Pop & Miscellaneous

Roy Harper - Sophisticated Beggar (1966)

2013-07-08T16:09:03Z

Roy Harper - Sophisticated Beggar (1966)


01. China Girl - 3:32
02. Goldfish - 2:45
03. Sophisticated Beggar - 5:04
04. My Friend - 4:04
05. Big Fat Silver Aeroplane - 3:37
06. Blackpool - 5:07
07. Legend - 3:43
08. Girlie - 2:59
09. October 12th - 5:48
10. Black Clouds - 4:29
11. Mr. Stationmaster - 3:01
12. Forever - 3:26
13. Committed - 3:13

Personnel:
- Roy Harper - guitar, vocals
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- Bert Jansch - guitar
- John Renbourn - guitar
- Lon Goddard - guitar (02,09)
- Peter Richard – producer

Recorded under primitive circumstances and not distributed well on initial release, Harper's debut proves that the definitive cult folk-rock singer's idiosyncratic weirdness was firmly in place from the start. Mostly but not wholly acoustic, there are lingering similarities to Donovan and Bert Jansch, as well as a light similarity to Al Stewart on occasion. But Harper's scrambled lyricism is already his own, as is his peculiar melismatic phrasing. Those two traits combine to give the impression of a singer-songwriting dyslexic, not able or willing to write words that are easily digested and apparently unsequenced in any linear fashion. That isn't the most appetizing recipe, but it's leavened by fairly attractive British folk melodies and very accomplished guitar work (the liner notes infer that John Renbourn and Ritchie Blackmore helped out). Although this is largely acoustic, electric guitar and backing are used from time to time, as well as reverb and backwards effects that give it a dated charm. Certainly the most uncharacteristic arrangement is "Committed," a crunching, ominous rock tune whose first-person account of madness recalls Syd Barrett's most distraught work (and is if anything more distraught than Barrett's loony tunes). And speaking of Pink Floyd, "October 12th" makes you wonder if Harper's influence didn't find its way into the post-Syd Floyd on tunes like "Grantchester Meadows." --- Richie Unterberger

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Roy Harper – HQ (1975)

2014-11-09T20:35:20Z

Roy Harper – HQ (1975)


01. The Game (Parts 1–5) - 13:41
02. The Spirit Lives - 4:15
03. Grown Ups Are Just Silly Children - 2:53
04. Referendum (Legend) - 3:46
05. Forget Me Not - 2:24
06. Hallucinating Light - 6:21
07. When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease - 7:11

08. The Spirit Lives (early mix, 23 March 1975) - 4:36
09. When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease (live in Exeter, 31 October 1977) - 7:50
10. Hallucinating Light (single version) - 7:32

- Roy Harper - vocals, acoustic guitar
- Chris Spedding - guitar
- Dave Cochran - bass
- Bill Bruford - drums
- David Gilmour - guitar (01)
- John Paul Jones - bass (01)
- Steve Broughton - drums (01)
- The Grimethorpe Colliery Band - brass (07)
- Ray Warleigh – saxophone

Released in 1975 (and known in the U.S. as When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease), HQ was the eighth solo album from Roy Harper, and a high-water mark for him commercially and critically (as well as a personal favorite). Harper was already coming off two stellar efforts in Lifemask (1973) and Valentine (1974), which marked yet another artistic peak and his introduction to American audiences. Previous settings of acoustic guitar and orchestration were supplanted by Harper's formation of Trigger, a relatively straightforward hard rock trio anchored by ace guitarist Chris Spedding and former King Crimson/Yes drummer Bill Bruford. (The unit disbanded after this album, however.) Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones are among the other all-star contributors on this album, which gets off to a rousing start with "The Game"'s multi-part critique of modern society and features some hard-hitting guitar passages. "The Spirit Lives" upholds yet another long-running Harper theme of critiquing Christianity and its premises. "Hallucination Light" and "Forget Me Not" maintain the brooding romanticism associated with Harper's earlier work, but it's the last track that should stick longest with listeners. Harper's understated, elegaic ode to life's departures gains power from a blend of string and brass band lines; it remains one of his finest, most enduring compositions. Commercially, Harper's profile remains that of a cult artist, but he surely deserves wider recognition on his own merit. If you only know Harper as an associate of the '70s English rock aristocracy or the shadowy subject of Led Zeppelin's "Hats off to Harper," make this album one of your first starting points. --- Ralph Heibutzki, Rovi

