Barclay James Harvest (3 CD +1 5.1 DVD Box Set)

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I can't find it either - in fact, I can only find one of their titles.....I even did a google search and came up with nothing.

It appears that there isn't a poll thread yet..it was just released at the end of July...if you are interested in that title... it's available and you can use your "prime power" and grab it HERE
 
I think "Octoberon" is by far the best of the BJH surround albums released so far (the only one I havn't heard yet is "Once Again"). In terms of content, most of the other BJH albums (that I've heard) are pretty much light, pop-rock oriented... catchy songs that are great as background music, but not so much for extended, focused listening (don't get me wrong... I've purchased all of their surround albums and will continue to do so); "Octoberon", however, is something more... much more progressive and, well, "trippy"... the song "Ra" is pure Floydian perfection. In terms of the mix, this is a good one as-is with many discrete elements in the rears, but upon listening I immediately felt the need to "futz around" with it (I wouldn't bother if the tunes were less than amazing)... . as others have said, there are songs, and sections within songs, where the center channel is far too loud. There are also sections where the rear channels are too soft. And there is generally a lack of bass throughout (the BIG exception being the wonderful low end during the choir at the end of "May Day"... something about those low frequencies is just sooo good). I actually ended up creating LFE channels for all the songs so I could beef-up the bass and get more punch from the kick drum. I think there are similar issues with other BJH albums, but this is the first time the songs were soooo good that I had to see if I could help the mix. I REALLY hope they have other albums on par with Octoberon... I know I'll keep buying them to find out! "Highly" recommended :smokin
 
Last edited:
To respond to the questions on poll threads, there were not any poll threads for any of the BJH Esoteric releases, cause no one bothered to make poll threads for those releases until last night, but since there was some demand, here they are!

Everyone Is Everybody Else: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...arvest-Everyone-Is-Everybody-Else-(DTS-DVD-V)
Gone to Earth: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...rclay-James-Harvest-Gone-to-Earth-(DTS-DVD-V)
XII: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/showthread.php?23748-Barclay-James-Harvest-XII-(DTS-DVD-V)
Octoberon: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...1-Barclay-James-Harvest-Octoberon-(DTS-DVD-V)

:)
 
To respond to the questions on poll threads, there were not any poll threads for any of the BJH Esoteric releases, cause no one bothered to make poll threads for those releases until last night, but since there was some demand, here they are!

Everyone Is Everybody Else: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...arvest-Everyone-Is-Everybody-Else-(DTS-DVD-V)
Gone to Earth: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...rclay-James-Harvest-Gone-to-Earth-(DTS-DVD-V)
XII: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/forums/showthread.php?23748-Barclay-James-Harvest-XII-(DTS-DVD-V)
Octoberon: https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...1-Barclay-James-Harvest-Octoberon-(DTS-DVD-V)

:)

Awesome-ness. Thanks Ryan.... (y)
 
The 5.1 mix on Octoberon is way out of balance with respect to the center channel vocals. Who mixed this travesty. If you want to hear the music nice and loud the center channel vocals are unbearably loud. If you listen at a lower volume the instumentation in all the other channels is way to low. This does not happen on any other 5.1 disc I own. For this reason alone the multi channel mix is a fail for me. The mix and fidelity is great as long as no one is singing from the center channel. I shouldn't have to fiddle with my center channel volume just for one disc.
 
CHERRY RED ACQUIRE NEW CATALOGUES FROM WARNER MUSIC GROUP

Cherry Red are pleased to announce the purchase and representation of several artist catalogues and discographies from the Warner Music Group divestment deal. These include Howard Jones, Be Bop Deluxe, Barclay James Harvest, Chris Squire and Curved Air plus pop artists such as Kim Wilde and Mel and Kim

Esoteric Recordings are delighted to announce that Barclay James Harvest, Be-Bop Deluxe, Chris Squire and Curved Air titles will appear on the Esoteric Recordings imprint and a full scale reissue programme will go ahead , hopefully starting later this year and continuing through 2018 onwards.

For Barclay James Harvest fans, this will include the albums Barclay James Harvest, Once Again, Other Short Stories and Baby James Harvest.
Further details will follow in the coming weeks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Also from Esoteric:
Delighted to announce further catalogue acquisitions from Warner Music of Renaissance, Third Ear Band and Greenslade. These are not licenses, the repertoire will now be owned and controlled by Cherry Red Records, thanks to the lovely artists too who all made this possible .
 
