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Rating: The Strawbs are an English band formed around the mid-sixties, mainly by the singer and guitarist Dave Cousins. In the early years, their music drew heavily from the roots of American folk before transitioning to a mixed genre that successfully combined folk, rock, and the progressive movement that was sweeping across the UK at the time.
I believe the group's history can be divided into several phases, starting from their beginnings with albums that had a strong American folk influence, such as 'Strawbs' and 'Dragonfly', released in 1969 and 1970 respectively. Besides Cousins, the lineup included Tony Hooper on the second guitar, John Ford on bass, Richard Hudson on drums, and future Fairport Convention singer Sandy Denny.
The band's poor sales and desire to explore other sounds led them to move towards a more progressive direction by recruiting a young, blond keyboardist with a regal future, the same Rick Wakeman who would later join Yes and become an example for future musicians. The entry of the new keyboardist, fresh out of the conservatory but already fairly well-known, shifted the band's style towards a baroque-influenced folk rock with compositions that also touched on very suggestive mystical themes. Wakeman arrived just in time to participate in the live album called 'Just A Collection Of Antiques And Curios' in 1970, recorded at Queen Elizabeth Hall, but it was on the studio album 'From The Witchwood' the following year that the keyboardist truly made his mark, displaying a genuinely masterful compositional brilliance. In my modest opinion, this work is perhaps less solemn and curious than its predecessors, but at the same time, much more complex and challenging. The standout tracks are Witchwood, The Hangman And The Papist, and the beautiful I'll Carry on Beside You.
With this album, one could say the second phase of the Strawbs' career ended, as by the end of 1971, Wakeman left the group for Yes, leaving an irreplaceable void in the band's artistic life. The following work, 'Grave New World' from 1972, saw Wakeman's successor, Blue Weaver, who brought the group's sound back to a very pleasant folk, but lacking the previous charm.
Subsequently, the Strawbs released another moderately successful album, 'Bursting At the Seams', but other significant departures like Hudson and Ford complicated their career, bringing the group back to much simpler and lighter folk-pop standards.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 A Glimpse of Heaven (03:53)
The hillside was a patchwork quilt
Neatly stitched with tidy hedge
And crumbling grey stone wall
The trees were bare, but Spring was near
To conjure up its endless strings
Of green magic handkerchieves
Could you only see what I've seen
You would surely know what I mean
I think I must have caught a glimpse of heaven.
A string of diamonds formed a stream
That tumbled down the daunting cliff
To sparkle bright on the beach.
New born lambs that sweetly played
Speckled eggs all newly laid
But for you I would have stayed
I think I must have caught a glimpse of heaven.
02 Witchwood (03:25)
I dropped down in the witchwood
To see what I could find
The trees had taken time out
To blow away my mind
All that I could hear there
Was the sound of my own voice
But the music it was making
Was nothing of my choice.
The interwoven branches
Were laden deep with snow
A rainbow shone so softly
To show which way to go
I observed its many colours
Till my eyes were rimmed with frost
I tried hard to trace my footsteps
For I feared I might get lost.
The witchwood started singing
With a strange unearthly sound
My fingers grew like branches
I stood rooted to the ground
And the spell is still unbroken
I am still her bidden slave
Till a casket from the witchwood
Bears my body to the grave.
06 Sheep (04:16)
July the fourth in the market town
Farmers have come for miles around
Bringing their wives and children.
A farmer stands with his youngest son
Watching their sheep driven from the pen
The slaughterhouse is waiting.
Look they're turning back
They're frightened
Dogs are snapping at their heels
Jumping on each other's backs
Hear their squeals.
The young boy stands looking quite dismayed
How can they know they're just animals
Come pull yourself together.
The farmer tells him to look inside
Row after row of raw carcasses
Their blood runs in the gutters.
Listen to their silly bleating
Farmer beats them with his stick
Milling by the open door
Don't be sick.
The young boy
Takes a look around
See people watching blankly
And he pities them
For they too
Look like sheep
And he tells himself
When he grows up
When he becomes a farmer
He will just plant seeds of love
He will just plant seeds of love
He will just plant seeds of love
And he will harvest peace.
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