Search - Roy Harper :: Stormcock

SO good, I can't recommend it enough

Elliot Knapp | Seattle, Washington United States | 11/12/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Roy's 1971 album Stormcock is underrated but every bit as classic (and more so in my opinion) as albums like Zoso, Who's Next, Dark Side of the Moon, and Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Why, you ask? I'll try to distill it in a short synopsis: The album opens with Hors d'Oeuvres, a beautiful track showcasing Roy's poetic, clever and biting lyrics as well as his exellent voice and vocal arrangements (just listen to the chorus). The Same Old Rock, track 2, is regarded by many to be Roy's best song--a beautifully cutting critique of religion set to exquisite acoustic guitar backed by Jimmy Page (who lays down some blistering lead parts that really complement Roy's inimitable style). The last 3 minutes of the song are priceless for Roy's riff and Jimmy's bluesy solo. Track 3, One Man Rock n'Roll Band, is a piece played in open guitar tuning and has an otherworldly air about it. It's a comment on war and displays some of Roy's very unique and skilled (take it from a fellow guitar player) guitar playing. The final track, Me and My Woman, has multiple parts in which Roy displays his AMAZING singing and lyrics, is backed by an orchestra, and plays some sweet riffs on the acoustic guitar. Unfortunately for me and you, the text-based Amazon review can't convey the fantastic experience that Stormcock is. The record's overall sound and feel, Roy's "A-ha" inducing lyrics, and the quality of the playing makes it a record I would recommend to anyone who is a fan of classic rock, folk, psychadelia, British music, etc. Don't be tricked by the track count; the album is over 40 minutes (the songs are long). My other top recommendations from Roy's collection are Valentine (shorter acoustic songs with a broad range of styles) HQ (more classic rock, and every bit as good as Stormcock) and Bullinamingvase (very similar to HQ in quality and rockingness). You can also find these records at royharper.com. Discover Roy Harper's music--you won't regret it."

This is the one

T. Cook | louisville, ky United States | 06/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"all of a sudden, i can't stop listening to roy harper. i guess i go through it every so often, but i've got a bad case of it right now. thank god, there is a lot of roy harper to choose from. i bet i have played flashes from the archives of oblivion twenty times in the past two days. today i loaded flat, baroque, and berserk and stormcock into the player. all three of these pieces of work are 5-star albums...and he's got several more that would qualify as well. but, the bottom line is that, if pressed, i'd have to say stormcock is the one. one can easily understand how his name showed up on albums by led zeppelin, pink floyd, and kate bush. one can easily understand how he warranted contributions from jimmy page, kate bush, paul mccartney, bill bruford, dave gilmour, and the rest of his "famous" friends. what one can not understand is how he avoided the trappings of mega-stardom.... even if this particular album had been the only one he recorded, his name should have/could have been a household name. this album is a true treasure... only four songs (long ones), but in those four songs are all the qualities for which one listens to roy harper: the intense vocals; the layering of voices; crazy, wonderful, and perfect (atypical/close/shocking) harmonies; that ringing guitar; the sheer poetry of the lyrics. this is one of the albums i most treasure. do yourself a favor. listen to this one. listen closely. you'll be glad you did.

i've already got bullinamingvase and HQ ready to load when i'm finished with these two."

All of the five star reviews are dead right

Marc Riehm | Toronto, ON | 08/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's wonderful to see so many uniformly enthusiastic reviews of this album. It's truly a classic album from a classic time, albeit unfortunately obscure.



Harper was a "musician's musician". never achieving (undoubtedly never striving for!) top ten fame. His folksy, soft approach ensured that. However he was rightly recognized by his peers at the time, including Jimmy Page and the rest of Led Zep, and Pink Floyd, as a consummate songwriter, singer, arranger, and all-round musician.



I had the great pleasure of seeing Harper live one evening, back around 1986. He played (of all places!) McMaster University's Rathskeller pub in Hamilton, Ontario. The Rat was a decent folk pub for those who didn't want to get their eardrums blasted out by second-rate bands at the other University pub. But it was certainly their all-time coup to land Harper one summer evening.



I dragged fellow grad students out to see him. They had no idea who he was, although I did my best to explain that they were seeing and listening to an icon. Much of the rest of the audience was the same -- they just happened to be there that night, or they were dragged along by their own fanatical friend.



To be fair, there were a respectable number of other Harper fans there that evening, who must have caught wind of his appearance one way or another.



I drank too much. And I (to my later chagrin) pestered Roy too much with requests for "Me and My Woman", which was my wistful romantic anthem for many years. He finally, somewhat begrudgingly, indulged me. I sang along (not too loudly!).



Every few months or so, I hit his website, hoping that he might venture to "the colonies" another day. Probably not. I fantasize about taking a trip to England to see him.



Part of me is happy that Roy Harper will always remain somewhat obscure -- appreciating him boosts you into an elite category (or so I like to pretend, anyway). The rest of me wonders why he isn't played regularly on better classic rock stations."