Pink Floyd- Have A Cigar (First Listen)
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
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Song Link: • Have A Cigar
I suppose it wasn't entirely deliberate on the band's part, but what I really think works with Roy Harper's singing is that they got someone OUTSIDE of the band to sing the role if a record exec. It fits in perfectly with the notion of an outsider convincing the band of what they must do and dressing it up with rhetoric and hyperbole. The song is great, but with that nuance it's even better.
Man Rob, thats such a good point, intentional or not. Nice observation!
That was their reasoning even though Roger eventually felt he could do it and Roy was a little over the top according to Roger.
Funny thing is that, for years, I always thought this WAS Roger. Sounds pretty much like him. (Heh, they sent Roy along as a "surrogate band"...Added irony to the line "Oh, by the way, which one's Pink?")
narratively, it just makes sense to have an outsider on this one
It also fits so well because one of the album’s main themes is absence. Brilliant.
"...Oh by the way, which one is Pink?" That's the best line in the song, demonstrating that the exec knows nothing about the band, really - as you said. And I'm sure Pink Floyd got that question all the time. So, it was a total dig at fake people.
And it's so subtle. The clueless executive just assumes that one of the band members must be named Floyd, and have the nickname "Pink" for whatever reason, and everyone like that nickname so much they named the whole Band after it. So he's asking Roger and co. which one of them is "Pink" Floyd. Brilliant.
I always thought that Roy Harper sounded like an interesting blend of both Gilmour and Waters on this track, and maybe that’s why it works so well, in terms of the vocals. But this song just kicks ass in general!
Spot on he does. My understanding of this song is they both(gilmour and waters) both tried it and weren’t happy and Roy was around so got him to have a go. Something like that anyway either way like you said kick ass anyway
Everybody is mentioning Roy Harper's singing on this but no body is mentioning the insanely awesome instrumentation on this track.
Instrumentals
@@Katehowe3010 yes I did, thank you
I’ve always loved the instrumentation on this song and all the songs on this album.
Probably because the instrumentation is awesome on most Pink Floyd songs but Harper only sings on this one?
It’s not a competition
With this song especially, you have to picture the set up. This album was the follow up to one of the most successful albums in history. Those record execs had to just take this slap in the face and smile about it.
To be honest, the Waters version lacks the bite, the sarcasm and the playfulness that Harper brings in his portrayal of the records company executive. It's a bit mundane, so I'm glad they kept that version.
If you're talking about the alternate take they released a few years back, you're right. But that was when his voice was still strained. After listening to live recordings from 1975-1977 with Roger on lead vocals, I think he totally could have pulled it off if he'd really wanted to.
The end, goes into a transistor radio and into Wish you were here that starts with David playing blues against the song on the radio. They tried to use their own voices and wasn’t working, Roy popped of with “Ill give it a go”, and there we have it. Great Gilmour solo!!!
Look closely at the cover art; it's a visual representation of these lyrics. The men are making a deal (handshake) and one of them is literally getting burned.
Omg you just blew my mind 😳
11:03 that slightly distorted funky riff from Dave gets me every time 🎸🤘
Back in the 70s it was not uncommon to blow a woofer rocking out. Pink Floyd actually recreated the experience as they Rock out after the pep talk from the record company on this track. When people first get exposed to PF it is not uncommon for them to ask 'which one's Pink?' but for your own record company not to know it's a band not a person... Great song one of my favs. Thanks for the reaction.
As others have said, skip The Game and just do a full listen of the album "Stormcock" - you won't regret it.
Another superb song from a superb album from a superb band, and l mean that most sincerely!
How could you have lived your entire life and not heard this! My kids were in diapers when they first heard it. I made sure to raise 'em right!
Some personal trivia: it was the winter of '75 in southeastern Wisconsin and I had a red portable 8 track player (yes, they made them! 😉). A few of us were outside in the woods smoking some stuff and my friend was holding the player and the ending of "Have a Cigar" came on. It switches from stereo to mono and I messed with him and yelled, "Steve! What the hell did you do to the player?!?" He sheepishly offered an apology. We were still listening to the tape when "Wish You Were Here" began. And when the second acoustic guitar kicked in I let him in on the joke!! Good times back in the 70s! 😛😉💖
I love the way the songs flow into each other on this album. The segues are so clever. The whole album is very cinematic.