Also from Esoteric:
Delighted to announce further catalogue acquisitions from Warner Music of Renaissance, Third Ear Band and Greenslade. These are not licenses, the repertoire will now be owned and controlled by Cherry Red Records, thanks to the lovely artists too who all made this possible .

Third Ear band that's a catalogue across to many labels think its Gonzo who have released most of there albums over the years.

If they do surround mixes of the Harvest label albums I will be happy.
 
The 5.1 mix on Octoberon is way out of balance with respect to the center channel vocals. Who mixed this travesty. If you want to hear the music nice and loud the center channel vocals are unbearably loud. If you listen at a lower volume the instumentation in all the other channels is way to low. This does not happen on any other 5.1 disc I own. For this reason alone the multi channel mix is a fail for me. The mix and fidelity is great as long as no one is singing from the center channel. I shouldn't have to fiddle with my center channel volume just for one disc.

I've been playing all the 'Harvest' remasters, including Octoberon, in four channel.....No center. I'm using four full range speakers with 2 giant subs and ALL sound amazing. You might want to try disengaging the center and utilizing the right/left fronts to produce a phantom center.
 
I've been playing all the 'Harvest' remasters, including Octoberon, in four channel.....No center. I'm using four full range speakers with 2 giant subs and ALL sound amazing. You might want to try disengaging the center and utilizing the right/left fronts to produce a phantom center.

That probably isn't a bad idea...
I've never done such, but you've got me curious. I wouldn't have a clue how to "quickly and easily" shut down the center.
 
That probably isn't a bad idea...
I've never done such, but you've got me curious. I wouldn't have a clue how to "quickly and easily" shut down the center.

The problem I noticed with shutting down the center channel is that there is also a lot of bass mixed into that channel... what I did to compensate is to create an "enhanced" LFE channel ( I use Audacity for this kind of thing)
 
CHERRY RED ACQUIRE NEW CATALOGUES FROM WARNER MUSIC GROUP

Cherry Red are pleased to announce the purchase and representation of several artist catalogues and discographies from the Warner Music Group divestment deal. These include Howard Jones, Be Bop Deluxe, Barclay James Harvest, Chris Squire and Curved Air plus pop artists such as Kim Wilde and Mel and Kim

Esoteric Recordings are delighted to announce that Barclay James Harvest, Be-Bop Deluxe, Chris Squire and Curved Air titles will appear on the Esoteric Recordings imprint and a full scale reissue programme will go ahead , hopefully starting later this year and continuing through 2018 onwards.

For Barclay James Harvest fans, this will include the albums Barclay James Harvest, Once Again, Other Short Stories and Baby James Harvest.
Further details will follow in the coming weeks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Any word on any of this anywhere with regard to forthcoming surround mixes? It's gone a bit quiet on the BJH re-issue front too...
 
Any word on any of this anywhere with regard to forthcoming surround mixes? It's gone a bit quiet on the BJH re-issue front too...

They may still be searching for all relevant tapes from that period, not to mention that Esoteric have been focused on several other releases too, like "Fish Out Of Water"
 
On Facebook, Barclay James Harvest shared the details of a new deluxe edition of their first album, out on Esoteric in May:

Hardback book, roughly ten inches square, with a new essay and loads of previously unseen photos. Reproductions of the 1970 orchestral tour programme and contemporary press releases, Early Morning poster and four postcards of John, Les, Mel and Woolly from their first ever photo session as BJH.

Oh, and three CDs and a DVD with new stereo mix, surround sound mix, bonus tracks and a black and white promo film of three songs filmed at Preston House.

All housed in a deluxe box with the original album cover design.

72EE6A22-A631-4C38-BE83-8847F498B005.jpeg
 
Sweet! Which Facebook? I can see Johns BJH-page, Les BJH-page as well as a fan page but no mentioning of this?
 
Last edited:
Looking forward to this, I was wondering if we would get any more BJH. My Pre-orders are down to Arriving Somewhere and How The West Was Won on Blu-ray from Amazon and Fish Out of Water (Limited Edition) - boxset from Burning Shed...need - more - Pre-orders! Come "This Was" where are you? Why you so far away? Daddy needs another Pre-order o_O
 
Back
Top