Strawbs Hero And Heroine

Released in 1974, Hero & Heroine was one of the Strawbs' more popular albums, making the Top 100 in the U.S. This release is not the original recording, nor an expanded edition of it, but a much later reworking of the same material, recorded between November 2010 and March 2011. Three of the Strawbs who played on the 1974 Hero & Heroine album (Dave Cousins, Dave Lambert, and Chas Cronk) remained in the lineup this time around, with John Young on keyboards and Tony Fernandez on drums. It's different from the original, of course, in the unavoidable different flavor given to it by more modern production and instruments, though also via the absence of John Hawken, the keyboard player on the 1974 album.

One of the better British progressive bands of the early '70s, the Strawbs differed from their more successful compatriots – the Moody Blues, King Crimson, Pink Floyd – principally in that their sound originated in English folk music rather than rock. Founded in 1967 as a bluegrass-based trio called the Strawberry Hill Boys by singer/guitarist Dave Cousins, the group at that time consisted of Cousins, guitarist/singer Tony Hooper, and mandolinist Arthur Phillips, who was replaced in 1968 by Ron Chesterman on bass.

Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of a re-mastered and expanded 3 Disc clamshell box edition of the 1977 album, “Deadlines” by STRAWBS. Released in late 1977, this would be the band’s final album to be released in the 1970s. Recorded in Dublin and London by a line-up of Dave Cousins (vocals, acoustic guitars, banjo, guitar), Dave Lambert (vocals, lead guitar), Chas Cronk (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals) and Tony Fernandez (drums, percussion) with guest keyboard players John Mealing and Robert Kirby, “Deadlines” was the Strawbs only album for the Arista label. Often unfairly overlooked in the Strawbs canon and largely ignored by some quarters of the music press upon its release (at the height of Punk rock), “Deadlines” was a fine album featured some excellent tracks such as ‘No Return’, ‘The Last Resort’, ‘Sealed With A Traitor’s Kiss’, ‘Time And Life’, ‘New Beginnings’, ‘Deadly Nightshade’ and ‘Words of Wisdom’.

For a band that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019, Strawbs still sound amazingly spry on Settlement. That’s a testament to both their staying power and their ability to transcend genres to create music that relates to the world in which we are currently trapped. Dave Cousins assembled a lineup of old hands, Dave Lambert on guitar, bassist Chas Cronk, and Tony Fernandez on drums, all veterans of the classic Strawbs bands of the ‘70s…

Ghosts was the last album by the Strawbs to appear while the band was on its upward curve of commercial success; a more lyrical follow-up to Hero and Heroine, it was the group's last thrust at wide-audience appeal, with a hoped for-hit ("Lemon Pie") that didn't materialize. The group's mix of acoustic guitars, electric lead and bass, and Rod Coombes' heavy drumming was very compelling on this, their smoothest album. The title track introduction, mixing multiple overdubbed harpsichords, acoustic guitars, and church bells was a gorgeous beginning, and the melodies only got better further into the album.

2016 was a major turning point for STRAWBS. Prestigious ROLLING STONE magazine listed the band's Hero and Heroine as one of the 50 greatest prog rock albums of all time. STRAWBS headlined RoSFest (The Rites of Spring Festival) - North America's Premier International Progressive Rock Festival - in Gettysburg, the city where Abraham Lincoln made his historic address to the nation…

Singer/songwriter Dave Cousins with guitarists Dave Lambert & Brian Willoughby played four sell-out shows at Hugh's Room in Toronto in 2003, the last of which was filmed for this release. Also includes a specially filmed documentary featuring Cousins visiting West London locations significant to The Strawbs history.

he hourglass is emptying for veteran bands like STRAWBS and their small but ardent following. Each much anticipated release is coddled with the understanding that it may be their last, and a glance at the titles and lyrics of "The Ferryman's Curse" concedes nothing so much as a pious man contemplating his worldly past and his otherworldly future…

In the course of nine years, the Strawbs evolved from an obscure, quirky British bluegrass group into one of the most beloved progressive rock bands in the world. This 150-minute collection covers most of that history, encompassing most (but not all) of the key songs from their nine A&M albums, as well as lost B-sides, songs by ex-members Richard Hudson and John Ford, and a pair of tracks off of Dave Cousins' 1972 solo album Two Weeks Last Summer. The selection of material is inspired, juxtaposing rarities with a good deal of important music from the core of their output. The programming straddles the collectable and the historical/musical significance of the material, so we get early-'70s FM hits such as "The River" and "Down by the Sea" sharing space with material such as "Martin Luther King's Dream" and subsequent extended progressive material like "Ghosts." The range of styles is daunting, from Dylanesque acoustic folk-style numbers to extended songs in which Mellotrons, synthesizers, and loud, complex electric guitar runs are the dominant presences.