''HQ'' is the eighth studio album by English

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

/rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper. It was first released in 1975 by

Harvest Records Harvest Records is a British-American record label belonging to Capitol Music Group, originally created by EMI in 1969. History Harvest Records was created by EMI in 1969 to market progressive rock music, and to compete with Philips' Vertigo ...

. 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.

History

Harper considered ''HQ'' to be "...probably the best record that I have made to date" and "...a great album made at one of the best times of my life" Originally the album was to be called ''Blood From a Stone'', but it was changed to avoid unwanted comparisons with Dylan's '' Blood on the Tracks''.

Songs

"The Game" features David Gilmour and

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

, playing lead guitar and bass respectively. The "scribble lark" referred to in "Forget Me Not" is an old country name for the

yellowhammer The yellowhammer (''Emberiza citrinella'') is a passerine bird in the bunting family that is native to Eurasia and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia. Most European birds remain in the breeding range year-round, but the eastern ...

. " When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease", one of Harper's best-known songs, features the

Grimethorpe Colliery Band The Grimethorpe Colliery Band is a brass band, based in Grimethorpe, South Yorkshire, England. It was formed in 1917, as a leisure activity for the workers at the colliery, by members of the disbanded Cudworth Colliery Band. Along with the Blac ...

, arranged by

David Bedford David Vickerman Bedford (4 August 1937 – 1 October 2011) 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 ...

. The song is about

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

and references contemporary players

Geoffrey Boycott Sir Geoffrey Boycott (born 21 October 1940) is a former Test cricketer, who played cricket for Yorkshire and England. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's m ...

and John Snow, to whom it is dedicated.

Album cover

The album's artwork was created by

Hipgnosis Hipgnosis were an English art design group based in London, that specialised in creating album cover artwork for rock musicians and bands. Their commissions included work for Pink Floyd, T. Rex, the Pretty Things, Black Sabbath, UFO, 10c ...

. Of the artwork Harper stated:Roy Harper Fan Site Discography
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Awards

In 1975, ''HQ'' was awarded ''Record of the Year'' in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, and received a similar award in

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

2012 reissue

In 2012 the album was digitally remixed and re-released in a 24-page case bound booklet with new pictures, prose, poetry and a new sleeve design.

Track listing

All tracks credited to Roy Harper.

Personnel

* Roy Harper – vocals, acoustic guitar *

Chris Spedding Christopher John Spedding (born Peter Robinson, 17 June 1944) is an English musician, singer, guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his st ...

– electric guitar *Dave Cochran – bass guitar *

Bill Bruford William Scott Bruford (born 17 May 1949) is an English former drummer and percussionist who first gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock band Yes. After leaving Yes in 1972, Bruford spent the rest of the 1970s recording ...

– drums, percussion ;Additional Personnel * David Gilmour – electric guitar (on "The Game") *

– bass guitar (on "The Game") *Steve Broughton – drums, percussion (on "The Game") *The

, arranged by

–

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

(on "When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease")

References

External links

Roy Harper Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hq Roy Harper (singer) albums 1975 albums Albums with cover art by Hipgnosis Chrysalis Records albums Harvest Records albums Albums produced by Peter Jenner