Stormcock

Widely considered Roy Harper's masterpiece, 1971's Stormcock downplays the mercurial quirkiness of Harper's earlier records in favour of a mature, sophisticated, but never stuffy or boring orchestrated folk-rock song cycle. Scored by David Bedford, the four lengthy songs mix folk, rock, and jazz elements into a subtle and understated blend not at all unlike an earthier, less spiritually preoccupied Van Morrison. The centerpiece is 'the same old rock,' a bitter anti-religion diatribe supported by a blazing extended guitar solo by Jimmy Page. Elsewhere, the swaggering 'one man rock and roll band,' Harper's signature tune, and the tender, beautifully arranged 'me and my woman' show the range of emotions Harper was capable of successfully conveying. Somehow, Roy Harper was never an enormous star, but he's clearly an enormous talent.