s first studio document for 14 years, John Lees and his Twenty first-century line-up paid tribute to their regional roots. Simply earlier than its launch guitarist/vocalist Lees informed Prog in regards to the abiding affect of late keyboardist Stuart ‘Woolly’ Wolstenholme, who’d died tragically in 2010.
The gold albums on the partitions of John Lees’ studio exterior Oldham testify to a profitable worldwide artist – however he and his band have by no means forgotten their roots. Like characters from Recreation Of Thrones (with fewer sharp weapons and a greater sense of humour, admittedly), John Lees’ Barclay James Harvest are proud males of the North.
Certainly, their first studio providing since Nexus in 1999, merely entitled North, takes the distinctive nature of Northern England as its topic and inspiration. They’ve typically completed so earlier than (suppose Delph City Morn and sections of Everybody Is Everyone Else), however as affable bassist Craig Fletcher explains, this album goes additional.
“The monitor North itself, which all of us wrote collectively, units off with an virtually darkish, grim undertone – not precisely satanic mills, however of that ilk – after which we needed the refrain to open up and rejoice the opposite facet.”
Lees provides: “The preliminary a part of it’s all the stereotypes individuals have; a few of them are proper and a few of them are fallacious. Then it goes to the positives. It’s not sunny at this time, however when you see it within the sunshine it adjustments to a distinct place. That’s the form of impact we’re making an attempt to get with the music – to clarify how we really feel in regards to the North and all of the stereotypes.”
Intriguingly, as Lees laughingly explains, the monitor additionally comprises a dialect poem. “It’s only a native conventional one written on the again of an envelope within the pub on the flip of the twentieth century. It’s in regards to the god of ale and mirth who turns up at a younger baby’s delivery – one thing that’s fairly typical of this space.”
One of many excellent tracks is a brass band-based piece referred to as High Of The World, that includes Lees’ son J on cornet. Fletcher explains: “IIt got here out of a dialogue me and John have been having. His son is a wonderful cornet participant with the Fairey Engineering Band.
“The Faireys’ band room had burned down and [drummer] Kev Whitehead stated it was the one constructing of the works left. They’d as soon as been a large engineering firm. I’d all the time harped on about how it could be good to do a brass piece; each little village has a brass band. So it simply appeared to fit in properly with doing an album referred to as North.”
Whereas Lees is an internationally revered songwriter, it turns into clear that the album’s genesis was a results of the connection between him, Fletcher, Whitehead and keyboardist Jez Smith. “It was my premise from the phrase ‘go’ that if we have been going to do one thing, I didn’t need to write all of it,” says Lees.
“I’ve written bloody a great deal of songs. I’ve written sufficient songs! I used to essentially benefit from the strategy of writing with different individuals – with Les Holroyd and Woolly Wolstenholme and Mel Pritchard. That form of disintegrated in mid-term with Barclay James Harvest, particularly when Woolly left.
“So when Woolly and I obtained again collectively, we went again to a number of the outdated concepts we’d generated between us. Shortly after bringing these Craig and Kev in, I made a decision we should always return to the way it was within the preliminary BJH – 1 / 4 of all the things to each individual.”
He continues: “On this new variant I assumed, ‘If I can introduce concepts from my sketchbook and power individuals into writing mode – even when it’s solely preparations or throwing in a couple of lyrics – it’ll be rather more satisfying. So there are particular components of the songs generated by me and sure components I may need directed, however there’s enter from all people.”
Lead vocals are shared equally between Lees and Fletcher, with Lees admitting he isn’t actually into it: “I are inclined to get all people else to sing,” he laughs. “The preparations have a completely totally different life once they’re generated by a couple of individual.
I couldn’t see it taking place. I’d put it off for a very long time. There was stress from Woolly to do one thing, and I actually didn’t need to
John Lees
Taking part in guitar and singing, you’re falling between two stools. Should you’re accompanying your self, that’s positive – however if you wish to play lead guitar as properly, there are particular issues you possibly can’t do. So the extra I can get any person else to sing, and in the event that they’ve obtained a lyrical curiosity in it, the higher.”
Maybe inevitably, after unique keys man Wolstenholme’s premature demise in 2010, he’s very a lot a part of the brand new album’s story. Certainly, one music, On Go away, explores Lees’ understanding of Woolly’s medical situation.
“We miss him dearly,” says Fletcher, earlier than including, “This could have been a really totally different album if Woolly had nonetheless been concerned. Personally I’ve needed to step as much as the oche as a result of, like John, I hate singing as properly. We’re going, ‘You sing this, John,’ ‘No, you sing it, Craig – you’ve got the poisoned chalice; I don’t need it!’”
