DAVE COUSINS

That changes completely with the following 6 tracks featuring Dave and Ian Cutler getting on like a house on fire. Cousins is clearly rejuvenated, incredibly enthusiastic and his voice is in remarkably good form. Stand out tracks are "The Shepard's Song", with Cutler going ballistic on the song's instrumental mid section, and on Dave's old standard "We'll Meet Again Sometime". I wish the entire album showcased these two, but I'll take what I can get. So, half a good album is worth 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Dave takes the time to explain many of the themes and ideas that went into writing many of his classic tunes before doing heartfelt takes of each number. What's not surprising is how well these songs holdup in these extremely stripped down arrangements, as if they were they were written to be performed this way. What is surprising is the backstory to "Blue Angel" and "Call To Action" to go along with better known backstories to songs like "Song Of A Sad Little Girl" and "The Hangman And The Papist." Also present is Cousins' lament for the long ago departed one time Strawbs' member Sandy Denny that's titled "Ringing Down The Years", that can be found on many Strawbs' live albums and compilations. What makes that song even more poignant this time around is the lack of response by the small club audience when Cousins speaks of her and introduces the song. As if they never heard of one of Britain's greatest female vocalists and folk rock pioneers. And you can gauge Dave's reaction as the song is sung even more poignantly then ever. One can't fail to feel Cousins' emotion and that's what makes this strange little album essential for fans of The Strawbs, prog folk, Sandy Denny, and awesome song writing of Dave Cousins. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Cousins goes all out eclectic on the Boy In The Sailor Suit with a handful of country flavored rock, hard rock and blues songs with even a thirties' era radio pastiche number thrown in. All with varying results. The lead off track "Never Takes Sweats From A Stranger" is a typical Cousins' Strawbs- like tale of caution, helped no doubt by using the riff from the Strawbs' song "Heartbreaker" from 1977's Burning For You album. "Mellow Moon", "The Smile You Left Behind' and "Bringing In The Harvest' are country and folk rock songs that work well with Cutler's fiddle, particularly on the last two, and Anderson's lap steel playing on the first . "Skip To My Lou" and "Hellfire Blues" evoke late sixties' British style folk rockers, Fairport Convention in particular (as noted by Kennethlevine in his own PA review of this album) and features some good tradeoffs between Cutler's fiddle and Anderson's electric lead guitar.

Hard rocking "Mother Luck" is one of the strangest songs on the album with it's near "Foxy Lady" riff and Anderson's Hendrix-like feedback drenched wah-wah lead at the song's coda, while "Lonely Days, Lonely Nights" is another hard rocker devoid of, fortunately, any Hendrix "homage" this time around. Both songs are forgettable as is the soft rocker "Calling Out Your Name". The jazzy thirties' pastiche "Wish You Were Here" is downright grating. So there you have it, an interesting mixed bag of styles with mostly good results beating out the bad.

On this album, Dave Cousins re-records a number of his songs from the Strawbs as well as recording some new tunes he wrote more recently, with just himself and Melvin Duffy in the room (Melvin playing pedal-steel slide). I am so glad he did, as not only are these versions excellent, but the slide guitar playing is beautiful and adds a layer to the music here that is not on any other Dave Cousins or Strawbs album. Perhaps most enjoyable are some tunes that had only been recorded using 80s (over-)production values on previous albums. The key one here is the wonderful "Ringing Down the Years" that Dave wrote in memory of Sandy Denny. Earlier it only appeared on the horrid late-80s Strawbs album of the same name ("Ringing Down the Years") but (as I note in my review of that album) it is so awash in bad 80s production (loud synths, snare drum with tons of reverb, vocals hardly audible, etc) that you can't tell how great a song it is. But here it is allowed to shine. Another example is "Beat the Retreat", originally recorded on the mid-80s album "Don't Say Goodbye", with again, horrid 80s production (loud synths, etc). The 80s versions sound like over-done commercial AOR singles (that they were). The versions here are delicate and touching acoustic ballads, with beautiful ethereal slide sounds. This album makes the music real and vibrant, what was missing on those original recordings. There are some brand new songs here too. "Plainsong", "Sheppard's Song", "Falling in Love Again", and (close to my heart) Dave's ode "Canada", are wonderful additions to the Cousins discography, and all very worthy songs. Finally, the it is true the re-recordings are mixed. Some, like "I Turned My Face into the Wind" I find unnecessary, as I think the original for that song is better, but others like "Josephine, For Better or For Worse", "Song of a Sad Little Girl", and "How I need You Now" are just as good, if not better, than the originals. On the whole, a very enjoyable album, and one I would recommend for fans of Dave Cousins and Strawbs. I give this album 7.4 out of 10 on my 10-point scale, which translates to high-ish 3 PA stars.

