NOMADNESS

Nomadness was Strawbs doing their damnest to break America. Again they failed,sure they still sold quite a few records but nothing like they had dreamed of. Nomadness therefore does have an American rock/blues feel to it. The album is very slickly produced. Wakeman makes a guest appearance I think on ' Tokyo Rosie' but John Hawken had done his customary departure after doing a couple of albums. Highlights for me are many but the opener ' To Be Free',' The Golden Salamander' ' Absent Friends' on side one are all excellent.' So Shall Our Love Die' begins side 2 with Cousins at his peak, lyrically and musically. The bluesy ' A Mind of My own' is probably the best track on the album but it finishes very strongly with both ' Hanging In The Gallery' and ' The Promised Land'. I am still baffled after all these years as to why this album got a poor reception. It is thought provoking and very moving which is what you would expect from a band of this calibre at their peak. Still not on CD.