Commercial Break

AMG Review of Commercial Break

Brian Downing
All Music Guide

Commercial Breaks was supposed to be the follow-up to Roy Harper's acclaimed 1977 release, Bullinamingvase, but was shelved due to a dispute with EMI. It came out in an amended form in 1988 as Loony on the Bus, but was not officially released with its originally intended title until 1994. It is not a great album in any form, but at least it's more reminiscent of Harper's winning folk-rock style as opposed to his ill-fated flirtation with '80s-style production. Three of the songs ended up on 1980's The Unknown Soldier, but the versions on Commercial Breaks are superior. Buy the rest of Harper's output from the '70s before getting this one.