strawbs the 1st album
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=107235
Printed Date: April 25 2024 at 15:26
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Topic: strawbs the 1st album
Posted By: grantman
Subject: strawbs the 1st album
Date Posted: July 11 2016 at 14:47
What a joy to hear the strawbs first effort regardless of dragon fly ,I was introduced to the strawbs by hero and heroine, but upon listening to the debut ,amazing songs starting with the man who called himself jesus ,pieces of seventy nine and 50,but the classic that with forever endear me to this band is oh how she any thoughts, on this rare but great album
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Replies:
Posted By: Saperlipopette!
Date Posted: July 11 2016 at 15:51
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The older I get the more I enjoy Strawbs it seems (not so much when they try to do "rock" though). Don't have much more to say I'm afraid - except that I too love Oh How She Changed - it's Nights in White Satin level of late 60's goosebump-inducing beauty. ------------- 
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Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: July 14 2016 at 07:56
Have you been listening to the "Of a Time" CD or the original Strawbs first album? I enjoy it and think "Oh How she changed" is the best and most enduring thing there. I actually prefer the bucolic serenity of Dragonfly though.
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grantman wrote:Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: July 15 2016 at 04:34
------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: Barbu
Date Posted: July 15 2016 at 04:49
qft ------------- |
Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: July 15 2016 at 08:36
yeah Steve it's interesting because Strawbs spent their entire advance for 3 albums on the first one! Dragonfly was made on an extremely low budget. But we don't care about that, do we? It's the music! With Antiques and Curios next, we forget that Fron the Witchwood was the next actual studio release, and it follows on quite nicely from Dragonfly in feel. Plus I believe it also includes the first mention of both Rick Wakeman and Paul Brett in liner notes. Rick we all know about; Paul Brett deserves equal status for his guitar playing
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Posted By: grantman
Date Posted: July 15 2016 at 08:42
I just ordered acoustic strawbs I heard hero and heroine many years ago thought not much about it but after hearing their earlier albums , was simply awestruck !!!
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Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: July 15 2016 at 09:08
Make sure to pick up "From the Witchwood" and "Grave New World". "Bursting at the Seams" is also great but more of a crossover album. It had commercial hits and epics all in one, and was their biggest UK success.
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Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: August 19 2016 at 08:20
| I just added the "Of a Time" album to Strawbs discography under compilations. It's the first album as originally recorded but rejected by A&M |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: August 19 2016 at 11:17
What do you make of this one, then?? http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=2908 Never heard it, actually??  |
Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: August 19 2016 at 13:40
well, Hugues. I just listened to the "Of a Time" album for the first time and have to say that not every decision made by record company execs is a bad one  . The first album as actually released is far superior to the one that A&M wouldn't allow. That one was all over the map and with a lot of glossiness to it. I understand Cousins' and Hooper's thought processes - their ambition was to make one album, and they cast their net as widely as possible. Some interesting stuff but a bit too "eclectic".So I gave their released debut 3 stars and would probably give "Of a Time" just 2. I still prefer Dragonfly though - less poppy
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Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: August 19 2016 at 13:59
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^The strange thing about Dave Cousin's objections to the A&M debut was not Gus Dudgeon's over production, but his sound mix that buried Cousin's vocals deep in the mix. I can understand Dudgeon's view that Cousin's vocals were an acquired taste, but come on Dave, 45 years later, it's time to let it go and forget these albums. (the A&M debut and Of a Time.) Neither album was great, just a launching pad to greater things. However, the Of A Time version does put some coin into Cousin's pocket as Witchwood Media is his label, and that's not a bad thing. |
Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: August 19 2016 at 17:21
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Good points Steve Dave is not a rich man so if "Of A Time" helps him out I'm all for it. Interestingly, they repackaged Deadlines as well, but it's not on spotify. Apart from Deadlines being a more prog album, the reissue has some very interesting acoustic demos of a few of the tracks that give valuable hints into the songwriting process. Having said all that, Deadlines is just not on the same level as the early and mid 1970s material.
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