Strawbs/Dave Cousins Appreciation Thread!

If I had to pick just one album by them - it has to be Hero and Heroine, but frankly all the albums from the 70s before and after it have so many great moments, it is hard to single albums out.

However, if you move away from this more rock-orientated period, the album I really loved was the 'first' album - Strawbs. Great songs, a lightness of touch, more folky, endearingly innocent at times and I regularly go back to it to hear 'The Man Who Called Himself Jesus', 'Pieces of 79 and 15' (apparently where Dave and Tony lived, I once was told), "The Battle' and those little storyline tunes like "All the Little Ladies', 'Poor Jimmy Wilson' etc.

For those people wanting to get into prime Strawbs from the 70s, I would recommend the compilation 'A Choice Selection of Strawbs' which does a great job at cherry picking many highlights and might then get them looking for the numerous hidden gems held by the studio albums themselves.

I was a fan from the mid-70s but had to wait to see them for the first time on February 27th, 1980 at the UMIST Student's Union in Manchester - where they previewed 'Heartbreak Hill' but which sadly was not released until many years later as they had an extended hiatus for several years after that. Made it to the Cambridge Folk Festival in 1984 for the reunion and then regularly after that in acoustic or electric formats since then. Never been disappointed - other than when they supported Lindisfarne, and their set was far too short!

I'd like to recommend the 'Old School Songs' album where Dave Cousins and Brian Willoughby really bring out the best, acoustically, out of a range of Strawbs songs - with 'Grace Darling' a particular highlight (although that's not to knock the choir accompaniment of the original version).

Working through my collection to try to produce a top 20 of sorts, and trying to get some newer songs in it too ('The Broken-hearted Bride' has its moments, for example). Very difficult to get the number down! When I stop procrasinating, I'll post it and then run for cover!

Edited by Squonk19 - January 11 2018 at 23:53

kenethlevine wrote: On the subject of the new album, "Ferryman's Curse", while I don't like everything on it, I think it flows together better than any album since Ghosts.  Even the Lambert tune, stylistically different, is in keeping with the religious themes present throughout the album.  The flow of an album can make it less or more than the sum of its parts.  Luckily, unlike say "Nomadness", which had quite a few good songs but no flow, "Ferryman's Curse" manages to seem cohesive and is better for it

So many good topics in this thread!  

Edited by SteveG - January 11 2018 at 06:48

kenethlevine wrote: Barbu wrote: Discovered them in early 2000 with the Hero & Heroine track, was instantly blown away, bought 4 or 5 records (early ones) and they quickly became a favorite of mine. Favorite albums: Hero & Heroine, From the Witchwood, Ghosts, Grave new World Favorite live: BBC in Session/In Concert Favorite track (out of many): Autumn, Hanging in the Gallery, The Hangman, Lay Down...but the ultimate Strawbs track for me is The Antique Suite (Painted acoustic version). For those who never heard them, I strongly encourage you to give a listen to the illustrious Strawbs and learn the true meaning of eternal friendship. wow for some reason I assumed you were a fan since their heyday. Did you get to see them at FMPM or at the Outremont theatre in recent years? Back when CHOM-FM was a fantastic bilingual station, Strawbs might have been the most beloved group on that station, receiving tons of airplay and garnering a lot of popularity for being a cultish band, apart from a couple of big hit singles in the UK

Haha I was only 6 months old when Hero was released, Ken!

and no, I never had the chance to caught them live but I'm fine with it. Have a few DVD to compensate and I particularly like the acoustic Hampton Court Palace...short but highly enjoyable.

Wonderful, classic band!

I"ve been a fan since I first heard Round and Round on late night FM many years ago. I was blown away by the great music and hard-hitting, bitter lyrics. As a committed Genesis, Yes, and ELP fan, I couldn't believe there was such a strong English Prog band that I had never heard of.

Autumn and Blue Angel still move me tremendously, and they have many more superb tracks. The music is terrific, of course, but I think Cousins wrote some of the finest lyrics ever in rock. As a lyricist, I'd call him better than most, and the equal of any.

I also love the early stuff with the late great Sandy Denny.

Barbu wrote: Discovered them in early 2000 with the Hero & Heroine track, was instantly blown away, bought 4 or 5 records (early ones) and they quickly became a favorite of mine. Favorite albums: Hero & Heroine, From the Witchwood, Ghosts, Grave new World Favorite live: BBC in Session/In Concert Favorite track (out of many): Autumn, Hanging in the Gallery, The Hangman, Lay Down...but the ultimate Strawbs track for me is The Antique Suite (Painted acoustic version). For those who never heard them, I strongly encourage you to give a listen to the illustrious Strawbs and learn the true meaning of eternal friendship.

I'm terribly broke right now and can't afford any new music at all but I found an amazon gift card in the drawer and gleefully ordered the 40th Strawberry Fayre vol.1 (warmly recommended by big G)

Can't wait to hear this one.

Grave New World and From the Witchwood were the first and second albums I ever bought (by any band!).

Discovered them in early 2000 with the Hero & Heroine track, was instantly blown away, bought 4 or 5 records (early ones) and they quickly became a favorite of mine.

Favorite albums: Hero & Heroine, From the Witchwood, Ghosts, Grave new World

Favorite live: BBC in Session/In Concert

Favorite track (out of many): Autumn, Hanging in the Gallery, The Hangman, Lay Down...but the ultimate Strawbs track for me is The Antique Suite (Painted acoustic version).

I strongly encourage you to give a listen to the illustrious Strawbs and learn the true meaning of eternal friendship.

Edited by Barbu - June 20 2019 at 12:33

on the subject of the epic "Blue Angel", I still prefer the original version from Dave Cousins' solo album "Two Weeks Last Summer".  It has a rawness and economy to it and I also think Cousins' voice is at its best while Wakeman's piano really suite the song.  But then it could all be just because I never heard another version for 10 years.  In 1984 I saw the reformed band to a packed house at the El Mocambo in Toronto.  They played mostly old songs, like from Grave New Wold and before, not surprisingly since Tony Hooper and Richard Hudson were in the traveling group.  Cousins and guitarist extraordinaire Brian Willoughby did an acoustic version of Blue Angel that blew my mind.  I don't think there are any official recordings of this configuration, but I think that might have surpassed all other versions for me.

As per Ken Levine's suggestion, an appreciation thread for the Strawbs and their related artists.

Edited by SteveG - January 10 2018 at 04:09