HERO AND HEROINE

This beautiful album is a perfect blend of Prog Folk and Symphonic Prog. The whole album works as a suite as the songs more or less flow into each other which makes the whole greater than the sum of the parts. The melodies are gorgeous and the lead vocals and lyrics of Dave Cousins are deeply moving and often haunting.

The music of Hero And Heroine is romantic, emotional and reflective but at the same time also rocking. It very successfully combines the different sides of the band: the folky side, the hard rocking side and the progressive, symphonic side. The combination of acoustic instruments like acoustic guitars, piano, harmonica (uncredited), flute (uncredited and very discrete) drums and percussion, as well as lovely harmony vocals, on the one hand, and electric guitars, various keyboards and bass guitar, on the other hand, is very effective. The keyboards are played by John Hawken and include electric piano, organ, mellotron and synthesisers. All this creates a very full and powerful yet beautiful sound without ever sounding bombastic. It feels very genuine.

In my view this is the ultimate line-up of the band with Cousins on vocals and guitars, Dave Lambert on guitars, Hawken on keyboards, Chas Cronk on bass and Rod Coombes on drums. And Hero And Heroine is their finest hour.

It is difficult to compete with Jethro Tull's Thick As A Brick, but Hero And Heroine is one of the best albums in the Prog Folk genre and a masterpiece of progressive Folk rock.

One of my favourite albums!

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