Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Suggest New Bands and Artists
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Roy Harper
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedRoy Harper

 Post Reply Post Reply
Poll Question: Prog Archive Status or NOT?
Poll Choice Votes Poll Statistics
9 [69.23%]
4 [30.77%]
This topic is closed, no new votes accepted

Author
Message
Chris S View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: June 09 2004
Location: Front Range
Status: Offline
Points: 7028
Direct Link To This Post Topic: Roy Harper
    Posted: August 14 2006 at 13:42
This artist has to be considered in the progressive archives. Most of his material has progressive leanings, an influencer of Floyd too. Listen to the likes of " Life Mask" or the incredible ' Same Old Rock" for proof.
<font color=Brown>Music - The Sound Librarian

...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR]
Back to Top
krusty View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member


Joined: September 27 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1777
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 14 2006 at 13:52
I'm a big Roy Harper fan but I'd say he is definitely a folk artist who has occasionally experimented with a more advanced sound.
So no don't think he is prog...


Back to Top
Sean Trane View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator

Prog Folk

Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 19541
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 15 2006 at 03:20
Harper is on the lmist of possible inclusions in the prog folk
 
 
as a prog folk specialist and team leader (which I am very sad to see consist of just me since the other two have absolutely no interest in helping out and are just content to parade their title around the forum), I was planning to check his more adventurous period (from Folkjokeopus to 75) in the next weeks to check if I am to include him (or not) >>> I was prompted to do so after a four page article in the mag Uncut.
 
 Sorry this is taking along time, but I have my own busy musical planning to fill on top of considering which groups are worthy of inclusion
let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
Back to Top
mystic fred View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: March 13 2006
Location: Londinium
Status: Offline
Points: 4252
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 15 2006 at 03:35
Famous for his associations with Jimmy Page, Roy Harper was for years "the musician's musician" but never made it big, though "One of those Days in England" was a popular song and "Jugula" is one of my favourite albums. I would not call his music Prog, though he is one of the most influential musicians in the business.
 
Jugula
 
 
 
Prog Archives Tour Van
Back to Top
Equality 7-2521 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: August 11 2005
Location: Philly
Status: Offline
Points: 15783
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 16 2006 at 01:20
I'm going on limited information only having heard a select 10 or so songs, but I always felt that he had a very progressive sound to his music. I thought about mentioning his inclusion awhile ago, and the thread title sparked my interest. I think it's a good inclusion.
"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
Back to Top
Sean Trane View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator

Prog Folk

Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 19541
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 16 2006 at 04:16
Originally posted by mystic fred mystic fred wrote:

Famous for his associations with Jimmy Page, Roy Harper was for years "the musician's musician" but never made it big, though "One of those Days in England" was a popular song and "Jugula" is one of my favourite albums. I would not call his music Prog, though he is one of the most influential musicians in the business.
 
Jugula
 
 
 
 
Given Harper's many links with the prog crowds and his lengthy epics and multi-movement suites on his early 70's albums, I am tempted to at least consider him for prog related
 
 
More on it next weekWink
let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
Back to Top
Cygnus X-2 View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: December 24 2004
Location: Bucketheadland
Status: Offline
Points: 21342
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 16 2006 at 04:19
Originally posted by mystic fred mystic fred wrote:

Famous for his associations with Jimmy Page, Roy Harper was for years "the musician's musician" but never made it big, though "One of those Days in England" was a popular song and "Jugula" is one of my favourite albums. I would not call his music Prog, though he is one of the most influential musicians in the business.

Also famous for his collaboration vocally with Pink Floyd on the song Have a Cigar.
Back to Top
KazimirMajorinc View Drop Down
Forum Groupie
Forum Groupie


Joined: February 23 2006
Status: Offline
Points: 71
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 16 2006 at 09:32
The broginess of the band is only partly determined by musical criteria, the social criteria are more important - and Roi is the part of that brog tradition since forever. Bad luck is his name somehow reminds on Oprah, so that might be the reason against ...
Back to Top
salmacis View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member

Content Addition

Joined: April 10 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 3928
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 16 2006 at 09:50
I'm not all that convinced I'd have put him under 'prog folk' to be honest- his music isn't prog, as such, and does have obvious links to the original UK 60s folk scene and a fair bit of his output is pretty rocky. However, he was clearly more than a straight folkie and was hugely innovative- many long epics in his oeuvre. I'd have classed him with other singer songwriters like Nick Drake, Tim Buckley, Donovan, John Martyn etc. who took the folk genre into new progressive realms, without ever being PROG, if you get my drift.
 
In short, prog related, but not a priority, imo.


Edited by salmacis - August 16 2006 at 09:51
Back to Top
Sean Trane View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator

Prog Folk

Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 19541
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 16 2006 at 10:07
Originally posted by salmacis salmacis wrote:

I'm not all that convinced I'd have put him under 'prog folk' to be honest- his music isn't prog, as such, and does have obvious links to the original UK 60s folk scene and a fair bit of his output is pretty rocky. However, he was clearly more than a straight folkie and was hugely innovative- many long epics in his oeuvre. I'd have classed him with other singer songwriters like Nick Drake, Tim Buckley, Donovan, John Martyn etc. who took the folk genre into new progressive realms, without ever being PROG, if you get my drift.
 
In short, prog related, but not a priority, imo.
 
