Wild Strawberries

I drank Normandy farmhouse cider, ate strawberries dipped in red wine then sugar, and tasted truffles and soft goat cheeses for the first time. I returned to Australia inspired to become a food writer.

On their self-titled 1968 debut album, the Collectors had made an idiosyncratic contribution to the wealth of psychedelic music flooding North America in the late 1960s. In its melodies and instrumental/vocal arrangements, the record fused classical and jazz influences with more conventional rock and pop, particularly on the side-long, 19-minute "What Love (Suite)." Their second and final LP, 1969's Grass & Wild Strawberries, was an equally unusual recording, though one quite different to its predecessor. For this time around, they collaborated with respected Canadian author George Ryga to provide the musical soundtrack to his play Grass and Wild Strawberries, exploring a yet wider range of styles than they had on their first outing.

One of the unsung British progressive bands of the early 1970s, 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. Their transformation from acoustic bluegrass outfit to progressive folk-rock innovators was an impressive feat, and they hit their stride with gems like 1972's Grave New World and its follow-up, Bursting at the Seams. As the '70s wore on, the Strawbs' career began to falter with ongoing lineup and label changes marring their progress. They survived a breakup at the end of the decade and went on to enjoy a robust revival in the mid-'80s that, while not quite up to the level of their peak years, helped carry them and their fans into the 21st century. The Strawbs of the 2000s were particularly prolific, delivering an array of studio albums with highlights like 2005's Painted Sky and 2009's The Broken Hearted Bride. Over the years, the group has managed to remain stylistically adventurous even on late-period outings like 2021's Settlement, released over 50 years after their debut, and 2023's The Magic of It All, featuring songs written for a film about the band's following in South Africa.