Strawbs - Legends Live in Concert '2020

Tracks list

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. That same year,
the group -- now rechristened the Strawbs, and doing repertory well beyond the
bounds of bluegrass music -- briefly became a quartet with the temporary
addition of Sandy Denny, who stayed long enough to record a relative handful of
tracks with the group on the Hallmark label before joining Fairport Convention.
In 1969, the Strawbs were signed to A&M Records, and cut their first album, the
acoustic-textured Strawbs, that same year.

For their second album, Dragonfly, recorded and released the following year, the
group broadened their sound with the presence of a group of session musicians,
including piano/organist Rick Wakeman. Soon after the release of this record,
the group became a full-fledged band with the addition not only of Wakeman but
also Richard Hudson and John Ford, on drums and bass, respectively. These
changes, coupled with Cousins increasing dexterity on electric guitar, gave the
Strawbs a much more powerful sound that was showcased on their next album.

The live Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios (1970) sold well, and was
followed up the next year with From the Witchwood. In 1971, Wakeman left the
Strawbs in order to join Yes; he was replaced by Blue Weaver formerly of the
Amen Corner. Grave New World (1972) showed the band entering its strongest
period, with Cousins songwriting augmented by the new prowess of the composing
team of Hudson and Ford. The record became their best-selling album to date.
Unfortunately, its release also heralded the exit of Tony Hooper. He was
replaced by Dave Lambert, a more aggressive, rock-oriented guitarist, and his
addition brought the group into its peak period. The Strawbs 1973 album,
Bursting at the Seams, featured two Top Ten U.K. hits, Lay Down and Part of the
Union, and one album track, Down by the Sea, racked up substantial airplay on
American FM radio.

It was all too good to last, and it didnt. Blue Weaver left after one more tour,
while Hudson and Ford exited to form Hudson-Ford, also signed to A&M. The
Strawbs regrouped in 1974 with Hero and Heroine, recorded with a new lineup
consisting of Cousins, Lambert, keyboardist John Hawken, bassist Chas Cronk, and
drummer Rod Coombes. The new album was a critical and commercial failure in
England, but proved popular in America. Their next two albums, Ghosts (1975) and
Nomadness (1976), both did better in the U.S. than they did in the U.K. None of
this was enough to sustain the group, however, which continued to lose members
and also left A&M Records.

Two more albums on the Oyster label were poorly distributed and received, and
one album for Arista, Deadlines (1978), was a failure, while a second record for
the label was never released. The group ceased to exist at the end of the 1970s,
and Cousins embarked on some solo projects in association with guitarist Brian
Willoughby that attracted the interest of die-hard fans but few others. That
might have been the end of the groups history, if it hadnt been for an
invitation to play the 1983 Cambridge Folk Festival. The Strawbs responded, in
the guise of Cousins, Hooper, Hudson, Ford, Weaver, and Willoughby, and the
response was so favorable that a tour was scheduled, which, in turn, led to
their return to America in the mid-80s. The group followed this up with two new
studio albums released in Canada.

In 1993, they released their own retrospective concert album, Greatest Hits
Live!, which summed up many of the high points of their history. The group
continued to play throughout the decade and into the following century, issuing
a slew of live efforts and studio albums. The original lineup from the Hero and
Heroine era returned to the studio in 2008 to record The Broken Hearted Bride, a
return-to-form effort that solidified the bands staying power. In 2009, the
group released Dancing to the Devils Beat, while 2011s Hero & Heroine in
Ascencia found Cousins and his bandmates revisiting the material from 1974s Hero
and Heroine. After several years of touring in both acoustic and electric
lineups, in 2017 the Strawbs released The Ferrymans Curse, their first studio
album of original material in eight years. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

01 - Ghosts (Live in Boston, MA, 1978)
02 - Heartbreaker (Live in Boston, MA, 1978)
03 - Hero and Heroine (Live in Boston, MA, 1978)
04 - No Return (Live in Boston, MA, 1978)
05 - Out in the Cold (Live in Boston, MA, 1978)
06 - Round and Round (Live in Boston, MA, 1978)
07 - Simple Visions (Live in Boston, MA, 1978)
08 - The Last Resort (Live in Boston, MA, 1978)

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