Strawbs

Top Ten Albums Countdown

February's Pick

Strawbs: Then and Now

Introduction

The criteria I will be using for selecting albums for my top ten list will consist solely of one thing: Can I play the LP from beginning to end, without skipping any songs? Does it play as if it were a complete piece, and that the removal of any song would render it incomplete-sounding? If the answer is yes to these questions, then the album qualifies. To me, it's a perfect recording. 

So let's begin for our first band for February: Strawbs. 

The band was founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys, and later became "Strawbs",  not The Strawbs, but Strawbs (as Dave Lambert of the band has pointed out to me). I became aware of the group during their early Folk Rock days and was pleasantly surprised when they turned to Progressive Rock as well as Symphonic Rock. 

As much as I love all the Strawbs albums, these are the ten lps that clicked with me from first song to last, from the first time I heard them to today. Not that the other lps are any less great; it's just that on those recordings, I tend to have favorite songs. On these records below, I have favorite albums, that is, collection of songs. 

So, here we go:  

10. Heartbreak Hill 1995

Tracks:

"Something for Nothing" Dave Cousins, Chas Cronk) – 7:23
"Another Day Without You" (Cousins) – 2:57
"We Can Make it Together" (Cousins, Cronk) – 4:18
"Heartbreak Hill" (Cousins, Cronk) – 7:31
"Starting Over" (Cousins, Andy Richards) – 10:48
"Two Separate People" (Cousins, Cronk, Richards, Tony Fernandez) – 2:55
"Desert Song" (Cousins) – 4:19
"Let it Rain" (Cousins, Cronk, Richards) – 4:04

9. The Broken Hearted Bride 2008

Tracks

"The Call to Action" (Dave Cousins) – 7:38
"Christmas Cheer (Everything's Going to be Alright)" (Cousins, Chas Cronk) – 4:39
"Too Many Angels" (Cousins, Cronk) – 5:55
"The Broken Hearted Bride" (Cousins) – 5:11
"Shadowland" (Dave Lambert) – 4:48
"Through Aphrodite's Eyes" (Cousins, Cronk) – 7:26
"Deep in the Darkest Night" (Cousins) – 4:38
"You Know as Well as I" (Lambert) – 3:44
"Everybody Knows" (Cronk) – 4:30
"Action Replay" (Cousins) – 4:54
"We'll Meet Again Sometime" (Cousins) – 6:02

8. Deadlines 1978

Tracks

"No Return" (Dave Cousins, Dave Lambert) – 4:57

"Joey and Me" (Cousins, Chas Cronk, Lambert) – 3:52
"Sealed With a Traitor's Kiss" (Cousins) – 3:21
"I Don't Want to Talk About It" (Cousins, Cronk) – 3:56
"The Last Resort" (Cousins, Cronk, Lambert) – 4:10
"Time and Life" (Cousins, Cronk) – 4:11
"New Beginnings" (Cousins, Lambert) – 3:40
"Deadly Nightshade" (Cousins) – 3:56
"Words of Wisdom" (Cousins) – 5:48

7. Ghosts 1975

Tracks
"Ghosts" (Dave Cousins) – 8:31 ("Sweet Dreams", "Night Light", "Guardian Angel", & "Night Light")
"Lemon Pie" (Cousins) – 4:03"Starshine/Angel Wine" (Chas Cronk) – 5:15
"Where Do You Go (When You Need a Hole to Crawl In)" (Cousins) – 3:02
"The Life Auction" – 6:52"Impressions of Southall from the Train" (Cousins, John Hawken)"The Auction" (Cousins, Dave Lambert)
"Don't Try to Change Me" (Lambert) – 4:28
"Remembering" (Hawken) – 0:54
"You and I (When We Were Young)" (Cousins) – 4:04
"Grace Darling" (Cousins) – 3:55

