Strawbs & the Many Lives of Dave Cousins

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C
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Re: Strawbs & the Many Lives of Dave Cousins

Postby C » 27 Jun 2022, 20:17

toomanyhatz wrote:Image

It all started with a rather bizarre episode of "This is Your Life" dedicated to Rick Wakeman. The whole thing's on YouTube for the curious. But after Cousins appeared on said program regaling watchers with stories of Strawbs' checkered history, the two stayed in touch.

Playing amateur psychologist a bit here, but you have to think Mr. Cousins was feeling fairly invigorated in the early '00s. Acoustic Strawbs was now a thing - sounded good, was easy and cheap to tour with, and took him, once again, around the world singing his songs.

Beyond that, he was starting to write new ones again.

But mostly he was feeling his roots. The connection with Acoustic Strawbs is a pretty obvious one, but the popularity of the reunion shows reminded both Cousins and his audience exactly which parts of his past were worth preserving.

It was in this spirit that Cousins got together with his old pal and nemesis (and to again play amateur psychologist, their complicated relationship doesn't seem to be one either wants to completely end, despite their periodic snits of each complaining about the other) to make this tentative, but mostly delightful album.

The big news was, of course, the new songs. No instant classics, but there are a few nice co-compositions, and Wakeman piano solos provided some lovely codas to Cousins' first new songs in a while. And of course and as usual, there were a few remakes of Strawbs tunes. This one, rescued from the bad memories of nomadness, is particularly appropriate and lovely.



And throwing it even farther back, the first Cousins recording in years of a traditional song (learned from Martin Carthy, I'm guessing). It's also quite lovely.



It was a tentative step, and of course recorded quickly, and didn't exactly set the charts on fire, but it was, according to both parties, relatively easy and enjoyable to make.

Also contains bonus Ric Sanders.


Thanks Dave




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Re: Strawbs & the Many Lives of Dave Cousins

Postby toomanyhatz » 30 May 2023, 23:50

Placeholder for the 2000s studio albums - Blue Angel and Deja Fou. Both mixed, but some nice moments for each.
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Re: Strawbs & the Many Lives of Dave Cousins

Postby Neil Jung » 31 May 2023, 16:27

There’s a new Strawbs album out this summer but only featuring DC, Blue Weaver and various South African musicians. They’ve had a bit of a falling out. Having read DC’s self aggrandising biography I’m surprised anyone wants to play with him.
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Re: Strawbs & the Many Lives of Dave Cousins

Postby C » 31 May 2023, 16:55

Neil Jung wrote:They’ve had a bit of a falling out. Having read DC’s self aggrandising biography I’m surprised anyone wants to play with him.


Yes, I must read that Mike - thanks for the reminder!



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Re: Strawbs & the Many Lives of Dave Cousins

Postby Neil Jung » 31 May 2023, 17:56

C wrote:
Neil Jung wrote:They’ve had a bit of a falling out. Having read DC’s self aggrandising biography I’m surprised anyone wants to play with him.


Yes, I must read that Mike - thanks for the reminder!

.


Do you have a copy? It is very expensive if you can find a copy.
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Re: Strawbs & the Many Lives of Dave Cousins

Postby toomanyhatz » 14 Jun 2023, 00:08

Image

The first studio album in over decade by (electric) Strawbs was mostly a scattershot comp of leftovers from the post A&M years, and ultimately, not a proper album, and to my ears, a bit of a mess.

It opened with the long-awaited Strawbs version of the "Blue Angel." a great promotion for their new album, but the underlying question is still 'why?' It doesn't better the Cousins solo version on any level, and other than adding a Hudson backbeat and some lovely vocals from Mary Hopkin, it's pretty true to the original. The album's full of remakes of known songs from their heyday. and not one even hints at taking over as the definitive one. This is about the best:



The world-weariness of vocal gives it a heartfelt quality, and it's sensitively rendered musically, but as an Acoustic Strawbs version in all but name, not exactly the best advertisement for the electric version.

Most of the rest is bombastic rock versions of songs available in far better versions elsewhere, including another "why bother?" version of "Lay Down."

Just reading the credits to this give me a headache; there are at least three drummers, a few different keyboardists, and a full choir of backing vocalists. The new Cousins songs are generally pretty nice, and subtly rendered, but they're in odd company. But it was a start.

The next one would, imo, be a lot better.
Footy wrote:
The Who / Jimi Hendrix Experience Saville Theatre, London Jan '67
. Got Jimi's autograph after the show and went on to see him several times that year


1959 1963 1965 1966 1974 1977 1978 1981 1988 2017* 2018 2020!! 2023?

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Re: Strawbs & the Many Lives of Dave Cousins

Postby toomanyhatz » 04 Jul 2023, 22:56

Image

A big improvement on its predecessor.

For one thing, it's the same band throughout (The Hero and Heroine/Ghosts band, as it happens), augmented by some lovely Robert Kirby arrangements. For another, rather than pointless remakes, it's completely new songs - and most of them are quite good indeed.

