| Stormcock | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 1971 | |||
| Recorded | 1 July – 20 December 1970 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Progressive folk, folk baroque | |||
| Length | 41:25 | |||
| Label | Harvest | |||
| Producer | Peter Jenner | |||
| Roy Harper chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Stormcock is the fifth studio album by English folk/rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper. First released in May 1971 by Harvest Records, it is widely considered his best record. [2] [3]
Harper was inspired by a trip to, and time spent in, Big Sur, California. "Me and My Woman" is a love song backed by David Bedford's orchestral arrangements (Bedford would also collaborate on some of Harper's later releases). "Hors d'Oeuvres" was inspired by the fate of Caryl Chessman who spent nearly 12 years on death row – at the time the longest ever in the United States – before being executed in a gas chamber in May 1960. "One Man Rock and Roll Band" is a critique on the pointlessness of violence.
"The Same Old Rock" is an attack on government, the history of war, and organized religion featuring guitar work and a solo by Jimmy Page. [4]
The album's four extended songs showcase Harper's talents, both as a songwriter and guitarist. But, Stormcock "...epitomized a hybrid genre that had no exclusive purveyors save Harper — epic progressive acoustic." [1]
At the time, the album was not particularly well promoted by Harper's record label. Harper later stated:
They hated Stormcock. No singles. No way of promoting it on the radio. They said there wasn't any money to market it. Stormcock dribbled out. [5]
Nonetheless, Stormcock would remain a favourite album of critics and Harper's fans. In October 2013, NME placed Stormcock at number 377 in their list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". [6]
Although Jimmy Page performs on the album, he was credited as "S. Flavius Mercurius" for contractual reasons.
The album was digitally remastered in 2007 by Science Friction. The package included a 20-page case-bound booklet with new pictures, prose and poetry, and Page's name was added to the album's credits.
In 2006, 35 years after its initial release, Johnny Marr of English alternative rock band The Smiths said:
If ever there was a secret weapon of a record it would be Stormcock. I don't know why it's such a secret. If anyone thinks it might be a collection of lovely songs by some twee old folkie then they'd be mistaken. It's intense and beautiful and clever: [Bowie's] Hunky Dory's big, badder brother. [7] [8]
Joanna Newsom cited Stormcock as an influence upon her 2006 release Ys, [9] which likewise contains lengthy songs with dense orchestral arrangements, and in 2011, Robin Pecknold of folk band Fleet Foxes stated that he took inspiration from Stormcock when recording Fleet Foxes' second album Helplessness Blues . [10]
The album's title, Stormcock, is an old English name for the Mistle thrush (Turdus viscivorus). [11] The male of the species is most vocal in the early morning and has a tendency to sing after, and sometimes during, wet and windy weather which led to the name 'Stormcock'. [12] [13] Harper has an appreciation of birdlife and has made reference to many birds in his songs.
All tracks are written by Roy Harper
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hors d'Oeuvres" | 8:37 |
| 2. | "The Same Old Rock" | 12:24 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 3. | "One Man Rock and Roll Band" | 7:23 |
| 4. | "Me and My Woman" | 13:01 |
Led Zeppelin III is the third studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 5 October 1970. It was recorded in three locations. Much of the work was done at Headley Grange, a country house, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. Additional sessions were held at Island Studios and Olympic Studios in London. As with the prior album, the band eschewed the use of guest musicians, with all music performed by band members Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitars), John Paul Jones, and John Bonham (drums). The range of instruments played by the band was greatly enhanced on this album, with Jones especially emerging as a talented multi-instrumentalist, playing a wide range of keyboard and stringed instruments, including various synthesizers, mandolin and double bass, in addition to his usual bass guitar. As with prior albums, Page served as producer on the album, with mixing done by Andy Johns and Terry Manning.
David Vickerman Bedford was an English composer and musician. He wrote and played both popular and classical music. He was the brother of the conductor Steuart Bedford, the grandson of the composer, painter and author Herbert Bedford and the composer Liza Lehmann, and the son of Leslie Bedford, an inventor, and Lesley Duff, a soprano opera singer.
Roy Harper is an English folk rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has released 22 studio albums across a career that stretches back to 1966. As a musician, Harper is known for his distinctive fingerstyle playing and lengthy, lyrical, complex compositions, reflecting his love of jazz and the poet John Keats. He was also the lead vocalist on Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar.”
"The Rain Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released in March 1973 as the second track on their fifth album, Houses of the Holy.
Whatever Happened to Jugula? is the 13th studio album by English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper. It was first released on March 4, 1985, through Beggars Banquet Records. Jimmy Page contributes.
HQ is the eighth studio album by English folk/rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper. It was first released in 1975 by Harvest Records. In the United States the album was released under the title When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease, which is also the name of the LP's most popularly known track.
Counter Culture is a 2005 compilation double album by English folk/rock singer-songwriter Roy Harper featuring 25 classic Roy Harper songs, cherry picked according to his mood in April 2005. This collection spans 35 years of song writing and is intended as an introduction for anyone who's not sure where to start with Harper's music. This compilation features a number of guest musicians, including; Jimmy Page, Bill Bruford, Ronnie Lane, David Gilmour, Kate Bush and Nick Harper.
Lifemask is the sixth album by English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper, and was first released in 1973 by Harvest Records.
Hats Off is a 2001 compilation album by Roy Harper featuring 14 of Harper's own songs "...accompanied by some of rock's most legendary performers.".
The Unknown Soldier is the tenth studio album by English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper. It was first released in 1980 by Harvest Records and was his last release on the label. Half of the tracks were co-written with David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, who also plays guitar on the album. Kate Bush duets with Harper on one of those tracks.
Ys is the second studio album by American musician Joanna Newsom. It was released by Drag City on November 14, 2006. The album was produced by Newsom and Van Dyke Parks, recorded by Steve Albini, mixed by Jim O'Rourke, with accompanying orchestral arrangements by Van Dyke Parks. It features guest vocals from Bill Callahan and Emily Newsom. The vocals and harp were recorded at The Village Recording Studio in Los Angeles in December 2005, with the orchestration being recorded between May and June 2006 at the Entourage Studios in Los Angeles.
Work of Heart is the 11th studio album by English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper and was first released in 1982.
Ask a Woman Who Knows is a 2002 jazz album by vocalist Natalie Cole, with guest Diana Krall, and receiving four Grammy Award nominations.
Folkjokeopus is the third album issued by English folk/rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper. It was produced by Shel Talmy and was first released in 1969 by Liberty Records.
Flat Baroque and Berserk is the fourth album by English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper, and was first released in 1970 by Harvest Records.
Valentine is the seventh album by English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper. It was first released in 1974 by Harvest Records.
Sophisticated Beggar is English folk / rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper's debut album. It was released in 1966.
Flashes from the Archives of Oblivion is a live double album released in 1974 by Roy Harper.
Man & Myth is the title of Roy Harper's 22nd studio album. Released 47 years after his debut album, Sophisticated Beggar, it is his first studio release in 13 years.
Live at Les Cousins is a 1996 double live album by English folk/rock singer-songwriter Roy Harper.
