TWO WEEKS LAST SUMMER

In 1972, Dave Cousins released his first, and to date only solo album. Best known of course as the founder, leader, and only ever present member of the Strawbs, it could perhaps be argued that he has never needed to release solo albums, since the sound of Dave Cousins is the sound of the Strawbs.

While current and former members of the Strawbs Dave Lambert and Rick Wakeman contribute, the album is notable for the presence of a number of well known musicians from the rock world. These include Roger Glover (Deep Purple) and Jon Hiseman (Colosseum). The album was indeed recorded in two weeks, slotting in between the Strawbs albums "Grave new world" and Bursting at the seams". Had this been a Strawbs album, it would actually have fitted in well as a link between those albums, combining as it does the remaining folk influences of the former with the harder rock sound of the latter.

The feature track is the three part "Blue angel", a ten minute piece which is structured along the lines of Strawbs tracks such as "Autumn" and "Ghosts". It is in many ways the missing Strawbs epic, a situation only rectified relatively recently when Cousins re-recorded it in the band's name.

Among the many other highlights are a spirited up-tempo "The actor" which includes some excellent lead guitar and a story telling lyrics. There are plenty of softer pieces too, including the a-cappella "October to May" and the delicate "When you were a child" where Cousins provides his own piano accompaniment.

Several of the tracks have since been included on official Strawbs compilations, further emphasising the strong connection this album has with the output of that band.

For those who enjoy the early 1970's folk prog of the Strawbs, "Two weeks last summer" represents a hidden treasure. Recommended.

The LP sleeve is unique in that it has a picture of a calendar hanging on a wall, with two weeks crossed out. The part of the sleeve which shows the wallpaper is a different texture to that which portrays the calendar.

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