THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER

Roy Harper

•

Prog Folk

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Roy Harper The Unknown Soldier album cover

3.05 | 20 ratings | 3 reviews | 0% 5 stars

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Studio Album, released in 1980

Songs / Tracks Listing

1. Playing Games (3:12)
2. I'm In Love With You (3:46)
3. The Fly Catcher (4:11)
4. You (The Game, Pt. 2) (4:37)
5. Old Faces (4:10)
6. Short And Sweet (6:29)
7. First Thing In The Morning (3:41)
8. The Unknown Soldier (3:34)
9. Ten Years Ago (3:35)
10. True Story (4:51)

Total time 42:06

Line-up / Musicians

- Roy Harper / vocals, arrangements, producer

With:
- David Bedford / orchestral arrangements & conductor
- Joe Partridge / guitar
- Sal DiTroia / guitar
- Hugh Burns / guitar
- Andy Roberts / guitars
- B.J. Cole / steel guitar
- Pete Wingfield / keyboards
- Don Grolnick / piano
- Jim Cuomo / winds
- Jimmy Bain / bass
- Will Lee / bass
- Jimmy Maelen / percussion
- Timmy Donald / drums
- Andy Newmark / drums
- Kate Bush / vocals (4)
- David Gilmour / lead guitar (4)
- David Lawson / keyboards (4)
- Toni Levi / bass (4)
- Steve Broughton / drums (4)
- Sara Pozzo / ?
- Dave Scance / ?
- George Constantinou / ?
- Haydn Bendall / ?
- Neil Jason / ?

Note: Some of the instrumentation could not be confirmed at this moment

Releases information

Artwork: RH and Adrian Boot

LP Harvest ‎- SHVL 820 (1980, UK)
LP Harvest ‎- ST-6474 (1980, Canada) New cover art

CD Science Friction - HUCD031 (1999, UK)

Thanks to ? for the addition
and to Quinino for the last updates
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ROY HARPER The Unknown Soldier ratings distribution

3.05
(20 ratings)

Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music (0%)
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection (25%)
Good, but non-essential (65%)
Collectors/fans only (10%)
Poor. Only for completionists (0%)

ROY HARPER The Unknown Soldier reviews

Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings

Collaborators/Experts Reviews

Review by kenethlevine
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog-Folk Team

While ROY HARPER entered the 1980s with a slicker production, he didn't wholly abandon the attention to detail in his songwriting. "The Unknown Soldier" is practically an equal collaboration between himself and DAVE GILMOUR, with the usual supporting cast of dozens, but it's hard to get into specifics about this because the credits are shoddily expounded upon.

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.

Latest members reviews

3 stars Trapped in time. A common occurrence for many albums recorded in the late seventies, and practically all of the eighties, for a number of reasons that include a trend to bend toward the current pop styles of the day, instrumentation, recording technics and record company interference in order ... (read more)

Report this review (#1469858) | Posted by SteveG | Saturday, September 26, 2015 | Review Permanlink

3 stars It's one of life's cruel ironies that Harper's most known and best-selling album in America is among his weaker efforts. This is Harper's first album in the 1980s, and marks a 10-year decline that (so I've heard) was arrested later. (I only know his 70s work the best.) The album is no doubt am ... (read more)

Report this review (#247054) | Posted by jude111 | Thursday, October 29, 2009 | Review Permanlink

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