Based very loosely around the motif of literary genres (science fiction, fantasy, classics, etc.), XII shows Barclay James Harvest following many other progressive bands in the late '70s with slicker production and simplified song structures.
This attempt at the mainstream doesn't always succeed; the album begins inauspiciously with "Loving Is Easy," a generic rock track with embarrassing "shoot my love into you" lyrics.
But the simple yet effective arrangement of the keyboard ballad, "Berlin," shows that the band is capable of stripping down their compositions without having to sink to the lowest common denominator.
Still, most fans won't find much to love here, except perhaps for "In Search of England," which briefly resurrects Wolstenholme's epic keyboard-driven orchestration.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BerlinLes Holroyd | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 04:55 | 11 MB | 27 MB |
| 2 | Turning in CirclesLes Holroyd | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 03:31 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 3 | Sip of WineLes Holroyd | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 04:31 | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| 4 | HarbourWoolly Wolstenholme | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 5 | Giving It UpLes Holroyd | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 04:49 | 11 MB | 28 MB |
| 6 | Loving Is Easy | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 04:04 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 7 | A Tale Of Two Sixties | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 03:35 | 8 MB | 21 MB |
| 8 | Fact- The Closed Shop | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 9 | Nova Lepidoptera | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 05:59 | 13 MB | 34 MB |
| 10 | Fiction- The Streets Of San Francisco | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 05:46 | 13 MB | 30 MB |
| 11 | Berlin (Single Edit) | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 12 | Loving Is Easy (Single Version) | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 22 MB |
| 13 | Turning In Circles (First Mix) | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 03:34 | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| 14 | Fact- The Closed Shop (First Mix) | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 03:49 | 8 MB | 24 MB |
| 15 | Nova Lepidoptera (Ambient Instrumental Mix) | Barclay James Harvest | Play | 07:07 | 16 MB | 33 MB |
| 67 mins | 154 MB | |||||
| 67 mins | 385 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melvyn Abrahams | Cabasa, Congas, Drums (Snare), Glockenspiel, Mastering, Shaker, Tambourine, Temple Blocks, Timpani, Tom-Tom, Tubular Bells, Vibraphone |
| 2 | Barclay James Harvest | Primary Artist, Producer |
| 3 | Chris Clover | Artwork |
| 4 | Les Holroyd | Banjo, Bass, Composer, Double Bass, Guitar, Guitar (Acoustic), Piano, Telecaster, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 5 | Martin Lawrence | Engineer, Mixing, Producer |
| 6 | John Lees | Bass, Composer, Guitar, Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (Acoustic), Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
| 7 | Chris Nagle | Assistant |
| 8 | Mike Timony | Cordovox |
| 9 | Maldwin Tootil | Concept |
| 10 | Jaymie Stuart Wolfe | Guitar (Electric) |
| 11 | Woolly Wolstenholme | Composer, Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Hammond Synth, Keyboards, Mellotron, Piano, String Ensemble, Synthesizer, Vocals, Vocals (Background) |
Barclay James Harvest
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |