On This Day 01/11/1977 Roy Harper

Images may be subject to copyright

On this day, 1 November 1977, folk/rock singer songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper played Cardiff University with support supplied by The Spriguns.

He had earlier in the year released his ninth studio album Bullinamingvase

Controversy followed the release of 1977's Bullinamingvase. The owners of Watford Gap service station objected to criticism of their food – "Watford Gap, Watford Gap/A plate of grease and a load of crap..." – in the lyrics of the song "Watford Gap", as did an EMI board member who was also a non-executive director of Blue Boar (the owners of the service station). Harper was forced to drop it from future UK copies of the album, though it remained on the US LP and reappeared on a later CD reissues.

The album also featured the song "One of Those Days in England", with backing vocals by Paul McCartney and Linda; the single from the album went to number 42 in the UK charts.

During this period, Harper's band were renamed 'Chips' and included Andy Roberts, Dave Lawson, Henry McCullough, John Halsey and Dave Cochran. In April 1978, Harper began writing lyrics for the next Led Zeppelin album with Jimmy Page, but the project was shelved when lead singer Robert Plant returned from a break after the death of his son, Karac Pendragon.