 
 
All those mentioned in your list are definitely worethy of any proghead's interests and are all on the list for admission, but this hardly means they will all (or any) make it.
let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
Back to Top
salmacis View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member

Content Addition

Joined: April 10 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 3928
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 16 2006 at 17:07
Yes I saw the list a while back- I'd agree, they are hardly priority acts.
Back to Top
Sean Trane View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator

Prog Folk

Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 19541
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 25 2006 at 02:58

Overview of Roy Harper’s career for inclusion in the Archives

 

Sophisticated beggar (67) >>> completely acoustic guitars with a few organs folk (straight folk) with a few pleasant dramatic tracks;

 

Come Out Fighting (67) >>> a bit of a step backwards, sounds more primal and less prog than his debut (which was not). Few bonus tracks from radio  sessions of later 60’s stuff

 

Folkjokeopus (69) a huge step forward, still mostly acoustic folk guitar, but many interesting development in raga or far-eastern influences. The start of his extended tracks with the superb McGohan’s Blues or One For all. Other highlights are Sgt Sunshine and Composer of Life >> poignant lyrics. Definitely progressive although not really “prog per se”

 

Flat, Baroque And Bezerk (70) debut on prog label Harvest: his back up are The Nice and it has some absolute stunning tracks like I Hate White Man and Hell’s Angels, How Does it Feel and Tiddler’s Ground. >>> more than prog related for sure

 

Stormcock (71) >> One of my favourite. Only four tracks and Jimmy Page as a guest and the collab of very prog arranger David Bedford and produced by Floyd manager Peter Jenner. Same Old Rock is entirely prog and a very impressive One Man RnR Band. Me and my Woman is again very progressive in its nature/spirit >> orchestrations by Bedford. Page will write Hats Off To Harper in his honour on Zep III

 

Lifemask  (73) >>> another peak and deeply disturbed album. Guest include Page, Laurie Allen (Gong), one of the Broughton Brothers and Brian Davison (Nice), and still with ex-Floyd Peter Jenner. Harper hits rock bottom in mental health around the same time as Wyatt does physically. Includes the side-long Lord’s Prayer as a five-part suite with a very lengthy lyrical passage that could remind us of Floyd’s Eclipse or more evidently their later Dogs track, but this is hardly the only highlight on the album. >> certainly prog-related.

Valentyne (74) >>> comeback concert with symphonic orchestra and prestigious friends (again with Page) after life-threatening illness >> although not as poignant as the Drury Lane concert for Wyatt, this is one more reason for its inclusion in prog-related. Musically, it is a return to shorter tracks

 

HQ (75) >> renamed When An Old Cricketter Leaves The Crease. Not my fave; but for progheads certainly the album with most interest. Gilmour and JP Jones and Steve Broughton play on it and the backing Trigger group includes Spedding (Nucleus) and Bill Bruford. This is a full-blown rock album with some progressive twists (with such a line-up, how could it not be?), but I have a tough time digesting it. About as intricate as a game of Cricket, which is the guiding line of this thematic album. A second album was recorded with the group Trigger, Commercial Break but not released until much later.  HQ, Prog? Yes, but this is relatively dense and obtuse and acute at the same time. Actually I cannot help but be disappointed by the album given its promising line-up.

 

Bullinaminsgave (77) >>> also titled One Of Those Days In England, this is almost the last classic album of his. As the rest of his discography will be much wiser and conventional. Dave Lawson (Greenslade) on keys.  Ambitious work that had to censored for defamation, this album is not really up to par with its predecessor

 

Jugula (85) >> Harper was much more rare in the 80’s, but this yet another album with Jimmy Page on board (credited to both in some editions). The album that introduced me to Harper, but I was obviously not ready for him, back then. The album is very interesting and is a typically odd and off the bat Harper. Light years away from what was being done at the time. Again a good case for prog related.

 

There you go, with the most important historic albums of Harper. I am not aware of his 90’s works (yet), but he is rumoured to have been stale and rather tame until 90 or so with his album Once!

 
So I would put him on a low priority prog related category inclusion.
 
If someone volunteers to write the bio and establish the discography and adds all albums  (Max is adamant on this), I can always open the artist entry page.
 
 
Any takers?
 
 
 
let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
Back to Top
Chris S View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator
Avatar
Honorary Collaborator

Joined: June 09 2004
Location: Front Range
Status: Offline
Points: 7028
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 27 2006 at 04:45
Come on Mr.Trane! or I will get the bio going and album inclusions, it may take time but he warrants inclusion
<font color=Brown>Music - The Sound Librarian

...As I venture through the slipstream, between the viaducts in your dreams...[/COLOR]
Back to Top
Sean Trane View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator

Prog Folk

Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 19541
Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 27 2006 at 05:15
Originally posted by Chris Stacey Chris Stacey wrote:

Come on Mr.Trane! or I will get the bio going and album inclusions, it may take time but he warrants inclusion
 
 
you can send the bio to me and I'll open up the page in the prog related category. Provide mewith the full discography with the years of releases and eventually a web site link and eventually a fitting picture.
 
You can add albums from that moment onwards. Be carefull that some people are not quicker than you are, though. Not terribly important but it will avoid you preparing the infos for nothing if someone else has done it before you.
let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
Back to Top
Hawkwise View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 31 2008
Location: Ontairo
Status: Offline
Points: 4119
Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 02 2008 at 17:52
Ahhhh I Just Put up a Thread about Roy maybe i should of done a search first
i voted yes  , he was worth including just for  Lords prayer from   Lifemask
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.168 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.