Hi chaps/chapettes

[iolo goch]

Hi there,

First heard Roy Harper on Pink Floyds Wish You Were Here album. Loved the way he sung Have a Cigar - let's be fair, vocalists have never been Floyds strongest asset, not since Syd left the planet. I vowed to find out more but just never got around to it. I'll be honest, I was a bit put off by the 'folk' label, too. (that'll teach me).

I came across Bullinamingvase in the bargain bin at Buffalo Records in Cardiff, largely because it had been deleted (The Watford Gap effect, I think). I bought it on the recommendation of a mate - (the same mate that got me into Van Der Graaf Generator, as it happens). The best £2.50 I ever spent! :biggrin:

Sadly I've never managed to get me, funds, and a Roy Harper concert in the same place at the same time. Still, one day...

Never sure why Roy Harper wasn't better regarded by the tin-pot gods who try to make the world turn at 33 RPM (er showing my age and answering my own question at the same time). Perhaps it's better this way after all.

[Bob Jacobs]

Welcome aboard. Thankfully, it's never too late to get into Roy. If at all possible, I recommend that you visit Roy's website and order Stormcock reissued immediately. You'll find plenty of other recommendations already on this forum but this is a magnificently presented masterwork.

Bob

[iolo goch]

Thank you.

A friendly lot, Roy Harper Fans, I find.

I've got 'Whatever happened to Jugula' and 'Flat Baroque and Beserk' and aim to get 'HQ' and 'Stormcock' next.

I reckon you can tell a lot about the regard a performer is held in by musicians just by looking at the artists who 'guest' on their album. The list on Bullinamingvase says it all, really.

Anyone any idea what his DVD is like?

John

[Bob Jacobs]

This is the one to get: full of recent brilliant performances of much-loved songs, accompanied by fascinating imagery. It comes with a CD of just the music as well, which is great for the car. Roy's voice is much deeper on these performances than on the original studio recordings but equal to the task.

Bob

[pd]

Welcome!

There's a track from the audio CD that accompanies the Beyond The Door DVD on the podcast this month which should give you a good idea of the audio side... amazing.

Regarding fame, I do wonder about this quite often. How different would things be if Roy had "made it" in the early 70s and become a huge star? I don't think it's in his basic nature to accept compromise and put up with idiocy, so perhaps the path he has taken was inevitable from the beginning, but I suspect that the basic themes of his work and his ideals would still shine through regardless of his "fame" status.