Album: Stormcock
Artist: Roy Harper
Born: Rusholme, Manchester
Released: May 1971
Genre: Progressive folk
Influenced: David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Smiths, Joanna Newsom, Fleet Foxes, Jonathan Wilson
One of the most original, awkward cusses to emerge from the London folk scene was Roy Harper, who up until Stormcock's release had recorded four shambolic but occasionally brilliant albums. His longer, experimental songs such as Circle (1967, 11mins), McGoohan's Blues (1969, 18mins) and I Hate The White Man (1970, 8mins) all pointed to a more progressive, modernist form of folk music. This approach was fully realised on Stormcock, an album of just four songs, all 7-13mins long. The same David Bedford who arranged many of the tracks on Kevin Ayers' Joy Of A Toy was also responsible for the avant-garde arrangements on Stormcock, and the partnership is highly effective. Harper was similar to Tim Buckley in the way he was trying to extend the boundaries of folk, but on this album he was not as self-consciously experimental as Buckley, and there's something more natural about his voice and the flow of the songs. Though not on this album, Harper also wrote one of my favourite songs ever, When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease, which I never tire of listening to.
Hors d'oeuvres is (fittingly) Stormcock's opening track, and is a slowed down and more intricate version of a song that had been in his repertoire for a few years (you can hear him singing it on his summer 1969 live album recorded at Les Cousins in Greek Street, Soho). The main target of the song's impassioned lyrics are those that sit in judgment, whether in the courtroom or the newsroom, and is a heartfelt plea for compassion. The way the song builds its layers, with electric guitars, organ and backing vocals on top of the acoustic strumming, is genuinely original, as is the singing style. The guitar work on The Same Old Rock is breathtaking, with Harper and Jimmy Page weaving seamlessly around the lyrical diatribe on organised religion. One Man Rock & Roll Band has a steely edge to it, no doubt to emphasise the anti-war sentiments. Though all four tracks are sublime, my favourite is the last, Me & My Woman, the album's only love song (the themes are distinctly politics-religion-war-love). Here the influence on artists like Joanna Newsom is clear, with dramatic shifts in style and theme all contained within the same long, intricate song. I saw him perform this live at the Green Man festival in 2013 and I was completely entranced by its daring and emotional depth.
One of the most original, awkward cusses to emerge from the London folk scene was Roy Harper, who up until Stormcock's release had recorded four shambolic but occasionally brilliant albums. His longer, experimental songs such as Circle (1967, 11mins), McGoohan's Blues (1969, 18mins) and I Hate The White Man (1970, 8mins) all pointed to a more progressive, modernist form of folk music. This approach was fully realised on Stormcock, an album of just four songs, all 7-13mins long. The same David Bedford who arranged many of the tracks on Kevin Ayers' Joy Of A Toy was also responsible for the avant-garde arrangements on Stormcock, and the partnership is highly effective. Harper was similar to Tim Buckley in the way he was trying to extend the boundaries of folk, but on this album he was not as self-consciously experimental as Buckley, and there's something more natural about his voice and the flow of the songs. Though not on this album, Harper also wrote one of my favourite songs ever, When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease, which I never tire of listening to.
Hors d'oeuvres is (fittingly) Stormcock's opening track, and is a slowed down and more intricate version of a song that had been in his repertoire for a few years (you can hear him singing it on his summer 1969 live album recorded at Les Cousins in Greek Street, Soho). The main target of the song's impassioned lyrics are those that sit in judgment, whether in the courtroom or the newsroom, and is a heartfelt plea for compassion. The way the song builds its layers, with electric guitars, organ and backing vocals on top of the acoustic strumming, is genuinely original, as is the singing style. The guitar work on The Same Old Rock is breathtaking, with Harper and Jimmy Page weaving seamlessly around the lyrical diatribe on organised religion. One Man Rock & Roll Band has a steely edge to it, no doubt to emphasise the anti-war sentiments. Though all four tracks are sublime, my favourite is the last, Me & My Woman, the album's only love song (the themes are distinctly politics-religion-war-love). Here the influence on artists like Joanna Newsom is clear, with dramatic shifts in style and theme all contained within the same long, intricate song. I saw him perform this live at the Green Man festival in 2013 and I was completely entranced by its daring and emotional depth.
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