Strawbs – STRAWBS****

The Man Who Called Himself Jesus/That Which Once Was Mine/All The Little Ladies/Pieces Of 79 & 15/Tell Me What You See In Me/Oh How She Changed/Or Am I Dreaming/Where Is This Dream Of Your Youth/Poor Jimmy Wilson/Where Am I-I’ll Show You Where To Sleep/The Battle

Self titled debut album from the British folk-rock group Strawbs. They would continue to gain popular support over the next few years, reaching their commercial peak in the early to mid seventies.

“Musically eponymous debut by Strawbs isn’t excessively original – songs have prevailingly folk tints, though the stuff is pretty varied and the band shows good music mastery. Especially I enjoyed That Which Once Was Mine, made in an old genre of bourrée dance: the more placid songs are the best on the album.”

“Delicious pastoral folk with acoustic guitar, mixed with minstrel flavoured folk/prog. Some of these tracks are psychedelic as well.”

“Led by Dave Cousins, Strawbs were definitely one of the most successful and brilliant UK folk-rock outfits. In various stages of their career they would explore other avenues, getting closer to rock and pop, but they always remained faithful to the folk tradition, which is their core inspiration. Cousins, a remarkable singer, guitarist and songwriter, was also a hardened bandleader. This album, which was the first they recorded for the A & M label, is a brilliant collection of songs, all written by Cousins. This is a must buy for all Strawbs and folk-rock enthusiasts.”

“All of the songs have a lyric excellence about them and the arrangements give a colourful and interesting setting. There is a varied style of folk, rock, psychedelic and early progressive rock. The album was produced in 1969 and reflects some of the then current musical trends. By this time Strawbs had transformed from a band heavily influenced by skiffle and bluegrass, through blues and jazz, to American folk."

“I was amazed by the quality of the compositions and performance. The arrangements are top notch, going from sparse folk to full on pop-psychedelia. Dave Cousins singing seems to really suit the songs which have a peculiar Englishness about them, perhaps more so than their later songs. What I really admire is that every track is different from the next. This is a worthy acquisition, especially for fans of what would be an emerging prog rock powerhouse.”