- Bill Bruford - drums (1975)
- Dave Cochran - bass (1975)
- Roy Harper - vocals, guitar
- Chris Spedding - guitar (1975)

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Title:  When An Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease

Company: Chrysalis

Catalog: CHR-1105

Year: 1975

Grade (cover/record): G/VG+

Comments: top left cut corner, price tag stain on front upper right; minor ring wear

Available: 1

Price: $20.00

Singer/guitarist Roy Harper is one of those acts that are worshipped by fellow musicians (particularly in his native England), but all but unknown to the rank and file of the music buying public. As you might expect, he also fits firmly in the long standing English tradition of eccentric.

Born In Manchester England, Harper didn't start his professional musical career until relatively late in life. By any stretch of the imagination, his early life was positively nightmarish. With his mother dying in childbirth, Harper was raised by a Jehovah's Witness stepmother. Anxious to escape the lifestyle, at 15 he joined the Royal English Air Force. The career choice proved horrific; the regimented lifestyle equally unfit for Harper, who ultimately faked insanity in order to escape his enlistment. Discharged from the service, he found himself confined to a mental facility where he was subjected to electroshock therapy. Escaping to London, he spent the next year living in the streets, before being caught by the authorities and sentenced to a year long prison sentence. By the mid-'60s he was busking throughout Europe (literally playing street corners for money). Returning to England in 1965, he managed to climb aboard the country's sudden interest in Dylan-styled folk music, scoring a job at London's Les Cousins Club. His reputation as a stoned and frequently angry young man (wonder why), quickly attracted a large cult following, which attracted the attention of the small Strike label.

Perhaps a result of his cameo on Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" (Harper provided the lead vocal on "Have a Cigar"), 1975 found Harper signed by Chrysalis Records to an American distribution deal.  In addition to serving as his American debut, 1975's "When An Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease" (entitled "HQ" in England), marked a major change in artistic direction. Musically the set found Harper jumping headlong into hard rock. Backed by his newly formed backing band Trigger (former Yes drummer drummer Bill Bruford, bassist Dave Cochran, guitarist Chris Spedding) and an all-star cast, including Pink Floyd Guitarist David Gilmore, Led Zepplin bassist John Paul Jones, Harper all but abandoned his normally easygoing folk-rock style in favor of some biting observations on mankind (the rockabilly-flavored "Grown Ups Are Just Silly Children" and "The Game (Parts 1-5)") and English society (the title track - coincidently one of the few acoustic numbers). Overlooking the fact Harper's voice was marginal, the set demonstrated considerable energy and enthusiasm. Unfortunately, in spite of rave critical reviews, in the States the set vanished without a trace. (The rear cover explanation of cricket rules was helpful to anyone curious about the game.)

"When An Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease" track listing:
1.) The Game (Parts 1-5) (Roy Harper) - 
2.) The Spirit Lives (Roy Harper) - 
3.) Grown Ups Are Just Silly Children (Roy Harper) - 
4.) Referendum (Legend) (Roy Harper) - 
5.) Forget Me Not (Roy Harper) - 
6.) Hallucination Light (Roy Harper) - 
7.) When An Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease (Roy Harper) - 

Harper and Trigger reportedly recorded a follow-up set tentatively titled "Commercial Break". With Trigger collapsing, the set was shelved.

Rating: **** (4 stars)

Title:  Bullinamingvase

Company: Chrysalis

Catalog: CHR-11

Year: 1977

Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+

Comments: 

Available: 1

Price: $20.00