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Roy Harper – Man And Myth (2013)

2013-10-03T15:46:16Z

Roy Harper – Man And Myth (2013)


01 – The Enemy
02 – Time is Temporary
03 – January Man
04 – The Stranger
05 – Cloud Cuckooland
06 – Heaven Is Here
07 – The Exile

Personnel
    Roy Harper – guitar and vocals
    Jonathan Wilson - banjo, guitar, mandolin, bass and backing vocals
    John Fitzgerald - bouzouki,Oud,Bass, Guitar engineering
    Pete Townsend – electric guitar
    Tony Franklin - bass guitar
    Jake Blanton - bass guitar
    Richard Gowen - drums and percussion
    Omar Velasco - clavinet and mellotron
    Jason Borger - keyboard
    James King - alto saxophone
    Bill Shanley - guitar
    Neal Morgan – percussion

The musical legend returns with his first album since 2000. Has he still got it?

Harper was inspired to start writing his first album in 13 years when he found some of his contemporaries were only just discovering him and ‘the kids’ were asking what he did.

So last year’s 70th birthday celebrations at the Royal Festival Hall (where he was joined by fans Jimmy Page, Joanna Newsom and Jonathan Wilson), were a good way to prove he still had ‘it’.

Wilson, also a fan of songs as long as a novel, features heavily on more than half of the album’s seven labyrinthine tracks - Heaven Is Here lasts quarter of an hour - while The Who’s Pete Townsend offers reliably solid lead guitar on Cloud Cuckooland, a searing attack on celebrity and corporate culture.

The album flits from pastoral folk (Time Is Temporary’s finger-picked guitar and softly evocative violins) to folk-rock anthems.

Playing with ideas of self-perception and reality, the innate faults of society, ageing, love and premature loss, it’s a wonder the songs don’t buckle under his intellectual reflections on life. A weighty record in many ways. ---Stephen Moore, london24.com

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Roy Harper – Stormcock (1971)

2013-07-11T15:56:04Z

Roy Harper – Stormcock (1971)


01. Hors d'œuvres – 8:35
02. The Same Old Rock – 12:21
03. One Man Rock And Roll Band – 7:23
04. Me And My Woman – 12:59

Personnel:
- Roy Harper – guitars, piano, vocals
- S. Flavius Mercurius (Jimmy Page) – lead guitar (02)
- David Bedford – Hammond organ, orchestral arrangements
- Peter Jenner – producer

Roy's 1971 album Stormcock is underrated but every bit as classic (and more so in my opinion) as albums like Zoso, Who's Next, Dark Side of the Moon, and Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Why, you ask? I'll try to distill it in a short synopsis: The album opens with Hors d'Oeuvres, a beautiful track showcasing Roy's poetic, clever and biting lyrics as well as his exellent voice and vocal arrangements (just listen to the chorus). The Same Old Rock, track 2, is regarded by many to be Roy's best song--a beautifully cutting critique of religion set to exquisite acoustic guitar backed by Jimmy Page (who lays down some blistering lead parts that really complement Roy's inimitable style). The last 3 minutes of the song are priceless for Roy's riff and Jimmy's bluesy solo. Track 3, One Man Rock n'Roll Band, is a piece played in open guitar tuning and has an otherworldly air about it. It's a comment on war and displays some of Roy's very unique and skilled (take it from a fellow guitar player) guitar playing. The final track, Me and My Woman, has multiple parts in which Roy displays his AMAZING singing and lyrics, is backed by an orchestra, and plays some sweet riffs on the acoustic guitar. Unfortunately for me and you, the text-based Amazon review can't convey the fantastic experience that Stormcock is. The record's overall sound and feel, Roy's "A-ha" inducing lyrics, and the quality of the playing makes it a record I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of classic rock, folk, psychadelia, British music, etc. Don't be tricked by the track count; the album is over 40 minutes (the songs are long). My other top recommendations from Roy's collection are Valentine (shorter acoustic songs with a broad range of styles) HQ (more classic rock, and every bit as good as Stormcock) and Bullinamingvase (very similar to HQ in quality and rockingness). You can also find these records at royharper.com. Discover Roy Harper's music--you won't regret it. --- Elliot Knapp, amazon.com

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