BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST: A CONCERT FOR THE PEOPLE (BERLIN) (1982)
1) Berlin; 2) Loving Is Easy;
3) Mockingbird; 4) Sip Of Wine; 5) Nova Lepidoptera; 6) In Memory Of The
Martyrs; 7) Life Is For Living; 8) Child Of The Universe; 9) Hymn.
We all saw it coming. I'm guessing they just
ran out of space on the front sleeve, preventing the album from flashing its
true full name: A Concert For The People
(Who Continue To Buy Our Records Because We Wrote A Very Sappy Song About Their
Hometown And They Fell For It, Well What Do You Expect Of Them Dumb Krauts
Anyway). In grateful and sincere recognition of that fact, Barclay James
Harvest did indeed play a live show on the steps of the Reichstag, no less, on
August 30, 1980 — and recorded this historical event (why historical? no idea)
on audio and video for as much posterity as will be ready to stand the band.
Consequently, the biggest problem with this
third BJH live album in less than ten years must have been the setlist. It is
not very likely that they only played the nine songs on the album (although
these are also the same nine songs that are available on the official video):
most likely, they just selected the stuff that was not yet written in the age
of Live and Live Tapes. So the setlist, or at least this particular section of
it, mostly focuses on their recent period — the majority of the songs stemming
from either XII or the
yet-to-be-released Turn Of The Tide
(oddly enough, Eyes Of The Universe
is completely snubbed — too bad, the 175,000 Berliners assembled for the show might
have enjoyed some disco dancing). ʽMockingbirdʼ is also included since, well,
it is BJH's equivalent of ʽSatisfactionʼ; and ʽChild Of The Universeʼ and
ʽHymnʼ make a reappearance because a live album just ain't a live album
without its fair share of singalong anthems, and XII was rather lean on singalong anthems.
The album is reported to have been seriously
doctored, since there were multiple problems with the recording equipment (the
spirit of the Reichstag does not take lightly to overseas intruders, so it
seems), and some of the guitar parts had to be recut, which is why the final version
came out so relatively late. This explains why Lees' guitar solos sound so much
cleaner and sharper than they did on the earlier live releases — and, as usual,
plunges us into the philosophical discussion on pre-calculated quality vs.
flawed spontaneity. But at least they did go to the trouble of re-recording
rather than, say, using the solos from the original studio mix.
Still, it is hard to think of any reasons that
would make Berlin an essential
listen. There are a few rearrangements — ʽLoving Is Easyʼ, for instance, is
sped up (which does not make the opening bassline any less ʽPsycho Killerʼ-ish)
and recast in a rockier mode; whereas ʽChild Of The Universeʼ, on the
contrary, seems a bit softer and slippier than the original, with more emphasis
on the keyboards and less heaviness in the guitar department. But it's almost
impossible to understand what makes this seven-minute version of ʽIn Memory Of
The Martyrsʼ preferable over or in addition to the studio version — naturally,
this song, written in homage of the unlucky Berlin Wall crossers, had to be played there, but it would
probably make more sense to try and get inspired by watching the faces of the
people listening to it than by the audio track of the actual performance. Same
goes for ʽHymnʼ, of course, except that ʽHymnʼ, unlike ʽMartyrsʼ and ʽBerlinʼ
itself, is not specifically targeted at German audiences.
At least, with the possible exception of ʽLife
Is For Livingʼ, they don't play any of their bad material — and the concert catches them in that short-lived
upwards spiral of the post-Woolly era, so it represents another bookmark in the
Amazing Technicolor Story of Barclay James Harvest that most people couldn't
care less about. Oh, and do buy the DVD rather than the CD if you are really
desperate — Lees cuts quite a melodramatic figure, jumping around in his
matching red pants and jacket, and, with his beard shaved off, he sort of looks
a bit like Roy Orbison now.
"the spirit of the Reichstag does not take lightly to overseas intruders, so it seems"
ReplyDeleteLOL! (this is especially for my anonymous friend). Makes me wonder if any Eastern-European band has played there, to commemorate May 2nd 1945 so to say. There was some doctoring back then too, they say.
You aren't the first Dutchman to have negative impulses concerning the Reichstag!
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