My blog was essentially set up to bring light to people i thought deserve more exposure. Roy Harper fits the bill perfectly. Everyone raves about the Nick Drake, Jon Martyn & Bert Jansch, but rarely about Roy. Perhaps it's because he was too mercurial, spontaneous, or not always too pretty. This album from 1971 however, is perfect, and i don't think anyone could sit through her without being emotionally reconstructed. There's only four songs here, averaging at around 10 minutes each - and if you think that sounds like a Joanna Newsom record you'll wouldn't be surprised to know she is a big fan of this album. Jimmy Page pops up on "The Same Old Rock" The orchestral arrangements on this album by David Bedford are some of my favourites ever, neither sentimentalising the music or overpowering it.
The closing track, "Me And My Woman" can be listened to below, in two parts(it's over 13 minutes long). Masterpiece.
If you like this - buy the album from here. If you'd like to hear more of Roy, his output is quite uneven, but i heartily recommend Valentine from 1974(some of which was written at the same time as "Stormcock" or the live album "Flashes From The Archives Of Oblivion. Do not let the covers put you off. There's also an 2 CD anthology that looks alright - covering most of Harper's career, and not editing the two numbers from Stormcock, thank God.
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