"Gone to Earth" is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Barclay James Harvest, released in 1977. The album features a diverse range of themes and marks a significant point in the band's career, both in terms of its musical style and the social issues it addresses.
The song "Poor Man's Moody Blues" was written in response to a journalist who had referred to Barclay James Harvest as a "poor man's Moody Blues." Guitarist John Lees composed the track, which intentionally mimicked the sound of the Moody Blues' iconic "Nights in White Satin." However, Lees cleverly avoided direct imitation by altering the lyrics so they wouldn’t fit the melody, thus creating a piece that sounded similar but was distinctly different. When bassist Les Holroyd met Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues years later, he apologized for the perceived slight. Other songs on the album explore a variety of subjects, such as the end of relationships ("Friend of Mine"), feelings of alienation ("Leper's Song"), the exploitation of animals for their fur ("Spirit on the Water"), and the space race ("Sea of Tranquility").
The title of the album, Gone to Earth, refers to a fox hunter's cry, indicating that the quarry has returned to its lair, symbolizing a retreat or return to one’s inner sanctum. The album's cover was designed by Maldwyn Tootill and featured a unique die-cut outer sleeve with a full-color inner album sleeve. One side of the inner sleeve displayed an owl, while the other featured a sunset. The inner sleeve could be reversed, offering two different designs for the album's packaging.
Gone to Earth was well-received commercially, reaching #30 on the UK Albums Chart. It performed especially well in Germany, where it peaked at #10 and remained in the charts for an impressive 197 weeks, eventually becoming one of the longest-charting albums in the country. By 2011, it was ranked #6 on the list of longest-running albums in the German charts, with only a few major releases like Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here and The Beatles' 1962–1966 surpassing its chart longevity. The album eventually sold over a million copies worldwide, making it the band’s largest-selling album.
One of the standout tracks from Gone to Earth was "Hymn," which was often misinterpreted as a Christian song. In fact, "Hymn" is a song about the dangers of drug use, written in tribute to musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Paul Kossoff, and Janis Joplin, who had all died from drug-related causes. The song became a significant radio hit, particularly on German radio stations in the late 1970s, where it became a turntable favorite.
Overall, Gone to Earth stands out as a high point in Barclay James Harvest's discography, both for its musical diversity and its thematic depth. Its success, especially in Germany, cemented the band's place in progressive rock history and remains one of their most beloved albums among fans.
