Ring Of Changes

This is not a bad record. I'm glad I bought it but it isn't like their progressive rock days when they had the keyboards and synthesizer sounds of Wooly Wolstenholme in the band. John Lees and Les Holroyd still have great voices but I still miss the "old" BJH.

This is the review of the remastered and expanded 2012 edition, released along with a double-CD version of "Victims of circumstance".I have a lot of memories of this album from when it came out. It was a very decent effort from an older band to compete with the new musical trends, represented at the time by the New Wave movement. The album relies heavily on synthesizers, as did "Turn of the tide", but as always with BJH has its own personality. I always thought it had more of an eery feeling than any other post-seventies releases (demonstrated best by "Waiting for the right time", which relies on lush synthesized layers to create as much a mood than a melody. BJH in the early eighties was a mature, solid group that could be relied upon if you were looking for a quality album rather than an ephemeral representation of the style of the moment.The packaging of this release is very faithful to the original. Same artwork, it even includes the lyrics which used to be printed in a circle on the vinyl protective sleeve (they are now fairly small to read in CD form, but nice touch). I wish they had gone all the way and show the original vinyl artwork on the CD itself, but they give us instead the same artwork as on the front cover, and it gives the CD a polished appearance. The little booklet includes original pictures, a new introduction to the album by Keith and Monica Domone, and the lyrics again, but this time nicely printed in a readable fashion. As CD's go, it is therefore an upscale edition.The sound quality is the best I have ever heard for this album. It has more bass than the previous CD edition. It also includes "Blow me down", the B-side of "Ring of Changes". I remember it was very hard to find even when it came out, as BJH was more an album band than a singles outfit. It is a pleasant song but probably the weakest of the album, and as an unusual joint effort of John Lees and Mel Pritchard a curiosity more than a revelation. Also included are an additional edit of the title song and "Waiting for the right time". I would have preferred the alternate versions to be featured on another CD (I often listen to albums in 'repeat' mode, and I don't really need to listen twice to these two songs). But I understand that wouldn't have been very practical for a couple of songs.All in all this release is a deserved homage to a very good effort from a band which managed to be relevant at every stage of their career.Highlights are "Fifties child", "Paraiso dos cavalos" and "Ring of changes", all three very strong titles in the whole BJH discography in my humble opinion.

I heard the title song, Ring of Changes, in a music video and was immediately taken in by it. Amazingly done! I couldn't find the song as a single MP3 download so I bought the album. I was not disappointed. I had never heard of Barclay James Harvest prior to this and I am really happy that I stumbled upon them.

By 1983, a lot of American BJH fans lost track of the band, but "Ring of Changes" is a great album. More rocking than previous efforts, songs like "Fifties Child," "Looking From the Outside" and "Waiting For the Right Time" stand out. "Just a Day Away" should have been a hit," while "Ring of Changes" is an extended piece that thrills. Worth your money.

I've had this on cd, but riding in the car over bumps and it started to skip and I repurchased this. Cleaning the cd did not help. Worth it. It lived in my cars cd player.Their best ablum....

A really melodic album, full of accessible tracks. They are all really pleasent and ear catching. I love all the tracks. 'waiting for the right time' is quite possibly my fave. I love the last track 'ring of changes', however, the 'turn the pages...' section, is just like 'all and all, your just another brick in the wall' and this slightly diminishes the value of this track. Furthermore, the ending of this song is a bit like 'let's sing the chorus for the sake of world peace', but apart from this, no complaints.

I had never heard of Barclay james Harvest. In 1983 I listened to a radioshow where they reviewed new albums. They played three tracks of Ring Of Changes. The album was a digital recording (something special at that time!), so I figured these guys must be good and I've never heard of them. I really liked the three songs and the good review, so I bought the record. Later I listened to other albums of BJH, but this is still (by far) my favorite album.

BJH were a long established act in the UK and Europe prior to this release in 1983 and this is by no means representative of what went before. Their peak period, in the UK, was 1973 to around 1977 but in Germany they became a Stadium act and sold millions of albums. Little appreciation in their own backyard.Ring Of Changes has 3 stand out tracks; FIFTIES CHILD, PARAISO DOS CAVALOS and RING OF CHANGES. The rest fell short of the high standard on previous BJH releases and lacked the proggy edge, which was diminishing since the 1978 departure of Woolly Woolstenholme. It's a pleasant listen throughout but a little reliant on synth instead of John Lees' soaring guitar.If you are curious about BJH then try EVERYONE IS EVERYBODY ELSE, LIVE {Double 1974} or BJH AND OTHER SHORT STORIES from their early releases or CAUGHT IN THE LIGHT or FACE TO FACE from their latter period.A very under-rated band and one unfairly tagged Moody Blues copyists, a fact they had fun with by sending themselves up on the song POOR MAN'S MOODY BLUES from GONE TO EARTH. A great compilation is COMPACT STORY.Enjoy the BJH experience but don't start here.

Had this on vinyl, unable to acquire on iTunes.

Great album!

...für mich zumindest. Habe nun sämtliche erhältliche Versionen von der Scheibe und für mich ist diese klanglich die mit Abstand beste. Über die musikalische Genialität der Stücke auf dieser CD muss man nicht streiten. Einfach TOP

I have this album on vinyl and every album before it so my comments will be somewhat bias. However, I do know quality when I see & hear it, and BJH hit a high standard of work for this album. Firstly, the presentation of the CD is fantastic and it looks great as a package including the nice booklet, also the photographic quality finish added to the surface of the disc itself. It is really nice to see the amount of care put into this release. The music sound is superb (like the vinyl) as the opening couple of minutes start with orchestral splendour. Also I would say the stereo separation throughout the album is pure joy. The songs themselves are all good to great compositions. Stand out tracks in my view are Fifties Child, Teenage Heart and Ring of Changes. A minor criticism I have is that the booklet notes concentrates on the situation at the time surrounding the making of the album. This is fair enough but I would like to see something more conceptual about the songs themselves...maybe the songwriters providing some insights behind the words. However, this does not detract from a great product.All in all this is a standout album which will grace your coffee table magnificently if you decide to purchase it. The packaging alone makes you want to play it. Excellent value from an under rated band who consistently produced albums to a high standard. If you like this album try the excellent Octoberon, Other Short Stories & Time Hounoured Ghosts which are all full of great, highly listenable songs.

My father used to play this regularly when I was young boy when we would go road trips together. Brings back so many great memories ...loved it then and love it now even though I'm now well into my fifties. Some great tracks ....Ring of Changes tops the lot!! Would recommend.