"Taking Some Time On – The Parlophone-Harvest Years (1968-73)" by BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST (2011 EMI/Harvest 5CD Box Set) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Come On Let's Get Together…"

UK released 18 July 2011 - "Taking Some Time On: The Parlophone-Harvest Years (1968-73)" by BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST features 69-tracks across 5CDs and is housed in a double jewel case (with fold-out flaps on the inside for some of the discs). Here's a detailed breakdown of EMI/Harvest 5099908378826 (SHTW 802)…

Disc 1 (60:56 minutes)

Tracks 1 & 2 are "Early Morning" and "Mr. Sunshine" – the non-album A&B-sides of the band’s debut UK 7” single released 26 April 1969 on Parlophone R 5693

3. So Tomorrow

4. Eden Unobtainable

5. Eden Unobtainable (May 1968 Version)

Tracks 3 to 5 are a 'BBC Top Gear Session' recorded live 23 April 1968

6. Night

7. Pools Of Blue

8. Need You Oh So Bad

9. Small Time Town

10. Dark Now My Sky

Tracks 6 to 10 are a 'BBC Top Gear Session' recorded live 30 July 1968

Tracks 11 and 12 are "Brother Thrush" and "Poor Wages" – the non-album A&B-sides of their 2nd UK single on Harvest HAR 5003 (released 20 June 1969)

Track 13 is "Mocking Bird" (May 1970 version at 6:17 minutes)

[Another version at 6:39 minutes is on the "Once Again" album on Disc 2]

14. Taking Some Time ON

15. Mother Dear

16. The Sun Will Never Shine

17. When The World Was Woken

Tracks 14 to 17 are Side 1 of their debut LP "Their First Album" released 5 June 1970 in the UK on Harvest SHVL 770

Disc 2 (62:42 minutes):

1. Good Love Child

2. The Iron Maiden

3. Dark Now My Sky

Tracks 1 to 3 are Side 2 of "Their First Album" (as per 14 to 17 on Disc 1)

Track 4 "I Can’t Go On Without You" was a 'Bonus Track' on the expanded 2002 CD of "Their First Album"

5. She Said

6. Happy Old World

7. Song For Dying

8. Galadriel

9. Mocking Bird

10. Vanessa Simmons

11. Ball And Chain

12. Lady Loves

Tracks 5 to 12 are their 2nd album "Once Again" released 5 February 1971 in the UK on Harvest SHVL 788

Disc 3 (66:39 minutes):

1. Introduction-White Sails (A Seascape)

2. Too Much On Your Plate

3. Galadriel (Non Orchestral Version)

4. Happy Old World (Take One)

5. Song For Dying (Full Un-edited Version)

6. Mocking Bird (Extended Non-Orchestral Version)

7. Dark Now My Sky (Live March 1971)

Tracks 1 to 7 are bonus tracks on the CD of "Once Again"

8. Galadriel

9. She Said

10. Someone There You Know

11. Ursula (The Swansea Song)

12. Medicine Man

Tracks 8 to 12 are a 'Bob Harris Session' recorded for the BBC on 29 June 1971

Disc 4 (67:06 minutes):

1. Medicine Man

2. Someone There You Know

3. Harry’s Song

4. Ursula (The Swansea Song)

5. Little Lapwing

6. Song With No Meaning

7. Blue John’s Blues

8. The Poet

9. After The Day

Tracks 1 to 9 are their 3rd album "And Other Short Stories" released 5 November 1971 in the UK on Harvest SHVL 794

Track 10 is "Brave New World (Demo Version)" – a bonus track on the "And Other Short Stories" CD of 2002

Track 11 is "Child Of Man" recorded for a 'Bob Harris Session' on 15 March 1972

Tracks 12 and 13 are "I'm Over You" and "Child Of Man" – the non-album A&B-sides of a UK 7” single released 28 April 1972 on Harvest HAR 5051

Tracks 14 and 15 are "Breathless" and "When The City Sleeps" (with the band credited as BOMBADIL) – the A&B-sides of a UK 7" single released 29 September 1971 on Harvest HAR 5056

Track 16 is "Medicine Man" – released 20 October 1972 as the non-album B-side of "Thank You" on Harvest HAR 5058

Disc 5 (60:41 minutes):

1. One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out

2. Delph Town Morn

3. Summer Soldier

Tracks 1 to 3 are a 'Bob Harris Session' for the BBC recorded 9 October 1972

4. Crazy Over (You)

5. Delph Town Morn

6. Summer Soldier

7. Thank You

8. One Hundred Thousand Smiles Out

9. Moonwater

Tracks 4 to 9 are their 4th LP "Baby James Harvest" released 10 November 1972 in the UK on Harvest SHSP 4023

Track 10 is "Thank You (Alternate Version)" is a bonus track on the 2002 expanded CD of "Baby James Harvest"

Track 11 and 12 are "Rock And Roll Woman" and "The Joker" – the A&B-sides of a UK 7" single released 4 May 1973 on Harvest HAR 5068

The discs themselves all have the distinctive 'Harvest' label logo and there are pictures of the band beneath the see-through trays (a nice touch). But its also one of those fiddly and easy to break double jewel-cases - so you need to be a tad careful handling it. The booklet has excellent liner notes by MALCOM DOME, but at 12-pages is a fairly slight affair. However it does picture concert tickets, flyers, badges, posters, small shots of the four album sleeves etc…and of course full discography info.

