Few survivors from the golden age of British folk rock have kept their reputations intact. Among the survivors there is one figure whose body of work, comprising 23 studio albums and almost as many live and compilation releases, has come to stand for a particularly single-minded form of integrity. That man is Roy Harper.

Now officially ‘retired’, and living in a secluded corner of Ireland, Harper has recently been hailed as a key influence by a much younger generation of devoted starsailors who instinctively recognise his innovations. The likes of Fleet Foxes, Joanna Newsom and Jim O’Rourke are avowed fans, and in previous decades he has enjoyed public endorsements and tributes from the likes of Led Zeppelin (Roy is immortalised in ‘Hats Off To Harper’ from Led Zeppelin’s ‘III’), Kate Bush, Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour and many more.

Beginning with 1966’s ‘Sophisticated Beggar’, Harper’s music has consistently rattled the cage of received ideas. His versatile, poetic sensibility was employed in a wide range of song styles from romantic love songs to late night mantras to blackly comedic throwaway numbers.

‘Stormcock’ (1971) is generally regarded as a masterpiece: a sprawling but focused suite of four lengthy tracks which explored the inner space of Abbey Road Studio to rhapsodic effect; like ‘Astral Weeks’ refracted through the pages of OZ magazine. Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page added guitar, disguised as S Flavius Mercurius.

In 2005 Harper was awarded the Mojo Hero Award by the staff of Mojo magazine. The award itself was presented by long-time collaborator and friend Jimmy Page. In 2013 Harper received the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.

TRACK LISTING

Hors D’Oeuvres
The Same Old Rock
One Man Rock And Roll Band
Me And My Woman

Featuring Jimmy Page, ‘Jugula’ was originally released in 1985 and reissued as ‘1984 (Jugula)’.

Remastered and reissued on 180gm vinyl packaged in deluxe gatefold sleeve with original cover art and printed heavy inner sleeve including lyrics, comprehensive new notes and images.

All remastering was done by Roy Harper and John Fitzgerald at Lettercolm Studio in Timoleague, West Cork, Ireland. Artwork redesign by Harry Pearce at Pentagram.

TRACK LISTING

Nineteen Forty-Eightish
Bad Speech
Hope
Hangman
Elizabeth
Frozen Moment
Twentieth Century Man
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‘Folkjokeopus’ was originally released 1969 and produced by Shel Talmy.  

Remastered and reissued on 180gm vinyl packaged in deluxe gatefold sleeve with original cover art and printed heavy inner sleeve including lyrics, comprehensive new notes and images.

All remastering was done by Roy Harper and John Fitzgerald at Lettercolm Studio in Timoleague, West Cork, Ireland. Artwork redesign by Harry Pearce at Pentagram.

TRACK LISTING

Sergeant Sunshine
She’s The One
In The Time Of Water
Composer Of Life
One For All
Exercising Some Control
McGoohan’s Blues
Mañana

‘Sophisticated Beggar’ was originally released 1966.

Remastered and reissued on 180gm vinyl packaged in deluxe gatefold sleeve with original cover art and printed heavy inner sleeve including lyrics, comprehensive new notes and images.

All remastering was done by Roy Harper and John Fitzgerald at Lettercolm Studio in Timoleague, West Cork, Ireland. Artwork redesign by Harry Pearce at Pentagram.

TRACK LISTING

China Girl
Goldfish
Sophisticated Beggar
My Friend
Big Fat Silver Aeroplane
Blackpool
Legend
Girlie
October Twelfth
Black Clouds
Mr. Station Master
Forever
Committed

Never shy about using the most intimate and personal autobiographical details in his songs, Harper is one of the most genuine of songwriters. He has recorded several albums of great quality and beauty and "Bullinamingvase" is one of his finest. With an original vocal delivery and a sympathetic acoustic guitar style, Harper never crosses that line that divides the heartfelt from the bitter and mawkish. The halcyon summer feel to much of this work still has the timeless quality that can stand comparison with the best of music of the period.

"The major event on the record, One of 'Those Days In England', is a collection of reminiscences. The legend of Excalibur in the first line. The last of the willow leaves at the top of the tree hanging on into January. 'Alfred had me made', the words written in anglo-saxon around the Alfred Jewel. More precisely 'AElfred mec heht gewyrcan' Alfred ordered me to be made. The Alfred Jewel is housed in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford (England) and I visit it regularly when I can for emotional sustenance. In the light of the events of his lifetime, Alfred must not only be considered as the founder of the British Navy, but more importantly as the founder of the English language. Had it not been for Alfred's victory over the Danes in the late ninth century, it would perhaps be conceivable that one fifth of the world's population would now be speaking some kind of Danish dialect. I really love this album. It's always been one of my real favourites. I've always thought that the long version of 'One Of Those Days In England' is a touchstone of my long affair with my own culture. All in all, the album has the pastoral feel of the nature of my life at the time. Having said that, it also has a lovelorn edge in 'Cherishing The Lonesome' and angst in 'Naked Flame'. There's also sufficient reference to the nature of the times in lines such as 'You and me sister we're gonna plant a bomb in a street to change law and order', and 'You and me brother wrapped up in silence brooding for better breathing spaces'; both of which unfortunately still seem set to demand attention in global culture for the foreseeable future. Perhaps the reason I always think of it as a gentler album is the subtle ushering in of the realisations embodied in 'These Last Days', which are not so much resignation to a certain maturity as recognition that negotiation in life is paramount to community." - Roy Harper

Remastered audio reissued on 180gm vinyl.

