Search - Roy Harper :: Bullinamingvase

The best of Roy's "Middle" period

sephus | San Francisco, CA | 09/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is one of Roy's best. It provides a sampling of most of the various sounds he experimented with over the first half of his long career: his simple, folksy arrangements (represented here by "Naked Flame" and the hilarious "Watford Gap"); his multi-layered overdubs of fascinating guitar work ("Cherishing the Lonesome"); and his epic, heavily orchestrated masterpieces ("One of Those Days In England, Parts 2-10").The latter is a collection of "movements" that trace the roots of his English heritage and relate them to the modern English experience. The lyrics can be interpreted in a variety of ways; my take is that the piece recognizes that Britain is a culture in decline, but finds that enlightenment can still be found within such a decaying structure. Yes, it's that deep, and beyond.A phenomenal live version of "One of Those Days" can be found on "In Between Every Line." For those who have trouble with the densely orchestrated sound on the studio version, the live one is just Roy's voice and guitar - yet the essential brilliance of the piece endures, and flourishes.The bonus track "Breakfast With You" is not typical of Roy at all - it reminds me of early Alan Parsons (a la "Hypnotized"). Still, not a bad tune, just not essential Roy Harper.A must-have for Roy fans, and not a bad place to start for those new to his music. (I personally don't recommend compilations - what a waste when you decide to get all the "real" albums.) Roy's voice is an acquired taste, but he can win you over with his unparalleled songwriting and playing abilities."

Roy's last great 70's album

Elliot Knapp | Seattle, Washington United States | 12/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is, in my opinion, Roy's last classic folk-rock album from the 70's. It's recorded with a band called Chips, and features a number of acoustic as well as electric songs. The opener is part one of the "One of these Days In England" suite. It's poppy and has some cool slide guitar, as well as featuring Paul and Linda McCartney on background vocals. "These Last Days" is a great ballad with Roy's trademark vocal layering. "Cherishing the Lonesome" is one of the album's strongest tracks--it effortlessly switches styles from folk to rock with some awesome vibraphone--it's one of Roy's best songs. The "Naked Flame" is quick acoustic song, sort of playful. "Watford Gap" is a quite funny song that was originally nixed from the album because the people at Watford Gap were offended (rightly so) by the ridiculous lyrics. It was replaced by "Breakfast With You," a "piece of pap," as described by Roy himself. The centerpiece of the album, "One of these Days In England (P.2-10)" is sublime, like most of Roy's long works. It starts of with some trademark witty lines, then goes into a reprise of part one. The song is essentially a series of reflections about the state of England, past and present, and the nature of passing time. It's got some varied folky parts as well as bluesy and rock parts. Chips is tight, though perhaps just a notch below Trigger, the band that played with Roy on HQ. This album is very strong, and includes Roy's excellent fingerstyle guitar work, as well as some of his most positive lyrics (fewer rants on religion and society). I recommend it very highly to fans of Roy's other work (with Stormcock, HQ, and Valentine as his best). I'd also recommend it to fans of Dylan's folk rock, Van Morrison, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and newer music like David Gray's earlier work. Get in on this--Roy's about as indie as they get!"

Take Courage!

Elliot Knapp | 01/29/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was in a record store in the early 1980s and saw this album for sale. At that time, it was getting harder and harder to find Harper albums in this area. Having heard this at a friend's, I bought two copies and still have the second one in plastic. At the time, I was afraid I would wear out the first and not be able to find it again. My favorite song is Cherishing the Lonesome. Mr. Harper was obviously in a jolly mood when he composed this album. Pardon the ale promotion."