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Strawbs - Deep Cuts CD (album) cover

DEEP CUTS

Strawbs

 

Prog Folk

2.79 | 84 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Heptade
Prog Reviewer
3 stars The beginning of the end for the Strawbs, though I believe this album did well commercially- certainly you can find a copy very easily in Canadian second-hand vinyl shops. In fact, I guarantee that every such store has at least one copy!

This album sees AOR creeping into the group's sound in a big way, particularly in the single "I Only Want My Love to Grow in You", a melodic but sickly-sweet tune. There's still a lot of prog in this album but surprisingly very little folk influence. It seems as though Cousins and co. were making a big play for an American market share with more direct music, since the band had broken through there with the "Ghosts" album. There are many loud, passionate tunes on this record, such as "The Soldier's Tale", which is driven by loud mellotron and guitar soloing, and the gory crucifiction allegory "Beside the Rio Grande". This album also contains one of Cousins' most overlooked classics, "Simple Visions", a lyrical, poetic song with some great imagery and an arrangement that climaxes beautifully. The best tunes benefit from some of Dave Lambert's finest lead guitar playing as a Strawbs member.

Though there are several soft rock stinkers on here as well, the good stuff is interesting enough to recommend. Not a classic Strawbs release, but fans of Dave Cousins' distinctive vocals and odd muse will enjoy much of it.

Heptade | 3/5 |

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