Short Reviews [Jack Ellister - 2019 - "When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease"]

When I heard that the label has suggested to Jack that he record this Roy Harper classic, and that he had never even heard it due to coming from Poland, by way of Germany and the Netherlands, I was intrigued. Many Harper fans, myself included, find it hard to agree as to which is his best album, but quite a few of us plump for this as his best song, so how could someone who doesn’t understand the game (although seeing England’s latest test debacle I don’t think they understand the pure form anymore – where is Boycott when you need him?), understand it? By playing it on an old piano of his parents, with reverb on his voice, and recapturing everything that made it so special when it first appeared on ‘HQ’ all those years ago. As for the other side of the single, it could be a different performer altogether he provides us with a psychedelic blasted out version of Black Sabbath’s “Supernaut” from Vol. 4! Talk about chalk and cheese. For me that one takes a little more getting used to, but is still fine, whereas Side A (love vinyl) is a masterpiece rendition of an absolute classic.