But the really great news is the superb new remastered sound. Done by PETER MEW at Abbey Road Studios, I've praised his exceptional transfer work before (see reviews for the Deluxe Editions of Dr. Feelgood's "Down By The Jetty", David Bowie's "David Bowie", Free's "Fire And Water" and Jethro Tull's "This Was") – here it's the same. The audio is very clear despite the denseness of the instrumentation, powerful without being over-trebled for effect and full of presence. (See the 'tag' marked "Peter Mew Remasters" above this review and it will give you a pictorial of 40 great reissues he’s been involved in).

The music as you can imagine is a mixed bag of the great and the merely good. Comparison-wise BJH were actually hard to pin down (constantly experimenting with their 'sound' as the liner notes explain). The Mellotron gives a song like the lovely "Mocking Bird" a sort Moody Blues feel with a faint hint of Nick Drake's melancholy – while the compilation’s title track "Taking Some Time On" (lyrics above) rocks it up with the best of them (albeit in a very Seventies Prog Rock kind of a way). The early BBC stuff (expertly engineered by the greatly missed BBC engineer and character BERNIE ANDREWS) is tight and impressive. It's all very inviting somehow. And you can feel them inching towards "Time Honoured Ghosts" and "Octoberon" (their popular 1975 and 1976 Polydor LPs) by the time you get to the strings and acoustic bedroom melodrama of "Medicine Man" and "Song With No Meaning" on Disc 4. 

To sum up - die-hard BJH fans will know that the 2002 remasters for the first four LPs - "Their First Album" [aka "Barclay James Harvest"], "Once Again", "And Other Short Stories" and "Baby James Harvest" - are all here along with their large number of bonus tracks (64 songs in total). So there are only 5 new additions. But for the casual buyer however - you get 4 whole albums worth, 5 rare non-album 45s (A&B-sides) and a slew of live BBC Sessions and other rarities. A huge haul in great sound and all at a very reasonable cost…

"Livin' On The Fault Line/Minute By Minute" by THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (2011 Edsel 2CD Reissue and Remasters with Two Bonus Tracks) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"…No More Loneliness…No More Emptiness..." 

Two fantastic albums from the Michael McDonald years with The Doobie Brothers – beautifully musical and beautifully produced – 1977's overlooked "Livin' On A Fault Line" and the award-winning goliath that was 1978's "Minute By Minute". Both albums are chockfull of musical goodies and Soul-Rock moments. Here are the 'Echoes Of Love'...

UK released Monday 26 September 2011 (4 Oct 2011 in the USA) – "Livin' On A Fault Line/Minute By Minute" by THE DOOBIE BROTHERS on Edsel EDSD 2107 (Barcode 740155210731) offers two albums onto 2CDs (with two Bonus Tracks) and breaks down as follows...

Disc 1 (35:12 minutes):

1. You're Made That Way

2. Echoes Of Love

3. Little Darlin' (I Need You)

4. You Belong To Me

5. Livin' On The Fault Line

6. Nothing But A Heartache [Side 2]

7. Chinatown

8. There's A Light

9. Need A Lady

10. Larry The Logger Two-Step

Tracks 1 to 10 are their 7th studio album "Livin' On The Fault Line" (and 2nd with Michael McDonald in the line-up). It was released September 1977 on Warner Brothers K 56383 in the UK - Warner Brothers BS 3045 in the USA

Disc 2 (45:52 minutes):

1. Here To Love You

2. What A Fool Believes

3. Minute By Minute

4. Dependin' On You

5. Don't Stop To Watch The Wheels

6. Open Your Eyes [Side 2]

7. Sweet Feelin'

8. Steamer Lane Breakdown

9. You Never Change

10. How Do The Fools Survive?

Tracks 1 to 10 are their 8th studio album "Minute By Minute" – a Number 1 record in the USA and a Grammy Winner in several categories. It was released December 1978 on Warner Brothers K 56486 in the UK - Warner Brothers BS 3193 in the USA 

BONUS TRACKS:

11. Here To Love You (Single Remix)

12. What A Fool Believes (12" Remix)

The booklet is a great deal more substantial than what’s gone before – 24-pages of original album artwork (including inner sleeves), UK and European labels pictured, the lyrics, musician credits and an informative 6-page history by ALAN ROBINSON on both albums and their impact. It’s superbly done. But the really big news is the fabulous new SOUND...

