BBC IN CONCERT

The Strawbs at their finest. Well worth the price of the ticket. Dispels the myth that they were a soft folk-rock band. Some of the chords are so fat you could choke on them. Well done guys. I remember this when it was first broadcast....at least the first 11 tracks.

This was an early 70's live BBC session and it has some strong moments. Very rough around the edges at times but I guess this is what gives it some of it's appeal.' The River' and ' The Winter and The Summer' shine on this release.

I do not own studio-albums from The STRAWBS, I'm more pleased with some compilations and especially live-recordings. My favourite is the CD "Strawbs In Concert" with BBC radio- recodings from '73 and '74. The music frequently ranges from folky (acoustic guitars) and classic (piano and harpsichord) to bombastic, symphonic rock (fiery electric guitar and glorious Mellotron waves in the vein of BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST and The MOODY BLUES). The vocals are powerful with a lot of expression, very distinctive. The tracking list (15 songs) includes all their best material like "Tears And Pavan", "Down By The Sea", the UK #2 hitsingle "Part Of The Union" and "Hero And Heroine". This is The STRAWBS at their apogee, very unique and compelling music.

The recordings on this Strawbs live album are taken from two 1-hour radio concerts from the seminal BBC In Concert series during 1972/1973. I wonder how many other ProgArchives members recall this wonderful series... happy memories. The band was at its commercial and artistic peak at the time and this album features the two most successful Strawbs line- ups, with Cousins and Lambert performing on all 16 tracks. Tracks 1-11 are taken from the 1972 recording at which time the band's line-up was completed by Hudson, Ford and Weaver. The remaining 5 songs are from the 1973 concert and this section of the album effectively adds material from Hero And Heroine, with Coombes, Cronk and Hawken in their places. One of the nice things about these recordings is that Blue Weaver and his replacement, John Hawken, both play a variety of vintage keyboards and there are tidal waves of Mellotron throughout the album.

However, while musical instruments can enrich the sound it's the songwriting genius of Dave Cousins that makes you really sit up and take notice. The set list is superb and reads like a ''best of'' with all the classic material from their most popular albums. Highlights include a febrile version of SHEEP, a stunning AUTUMN (in spite of Lambert missing his vocal cue!), a rendition of TEARS AND PAVAN that surpasses the studio cut, an explosive NEW WORLD and an even more incendiary HERO AND HEROINE... really, all the songs are marvellous and none will need any introduction to fans of the group. Interestingly, a verse has been omitted from LAY A LITTLE LIGHT ON ME presumably because of its lyrical content of sexual self- exploration. All in all, this is a classic live album and is essential for Strawbs die-hards. For others, it makes a great introduction to the band at their symphonic best.

Recently I stumbled upon an album that I didn't play for a long time when I was in the mood for Mellotron friendly prog, it's entitled The Strawbs - BBC In Concert. This legendary band (featuring Chas Cronk who later joined Steve Hackett solo) gained a lot of attention with their humorous hit-single Part Of The Union, it peaked at #2 in the UK charts, in 1973. But The Strawbs are hard to pigeonhole, their sound is unique. Singer Dave Cousins plays an important role, colouring the music in a very special way with his distinctive voice, from tender to powerful, with a lot of expression.

This BBC radio broadcast contains recordings from '73 and '74. The music frequently shifts between folky (acoustic guitars), classical (piano and harpsichord) and sumptuous symphonic rock outbursts (fiery electric guitar and majestic Mellotron evoking BJH and The Moody Blues). The 15 tracks on this CD include their best work, my favorites are Tears And Pavan, Down By The Sea (what a compelling Mellotron sound), Part Of The Union and Hero And Heroine.

If you are up to discover The Strawbs this is an excellent musical encounter.