6. Blue Angel 2003

Tracks

"Blue Angel" (Dave Cousins) – 11:13"Divided""Half Worlds Apart""At Rest"
"Oh So Sleepy" (Cousins) – 3:44
"Further Down the Road" (Cousins) – 3:25
"There Will Come the Day" (Cousins, Don Airey) – 6:05
"Strange Day Over the Hill" (Cousins) – 3:56
"Cry No More" (Cousins, Brian Willoughby) – 3:18
"The Plain" (Cousins) – 5:48
"Do You Remember" (Cousins, Willoughby) – 3:12
"Rhythm of the Night" (Cousins) – 3:19
"Morning Glory" (Cousins) – 4:52
"Sealed With a Traitor's Kiss" (Cousins) – 2:57
"Lay Down" (Cousins) – 4:09

5. From the Witchwood 1971 

Tracks

1. "A Glimpse of Heaven" 3:50
2. "Witchwood" 3:23
3. "Thirty Days" John Ford 2:52
4. "Flight" Richard Hudson 4:24
5. "The Hangman and the Papist" 4:11
6. "Sheep" 4:14
7. "Canon Dale" Hudson 3:46
8. "The Shepherd's Song" 4:34
9. "In Amongst the Roses" 3:48
10. "I'll Carry On Beside You" 3:09

4. Bursting at the Seams 1972

Tracks

"Flying" (Dave Cousins) – 4:49
"Lady Fuschia" (Richard Hudson, John Ford) – 3:59
"Stormy Down" (Cousins) – 2:45
"Down by the Sea" (Cousins) – 6:17
"The River" (Cousins) – 2:21
"Down by the Sea" is placed after "The River" on the 1998 CD
"Part of the Union" (Hudson, Ford) – 2:54
"Tears and Pavan" – 6:35"Tears" (Cousins)"Pavan" (Cousins, Hudson, Ford)
"The Winter and the Summer" (Dave Lambert) – 4:07
"Lay Down" (Cousins) – 4:31
"Thank You" (Blue Weaver, Cousins) – 2:11

3. Hero and Heroine 1974

Tracks

1. "Autumn"I. "Heroine's Theme"
II. "Deep Summer Sleep"
III. "The Winter Long"" John Hawken, Dave Cousins 8:27
2. "Sad Young Man" Rod Coombes 4:09
3. "Just Love" Dave Lambert 3:41
4. "Shine on Silver Sun" Cousins 2:46
5. "Hero and Heroine" Cousins 3:29
6. "Midnight Sun" Chas Cronk, Cousins 3:06
7. "Out in the Cold" Cousins 3:19
8. "Round and Round" Cousins 4:44
9. "Lay a Little Light On Me" Cousins 3:27
10. "Hero's Theme" Lambert 2:28

2. Prognostic 2014

Tracks
01. Heartbreak Hill 07:41
02. Through Aphrodite's Eyes 07:20
03. Something For Nothing 07:19
04. Starting Over 10:47
05. Deep In The Darkest Night 06:06

Bonus Tracks:

06. The River - Down By The Sea 10:00
07. Blue Angel 09:48
08. Tomorrow 04:50
09. Lay A Little Light On Me - Hero's Theme - Round And Round 08:47

1. Grave New World 1972

Tracks

"Benedictus" (Dave Cousins) – 4:24
"Hey Little Man ... Thursday's Child" (Cousins) – 1:06
"Queen of Dreams" (Cousins) – 5:32
"Heavy Disguise" (John Ford) – 2:53
"New World" (Cousins) – 4:11
"Hey Little Man ... Wednesday's Child" (Cousins) – 1:06
"The Flower and the Young Man" (Cousins) – 4:17
"Tomorrow" (Cousins, Tony Hooper, Ford, Blue Weaver, Richard Hudson) – 4:49
"On Growing Older" (Cousins) – 1:56
"Ah Me, Ah My" (Hooper) – 1:24
"Is It Today, Lord?" (Hudson) – 3:07
"The Journey's End" (Cousins, Weaver) – 1:46

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Thank you for joining us today. Next time, we'll do a top ten list of KING CRIMSON albums. See you then.