Roy Harper : When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease
Played on the BBC's Radio 1 as a tribute to John Peel on the day of his funeral, this Roy Harper tune from 1975's HQ has layers upon layers of melancholy and meaning.
If sometimes you're catching a fleeting glimpse of a twelfth man at silly mid-on
And it could be Geoff, and it could be John, with a new ball sting in his tail
And it could be me, and it could be thee, and it could be the sting in the ale
Harper would also sing lead vocals on Pink Floyd's "Have a Cigar", which was recorded at Abbey Road the same time Harper was making HQ.
You may be right about Radio 1 playing this as a tribute to Peel on the day of his funeral. However, I think there was an earlier, more apt tribute when Peel played this on his first show following the death of his mate and fellow Radio 1 producer, John Walters. Incidentally, he opened his show that night with a tune by Ken Colyer, a single that he and Walters (then unknown to each other) both claimed to have bought on the first day it had come out many years earlier. Very moving it was too to hear Peel that night - I've got a tape of it somewhere.
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