Definitely!
the story goes like this: harper was recording in a adjoining studio and they invited him to have a go (since roger and david vocals were not working well); apparently he nailed it in a couple of takes.
Roy Harper - Me & My Woman - just simply epic!
The whole of Stormcock is a must-listen, really!
Absolutely correct Sir!
Love this song pink Floyd band is great band
When Roy Harper played the track live, assisted by Gilmour, the latter would reply to Harper's "Which one's Pink?" with "Not me!"
Sorry I missed this one when you made it. Roy Harper is like the godfather of British rock. He is basically a folk singer/songwriter and his early albums are almost totally acoustic. "Stormcock" is arguably the most beautiful album ever recorded. He has worked with many top artists Kate Bush, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd and Led Zep. Dave Gilmour and John Paul Jones have often played live with him. He was asked to record "Have a Cigar" because he was recording the "HQ" album (which features "The Game") in the next studio and Roger Waters had problems with his voice. So glad to see that "The Game" is on your list. You won't be disappointed.
PS: On the subject of "which one's Pink", in France, some insane journalist back in the early 70s believed that Pink Floyd actually meant Pink Flamingo and for many years the band was known as "Les Flamants Roses".
Funny you should say that JP, when i was in high school and took broadcasting, we were stoned in the audio room and was jamming this song. I never heard it before mind you, and when that weird audio change happens at the end, my friends convinced me for a min or two that we broke the speakers and were gonna get in trouble hahaha good times
Glad I'm not the only one!😅
When I was a kid my sister and brother-in-law had the best and loudest Stero system in the house.... So naturally, when they were at work, I used it even though I wasn't supposed to.
I bought the album and was playing it pretty darn loud, and when the blowout part came I thought I blew their speakers or something. Scared the heck out of me. I was only 12 years old so it fooled me good and practically gave me an out-of-body experience..
45 years later, I still crack up at " which one's Pink". A scathing indictment of the music industry, one of Waters' best songs lyrically. Musically, pleasantly weird, but that is PF being PF
Just love the feeling that this song gives you. It empowers you, makes you feel cool as hell. But in the end, that solo is like a stab in the back.
Great description!
Born in 2000??? This is a classic from a masterpiece!!
Roy did a wonderful job in this track, the 1st time I heard it I didn't understand why Roger hadn't sung it, but then I felt that was a great decision... And Rick shines in EVERY song of this great album....
The heavy bass at the start used to make the tone arm on my cheapo stereo jump all over the place. I took the album back to the store for an exchange. Same thing happened. Took it back again, got another replacement. Same thing again. Took it back to the store and the guy, loosing his cool by now, put it on a very expensive turntable and said, "there’s nothing wrong with it. Don’t come back".
Lol!
I totally agree about that guitar work by Gilmour. My favorite part of the song is that solo at the end.
Definitely my favorite song on this album. There was recently an article on my Google feed about how Roy Harper came to sing lead on this track.
Because of the lyrics, this is one of my husband's favorite Pink Floyd tunes.........especially the line, "and by the way, which one's Pink?"
Roy Harper was quite a personality in the 60's and 70's. I had a couple of his albums from the 70's (HQ 75 and The Unknown Soldier 1980). HQ was my favorite and The Game is the masterpiece on this one, but other tracks are quite good - famously When An Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease.
The cast on HQ is outstanding: Chris Spedding, David Gilmour, Bill Bruford, John Paul Jones to name a few... Check out the album . IT IS MINDBLOWING!
Roy Harper is one of the most underrated artists of all time in my opinion. The Game is nice because it's the one where Gilmour played guitar as a "trade off" for Harper's singing on Have A Cigar, but it's far from the best Harper song in my opinion. A personal top 5 is as follows:
1. McGoohan's Blues: a long and cathartic folk song with a bit of twist. Best to go in completely blind if you ask me
2. One Of Those Days In England, pts 2-10: another very long take, this time depicting every possible aspect of Englishness he could think of.
