AbOUT A ROy

That was a great review by Tom Pinnock in Take 249 about the three current Roy Harper reissues, and specifically the 1968 album, Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith.

I was surprised, however, that there was no mention of the LP’s involvement with the fantastic CBS sampler, The Rock Machine Turns You On. This was the first ever LP sampler (it was followed by Island’s Nice Enough To Eat and You Can All Join In) and it certainly turned me on, and thousands of others, to the new “underground” music, all for the price of 14 shillings and 11 pence!

The LP, released in the UK in late 1968, showcased a wonderfully eclectic group of rock performers from CBS’s then-expanding roster and played one track from their current albums, including a track from Roy Harper titled “Nobody’s Got Any Money In The Summer” from his then current LP Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith. Why the track title was changed on the sampler from the original LP track title of “You Don’t Need Money” is unclear, but it’s the same song.

This wonderful first ever sampler LP was initiated by CBS president Clive Davis. It first entered the UK chart in 1969, rising to No 18, and is estimated to have sold over 140,000 copies. Many Uncut readers must still have a copy and, like me, will have enjoyed their first introduction to the brilliance of Roy Harper! Keith Handley, via email