First of all, its near obsolescence can be attributed to the fact that the Strawbs 2003 release "Blue Angel" included most of these tracks in barely altered form, in addition to a few other worthwhile tunes. Even before being repackaged as a full band release, it included some time and erstwhile band members Blue Weaver, Tony Fernandez, Chas Cronk, Rod Demick and Richard Hudson as guests, so muddling up personal filing systems wherever it appeared.

"The Bridge" was intended as a hybrid between the more painstakingly produced Strawbs albums and the entirely unplugged and lo-fi Cousins and Willoughby work, but, since most Strawbs albums admirably straddle that line.... Only 2 tracks didn't make the leap to the "Blue Angel" release, presumably because of their entirely acoustic nature, those being the opener "You Never Needed Water" and the finale "Song for Alex". Of the first, while Strawbs and Cousins have occasionally dabbled in C&W styles, this one is a full fledged finger picking good tune that hearkens back to the band's bluegrass beginnings and is emblazoned with Willoughby's fretting skills throughout. The lyrics are at once saucy and bitter, Cousins at his lovelorn best. Given the price that this CD is likely to command, I wouldn't say it's worth the price of admission for this song alone, but it's certainly worth your consideration if the description is to your taste. The wistful closing number "Song for Alex" has a clearer older lineage, dating back to the band's very early days. It's similar in tone to "Beat the Retreat" which appeared on "Don't Say Goodbye" in 1987, and, like the opening tune, includes splendid work by Willoughby.

Omitting the repeat exposure on Blue Angel, the other highlights here are the gorgeous "Further Down the Road" with its succinct verse and one line chorus, and the mini epic "The Plain", which could have fit on almost any album from the group's heyday, with Cousins' ponderous lyrics and a sense of dread. Several rockers are included, never the man or the band's strong suit, but "Rhythm of the Night" is a fair approximation to a Springsteen stomper. The vocal collaborations with Mary Hopkin are so-so, being a bit light by any measure, while "Strange Day over the Hill" is another country-ish shuffle with typically provocative and obtuse lyrics.

Overall, I can't really recommend this except to Strawbs fans and those who find the descriptions of the acoustic pieces to be irresistible. For the rest, I suggest the "Blue Angel" CD which also includes several more proggy tracks like "Blue Angel" itself and "There will Come the Day". It's not a great album either but definitely offers more value even ignoring the likely market prices for "The Bridge". 2.5 stars rounded down.

Whatever its motivations, "Old School Songs" presents Strawbs classics and a few hitherto unheard tracks in a crisp lo-fi manner, COUSINS' wearily magnanimous voice accompanied by his own simple strumming and Willoughby's often stunning acoustic leads offer a side to these largely folk numbers that was occasionally lost in the arrangements of full band productions. This is true even for "The Battle", one of the earlier tracks, and certainly true for "The Hangman and the Papist" and "Beside the Rio Grande".

Even in its live studio mustiness and the cassette captured festival recordings, this album excels in at least 2 unexpected aspects. First the aforementioned work of Willoughby, known afterwards as the master of the twiddly bits, hones his craft both technically and melodically quite beyond the capabilities of any prior or subsequent Strawbs guitarist. His fills and solos shimmer in rough cut grandeur as befits the overall epic quality of most of the selections. I find myself looking forward to even the shortest of these as an offset to the Dylanesque repetitiveness of some of the song structures. The other triumph is in the introduction of a couple of marvelous pieces that had actually been part of the repertoire of the early days of SANDY DENNY and even before. In particular, "I've been my own worst friend" is Cousins at his folkie best, forgiving himself even as he acknowledges his failures. Coincidentally or not, it acts as a fair assessment of his musical career up to that point. These tunes hold off on the Willoughby flair perhaps out of respect for their original intent. The version of "Grace Darling" that opens the album would become a blueprint for later live and studio versions.

Due to its purely acoustic format, this disk would be most suitable for fans of the group and of Dave Cousins, fans of folk music in general, and those who might be curious about how some of those classic Strawbs story songs might sound if they were firmly but lovingly given the old school treatment.

Released in only a few European countries (excluding the U.K. and the U.S) when the album Blue Angel first came out in 1972, it was because the album truly had all the hallmarks of a Dave Cousins solo album at that time. The contemporary Strawbs album released with great success at that time was the U.K. hit producing Bursting At The Seams. BatS was vitrually chock full of clever catchy tunes from Tears and Pavin, Part of The Union, Laydown and the mega progressive Down By The Sea.

By comparison, Two Weeks Last Summer seams restrained and very individualistic with Cousins accompanying himself solely on piano on several tracks (who knew he could play?) and woodwind accompaniment on another song (with an instrumental intro) The World/That's The Way it Ends. Cousins' first ever outing of October To May was done completely acapella. While his voice was still vibrant and charming at this point in his career, these songs simply fall short as symphonic prog.