3. Me & My Woman: a beautiful, poetic, Keatsian epic with glorious string and horn arrangements
4. The Same Old Rock: a masterful collaboration with Jimmy Page, from the same album as Me & My Woman, Stormcock, his best one.
5. When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease. The closer to the 1975 album The Game opens, and a heart-wrenching allegory of death through the vocabulary of cricket. Almost as English as One Of Those Days In England, so much so that the legendary John Peele demanded it was broadcast on the BBC at the event of his death, which was actually done.
Cannot argue with any of that nice List!
@@scifimonkey3 I crossed the Channel last year just to see him play at the London Palladium. Incredible singer.
I've always gotten an 'Animals' vibe from the guitar solo in this song. Just the sound and style of the playing feels like a precursor to their next album. Which is NOT a bad thing.
Nice reaction Thank you.
Totally.
Ty Vulture
Gilmour was definitely peaking during this period, Animals being his zenith IMHO.
After listening to some bootleg recordings of Pink Floyd performing "Have a Cigar" live with Roger on lead vocals, I think Roger could have totally handled this song given vocal rest and a few takes. But I'm also really glad he didn't because Harper effin' nailed it here anyway.
The best Pink Floyd concert I've ever heard is the 1977 gig in Oakland, CA. The version I have is titled _Animal Instincts._ The band are in great form and good spirits, they play all of both _Animals_ and _Wish You Were Here,_ and they even dust off an encore they hadn't played in a loooooong time.
The supreme Roy Harper here! It's gotta be time for a reaction!
Roy Harper is an amazing singer and songwriter. This recent interview with him sheds a lot of light on the Have a Cigar recording story consequenceofsound.net/2020/10/the-story-behind-pink-floyd-have-a-cigar/
I like,how Welcome To The Machine flows into this song. Machine is cold and honest about music industry,while Have A Cigar sounds warm and welcoming,but it's a fake warmth. I wouldn't say it's a more mainstream song,but the vibe of it reminds me of their song Money that was a big commercial success. Considering that the song is about music executives that are greedy beyond belief,this similarity in sound can be deliberate, although I don't have any proof of that intention.
Also,an interesting fact: "Which one's Pink?" line was supposedly asked by records executives,when they were making their first album and Syd Barrett was still a main creative force in a band.
So true, nice contrast between the two
Roy Harper does a cover of Jethro Tull's "Up the Pool" on the Jethro Tull tribute album "To Cry You A Song". By the way "To Cry You A Song" is a great Tull song you should listen to as well.
First album I ever bought out of my own money as a young teenager I think I got it around 1996 on double cassette for £14.99 21 years after its release and it’s still my favourite Floyd album✌️
I love the way you picked up on that 'double time on the hi-hat' almost in passing. You have a very acute ear for the small ingredients that go into making great music
Ty Thomas😃
At the risk of sounding repetitive, your insight as to the meaning of the songs and music on first listen is outstanding! Often, I was so caught up in the music that I wasn’t aware of what the songs were actually about until much later...
I just love the vibe of this song and it's a great song to jam along to with friends. Enjoyed the reaction.
"Welcome To The Machine", "Have a Cigar" and "Wish You Were Here" had big FM radio play at the time. I really miss the 70's FM radio format. Not tied to singles but played many album tracks.
Hey Justin My Man!! Have a cigar!! Sure!! Quit smoking over 4yrs ago!! This was a big radio hit like you mentioned!! Love gilmores solo here for sure!! But to be really honest here I don't feel their music transcends the times too well! I feel it's just too slow for 2020! Know what I mean? So I have to tell you how excited I was to get your message this morning!! Hope its coming this weekend!! I'm excited and nervous at the same time!! It's a short song but with alot to say and a beautiful way of expressing it!! I hope you and the community really enjoy it and hope you delve into other requests I've given you! Like Suzanne Vega- Last Years Troubles!! It's upbeat and fun to listen to!!! Have a great weekend!!! GRACE DARLING!!! Also the cover comparison I gave you between Peter Paul and Mary and Phil Collins doing a cover of Bob Dylan's- The Times They Are A Changin!! Phil does a really nice job here!!! Your #1Az FAN MICHAEL😽😸☺😊
The guitar solo at the end of this somg is great. I saw Dave Kilminster play this solo on tour with Roger Waters. The guitar solo is insane, one of Gilmour's best, imo.
