{"product_id":"roy-harper-sophisticated-beggar-lp-black-vinyl","title":"Roy Harper – Sophisticated Beggar","description":"\u003cp\u003eRoy Harper’s debut album Sophisticated Beggar is reissued on 180g black vinyl by Science Friction, using the 2019 remaster prepared by Harper and John Fitzgerald. Originally released in 1966, the record captures the English songwriter at the beginning of a career that would become renowned for fearless independence, long-form composition and a refusal to remain within conventional folk boundaries. Made in a modest studio setting, these recordings already reveal the lyrical intensity and restless imagination that would define his later work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe first side moves through concise character pieces and more expansive acoustic performances. “China Girl” and “Goldfish” introduce Harper’s agile guitar playing and conversational delivery, while the title track combines folk storytelling with an emerging psychedelic sensibility. “My Friend”, “Big Fat Silver Aeroplane” and “Blackpool” show his gift for vivid, sharply observed writing, and “Legend” closes the side with a darker, more reflective atmosphere.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the second side, “Girlie” and “October Twelfth” continue the album’s mixture of intimacy, humour and unease. “Black Clouds” and “Mr. Station Master” demonstrate how quickly Harper could shift perspective and tone, while “Forever” has become one of the most enduring songs from his early catalogue. The closing “Committed” leaves the listener with a final glimpse of the confrontational and emotionally exposed approach that would soon be developed on larger and more ambitious records.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis limited edition is housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve reproducing the original cover design, with a printed heavyweight inner containing lyrics, notes and images. For long-time Roy Harper listeners it offers a carefully presented version of a foundational album; for newcomers it is an accessible entry into the work of a songwriter whose influence reaches far beyond the British folk scene. Sophisticated Beggar sounds raw, immediate and remarkably individual more than half a century after it was first recorded.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe remaster preserves the immediacy of the original sessions while giving the voice and acoustic guitar a clearer, more balanced presentation.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Science Friction","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58375721550198,"sku":"SFLP007","price":24.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/www.stickyblacktarmac.com\/products\/roy-harper-sophisticated-beggar-lp-black-vinyl","provider":"Sticky Black Tarmac","version":"1.0","type":"link"}