The album Barclay James Harvest could be accused of being pompous and overbearing with its pseudo classicism, but it has to be remembered that this album hit the streets in 1970 when the music world was a very different place.

There is an indefinable beauty about much of this album which was recorded with a full blown orchestra and was to lead to the classic Once Again album.

Woolly Woolstenholme was much to the fore in this album and although it does sound dated, I believe it is more representative of the true BJH sound than many later albums which are written to a formula of John Lees and Les Holroyd sharing the credits.

Dark Now My Sky and When the World Was Woken are both wonderfully bombastic and over the top and The Iron Maiden is one of the prettiest songs the band ever recorded.