This song is a good representation of the "promises" of the recording industry, "You're gonna fly high, you're never gonna die..."
If you want to go to the OTHER end of the Recording Industry, try a couple of songs off the Strawbs album, "Deadlines." After a string of commercial disappointments, the Strawbs were on a "final ultimatum" album with "Deadlines." The recording company didn't want them, they were abandoned by the public, and they were at the end of their life. Interestingly, the album had some standout tracks, and they all reflect the hopeless situation the Strawbs were now in...
"Time and Life" is one such song, with lyrics like this:
Life is a friendI value its endFor I can take it when I chooseThe deadlines."The Last Resort" is another:This is the last resortYou'll ever knowThe old straight trackThe long way backOne more familiar face has goneWill you miss me?I doubt it...And perhaps the stellar number that most hearkens back to the glory days, "Deadly Nightshade."The Strawbs would record one more album in 1978, "Heartbreak Hill," and the record company shelved it for well over a decade. No one cared, no one wanted them, and the ride was over.
I love the sound of what I think is a Clavinet burbling in the background after the first "chorus." Pretty subtle, but it reinforces the momentum of the rhythm.
Nice point!
Just FYI, Pink Floyd is pushing out a lot of earlier unreleased content on their YT channel, here is alternate version of this song.
Reason why Roy Harper is singing the song is that Waters felt is was not in his range and apparently Gilmour did not feel for the lyrics so they invited Roy to sing as he was recording at the same time in the same studio. From Wlki: “Waters has since said he dislikes Harper's version, saying he would have liked it to emerge "more vulnerable and less cynical", adding that Harper's version was too parodic while Gilmour loved Harper's vocal delivery and called it the "perfect version".”
The alternate version included here is where both Waters and Gilmour sing the song together
ruclips.net/video/6SvdtdWJvow/видео.html
Please spell Gilmour's name correctly, Waters has quite the ego and doesn't accept that Harper's version is good, his singing has improved with the excellence of autotune though,
@@RushfanUK ahh Gilmore came up as suggestion on my iPhone and I clicked on it. I will edit my comment. Thanks for kindly pointing out this error.
Waters and Gilmore sing this song now in each of their respective groups
Alw loved the slow, deliberate beat on this belter Justin. 👍 Bass, and gorgeous keyboard work by Richard, superb.
Very anti music industry theme again to butty.
Lyrics are superb once again by Roger.
That guitar solo at the end is so good by Mr. GILMOUR, genius at work.
❤️
Great song, on a truly amazing album by the Floyd imho. ❤️
Your review is absolutely bang on butty. Class.. You take care out there butty 😊
Guitar and keys👍🏻🤟🏻👌🏼
Congrats. Uma das melhores músicas do mundo. Obrigado por ouvir
Pink Floyds' best album.
The Waters/Gilmour Vocal version is available on the Immersion Edition of the album. You can also hear it on RUclips here - ruclips.net/video/MgQRt6fn-LY/видео.html It isn't great imho. Waters' vocal range is limited and Roy Harper does an excellent job with the vocal phrasing which has a profound impact on the effectiveness of the song. He simply gets the cynicism in the lyrics, which is entirely lacking in the Waters/Gilmour version.
Roy was a great choice as he was well known and respected amongst musicians for his distaste for and for standing up against the ‘ executives in the music industry and their money driven desire for control which may be why he is not as widely known as he deserves to be - He was never really promoted except by his music and word of mouth.
@@scifimonkey3 Roy was also a great choice because his singing almost sounds like a combination of Waters's and Gilmour's vocals. He perfectly conveys the sarcasm and emotion present in Waters's vocals while still having the delicate aura of David's.
Yeah, Pink Floyd is usually good with harmonized vocals but in the case of "have a cigar" it doesn't work
Roy Harper on vocals, by the way it would be great if you could check out and react to his album "The Unknown Soldier" on which, at lest on some tracks, appears David Gilmour, and on one - Kate Bush. :-)
I always thought this song highlights Nick Mason's impressive drum work. It has a lot of finesse and structure
So true Shanna!
