Roy Harper: Every Album, Every Song (On Track), Paperback
Sgt Sunshine
The band starts the album off by launching into an upbeat rendering of Sgt Sunshine. This sets a storming pace, with Roy’s voice soaring above in a near falsetto singing ‘Sunrise’. Right from the opening notes the song has a rockier feel than any of the tracks on Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith. It is quite a band, particularly with the great Nicky Hopkins on keyboards. The recording has a brighter, sparkier production than that on CBS. It seems to me as if Shel was going for a more commercial upbeat sound.
Roy had always wanted to sing duets with a woman and Jane Scrivener’s clear voice makes an ideal foil for Roy. This is the first time on record but he has subsequently successfully duetted with several women during the course of his career. Roy was always smitten by the female singers of the Incredible String Band. I think I can detect a number of their influences on this album.
‘Sgt Sunshine’ would have made a great single if there had not been so many open drug references.
The lyrics describe the time when a police officer defiantly lit up a marijuana joint outside the City Hall in protest over the draconian drug laws. Roy, an ardent advocate of cannabis, immediately called him Sgt Sunshine and wrote this song about him.
There is an oblique reference to the TV series ‘The Prisoner’ with mention of the village. ‘The Prisoner’ had a lasting impact on Roy and its influence would recur in ‘McGoohan’s Blues’.
The basic premise of the song is that society has the wrong priorities. A life spent striving for money and fearing death is certainly no way to live.
‘Sgt Sunshine’ also appeared on the sampler Gutbucket.