I've had all 10 of the 2006 Japanese Remasters (in 5" card repro sleeves) to have the music - but here the PHIL KINRADE remaster at ALCHEMY in London is stunning and far better. The clarity is amazing. It helps of course that the original production on each album by Ted Templeman was so razor sharp in the first place (he's long been associated with the band and more famously with Van Halen).

Music - when the Doobies made their tentative steps into change with "Takin' It To The Streets" in 1976 – the old Tom Johnston riffage crowd were appalled (some even riled against the new hybrid Soul/Rock sound with derogatory tee-shirts telling the band where to get off). But by the time the new line-up got to 1977 and their second album with Michael McDonald as lead vocalist (Johnston was gone by then) – the transition was complete and a different chapter truly begun.

While its Number 1 follow-up "Minute By Minute" always gets the lion's share of critical plaudits (and rightly so) - I've always felt that "Livin' On The Fault Line" is a bit of a lost gem frankly – a genuinely classy Rock album with a Soulful heart. It also began the great complimentary template that made "Minute by Minute" such a satisfying listen 'overall' – Michael McDonald melodies sitting sweetly alongside Patrick Simmons and Tiran Porter songs with a bit of Keith Knudsen and Jeff Baxter thrown in for good measure too.

Once again Produced by TED TEMPLEMAN and featuring string and horn arrangements by David Paich of TOTO - "Livin' On The Fault Line” opens with the gorgeous melody of "You're Made That Way" – a song co-written by McDonald with their Drummer Keith Knudsen and one-time Steely Dan guitarist Jeff Baxter. That's followed by the chipper synth-bopper "Echoes Of Love" where band founder member and Lead Guitarist Tom Johnston takes the main vocals – then matches perfectly with McDonald on the choruses. The lovely "You Belong To Me" is one of 3 McDonald songs (this one co-written with Carly Simon) – "Nothin' But A Heartache" and the beautifully mellow "There's A Light" are the other two (Norton Buffalo plays Harmonica on "There’s A Light"). There are fantastically slick-rhythms coming at you in Side 2's "Chinatown" – a Patrick Simmons song that has gorgeous musical breaks and moments. They even have a successful go at Holland-Dozier-Holland's Marvin Gaye hit on "Little Darlin' (I Love You)" – an association with 'Motown' McDonald would turn into two cover-version albums in 2003 and 2004 called (not surprisingly) "Motown" and "Motown Two". The jazzy Patrick Simmons title track "Livin' On The Fault Line" features the Vibes of Steely Dan sessionman Victor Feldman in a very "Aja" kind-of-way and sounds incredible. The LP ends with an acoustic instrumental called "Larry The Logger Two-Step" in crystal clear audio.

Then comes the "Rumours" of 1978 – "Minute By Minute". Even now the opening Michael McDonald track "Here To Love You" sends chills up my arms – fantastically musical. The Grammy-winning "What A Fool Believes" (a co-write with Kenny Loggins) sounds huge and "Dependin' On You" is a brilliant hybrid of the old sound meeting the new. It's an album that still stands up and is an embarrassment of riches really. The 7" remix of "Here To Love You" (tagged on a bonus track) was originally on the "Long Train Runnin': 1970-2000" 4CD Box Set by Rhino in 1999 - while the 12" Remix of "What A Fool Believes" is a travesty best left alone.

There’s no sign in this reissue campaign of 1980s "One Step Closer" (their last studio album before disbanding) or the 1983 live double "Farewell Tour" which had the exclusive "Olana" on it – maybe at a later date.

So there you have it. Doobie Brothers fans have waited decades to see their band’s back catalogue on Warner Brothers be given the right reissue treatment - and England's Edsel label (who have struck a licensing deal with WEA) has done them proud.

To sum up - great music that transitions from Rock to Soulful-Rock, superb remaster audio quality, really good presentation and a dirt-cheap price into the bargain. The Doobie Brothers have always been an Ace Band and the overall quality of their albums from the 70ts still stands up big time. I’d say buy the whole damn lot frankly...

PS: there are 4 releases in this series to date (all with bonus tracks):

1. The Doobie Brothers (1971) / Toulouse Street (1972) on Edsel EDSD 2105

2. The Captain And Me (1973) / What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (1974) on Edsel EDSD 2015

3. Stampede (1975) / Takin' It To The Streets (1976) on Edsel EDSD 2016

4. Livin' On The Fault Line (1977) / Minute By Minute (1978) on Edsel EDSD 2107