Launched by EMI in mid-1969, Harvest Records was a microcosm of the huge musical range of the exploding underground scene at the turn of the decade. Realising that the EMI corporate image was unlikely to attract anyone waving their freak flag high, and aware of the counter-cultural attractions of new indie labels like Island, the EMI suits set up Harvest, put fast-rising management trainee Malcolm Jones (who’d impressed the accountants by producing Love Sculpture’s Sabre Dance) in charge and stepped back.
A sizeable chunk of Harvest’s initial roster came from other EMI labels who took the opportunity to dump ‘unsuitable’ acts like Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, the Pretty Things, The Move, Climax Blues Band and Barclay James Harvest. Rather than thinking about what to do with them, Malcolm Jones and his team let them do what they wanted.
This enlightened A&R policy extended to Harvest’s own signings that included grunge politico hippies the Edgar Broughton Band, stoned raga merchants Third Ear Band, Cream lyricist Pete Brown & His Battered Ornaments, the self-explanatory Panama Limited Jug Band, renegade minstrel Michael Chapman and respected folkies Shirley & Dolly Collins.
It has to be said that with two monstrous exceptions Harvest’s commercial track record was pretty slim. Bands like Tea & Symphony, Bakerloo, Greatest Show On Earth, Quatermass and Forest all had their moments, but not enough to raise a serious fan base.
The two exceptions were of course Deep Purple and Pink Floyd, whose success more than paid for all the one-hit (or less) wonders. Harvest should have done better with Barclay James Harvest, the Pretty Things and even ELO, but they didn’t. They did, however, nurture cult heroes like Roy Harper, Kevin Ayers and Syd Barrett. They also spotted Bill Nelson and Be-Bop Deluxe ahead of the rest to give their mid-70s profile a boost.
Punk should have wiped out Harvest, but by sticking to their instincts they landed seminal Aussies The Saints, The Shirts from New York and London’s very own Wire, not to mention the soundtrack to the revolution with The Roxy, London WC2. Post-punk proved more than Harvest could handle, however, and by the mid-80s it was just another EMI label.
