THE ROY HARPER BAND: WORK OF HEART

The begin of eighties Roy was very busy. After making really good "the Unknown Soldier"-album to the Harvest- label and departing EMI because of many disputes Roy decided to form own "Public Records"-label together with Mark Thompson. He had toured with Tony Franklin on bass, Bob Wilson on guitar, George Jackson on Drums and Dave Morris on keyboards. This became "The Roy Harper Band" that would record this album, except drums were played three other drummers. Although "Sunday Times" chose it as "album of the year", it sold really poorly and label went under. Roy even lost his farm into bank. He has later said about those years: "the early eighties were the nadir of my life in music". Four years later Awaraness Records, a small label founded by Andy Ware, made a re-release from this album in a different sleeve and also under just Roy´s name. Two years later Roy released "Born in a Captivity", that had demoversions of most of "Work Of the Heart"s material. It came again from Roy´s short-lived "Hard Up" label and was soon sold out, but Awareness Records made a reissue with different backsleeve. Original issue is today expensive collectors item.

"Drawn To the Flames" starts album in a really glorious way! It grows slowly and there is really strong singing from Roy. It´s maybe the most positive piece of him. Same direction continues in "Jack Of Hearts". It´s almost wholly acoustic, only short synth periods in it. There is very same kind of demoversion in "Born In Captivity" under name "No Woman Is Safe". "I am a Child" is a bright pop piece with really great melody. If things had gone different way, I believe we would hear this song still in the eighties radio channels. "Woman" is a little bit darker than first three, but again it has very good melody! Also this could have become a radio hit. The ending of A-side "I Still Care" is full of hope and light. Really a beautiful piece and again very strong vocals from Roy! But the greatest comes in the B-side, the whole side long title piece, which I think is one of the forgotten Roy´s epic! As all of his epics, the main role is in his poetic acoustic guitar playing & vocals. I think it´s as great as "The Lord´s Prayer" or "One Of These Days In England" from the seventies! And if eighties drumsounds, synths and handclappings disturbs you, then listen the whole acoustic version from "Born In Captivity", it´s under name "No One Ever Gets Alive" (later "Work Of Heart").

When I listened this album first time, those plastic eighties sounds disturbed me quite much. But in the second listening I knew what was coming so I just concentrated on music. It´s so shame Roy didn´t get success with this album! Really he had made eighties music masterpiece! I believe it just had to cause of the poor promotion, weak radio plays etc., because this album sounds just to music that was made those times although it´s lot better than many other! Really Roy would have deserved a charting more than for example Spandau Ballet, Survivor or Twisted Sister. I have to admit as a Roy´s acoustic stuff lover I love more "Born In Captivity" than this, but anyway it really is one of the best sides of eighties, when thinking typical music of that decade.