Steve Peck writes: From a cricketer’s crease to communing with Greek gods, Roy Harper successfully surfed the latter stages of his career—buoyed by the support of famous friends and a creative muse who danced upon his shoulders. And he still has tricks up his sleeve: Harper is set to play the Glastonbury Festival in 2025!
Album cover photography by J. Ahrend
In the late 1970s, I volunteered as a DJ at my college’s radio station. The station had a free-form alternative format, which meant I could play anything I liked.
One day while exploring its vast library, I came upon the record When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease by Roy Harper.
I was taken aback. Is this the same guy that Led Zeppelin’s bizarre Hats Off to (Roy) Harper song was named after? I had no idea who he was. Checking the album credits, I saw Zeppelin’s bassist John Paul Jones listed—so it had to it be true.
I slapped the record on the turntable and played the opening track, a 14-minute piece called The Game (Parts 1-5). It rocked hard, soared dreamily in the acoustic sections, and stretched out in atmospheric prog rock-like textures. Since it checked so many of my favorite boxes, I became a Roy Harper fan for life in that moment.
When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease was originally released in England in 1975 as HQ. However, overly puritanical U.S. record executives deemed HQ’s album cover—showing Harper walking on water—too scandalous for sensitive, God-fearing American audiences. Thus, the change was made.
The Game (Parts 1–5) features a supergroup: Roy Harper, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour on lead, John Paul Jones on bass, and King Crimson’s Bill Bruford on drums. As impressive as that lineup is, this was Roy Harper’s show—first and foremost.
These Last Days, from Harper’s 1977 Bullinamingvase record (or One of Those Days in England—in the States), is an atmospheric piece which, to me, evokes clouds rolling by slowly on a pillow of winds. In the spirit of the song, they could stand for the steady passage of time.
The mood is bittersweet—as realization dawns that the world isn’t what we once dreamed. With age comes more acceptance and compromise—but can we still hope for a life without shedding the precious ideals we’ve held so dear? The skies start turning gray, and we feel a slight shiver.
We might have to take the world the way we made it
It seems, we have to find a fight
Though some of us ain't satisfied with less than any Universe
I'm not sure that any side is right
These Last Days would find a comfortable home on side one of Pink Floyd’s Meddle or Obscured by Clouds. Harper and the Floyd have consistently shared a mutual appreciation, with influence working in both directions.
While the ‘80s were a tougher row to hoe—as was the case for many musicians from the ‘60s—Harper kept his creative flame alive. In 1980 and again in 1990, Harper collaborated with friends David Gilmour and Kate Bush to record two songs. While Harper and Gilmour had collaborated several times before, bringing Kate Bush into the mix was truly inspired.
Once, the track from 1990, is another atmospheric marvel. Bush and Gilmour don’t make their presence fully felt until about halfway through, with David’s soaring lead and Kate’s subtle backing vocals. The climax of Once is spectacular, amplified by Gilmour’s trademark “sky” guitar.
In the 21st century, after a lengthy 13-year hiatus between new albums, Harper released what could be his final record, Man & Myth, in 2013.
He proved to have one last great album in him, and Man & Myth is a bona fide late-career classic.
The album’s centerpiece, Heaven Is Here, is another of Harper’s epics, clocking in at 15 minutes and 24 seconds. However, the time glides by, making it feel much shorter than its length. Lyrically, he uses Greek mythology to explore themes of love, transcendence, and the divine within us—heaven, on earth, here and now.
After the release of his album, Harper continued to play occasional concerts until 2019. Since then, he’s been retired, occasionally posting on his blog and Facebook.
However, a couple of weeks ago, just months shy of his 84th birthday, Harper announced that he would be playing the 2025 Glastonbury Festival. He wrote on Facebook,
"I've been wanting to play Glastonbury again for old time sake. One last time perhaps. Turns out all I had to do was ask!".
Thankfully, the enigmatic wildman plays on!
Photo courtesy of Roy Harper's website
Steve Peck also writes at his Hickory Notes Facebook music blog
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