disco talk

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34087, 26 February 1976, Page 4

disco talk

Barclay James Harvest. “Time Honoured Ghosts”. Polydor.

Barclay James Harvest, a band which has always had tremendous appeal to student audiences, released six albums before “Time Honoured Ghosts", but they never had a great deal of success outside Great Britain. Maybe this album will change that although, unfortunately (for they are a great group). I doubt it.

Last year 1 went to one of their concerts on the college circuit, at the Imperial College in London, just after they completed the work on this album and about the time of its release. Some of the material on "Time Honoured Ghosts” was presented at the concert and I find, by comparison, that the concert performance. without the heavy orchestration that is oh most of their album work, they were refreshing, fanciable. and musically tight. They are obviously a very “together” band Strong melodies are a unifying feature of this

album. Although once considered a progressive band, they have refused to change their style much and are still very heavily into melotrons and synthesisers, with very full orchestrations (they) once had their own orchestra) on most numbers. The pervasive Beatles influence on Barclay James Harvest is. still evident, particularly ■ and overtly in "Titles”, a: composite of titles from: Beatles songs which are strung together in a sensitive way. “In My Life” fnot) a Beatles imitation) is a good, fast-moving track, with simple effective lyrics.

"Beyond the Grave” is heavily instrumentalised and not unlike a Genesis masterpiece. “Johnathon”, believe it or not, is another eulogy to Jonathon Livingstone Seagull, with somewhat trite lyrics: “He’s giving us a reason to believe » . . showing us the way we can be free”.

Split Coconut. Dave Mason. M.G.M. Records.

Several years ago. a friend of mine predicted that Dave Mason was going to be a big star. In those days, he had hardly been heard of. and the forecast seemed quite unlikely. Just because an artist is a brilliant guitarist does not necessarily mean he is going to be a big commercial hit. But now. well on the way to his stardom, it looks as though Dave Mason is slowly but surely making it. Not by excessive promotion, but by genuine hard work and a shining talent. His new album. “Split Coconut.” has totally converted me to Mason’s style of playing, and if other music lovers have not yet been caught under his spell, they soon should be after listening to this.

Most tracks have excellent guitar solos, most of which are by Mason himself. and some have the accompaniment of the Dave Mason Band guitarist. Jim Krueger. In particular. I like the upbeat, reggae-like version of the old Buddv Holly number. “Crying, Waiting. Hoping”, which uses a marimba to help produce a real islands atmosphere. This is carried by the title track and several other tracks, which have numerous allusions to the Carribean and various island fantasies. David Crosby and Graham Nash put in a vocal chorus on some of the numbers. adding an easy, laid back feeling to it all. which is offset by the typical Mason guitar work, sometimes slide, sometimes wah-wah. but always perfect. Manhattan Transfer also add their bit towards the vocal in two of the tracks, making the whole a thoroughly' professional work. i — Felicity Price.