Roy Harper - 'Songs Of Love And Loss'
This compilation, part of a variety of means to celebrate the artist's 70th birthday, is remarkable in many ways not least that Roy Harper's blend of mystic folk is as relevant today as it was over four decades ago. Therein lies the beauty of work by such artists from Young to Dylan to Nick Drake; the apparent simplicity of their work and their knack of touching on the most basic of human emotions affords it a timeless element rarely seen nowadays in the 'X Factor' generation.
Roy Harper has decided to whittle down his extensive back catalogue to produce a collection of his love songs that are more accessible than the prog-folk that he is better known for and the music world is better off for his "labour of love". It takes just one listen to understand the artist's appeal and longevity though, his music is undeniably infused with an amalgam of 60's-70's folk musicians from 'Black Clouds's finger picking technique, raw acoustics and whispery vocals akin to the work of Nick Drake through to the Pink Floyd 'Division Bell'-era attitude of 'The Flycatcher'.
Amongst these tracks are the Simon & Garfunkel-esque 'Francesca' and the psychedelic lyrics of 'Hallucinating Light', which are beautifully crafted and Harper produces a unique voice that is sensuously calming, his simple yet effective acoustic strumming with the use of a harmonica being the most wild this stoner-folk gets.
The silky harmonies on display here, best exemplified by 'South Africa', would assume that the totality of Harper's 18 albums had been well represented on this compilation, however that is definitely not the case with the reality being that he is not an artist to be pigeon-holed and it is because of the diverse and often bizarre nature of his output that he has stayed in the shadows of his more radio-friendly counterparts for so long.
After a 45-year career it is telling that his 'Best Of' album ('Counter Culture') released in 2005 only overlaps with 'Songs Of Love And Loss' by five tracks in that this double disc is not representative of the artist but merely one colour in a rainbow that is Roy Harper's contrary personality.
However, these are minor details and do not detract from the idyllic, poetic beauty herein encapsulated and it is a blessing that Harper has released a compilation of work that is consistent enough to place his name amongst the greats of his era let alone the ears of a generation as yet naive to his talent.
Here's to hoping that this album instigates further investigation into and enjoyment of his work. At last this wayward artist is stepping into the limelight; a position he duly deserves.