The opening track, ‘Freak Street’, sets the tone for Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith. The production is different from Roy’s first album. The addition of strings, unusual for that time, has a muted effect on the guitars, pushing them back in the mix. Laid-back snare drums create a jazzy feel that carries the track along. Although it makes for a muddy backing sound (much clearer on the remastered rerelease) I like the effect. The vocal is clear and melds well with the backing; Roy gives vent to the full range of his voice.
The poem/lyric is complex with much use of alliteration. It dictates the pace of the track which speeds up and slows down in keeping with the words. At times the words come thick and fast (making them difficult to decipher) and at others more slowly and thus easily understood.
The result is a beautiful song, teeming with poetic descriptions and expressively delivered.
Greek Street is in the centre of Soho, where the freaks and buskers hung out and Roy renamed it Freak Street. An area that was once grand had now become a place of dives, sex shows and cosmopolitan bohemia. A place where it all happens – dope, sex, cakey make-up, Newcastle brown, music, in a ‘neon desert storm of tin can shabbiness’.
Roy Harper must be one of Britain s most undervalued rock musicians and songwriters. For over fifty years he has produced a series of innovative albums of consistently outstanding quality. He puts poetry and social commentary to music in a way that extends the boundaries of rock music. His 22 studio albums 16 live albums, made up of 250 songs, have created a unique body of work. Roy is a musician s musician. He is lauded by the likes of Dave Gilmour, Ian Anderson, Jimmy Page, Pete Townsend, Joanna Newsom, Fleet Foxes and Kate Bush. Who else could boast that he has had Keith Moon, Jimmy Page, Dave Gilmour, John Paul Jones, Ronnie Lane, Chris Spedding, Bill Bruford and Steve Broughton in his backing band? Notable albums include Stormcock, HQ and Bullinamingvase. Opher Goodwin, Roy s friend and a fan, guides the reader through every album and song, providing insight into the recording of the songs as well the times in which they were recorded. As his loyal and often fanatical fans will attest, Roy has produced a series of epic songs and he remains a raging, uncompromising individual.
My Roy Harper book has now sold out apart from a few remaining copies held by Amazon and Burning Shed. Consequently they have reduced the price of the book! Time to snap up a bargain!
Extract from Roy Harper On Track: Every Album; Every Song:
Sophisticated Beggar (1966)
Strike label 1966
Peter Richards: producer
Roy Harper: guitars, vocals and all songwriting
Paul Brett: guitar
Bert Jansch: guitar
John Rebourn: guitar
Richie Blackmore: electric guitar
Lon Goddard: guitar and the drawing for the cover.
Unknown: drums and organ
The title says it all. Roy saw himself as being outside of mainstream society. He used his intelligence and creativity to scrounge a living. He was and still is, the sophisticated beggar.
Pierre Tubbs produced this album for Strike Records. The story is that a bunch of shady underworld characters were laundering money, and they set up Strike in order to hide their activities. Roy claimed it to be a true garage album because it was recorded in a makeshift studio, converted from a potting shed in Leatherhead. As studios go, it was a primitive setup, and the album was recorded on a basic Revox tape machine. Out came this remarkable album, which is quite unlike anything his contemporaries had produced.
Nobody seems to remember exactly who played on what. No professional notes were made. The tape was left to roll, and the numbers were mainly single takes with a minimum of overdubs. The equipment wasn’t up to much and options were limited. Only one or two tracks were worked on further and added to – notably the single and the other chosen as its B-side.
For the time, it is surprising and unusual that Roy didn’t want to include any of the folk/blues songs he’d been busking with. All the songs are Roy Harper originals. Also surprising is the album showing such a range of style and complexity, coupled with poetic lyrics. Roy was already experimenting, adding jazz chords and even using rock backing. His vision was much wider than most other folk artists. Not only is the album more original in content than that of his contemporaries, but it’s more ambitious and avant-garde. He knew what he wanted and was extending his musical prowess. He might have been playing folk clubs with an acoustic guitar, but this album clearly demonstrated that there was a lot more to Roy.
