Bursting At The Seams - STRAWBS*****

Flying/Lady Fuschia/Stormy Down/The River/Down By The Sea/Part Of The Union/Tears & Pavan/The Winter & The Summer/Lay Down/Thank You

With Bursting At The Seams the folk-rock group Strawbs reached their pinnacle of success both creatively and commercially. Features the big UK hits Lay Down and the subversive Part Of The Union. (US:121 UK:2)

“This record is a real treasure box, bursting at the seams with musical gems. In spite of a few personal changes, Dave Cousins remains the leader, sparkling in the band with lead vocals, acoustic guitars and banjo. He offers us some of his greatest tunes and the album, thanks to him, has a great variety of styles.”

“Another strong album from the Strawbs, showing the full range of their sound from prog workouts to folky, medieval-tinged pieces and all conceivable mixtures in between.”

“Capitalizing on the newfound popularity of their previous release, the band adopted a strongly commercial orientation on this one. It would still be somewhat accurate to say this is folk/prog driven, but the material is decidedly more pop in nature.”

“Strawbs abandoned the long and symphonic flavoured pieces of Grave New World for a more rural, poppier sound with emphasis on acoustic guitars and piano/keyboards, strong British folk flavours and melodic tunes without much of an adventurous spirit. Of course the songwriting is pretty efficient as always and the arrangements are sophisticated with some soft electric guitars, light organ and even orchestral colours surrounding the acoustic moves.”

“One undeniable part of the Strawbs' magic was the diversity of their sonic palette. A rich array of electric and acoustic guitars can be heard throughout, along with mandolin, sitar and keyboards well woven into the bands' tapestry.”

“A combination of folk and progressive rock like all Strawbs records, but somehow the inspiration never flags from start to finish. The combination of David Cousins' poetry with his own voice is always mesmerizing. I can only describe this record as inspired and uniquely beautiful.”

“A fine album that gets even better with the years. Very atmospheric blending of various musical styles, from folk through orchestrated to rocking guitars.”