THE FERRYMAN'S CURSE

Strawbs is an English progressive band that was founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group in the mid 60's, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock, progressive rock and briefly glam rock. Around 1967 they moved towards folk. When Sandy Denny, who has meanwhile become the next legend, joined the line up in 1967, the career slowly took off. They recorded their first album with Sandy, 'AL Our Own Work' but that only was released in 1973. It has a song written by Sandy Denny called 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes'.

After Sandy left the band to be part of Fairport Convention, Strawbs released two more albums, 'Strawbs' in 1969 and 'Dragonfly' in 1970 without much success. It was only when the young rising star Rick Wakeman joined the band that Strawbs became more known. With Rick, Strawbs released two albums 'Just A Collection Of Antiques And Curious' also in 1970 and 'From The Witchwood' in the next year. Then, as almost all know, Rick left Strawbs to join Yes. But, at the time, they were already a very solid band and in the next year they released their best works, the albums that belong to their golden era, 'Grave New World' in 1972, 'Bursting At The Seams' in 1973, 'Hero And Heroine' in 1974 and 'Ghosts' in 1975. After that and in spite of Strawbs has released many other works, they never were able to achieve the quality and success manifested in those years. However, in the last years, Strawbs returned with another album with the same quality standard of those works, 'The Ferryman's Curse'. It's clearly their best studio work since 'Ghosts'.

'The Ferryman's Curse' is the twenty-third studio album of Strawbs and was released in 2017. The line up on the album is Dave Cousins (vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, electric dulcimer and autoharp), Dave Lambert (vocals, lead and acoustic guitars and ebow), Dave Bainbridge (keyboards, electric and acoustic guitars, Hammond organ and bouzouki), Chas Cronk (vocals, bass and 12 string guitars) and Tony Fernandez (drums and percussion).

'The Ferryman's Curse' has ten tracks. 'In The Beginning' is a short, but beautiful optimistic orchestral piece, plenty of piano, synthesizers and Mellotron sounds. It leads directly into the powerful and heavy 'The Nails From The Hands Of Christ'. 'The Nails From The Hands Of Christ' is one of the central pieces on the album. It finds Cousins in a great lyrical form and he also still has that gentle voice we remembered from the good old days. Here, the bands progressive rock tendencies are out in full force thanks to some excellent Hammond organ, synth and Mellotron works. He also contributes with guitar alongside with Lambert, who leads the guitar work in Strawbs since the early 70's. 'The Song Of Infinite Sadness' is a nice, quiet and reflective number, showcasing Cousins' distinctive vocals with its fragile tones and gorgeous acoustic guitar strains. 'The Familiarity Of Old Lovers' is backed by sizzling lead electric guitar, organ, and the mighty Mellotron, so typical of the wonderful progressive rock music. Cousins' vocals notch up in power and emotion for the final verse. 'When The Spirit Moves' has an opening seasonal flavour with its12-string guitars weave in and out of orchestral keyboards. It's a lovely spiritual song with an acoustic guitar play with swirling keyboards and keyboard string arrangement underneath. 'The Ten Commandments' is a bluesy hard rock song, the contribution of Lambert to the album. He sings in a Clapton style with its driving rhythm and rock- solid beat from drummer Fernandez and bassist Cronk. 'The Reckoning' is another short instrumental track, another stunning prog experience with nice keyboard textures from Bainbridge and plenty of intricate acoustic guitar works. 'The Ferryman's Curse' is the other central piece on the album. It's a much heralded sequel of their 'The Vision Of The Lady Of The Lake' of 'Dragonfly' from 1970. That was probably the track that at the time, more than anything else, signaled the bands transition from folk to rock. This is a prog epic of highest order that will thrill any fan of the vintage prog music. 'Bats And Swallows' makes the album lighter with of a pop/folk track with some breezy nice melodies. This is an upbeat song that prepares us to the final track. 'We Have The Power' closes the album nicely. It opens with blasts of Mellotron over positive and hopeful lyrics sung by Cousins, intertwined with great guitar and keyboard soloing. It shows the band in their top form.

Conclusion: 'The Ferryman's Curse' is a very strong album from this veteran band, which shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Curiously, and despite this line up is comprised of founding, longtime, and newer members, they are able to stick together and keep this momentum going. So, Strawbs seem re-energized, especially by Bainbridge's presence. As a result, the consistency of this album is really impressive. In reality, this album looms as a wonderful testimonial to the group's 50th year in the business. Hence, the Strawbs coalesces glimpses of its past with a modern boost that yields an enchanting soundscapes, contrasted with thrusting opuses and iridescent tonalities. I even dare to say that 'The Ferryman's Curse' is Strawbs' best work since 'Ghosts', probably better than 'Bursting At The Seams'.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

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