Can’t wait until you react to Atom Heart Mother and Piper at the Gates of Dawn! Two of my favorites by Pink Floyd!
Good lawd, ain't it funky now !?! Many English bands gravitated toward funk, at least for a track or two, this one being one of Floyd's efforts in that direction. Pink Floyd inspired by James Brown & Bootsy Collins ? Yeah, more or less.... 😎🇺🇸
I always enjoy your video reaction/reviews Justin. How cool to be hearing this for the first time! (9.82K subscribers! I can hardly stand the tension)
Ty! I know it's crazy!
Outstanding legendary song and band!
I seem to remember reading that Gilmour didnt want to sing it because he was worried about pissing off the execs in the industry he was trying to make money in. Roger was always more rock n roll at heart, really... But if you want to hear Roy Harper more, see if you can find the song You - it has Gilmour on guitar and Kate Bush on guest vocals. Its probably my favorite non-Kate Bush vocal song after Don't Give Up
There are some great lines in this song, one of many written about greedy record companies. I agree that Roy Harper sounds a lot like Roger Waters, if I hadn't read who it was I'd never have known.
For me this guitar & keyboards sound is the true Pink Floyd sound which is why I think of "The Wall" and "The Final Cut" as Waters albums, they aren't group efforts.
You can hear David's influence all over the music of the wall. Comfortably nymb, young lust, run like hell mother all have David coming through liud and clear in terms of his influence on those songs
Yeah, no, I hear David so much on The Wall, I could never classify that album as being a Waters album with no group influence. Please.
That is completely true about Final Cut, but I don't feel it about The Wall. The story being so parallel to his life in many ways doesn't take away from it being a full band album.
Glad you liked it...:)...One of the greatest guitar solo outros ever recorded...
Its quite a good ending😄
Primus ROCKED this song on Miscellaneous Debris. Worth a listen
That lead is wow! always loved this song
Nice reaction, another great song on the album. Hats Off to Roy Harper!
Ok JP! Roy Harper is someone who can write a moment in and into time, one that can skin and salt the wound of the malignant, sprinkle you with the fairy dust of a wry whimsy and deliver the embodied beauty and loss of someone you never met as well as the ones you did.
So for salt wounds, Try- ‘I hate the white man’, ‘Hangman’, ‘Burn the world’, ‘Don’t you grieve’, ‘How does it feel’.
For whimsy, try- ‘Mr stationmaster’, ‘Sophisticated beggar’, McGoohan’s blues’, ‘Hallucinating light’, ‘Solar wind sculptures’.
For beauty and loss, try- ‘Davey’, ‘Another day’, ‘COMMUNE’, ‘Sleeping at the wheel’, ‘Miles remains’, ‘Sexy woman’
Many albums would serve for review but perhaps ‘Stormcock’ would be a good place to start.
Excellent, ty for the suggestions!
After my first visit to your home state, I was "Pink" also! Roy Harper is definately worth a listen, so sit back, give it a go and "Have A Cigar"Peace from Ct.
Great tune !! For years I was convinced it was Roger singing !!! I can hear early elements of "The Wall" on this album.
Always loved that one (but like the whole album). IMHO really their best album. Very emotional and with real deeply feelings (about Syd Barrett, the music business…).
There’s a making of documentary of this album which gives a great incite to the band at that time
Spot on review... You did ask why Roy... Well you did answer yourself a bit later when you pointed out how he let go and played around with the phrasing which is really why he makes it special. He brings the necessary cynicism to the singing but, as you also point out, he doesn't make it weird and sound as though the singer isn't very Pink Floyd'y. Just what was needed to elevate a great song.
NOW - Onto Roy - I think "The Game Parts 1-5" is a great place to start. You will have a field day with the lyrics (which is what Roy is all about) and It's also a great place to start as David Gilmour plays lead on it and John Paul Jones (you know, Led Zep) plays bass. He is a real musicians musician as at other times he had Keith Moon playing drums at some live shows. (There is even a song on the album Led Zep 3 called "Hats of to Roy")
The fade out on this song leads into Wish You Were Here.