Where Cousins does excel is in the heavy prog of the three suite title track that utilizes some heavier than usual lead electric guitar from guest player Millar Anderson, who makes the track sound more interesting and dramatic than it actually is. The lack of a mellotron is surely a missing asset (compare this with the live 40th Anniversary Edition featuring Blue Weaver's mellotron magic.) It's not a bad prog song, but it palls in comparison with Cousins' future three suite masterpieces such as Autumn, Ghosts and the now properly sequenced The River/Down By Sea on the CD reissues of Bursting at the Seams.

Unfortunately, the straight up rock song The Actor is ruined by Cousins' use of annoying oscillating vocal manipulation on the songs verses, which renders the lyrics indecipherable.

Two Weeks Last Summer is not a bad album but it got the limited reception that it actually deserved due to a majority of the song's simply not being up to snuff. Which really is a shame as the album is well produced and sounds great. 3 stars as it's the only Dave Cousins solo album that actually contains new material and not make overs (save We'll Meet Again Sometime), as has been his want since releasing solo albums since 1980.

In a effort to separate the wheat from the chaff of Dave Cousins' solo offerings, I look back on 1980's "Old Scholl Songs" recorded with old friend and crack guitarist Brian Willoughby.

Basically, after the Strawbs lost their record deal in 1978 and disbanded, Cousins was up against it and needed an inexpensive way to generate some income. He enlisted Willoughby and the duo hit the fiolk club and festival circuit playing Strawbs' numbers acoustically.

The album is split nearly in two by studio recording and live recordings of the 1979 Exmouth Folk Festival in the U.K. The live festival cuts were actually taken from a cassette type. But as the entire album is considerably Lo Fi, there is no loss of continuity between the early studio cuts and the live taped tracks.

Hence, Mr. Cousins might have produced the first unplugged album about a decade before it came into vogue on MTV.

The performance's are good as Cousins is still in top notch voice at this juncture and does justice to songs like the "Hangman and the Papist" as well as an excellent solo vocal on the Strawbs' bombastic U.K. hit Laydown.

Unfortunately, Willoughby is very much in a strumming support role, or merely interjects a few catchy notes here and there, and doesn't get a chance to really shine. At least on most of the songs presented here.

Old School Songs is a quaint look back at a desperate time for Dave Cousins and is a precursor to the Acoustic Strawbs groups that he would form 20+ years later. However, due to it's Lo Fi nature and lack of songs that outshine the original versions (except for a beautiful stripped down version of "Grace Darling"), I can only recommended this antique and curio to die hard fans and collectors. Cousins would strike gold with the 2003 album "Baroque and Roll" by the Acoustic Strawbs featuring both Dave Lambert and Willoughby in strikingly good form and is much preferred for those seeking out acoustic versions of Strawbs' best songs. So, 2 stars seems right for "Old School Songs."

I'm not going to be coy by avoiding the fact that Cousins can pick up a few pence for later indie releases like these. However, this solo studio outing (don't be fooled by the cover) gives fans a chance to actually hear and absorb some of Dave Cousins best compositions on this compilation. Joined only by Melvin Duffey on pedal steel and Dobro, it's uber producer Chris Tsangarides that really makes this mellow outing shine. Particularly with his remarkable treatment of Cousins vocals, which haven't sounded that good in 20 years. And Tsangarides' unique 'shimmering but just on the boarder of sounding shrill' production sound works well for Duffy's pedal steel soundscapes. Cousins also wisely avoids some of the Strawbs' wailing numbers which also helps greatly.

The song selection of older Strawbs material is stellar. (When is it not?) With a few different solo Dave Cousins albums circulating right now, this one is a keeper.

Not counting the several collaboration albums with other people outside of his day job with Strawbs, The Boy In The Sailor Suit was only Dave Cousins' second solo album appearing some 35 years after his Two Weeks Last Summer! It is a somewhat eclectic set of songs, covering electric Folk Rock, Blues Rock, and Hard Rock, while carefully avoiding Prog. Most of the songs here are decent enough, though a couple of them are quite terrible, but nothing really stands out. It is the rockers that stink and the ballads that are pleasant.

Cousins' voice is pleasant and the sound of this album is certainly more full and organic than on the Cousins & Conrad album High Seas or the Cousins & Wakeman album Hummingbird. With the stronger sound and production of the present album and the best songs from all three of these albums, we could perhaps be talking about a good album here. But as it stands, The Boy In The Sailor Suit joins the other two as a largely forgettable, even if mostly pleasant, experience. None of these match the more recent albums by Strawbs (The Brokenhearted Bride is especially great).

Recommended only to serious fans and collectors of Cousins long career in and out of Strawbs