Lees goes as far as to counsel that, if Wolstenholme was nonetheless alive, North won’t have occurred. “Me and Woolly would have been singing and writing songs collectively and individually to current to those guys, and I couldn’t see that taking place. It’s no detriment to Woolly, however I’d put it off for a very long time. There was fairly a little bit of stress from Woolly to do one thing and I actually didn’t need to. It was solely after Woolly killing himself and all the things that it appeared an opportune second to make a final assertion, when you like… for everyone, for us.”
Lees says of On Go away: “I’ve by no means been in a position to get my head round somebody killing themselves. So it’s simply making an attempt to encapsulate all these issues, from what I knew of the best way Woolly was. It’s a music in regards to the decisions he made; the story of how I understand what occurred.”
These guys have jobs; I had a job. The album was made throughout evenings and on Saturdays and Sundays
John Lees
If the monitor isn’t a tribute as such, Smith acknowledges there are some “Woolly thrives” on it. “We’ve snuck slightly little bit of one thing that resembles Ursula and one thing that resembles Medication Man. There’s a Mellotron slide in there. The tip – which returns to the unique theme – is, I suppose, how we thought Woolly would possibly method it.”
Devotees have already heard one of many album’s huge prog choices, Historic Waves, because the band have carried out it stay. However Smith says the recording course of led to its evolution. “It was the primary one we began work on for the album, however we by no means truly completed it. We’d not likely performed it for a few years, and we virtually rewrote it.”
It’s been 14 years for the reason that final studio album, Nexus. When requested the way it feels to get a brand new document out in any case this time, Lees says: “It’s not been actually like that, due to the best way we work. These guys have jobs; I had a job. The album was made throughout evenings and on Saturdays and Sundays. So it’s not likely been, ‘Let’s e book a studio; go in there week after week.’ It takes a very long time to do it our manner. That’s why we by no means made any guarantees a couple of new album. Probably we’ll simply stick with it recording. We’ve obtained a great deal of stuff.”
Whitehead notes that different components have made their course of extra advanced: “We begin recording, then after a month it’s, ‘We’ve obtained Japan developing – we’d higher get the set again collectively.’ Then we’re again within the studio for a couple of weeks after which, ‘Oh, we’ve obtained the British tour now, let’s get rehearsing for that.’”
Smith laughs about one other situation arising: “There have been a few occasions the place we’ve fleshed a music out, rehearsed the construction – after which none of us can sing it! On one among them, all the things knitted in the important thing; and to transpose it down like we did was like relearning it from scratch.
The janitor stated, ‘You haven’t seen a shirt, have ya? That bloody guitarist left it right here… Steve Luke-Arthur, out of Toto’
Craig Fletcher
“We wrote one other one, then once we truly performed the factor we thought, ‘Nicely, what melody can you set with that?’ So there’ve been a couple of that advanced in the course of the precise recording course of.”
Appropriately, one among BJH’s tour dates in assist of the album is at that bastion of Northern music, the Holmfirth Picturedrome. Fletcher paints a very affectionate image of taking part in a current gig within the city the place Final Of The Summer time Wine was set.
“The dressing room is simply what you’d count on – an outdated snooker desk with a bit of marine ply thrown excessive,” he says. “And there’s a bottle of steri-milk and a kettle; it’s simply actually fundamental. This Hawaiian shirt was mendacity round and we threw it onto a chair.
“This janitor bloke got here in, saying, ‘I’ve obtained some corned beef sandwiches for yer, lads.’ About half an hour later he got here again and stated, ‘You haven’t seen a shirt, have ya? That bloody guitarist left it right here final night time…’ As he picks it up, I ask, ‘Who was it?’ And he stated, ‘Steve Luke-Arthur, out of Toto.’
“If I’d have identified, I’d have had that on eBay… Steve Luke-Arthur! I simply love the thought of him taking part in there. He’d have had the identical remedy as us from this janitor: ‘Right here’s yer sandwiches – that’s beef unfold and that’s fish paste!’”
What are the band’s longer-term plans? “That’s John’s area, actually,” solutions Fletcher. “We’re simply blissful to hold on.”
Smith factors at Lees: “Simply have a look at the entrance of his shirt – ‘An excessive amount of enjoyable to stop.’”
Lees himself provides: “I all the time say to those guys, ‘We’ve nothing to lose; completely nothing to lose.”
And it’s clear that, regardless of Wolstenholme’s demise, BJH are relaxed and having a superb time.“We wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t enjoyable,” Lees says. “It’s a distinct ball sport, taking part in with individuals who need to play the music. In a distinct model of the Barclays you have been taking part in with individuals who solely needed to play their very own music, and begrudgingly performed your songs as a result of a number of the followers needed to listen to them.”