Groovy rhythm. First thoughts. Indeed also nog seeing uniqueness of Roy Harper. Song Fits in the album, but as a song no standout.
Absolutely fantastic song, Justin from an incredible album.
My first reaction to this was as a wee tike in the late 70's, thanks to the parental unit's musical tastes. Rick's keyboards stood out to me even then, set my 4-5 year-old ears on fire. They set me on a life-long live of synthesizers.
One thing that might explain Roy's vocal. The lyrics to the other songs on the album seem to be more thoughts that could come directly from the band members, while the singer whos character is propositioning the band in "Have a Cigar" is more of an outsider and saying things that are not so much in the bands ideology. The ambitious record producer is not PART of the band. I think it works out quite well. That said, Yes, Roger may regret it, but it certainly seems a valid idea for someone else doing those lyrics specifically. Really great album from beginning to end.
WYWH is one of the best albums ever - Rick Wright is the 'knight in shining armor' with his variety of keyboard layers to create multiple atmospheres and emotions. Of course, each member contributes immensely to the overall sound. Perfection! (And, Roy Harper added the perfect vocals to this song - sorry, Roger)
Such a killer guitar solo by Gilmour on this.
Great reaction. I love this song!
Primus (yes, Primus) does a wicked cover of this song. (thumb up emoji)
Hi JP- A slightly more on topic comment- I have a photo of Roy (1975) in the studio with Roger Waters at the desk and Roger is looking rough, which may go some way to support some of the 'guest vocal' theories listed here. Also true though, in his youth Roy would have had a better upper range. With regards to Roy's vocals, I have not yet personally met a Harper fan who didn't start of with a doubt about his voice (me included), but it always is what the lyric needs it to be.
Roy Harper's "The Game" is an epic rocker, but not representative. You need to hear the album Storm Cock, esp the tracks: Same Old Rock, One Man Rock n Roll Band and finally his "Stairway" moment of excellence, the magnificent Me and My Woman.
Dude is a genius.
Album listen to "Piper At the Gates Dawn"??? "Wish You Were Here" Is my personal favorite!! Have fun JP!!
Oh! Such a great song!😍
Another great song by PF, but as I said before, not a bad one on this album. Love it.
The ending makes way more sense if you keep listening :)
Favorite lines:
- Oh, and by the way, which one's Pink?
- We're so happy we can hardly count.
And Gilmour's guitar tone on this song is amazing.
They tried the song with Waters and Gilmour singing, and they didn't like either. Harper was working in a neighboring studio and offered to try. They loved that version so that's what they kept.
Roy Harper - ‘Same old Rock’ from 1971 Album ‘Stormcock’ with Led Zeppelins Jimmy Page in support. But to be honest from the aptly titled first track Hors D’ Oeuvres to the last notes of Me and My Woman its a great album so maybe go for the whole thing. N B this is Acoustic Rock with folk overtones not Folk Music which is where it is often categorised and possibly why he not more famous than he is. Second favourite album is Bullinamingvase but that is slightly less accessible unless you are an Anglophile as over half the Album is taken up with ‘One of those days in England’ which makes me proud to be British but is full of references to things like cricket which may not register so well with worldwide audiences the the Music however is amazing and capable of speaking to any audience.
Ty monkey, i may take a look at that album
The 'which one's Pink?' lyric cracks me up because that's exactly what Jethro Tull dealt with. 'Which one's Jethro?'
Oh man, I'm guilty of that when I first heard of JT lol
Me and My Woman is considered the pinnacle Roy Harper, but Sleeping at the Wheel or Short and Sweet would be good introductions as well. Great Video as always!
Completely agree about "Short and Sweet" as an another song to do. (Justin - It was even co-written with David) - Admittedly as a Roy anorak I would go for most any song... :) :)
We anoraks need to stick together is say! Short and Sweet would be good but they're all so good!
Anorak! sirs you do yourselves a disservice. Some things transcend such petty labels. Think of all those warm frozen moments you have been gifted, through snowy wing beats, blackcap glades and Hot Kentish hilltops (for the few and not the many, anyway)
@@adrienimeness8480 Well when you're thirty and the music you like is all by people in their seventies now, you do feel a little odd. But it's an oddness we wear with pride... We the immoral men
@@ddarien951 What attention do years require when considering moment by each moment to some future yesterday?
