Strawbs

This album was originally the weak link in the transition of the Strawbs from an acoustic folk-rock outfit to a progressive folk band, being neither fish nor fowl and suffering from an anemic mix. The 1998 British reissue (A&M 540-939-2), however, solves some inherent problems that plagued both the original vinyl edition and the first CD reissues. The new remastering toughens up the bass sound, and brings out more of the sheer power of Rick Wakeman's organ and synthesizer playing, accenting the harder side of the group's sound that was obviously there in the studio but lacking in the analog mix.

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.

Esoteric Antenna is delighted to announce the release of the new studio album by the legendary band Strawbs. Settlement is the latest album recorded by Strawbs, more than 50 years on from the band’s first major label release. The album comes at a time of political and social upheaval, which the lyrics and melodies of the songs reflect. Undeterred by the fact that ‘business as usual’ was not possible because of the global COVID-19 pandemic - working remote from one another, from their own home studios - Settlement is a remarkable achievement.
Settlement is produced by Blue Weaver who played with Strawbs and Bee Gees in their 1970s heydays. The recording was coordinated from Blue’s studio in Germany, where he now lives…

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.

Dragonfly was the second album to be released by the Strawbs, though much other material unissued in the late '60s that preceded it has since been made available. (In fact, earlier versions of two of the songs, "I Turned My Face into the Wind," and "Josephine, For Better or for Worse," appear on the archival releases Strawberry Music Sampler, No. 1 and Preserves Uncanned, respectively.) Dragonfly was also the only LP the band recorded with cellist Claire Deniz in the lineup. Though an attractive and competent record, it's not as impressive as their debut. The songs aren't as striking, and the arrangements - even with the addition of a fourth full-time member in Deniz - aren't as effective as the mating of folk-rock, medieval, and classical music that characterized the best songs on the first album…

`Deep Cuts' is a mixed bag of styles and genres arranged in an accessible and easy to listen format, a collection of shorter and more concise pieces with slight progressive elements throughout. It's full of the usual charm and character of their previous albums, with rich and detailed lyrics and a feeling of sweet sentimentality. It's sophisticated and elegant pop/prog/folk with the expected country leanings and some rockier moments too, with a great balance of acoustic and electric guitar playing…

Fulfillment! Singer/songwriter Dave Cousins finds a space somewhere between Bob Dylan and John Bunyan, Hudson and Ford come up with some superb hooks, and the electric sound is powerful and majestic. The music is serious - perhaps too much so - bracing, and sincere, if a bit downbeat. For most of the fans though, it represented another major step forward for the Strawbs.

Recorded at Relight Studios in the Netherlands in March 1977, the album was the band’s second for the recently established Oyster Records (formed by Deep Purple member Roger Glover).
The album starts off promisingly with the moody and expansive "Burning for Me"; Dave Cousins sings with restraint over a somber repeating theme on piano and strings, and it ends with a hint of a Moog solo. Alas, later numbers like "Keep on Trying" turn out to be a limply insincere sort of "positive pop," which is all the more grating given the sincere moodiness of the band's earlier work. "Back in the Old Routine" is a patronizing mimicry of the working bloke, a sort of folky watering down of their old hit "Part of the Union." Cousins at least gets back a bit of his old bile in "Alexander the Great," where he gives a sour kiss-off to music critics - who, at this point, probably weren't listening anyway.

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.