Stormcock

I stumbled across the very tasty re-issue of Roy Harper’s Stormcock the other day.  What a fine album.  Just four tracks (well, it was 1971) but a fantastic showcase of Harper’s considered, flowing lyrics and unique, acoustic guitar playing.  This was one of my first Roy Harper albums which I bought back around 1980.  It’s always been my favourite but somehow, I had never got around to replacing it on CD.  This new release does justice to the original gatefold artwork as well as having been remastered by Harper himself.  In fact, he writes an interesting (if long :-)) blog on the subject at his myspace: http://www.myspace.com/harperroy.  The latest issue of Mojo magazine (the one with Led Zeppelin on the cover – that should narrow it down) has an interview with Harper from which I learned a lot.  Stormcock was conceived as a masterwork but failed to either get record company support or (as a consequence) to reach a wider audience.  Such a shame.  Harper continues to be an acerbic observer of the state of humanity today releasing albums under his Science Friction label.  The pendulum swings and his concerns over the state of the planet should resonate strongly with current "green" concerns.