John Lees – A Major Fancy (1973)

One of the main songwriters and the lead guitarist for Barclay James Harvest.   The band released four albums on EMI’s ‘Harvest’ label (allegedly named after the band); falling sales and management issues meant for a few months they had no record contract before signing with Polydor in 1974.  But during that hiatus they were forbidden to use the band name; a couple of singles under the name ‘Bombadil’ came out and John, who had accumulated a few songs released his one and only completely solo album.  I loved it, it was a bit amateurish and a couple of tracks are little more than demo’s, but it had John’s voice and guitar now unaccompanied by the big orchestral band sound.  The band were hugely successful, especially in Germany and Europe and had a solid following in the UK.  They carried on until 1998 when the two remaining members formed their separate versions of Barclay James Harvest; by far the most prolific and creative was John, who continues with occasional concerts and a threatened new album early in 2025.

On this one solo project I particularly like the tracks – ‘Brave New World’, ‘The Devils That I Keep’ and ‘Star Bright’.