Packaged in deluxe gatefold sleeve.

TRACK LISTING

One Of Those Days In England
These Last Days
Cherishing The Lonesome
Naked Flame
Watford Gap
One Of Those Days In England (Parts 2-10)

Originally released in 1967.

Produced by Shel Talmy.

Orchestral arrangements by Keith Mansfield.

Remastered audio reissued on 180gm vinyl.

Packaged in deluxe gatefold sleeve.

Printed heavy inner sleeve including lyrics, extra notes and images.

Artwork redesign by Harry Pearce.

TRACK LISTING

Freak Suite
You Don’t Need Money
Aging Raver
In A Beautiful Rambling Mess
All You Need Is
What You Have
Circle
Highgate Cemetery
Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith

With his unique voice and style Roy Harper has been a declaimer and entertainer throughout his long career. In 1972 he starred in a bleak, contemporary film with Carrol White called "Made", releasing the music he composed for the picture's soundtrack in 1973 under the title "Lifemask". It's one of his most satisfying albums, full of great songs, passionate and dramatic with startling use of echoplex and multi-tracking.

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Includes the incredible tracks "Highway Blues" and "South Africa".

TRACK LISTING

Highway Blues
All Ireland
Little Lady
Bank Of The Dead
South Africa
The Lord’s Prayer

"I've had it in my mind to present a new edition of my 1971 record Stormcock to the world for some years now. It seemed a shame that one of my best loved albums was hanging around as an inferior package when compared to the prowess of its original 12 inch LP forebear. I've spent a long time thinking about it, and how I might go about returning it to being one of the brightest lights in my canon. The release of this new edition marks the fruition of those thoughts.

There are a few good reasons for this update and re-release. The first is that the cd packaging has never remotely been able to achieve what was possible with the original album art. Secondly, the transfer of what was a very dynamic record on vinyl to a cd with a 44.1 sample rate format just didn't seem to come across properly.

Another good reason is that there has been a lot of interest in this record in recent years. It has never lost it's place in the music pantheon, and as time goes on it seems to be gaining in stature. It's become wholly appropriate that it should have the kind of new presentation we have now given it. In digitally re-mastering it I have attempted to take off some of the distortional effects and digital noise brought over by the transfer from tape/vinyl to cd. Apart form that very little has happened to it. I now believe it to be an altogether better audio experience. (see blog entry for tech info).

Stormcock was born in 1969 as I began to stretch my wings. I'd been there a few times before, but this time I gave myself the space to go deep..and stay there. Hors D'Oeuvres is perhaps the lightweight in the collection, but after all, it's the starter...

The Same Old Rock records my opposition to continued dependence on the cheap opium of convenient mass religion. Humanity as hostage to superstition is a position which infuriates me. To allow superstition to control your life, as the world burns, is careless.

One Man Rock And Roll Band.. Welcome home oh Johnny Soldier, we treat you here just like they treat you there.. is a sad fact, and is an indictment of this kind of society. Are queues for tattoos with 'love' on one hand and 'hate' on the other a sign of old age?

Me And My Woman.. what IS our destiny? Does it matter? Is it bound up with 'our' planet? In my opinion, yes. We are now out on a cultural limb that's taking us steadily further away from the planet. The average human misses the reality of the planet entirely. 40 years ago, there were tens of thousands of people asking serious questions about the state of the environment. It's only a few miles thick. It can be changed very quickly. Surely, hindsight isn't our only view.... is it? Hopefully not.. but what is for sure is that our environment is all we have. At the time there were establishment figures who were certain humans were having no effect at all on the planet's environment. This of course will eventually be true!

Pete Jenner and I turned out a great record. Seems like a thousand years ago now. Though I very rarely listen to my own records I would definitely say that my personal highlight on the record is Jimmy Page's guitar solo on 'The Same Old Rock.' My opinion has not changed since the day he put it on there. Absolutely brilliant. The string arrangement on 'Me And My Woman' is by David Bedford." - Roy Harper

STAFF COMMENTS

Andy says: Incredible, deep, heady, roving record. Four MASSIVE songs, one with Jimmy Page on and another, "Me And My Woman", probably the greatest thing in Roy's canon.

TRACK LISTING

Hors D’Oeuvres
The Same Old Rock
One Man Rock And Roll Band
Me And My Woman

14 songs featuring Roy Harper's collaborations with the likes of Kate Bush ("You"), Jimmy Page, David Bedford, Dave Gilmour and Paul McCartney amongst others on an excellent US compilation.