How a rock band rose from the waves to grasp a Canadian life-line and a comparison of two lead guitarists.
Virgin Years
Tag: Strawbs
Rockfall on Heartbreak Hill
A lack of appreciation for a 'missing' Strawbs album.
Dave Cousins: poetry in lotion
Earlier this month, singer-songwriter Dave Cousins died. There are many obituaries out there. I will not add to those. This, instead, is an attempt to explain how and why his work became vital to my spiritual searching, my creative impetus, my imaginary plundering and my psychological balance.
Gloomth and the Six Pillars of (Modern) Gothic
Lecture notes from ‘Gloomth and the Six Pillars of Gothic’ House of Books and Friends, Manchester, in association with Fly on the Wall Press 29 October 2024
The Singer and His Likeness
Reflections on ‘The Magic of It All’, the latest album by Strawbs
Reviving Deadlines
The most extraordinary aspect of the Deadlines album is the cover. It's not the arresting image that makes it exceptional, but the fact that the action depicted in the picture is not artificially composed. It really is a shot of a man in a telephone kiosk filled with water. The booth was a specially strengthened … Continue reading Reviving Deadlines
Guttering
Dave Cousins and I disagreed over the worthiness of the Strawbs album Nomadness (see my earlier post Rehanging the Gallery), but I think we would be in harmony regarding Burning for You. He says in his autobiography “'Burning for You' is my least favourite Strawbs album.”1 It is my least favourite too, at least of … Continue reading Guttering
Deep Cuts and shallow scars
The previous three pressings had an autumnal or winter feel to them. This album always sounds like summer, even when the song is a tragic or sad one, or even about the prospect of a hard, hard winter. Many of the tracks were written quickly during the warmer months of what in the UK was … Continue reading Deep Cuts and shallow scars
Rehanging the Gallery
A wander through Nomadness When I told singer-songwriter Dave Cousins that Nomadness was one of my favourite albums he cringed. It had been recorded at a difficult time. The Strawbs' popularity was waning, even on the far side of the Atlantic where it had recently burgeoned. They had parted company with keyboard player John Hawken … Continue reading Rehanging the Gallery
Angels and needles
Listening to Ghosts Dark the night, not a soundDamp and cold, frosty groundAbove your head the lion screamsTo tear you from your moonlit dreams.Dave Cousins, Ghosts lyric Throughout 2021 I’m reflecting on the first tranche of Strawbs albums (including Dave Cousins' solo album Two Weeks Last Summer) in the order that they were released. This … Continue reading Angels and needles
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