ROY HARPER

Luckily the achievements overrule here. "The Enemy" is reminiscent of LINDISFARNE's best work right down to the ALAN HULLisms vocally and lyrically; the delicate gentility of "Time is Temporary" is even exceeded by the heartfelt ballad "January Man"; and "Cloud Cuckooland" is a send up of the race for failed modernity as nobody can express better.

By this point, Harper had little left to prove, but Man and Myth solidifies his legendary status. Few other artists have scaled multiple summits over the better part of a half century.

The title track is consummate travail for ostensibly celebrating the miracle of our existence, and might have worked better in a poetry slam, or honestly any other format. The next couple of songs don't fare any better. Ultimately, the only true standouts here are the provocative protest folk "Black Cloud of Islam" and the tutorial that is "For Longer than it takes", but "Berlin" and "Ghost Dance" qualify as appealing enough near misses.

Given its appearance during a relatively quiescent era for Harper, "Once" serves as, at a minimum, a placeholder to be replaced by another a few years down the line, and at most a reminder of his dogged oneness and wholeness.

The too frequent spoken tracks are dour and he cusses altogether too much, which no amount of anger (and he has more than his share) can justify. Luckily, the title cut serves notice that everything will be at least all right, and he also hits that sweet spot occupied by a few of DAN AR BRAZ' contemporaneous works on "Miles Remains" and "Evening Star", which effectively erase the memory of the kooky ISB style of "The War came home tonight". I get the sense that the dissolution of his relationship inspired the most exemplary tunes here, even if it also whelped aforementioned profanities.

When you enter into any form of relationship with Harper, you get the whole man including the parts you could do without. Still, this is a laudable effort that proves the existence of a third option in the title.

This is even more unctuous than "The Unknown Soldier", an osterized emulsion of ideas that are perhaps not even half baked, and that would only pique musicologists who specialize in the 1980s come the 2050s, and heaven help them if this was somehow chosen as representative of this fellow's output. It's not that there was no good music in the 1980s, but, when it adhered to these formulae, many others did it better - why impart questionably poetic lessons when the whole point isn't to listen, and how would you even hope to dance to this?

In the middle of "Woman", we get an approximation of the 4th or 5th best track on the BUGGLES "The Age of Plastic". I suppose that isn't nothing. "I Still Care" and the closing suite are the best on offer here, but I wouldn't shoehorn them onto a best of compilation as presented. Supposedly many of these numbers received a rawer and more fan friendly treatment on the subsequent"Born in Captivity". Since that one is for only fans, I think I'll vault ahead to discern if any further work of this artiste advances his legacy.

We do know the pair co-wrote half the songs and it certainly sounds like the PINK FLOYD guitarist's melodic style on several tracks. One of these is "Short and Sweet" which appeared on Gilmour's first solo album in 1978, and is one of the highlights here. "You" is a solid collaboration with KATE BUSH, but my favorite here is the gossamer and poignant "Fly catcher", one of Harper's most successful ballads, with kudos to the perennial wisdom of DAVID BEDFORD.

Unfortunately, like many a 1980s album from a 1970s (and early) artist, "The Unknown Soldier" lacks some in consistency and quality, particularly on the lazy lyrics marring "I'm in Love with You", which could have been a centerpiece with reduced apathy; and the final two songs, both stylized and virtually taste-free attempts to modernize. However, "Playing Games" works in a BE BOP DELUXE meets early 1980s CAMEL manner.

This isn't an album I'd go to battle over, but it's still insightful enough to avoid ignominy, even 40+ years on.