Sophisticated Beggar has been re-released a number of times (and was illegally bootlegged by Tring Records as Legend). It also appeared as Return of the Sophisticated Beggar, with the additional track, ‘Hup Hup Spiral’: which is simply Roy saying, ‘Hup hup hup’, as the stylus moves to the disc centre and lifts.
Thank you all for the fabulous reviews on Amazon for both the Nick and Roy books. Much appreciated. The Roy book has sold out on Burning Shed. However, Amazon does have some left and there are some with other suppliers. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roy…/dp/1789521300/ref=sr_1_1…
I bought a batch so if anyone wants a copy just message me. I also have copies of the Nick book.
‘Absolutely nailed it. A wonderful commentary on the life and music of Roy Harper.’
‘It has been over fifty years since I was first introduced to Roy Harper’s recordings. A 60’s folk/rock artist whose stance on the counter culture, philosophy, politics, religion, society and the environment have long been locked into my own. O.K., Roy is a Manchester City supporter, but nobody is completely perfect. I was first made aware of this author’s 2021 publication via the internet, and responded to his appeal for photographs to be used in his book. I purchased ‘Roy Harper: Every Album, Every Song’ without knowing that Mr Goodwin had included my photo. The fact that he did, has absolutely nothing to do with my five star rating. Any Roy Harper aficionado, or ‘newbie’ fan will discover everything they need to learn about the man and his decades long recording career. Opher Goodwin has closely followed Roy’s life and work since the very early days of the sixties ‘underground’ scene to the present day. I have learned much of Harper’s biography including his youthful period through to his eightieth year. The book has also inspired additions to my Spotify lists too. Altogether an indispensable compendium of the man and his music..’
Thank you to all who have left such great reviews. Amazon now has 40 ratings and reviews. Burning Shed has 166.
Here’s a taste of what people are saying:
‘This book though is an anthology that deserves to sit by your side, in, as I say in the title, any reading of this masterful lyricist, singer, songwriter, and poet. The music, by any standards, is so complex, that it deserves to one day to sit beside the greatest works of the greatest authors, lyricists, and poets, to be contemplated over for decades, nay, centuries, to come.
This book will hopefully reveal a corner of that tapestry, to assist scholars to unveil for themselves, for years to come.
If you’re not a scholar, just enjoy, as a music lover!
A very enjoyable companion to Roy’s music, to have by your side.’
‘I have had a most enjoyable week reading Opher Goodwins’ book about Roy Harper’s songs while relistening to my own albums or streaming those not yet acquired via my favourite service. The book gives new insights into familiar tunes and lyrics, brings knowledge about recently heard gems and adds a greater depth to our collective knowledge about one of the most loved singer/songwriters of his generation. The author’s easy, readable style and deep knowledge, based of hundreds of attended gigs and an almost life-long friendship with Roy, helps take the reader through each album track chronologically, including any associated singles and B-sides.’
‘The author guides us through Roy’s catalogue with a real authority for the subject, but the writing is never ‘dry’ – there is entertainment alongside education. It is clear that the author draws real pleasure from Roy’s music, and he is always willing and able to share that with the reader. For relative newcomers to Roy’s canon, enlightenment and revelation await. For dedicated ‘Harper-ists’ there is much to admire and reflect on. I wholeheartedly recommend Opher’s book to other aficionados and to those with early-stage curiosity about the work of one of Britain’s major songwriters, free-thinkers and catalysts for change.’
‘Excellent and enjoyable – thorough, detailed, super anecdotes and “eye witness”, and an easy and fun read. Written by a true fan but not sycophantic – Harper is not that sort of writer/performer. Makes me want to play every song (again). Nice job Opher.’
‘Wonderful book written by a man who clearly has a deep love and understanding of Roys’ work and the passion really comes through here. Opher Goodwin offers many enlightening thoughts and personal recollections as he takes you on a fabulous musical journey from Sophisticated Beggar to the magnificent Man And Myth. I found myself thoroughly immersed in the book.’