There's this one, which I assume started in the Acoustic Strawbs format:



This Dave Lambert original, for which Cousins takes the banjo out of mothballs:



Really, it's a pretty low-key affair, but it's also their first full electric band release for many years that doesn't live on past glories.

There are a few 'rocking' or 'proggy' moments - the band-composed "Russian Front" and the Arabic-tinged album closer "NRG" should have Heartbreak Hill fans grunting in recognition - but on the whole it is, similarly to Baroque and Roll, a return to what they'd always done well.

Despite its predecessor coming only a year previous, I think it's fair to say that this is the one that was the true comeback, and its artistic (if not so much commercial) success paved the way to the increased activity that's kept up ever since.
Footy wrote:
The Who / Jimi Hendrix Experience Saville Theatre, London Jan '67
. Got Jimi's autograph after the show and went on to see him several times that year


1959 1963 1965 1966 1974 1977 1978 1981 1988 2017* 2018 2020!! 2023?

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Re: Strawbs & the Many Lives of Dave Cousins

Postby toomanyhatz » 18 Oct 2023, 17:53

...And just to prove it, 2005 was their most productive year yet, with no less than 5 full-length releases from the Strawbs camp over the course of the year.

Acoustic Strawbs released two more albums, both basically live studio sessions, but with enough variation in material from Baroque and Roll to be worthwhile on their own. The first is Full Bloom, which doesn't seem to be online anywhere, another of those Strawbs albums that went immediately out of print and is only now available only for inflated collector prices.

The second, Painted Sky, similarly so, but at least it's available on streaming services, including YouTube, which has this delightful version of "Autumn."



Meanwhile, the Hero and Heroine band was back together and active, producing a live album, Live at Nearfest. And for good measure, a Cousins/Wakeman acoustic set from 1988 was released on their then-active label, Witchwood Media.

Great records all, but something was missing: new songs.
Footy wrote:
The Who / Jimi Hendrix Experience Saville Theatre, London Jan '67
. Got Jimi's autograph after the show and went on to see him several times that year


1959 1963 1965 1966 1974 1977 1978 1981 1988 2017* 2018 2020!! 2023?

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Re: Strawbs & the Many Lives of Dave Cousins

Postby toomanyhatz » 18 Oct 2023, 22:16

So it seemed, in the mid '00's, while enjoying the ease of the Acoustic Strawbs gigs and the retroactive acclaim of the original recordings by the current band, Cousins was once again inspired to write. But rather than write them for Strawbs, he got together with German guitar virtuoso/composer Conny Conrad and made another duet album with a classically trained musical partner.

Image

Wakeman actually appears on one track on this one, but unlike his other duet albums, this one is a true collaboration - Conrad takes a big hand in writing and arrangements. As a result, it's unique in the Strawbs-related catalog, as it's neither pure prog nor acoustic-based. It has a gentle, meditative mood in spots, and a grandiose, orchestrated one in others, but overall it seems to be a pretty equal collaboration.

Here's the lead track, probably the most 'Strawbish' on the album:



Strawbs business took over soon enough, but the busy schedule proved that Cousins was feeling energetic and active again, and this particular release proved that his muse had never completely dried up.
Footy wrote:
The Who / Jimi Hendrix Experience Saville Theatre, London Jan '67
. Got Jimi's autograph after the show and went on to see him several times that year


1959 1963 1965 1966 1974 1977 1978 1981 1988 2017* 2018 2020!! 2023?

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Re: Strawbs & the Many Lives of Dave Cousins

Postby Neil Jung » 20 Oct 2023, 16:15

toomanyhatz wrote:So it seemed, in the mid '00's, while enjoying the ease of the Acoustic Strawbs gigs and the retroactive acclaim of the original recordings by the current band, Cousins was once again inspired to write. But rather than write them for Strawbs, he got together with German guitar virtuoso/composer Conny Conrad and made another duet album with a classically trained musical partner.

Image

Wakeman actually appears on one track on this one, but unlike his other duet albums, this one is a true collaboration - Conrad takes a big hand in writing and arrangements. As a result, it's unique in the Strawbs-related catalog, as it's neither pure prog nor acoustic-based. It has a gentle, meditative mood in spots, and a grandiose, orchestrated one in others, but overall it seems to be a pretty equal collaboration.

Here's the lead track, probably the most 'Strawbish' on the album:



Strawbs business took over soon enough, but the busy schedule proved that Cousins was feeling energetic and active again, and this particular release proved that his muse had never completely dried up.


That’s not bad at all!
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Re: Strawbs & the Many Lives of Dave Cousins

Postby C » 20 Oct 2023, 17:27

Neil Jung wrote:
toomanyhatz wrote:Here's the lead track, probably the most 'Strawbish' on the album:



Strawbs business took over soon enough, but the busy schedule proved that Cousins was feeling energetic and active again, and this particular release proved that his muse had never completely dried up.


That’s not bad at all!


Yes, very enjoyable

Thanks





.
Lord Rother wrote:And there was me thinking you'd say "Fair enough, you have a point Bob".


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