BULLINAMINGVASE [AKA: ONE OF THOSE DAYS IN ENGLAND]

After the initial shock of seeing Roy Harper labelled as 'prog folk' had worn off (one usually thinks of Harper as a 'stoned beat poet singer-songwriter'), it only seemed 100% fair to me that at least SOME of his work be described as 'prog folk'. The label is especially apposite to BULLINAMINGVASE, which is roughly contemporary with Jethro Tull's MINSTREL and shares many of its features, especially the 'streaky bacon' technique of alternating lyrical, acoustic passages with heavier, electric ones. Both albums contain a mixture of angry (or indignant), playful and melancholic tunes; melancholy being the dominant mood. Both Ian and Roy have a habit of writing lyrics which are meaningful but sometimes wilfully obscure: the simpler the emotion they try to convey, the more convincing they'll sound. Finally, Harper's ten-part suite 'One of these Days in England' is very similar in its structure and changing moods to Ian Anderson's 'Baker Street Muse', even though the Tull piece has a 'city' theme and Harper's creation talks about the English countryside. So it's a fair guess that most admirers of folksy Jethro T. will also admire this (minor) Roy Harper masterpiece. One major difference: BULLINAMINGVASE is, of course, free of the extended instrumental variations (dominated by flute, lead guitar, bass and exhilarating drumming) that are, in my opinion, one of the main glories of MINSTREL (and especially of its original A-Side). BULL is predominantly vocal, but it does contain some (a lot!) of the freshest and loveliest acoustic guitar playing I'm aware of. As a singer, Roy Harper is particularly gripping when he sounds wistful or sad. 'These last days', for example, is a wonderfully wistful ballad, and 'One of these days...' contains some beautiful passages that evoke the feeling of everything slipping into History.

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