"James J. Lippard" <Lippard@his-phoenix-multics.arpa> (11/19/84)
I only know of Roy Harper because he did the vocals for Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar". On the recent MTV showing of a David Gilmour concert which was recorded in London, Harper came on to sing "Short and Sweet" (which he wrote) with Gilmour. The audience seemed to be more interested in Harper than in Gilmour. What else has Harper done? (Actually, I do have one Roy Harper album, "The Unknown Soldier", but I'm wondering if he's ever been involved with any groups.)
rkp@drutx.UUCP (Russ Pierce) (11/28/84)
>I only know of Roy Harper because he did the vocals for Pink Floyd's >"Have a Cigar". On the recent MTV showing of a David Gilmour concert >which was recorded in London, Harper came on to sing "Short and Sweet" >(which he wrote) with Gilmour. The audience seemed to be more >interested in Harper than in Gilmour. What else has Harper done? >(Actually, I do have one Roy Harper album, "The Unknown Soldier", but >I'm wondering if he's ever been involved with any groups.) I don't know if Roy Harper was ever a member of a group, but I don't think it really matters. If I had to describe him, I would have to call him a cross between Bob Dylan and Ian Anderson (two of my favorites). Most of the albums I have are old imports of his work. He has two American releases (I think just two) on the Chrysalis label. Most of the stuff he does is acoustic guitar, strange lyrics, odd voice, but good songs. I think you really out to hear him to appreciate him. The one good (GREAT) Chrysalis release is "When an Old Crickateer (sp) Leaves the Crease". This has some great songs (Grown-Ups are Just Silly Children), and has some great musicians playing on the album (Dave Gilmour, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Chris Spedding, more that I can't think of....). Also, if you look at Led Zeppelin's third album (the one with the rotating cover), there is a song "Hat's Off to Harper". I guess this song was written for Roy boy. Anyway, he must be a cult hero in England. Any comments from across the sea? Anyway, bottom line is that it is well worth the money to buy a couple of his albums just to get a feel of the guy and his music. Enjoy!!! Russell Pierce AT&T Something or Other... (303) 538-2023 1200 W. 120th Ave. ...!drutx!rkp Denver, CO 80234
Carl@tgr.UUCP (VLD/VMB) <cmoore@BRL-VLD.ARPA> (11/29/84)
Message referred to "Crickateer" (sp)? Very close to that was something about grownups/children. I do have that message, but recall that my own messages about children's stuff mentioned the Cricket label, whether or not there's any coincidence. Message was from Russ Pierce <rkp@drutx.uucp>
markv@dartvax.UUCP (Mark Vita) (11/29/84)
> > Also, if you look at Led Zeppelin's third album (the one with the > rotating cover), there is a song "Hat's Off to Harper". I guess > this song was written for Roy boy. Anyway, he must be a cult hero > in England. Any comments from across the sea? > Actually, the name of the Zeppelin song is "Hats Off To (Roy) Harper". I assume this is the same guy. However, I have never been able to make out the lyrics to this song, as they are intentionally distorted, so I don't know what they had to say about the guy, if anything. Another kind of amusing/bizzare thing about the song--the song credit is "Trad. Arr. Charles Obscure.". Right under that is the statement "All selections and arrangements of traditional songs published by Superhype Music, Inc., ASCAP." I never quite figured out what the humor behind this was. -- Mark Vita Dartmouth College USENET: {decvax,cornell,linus,astrovax}!dartvax!markv ARPA: markv%dartmouth@csnet-relay CSNET: markv@dartmouth
nessus@mit-eddie.UUCP (Doug Alan) (04/04/85)
