OCTOBERON

Felt the quick push, felt the air rush, felt the sidewalk, fell in line... Another great release by Barclay James Harvest! Although the effect and quality of the great Everyone Is Everybody Else was wearing off with each new album they still managed to get some great material for this particular release.

The album starts surprisingly on a soft note with the wonderful The World Goes On which is definitely my favorite Les Holroyd composition with Berlin in a close second spot. The material from here on doesn't disappoint with the slight exception of Polk Street Rag which I find somewhat forgettable. Octoberon closes on another highlight with Suicide? where John Lees demonstrates that he can do some great concept compositions with a lot of wit.

It's a real pity that so few have heard of this amazing band since I believe that their music would probably be enjoyed by more people if they only had the right promotion. The song Rock 'n Roll Star was actually a minor hit in UK and was featured on Top Of The Pops, but with a talent like that they should have gone much further.

Overall it's great to see Barclay James Harvest giving lengthier compositions another chance with many wonderful interludes and guitar solos especially since most of their future material will keep close to the 3-4 minute formula from here on.

***** star songs: The World Goes On (6:27) Rock 'n Roll Star (5:17) Suicide? (7:56)

**** star songs: May Day (7:57) Ra (7:18) Believe In Me (4:21)

*** star songs: Polk Street Rag (5:37)