Esoteric Recordings' refresh of the Barclay James Harvest catalogue has seen deluxe expansions of most of the prog-rock heroes' classic-era albums.  In fall 2023, Esoteric got around to the band's fourth and final album for EMI's Harvest Records.  1972's Baby James Harvest, often considered a weak link in a strong run of LPs, can now be reevaluated in a 4CD/1Blu-ray edition containing the remastered original stereo mix; a new stereo mix; copious bonus tracks; a full concert in mono and stereo; and the album and bonus material in 5.1 surround, high-resolution stereo (for both the new and original mixes), and music video content.  (The Blu-ray is region-free.)

Despite the critical acclaim that greeted BJH's part albums, and a dedicated audience following the band on the road, EMI was keen on the group delivering a hit.  None of their albums or singles had charted including the 1972 non-LP single "I'm Over You," paired with "Child of Man" on 45.  (Both sides were penned by John Lees.)  How to achieve that hit was a matter of considerable concern.  A double album was initially mooted; it would have featured one disc of self-contained band performances and another with a full orchestra.  That concept morphed into another 2LP package that would have spotlighted one band member per side.  Debts to EMI necessitated that the double album become a single one, and the concepts were mostly discarded.  One track ended up being orchestral (Woolly Wolstenholme's "Moonwater") but sessions kept Wolstenholme at Abbey Road while his other bandmates recorded at Strawberry Studios (co-owned by 10cc's Eric Stewart).  John Lees, Les Holroyd, and Mel Pritchard ended up absent from "Moonwater" while Woolly only played on two songs with the trio ("Crazy (Over You)" and "Summer Soldier").  The result is far from BJH's most cohesive album but is, track for track, never wholly uninteresting.

Holroyd's "Crazy (Over You)" opened the album on a romantic if moody note, while Lees' evocative "Delph Town Morn" (inspired by his then-residence, the Saddleworth village of Delph) added a burst of energy with its brass arrangement including a sinuous saxophone solo.  It might have made for a solidly commercial single.  Lees' "Summer Soldier" is one of a number of songs in his catalogue expressing anti-war sentiments.  The lengthiest song on Baby James Harvest, it opens with church bells and a series of sound effects and shouts before segueing into an earnest, acoustic song and then a haunting rock dirge.  Wolstenholme contributed organ and Mellotron to the track including an extended outro.

The original album's second side opens with an oddity: Lees' "Thank You," on which he thanks more than a dozen actual people and even an inanimate object or two.  His strong guitar riff propels the offbeat track which, curiously, was selected for single release.  An alternate single mix is among the bonus material on CD.  Composer Les Holroyd filled in for Woolly Wolstenholme on the piano for "One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out," an atmospheric astronaut-lost-in-space ballad with shades of Bowie's "Space Oddity" in its arrangement and vocal delivery.  Holroyd would return to the space theme on "Negative Earth" from 1974's Everyone Is Everybody Else.  Wolstenholme's "Moonwater" closes out Baby James Harvest.  The epic track was dedicated on the original album to "Gustav and The Countess;" Gustav meant Mahler, one of Woolly's favorite composers.  The classically-inspired composition, with its reflective if impressionistic lyrics and grand orchestral sweep, is an outlier on the album.  Its Abbey Road luster is quite different than the Strawberry sessions' rawness.

Par for the course with Esoteric's Barclay James Harvest reissues, the new surround mix is the go-to presentation for those equipped with surround capabilities.  Stephen W. Tayler's 5.1 mix isn't the most immersive or flashy (other than with the opening sound effects of "Summer Soldier" which encircle the listener) but consistently adds dimension to the music.  His new stereo mix opens up the soundstage a bit, too, allowing for better delineation of each band member's instrument.  For purists, the original album mix has been remastered to fine effect, too.

Also typical for Esoteric's reissue series, Baby James Harvest is loaded with extras.  The first CD has, in addition to Ben Wiseman's fine remaster of the original album, various single sides and alternative versions.  CD 2 has Tayler's new stereo mixes of the album and select bonus tracks; like his surround mix, the new stereo mix adds clarity to the somewhat muddier original.  The third and fourth discs are dedicated to a BBC Radio One concert from November 16, 1972.  CD 3 has it in mono as originally broadcast and CD 4 has it in stereo; the track sequence is slightly different between the versions.

The four CDs and one Blu-ray are housed within a sturdy, thick slipcase; the individual disc wallets are of the more deluxe variety, with spines and a couple of gatefolds.  A squarebound 64-page booklet offers a comprehensive essay by Keith and Monika Domone as well as credits and copious memorabilia images including tape boxes, original single releases, and photographs.  A poster of the album cover is also included.  While Baby James Harvest may never be spoken of in the same breath as the band's most acclaimed albums of the period, Esoteric's reissue makes a strong case that it shouldn't be overlooked, either.  It's available now at the links below.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Barclay James Harvest, Baby James Harvest (Harvest LP SHSP 4023, 1972 - reissued Esoteric/Cherry Red PECLEC 52842, 2023) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: Original Album (Remastered)

1. Crazy (Over You)
2. Delph Town Morn
3. Summer Soldier
4. Thank You
5. One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out
6. Moonwater

Bonus Tracks

7. Child of Man (A-side of single) (Harvest 5051, 1972)
8. I'm Over You (B-side of single) (Harvest 5051, 1972)
9. When the City Sleeps (B-side of single released as "Bombadil") (Harvest HAR 5095, 1972)
10. Breathless (A-side of single released as "Bombadil") (Harvest HAR 5095, 1972)
11. Thank You (Alternative Version)
12. Medicine Man (single version) (Harvest 5058, 1972)
13. Rock and Roll Woman (A-side of single) (Harvest 5068, 1972)
14. The Joker (B-side of single) (Harvest 506, 1972)
15. Child of Man (BBC session 15th March 1972)

CD 2: New Stereo Mixes

1. Crazy (Over You)
2. Delph Town Morn
3. Summer Soldier
4. Thank You
5. One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out
6. Moonwater

Bonus Tracks

7. Child of Man
8. Sweet Faced Jane (previously unreleased)
9. When the City Sleeps
10. Breathless
11. Medicine Man (single)
12. Moonwater (Strawberry Studios demo)

CD 3: BBC Radio One "In Concert" 16th November 1972 with The Barclay James Harvest Symphony Orchestra - Mono U.K. Broadcast Version

1. Introduction
2. Mockingbird
3. Medicine Man
4. Galadriel
5. Summer Soldier
6. The Poet
7. After the Day
8. Moonwater
9. Dark Now My Sky

CD 4: BBC Radio One "In Concert" 16th November 1972 with The Barclay James Harvest Symphony Orchestra - Stereo Version

1. Introduction
2. Mockingbird
3. Medicine Man
4. Moonwater
5. Summer Soldier
6. The Poet
7. After the Day
8. Galadriel
9. Dark Now My Sky

Blu-ray

High resolution 5.1 Surround Sound mix & New Stereo Mix by Stephen W Tayler & Original Stereo Mix (96kHz /24-bit)

1. Crazy (Over You)
2. Delph Town Morn
3. Summer Soldier
4. Thank You
5. One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out
6. Moonwater

Bonus Tracks

7. Child of Man
8. Sweet Faced Jane
9. When the City Sleeps
10. Breathless
11. Medicine Man (single version)
12. Moonwater (Strawberry Studios demo)

Bonus Video Content

13. Thank You - Promotional video 1973, shown on BBC TV Old Grey Whistle Test - 9th January 1973​