Nick Mason's work on drums deserves a lot of credit on this track. That's a deep groove, and Nick plays it just right.
Absolutely
I remember listening to this song with a buddies girlfriend who had no clue what this song was. When the ending turned into the radio, she thought the car's speakers broke. Her seriousness still makes me laugh.
Nice way to end the week with Pink Floyd JP.
Thanks Barry🙃
people like Roy Harper's The Game because Gilmour plays on it (one track), but I think Stormcock or HQ are a better representation of Roy's music. Roy sings HAC because Gilmour and Waters didn't like their own attempts at the time. Roy volunteered to do it in exchange for life long season tickets to Lords cricket seats. Roger lamented not having sung it in interviews ever since. I think he's wrong. Roy did a good job. You can hear Roger & Dave singing it in the early demo. ruclips.net/video/MgQRt6fn-LY/видео.html Don't think the singing was as good, but I do dig the much darker tone of Gilmour's guitar. Not better, but cool all the same.
As for the end of Have a Cigar, it runs into Wish You Were Here. What is meant to be happening is a kid is listening to his radio, Have A Cigar is on the radio, the song ends and the kid dials the radio dial through some talk channels, and settles on a station that is playing an acoustic guitar riff. He then plays along with the riff on the radio, and you're off and running with Wish you Were Here. It's a very cool transition. Not surprising because Pink Floyd were the kings of creating interesting and creative song transitions.
EDIT: Gilmour and Harper had been buddies for many years. They've written music for each other over the years. David wrote a song that needed lyrics in 84 for his album About Face. He sent the song to both Pete Townshend and Roy Harper to get their take and ended up using neither of their versions. Pete put White City Fighting on his solo album and Roy put Hope out on his solo album (with Jimmy Page as guitarist). Gilmour and Harper wrote Short and Sweet together for David's eponymous first solo album, and Roy joined him a couple of times on tour to sing it. ruclips.net/video/X9pBmMZ3Ix8/видео.html
Thanks for the review. You always give such good song analysis, Justin! 😎
The Game is a good possible choice for an intro to Roy Harper's music. But instead I think the song Once which features Gilmour and Kate Bush might be the gateway drug for you. In no specific order, I also recommend Garden Of Uranium, Same Shoes, Miles Remains, Don't You Grieve, Another Day (which was covered by Bush and Peter Gabriel in a duet that you can also find here), Tom Tiddler's Ground, Highway Blues, Nineteen Forty-Eightish (with Jimmy Page), Ten Years Ago, One Of Those Days In England (with Paul and Linda McCartney on backing vocals), The Spirit Lives, Referendum Legend, Berliners (with Gilmour), Ghost Dance, Me And My Woman, The Fly Catcher (with Gilmour), You (The Game Part II) (which also features Bush and Gilmour), Old Faces (with Gilmour), Short And Sweet (with Gilmour, and also is a song that Gimour recorded his own separate version), Hope (with Page), and Hangman (with Page)...
Howdy. Good review, per normal. Just eagerly awaiting your next offering.
Ty😃
A testament of Gilmour's genius with solo composition and the importance of articulation! Incredible piece!
Led Zeppelin 3 closing track is called Hats off to (Roy) Harper.
THe "Which one is Pink?" Line is something a record producer genuinly asked them early in their career. He calimed to be a huge fan then asked which one was pink clearly indicating he knew nothing.
Nick Mason said labels at the time were signing anything with "Long hair and if it turned out to be a labrador so be it." They were all trying to replicate the Beatles success.
From some interviews I've heard Roy Harper himself regrets doing the song because when ever he performs live there is always someone in the crowd shouting for him to do "Have a Cigar"
Great song! Great review! Thanks JP!
I remember the first time I heard this song. We had the album playing fairly loud and when it got to the end where the 'rip' sound happens, my friends and I first thought something had fried in our amp/speakers. It took us by surprise but we obviously figured out it was just a cool production technique. This song isn't my favorite, but it has it's moments.