[We let the weirdness in.] Someone mentioned Roy Harper a little while ago, and he's extremely good, but in the U.S. he is almost completely unkown. So, I've decided to give you some more information on him. Some might have heard of him because he does the vocals on Pink Floyd's song "Have a Cigar" and there is a Led Zeplin song entitled "Hats Off to Harper", which is indeed about Roy Harper. (I'm not a fan of Led Zeplin, and haven't heard the song, so I don't know what it says, but the Harper in the title is Roy Harper.) He also did backing vocals on Kate Bush's song "Breathing", and there is a note on Kate's album "Never for Ever" which says "Special thanks to ... Roy Harper for holding on to the poet in his music". His song "Another Day" has been covered by Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel doing a duet (this duet is sooooooo awesome!) and by another group recently (I don't remember who, but it has a female lead singer). He's also done studio work for many, many famous people, and the following people have appeared on his albums: Kate Bush (she does a duet with him on the song "You" from the album "The Unkown Soldier" -- the song was written by Roy Harper and David Gilmour, but I haven't yet found this album), Bill Bruford, David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Keith Moon, Ronnie Lane, and John Paul Jones. He also co-wrote the song "Short and Sweet" on the album "David Gilmour". His albums seem to be very difficult to find in the U.S. He has at least 13 albums, but I've only been able to find "When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease", "Roy Harper 1970-1975", and "Come Out Fighting Genghis Smith". Much of Roy Harper's stuff is very folkish, but he doesn't like pigeon-holed. Some of his music is also very unfolkish. This is a quote by Allan Jones of Melody Maker that appears on the back of "1970-1975": ... As those close to him will wearily attest, he is uncomfortably sensitive to attempts to categorise either himself or his work, and especially violent in his reaction to those misguided attempts to confine him exclusively to the role of *folk singer*: a role to which Harper has, consistently and clearly, refused to conform. His talent might initially have been nurtured and exposed on the folk circuit, and his earliest heroes may have been part of the folk movement in its broadest sense, but Harper has never been comfortable as a member of that musical society and has been seen by its principals as something of a renegade. "Some people still insist that I'm just some lunatic folk singer with ambitions beyond my station," he's remarked. "But I was never really in with that mob. I spent most of my times being thrown out of folk clubs for not being Ralph McTell." His music, lyrics, and singing are rather strange. His songs vary from the Roger Waters style offensiveness and sarcasm to the type of love song that appears on Kate Bush's "The Kick Inside". Here are some lyrics to one of his really good songs "I Hate The White Man" (he is white): Far across the ocean, in the land of look and see There once was a time for you and me Where the winds blow sweetly and the easy seas flow still And where the barefoot dream of life can laugh and cry its fill Where slot machine confusion and the plastic universe Are objects of amusement in the fiction of their curse And where the crazy white man and his tear gas happiness Lies dead and long since buried by his own fantasitic mess For I hate the white man, in his plastic excuse O I hate the white man and the man who turned him loose ... And the bowels of his city have been locked into a safe Where the spew stains on the sidewalks are defenders of his faith While back inside his kitchen, the bowler hatted long haired saint Cleans with soap and water, but it's really just white paint While the gorgon-headed scandalsheet presents its daily bite To give the righteous news believers drugs to keep them white And outside in the whitewash where the guns are always (always) right The shooting star has summoned death's dark angel from his night And I hate the white man, in his evergreen excuse O I hate the white man and the man who turned you all loose So, if you are into the same type of music I am into (Kate Bush, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Hawkwind, Laurie Anderson, Residents, Beatles, King Crimson, Bill Nelson, Nash the Slash, B-52s, Tom Tom Club, etc.), you might want to check him out! "And across the room inside a tomb, a chance is waxed and wanes The night is young, why are we so hung up in each other's chains?" Doug Alan mit-eddie!nessus Nessus@MIT-MC.Arpa P.S. If you have a copy of the album "The Unknown Soldier" (by Roy), I'd be forever indebted to you if you'd be willing to record it onto a tape for me! I'd send you a tape and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. I've been looking for this album for months and have tried to special-order it to no avail. I even promise to buy the album if I ever see it, so as not to cheat ol' Roy out of any money.