Roy Harper

This is where it all began, with a slim volume of poems and psychedelic ditties set to music, backed by a simple Revox machine, and transformed by instrumental turns that display British cult hero Roy Harper's deft guitar work. "Girlie," "Big Fat Aeroplane," and "Legend," while steeped in traditional folk idioms, show hints of Harper's unique songwriting style. His caustic wit and passion are already evident in the wordplay of this 1966 debut. "Forever" is as pretty a love song as you are likely to hear, while the mostly instrumental "Blackpool" rivals the works of acoustic guitar virtuosos Leo Kottke and John Fahey. On the electrified "Committed," Harper takes a darkly humorous look at a 15-week spell in an institution undergoing electro-convulsive treatment, which he received after faking mental illness to get out of the service. Very much a first album with rough edges and a no-frills production, Sophisticated Beggar nonetheless provides strong indications of a significant artist's burgeoning talent.