C wrote:Neil Jung wrote:Grave New World
We'll get there lad
We will get there
.
Indeed my esteemed friend. Indeed.
It's probably still my favorite. It's certainly the one, for those interested in such matters, that screams masterpiece, from the packaging to the production to what might be their best set of songs.
Wakeman is off to Yes, replaced by former Amen Corner and future Bee Gees keyboardist Blue Weaver, who does a pretty nice job of fitting in right away. Tony Hooper's role is reduced, though he does have a few vocal leads and one (by then rather ancient) original song. No surprise that he left right after, the ever-more-electric sound was not the ideal setting for his skills.
It's been referred to as a concept album, and it does have some narrative continuity to it, but hearing it as such is not necessary to enjoy it. But because it does hold together so well as a piece, this is the one that I'm going to go track-by-track.
Benedictus - Their first serious UK hit, it stalled right outside the top ten. According to Wikipedia, the line "where the paths of wisdom lead, distant is the shadow of the setting son" comes from the I-Ching, which Cousins was immersed in at the time. It's likely the only song with fuzz dulcimer ever to be played on the BBC. Also, Trevor Lucas (not yet married to Sandy Denny), is part of the chorus.
Hey, Little Man - Two short acoustic acoustic songs of adult advice to a child. Really nice, and breaks up the intensity of much of the rest.
Queen of Dreams - Despite being created in the 70s, this is a prime piece of English Psychedelia. Although Cousins later admitted that engineer Tom Allom (whose label credit would switch to 'producer' immediately afterwards) had a large production hand, this is a brilliant self-production - recorded in full and then the tape flipped, giving the rhythm acoustic guitars and Cousins' dulcimer a surreal quality, and featuring some of very forward bass playing from John Ford. It's really quite marvelous, another contender for my favorite Strawbs song.
Heavy Disguise - John Ford's best song for Strawbs? I think it's my vote. Tried first in a band version, all involved quickly realized it wasn't really working, so they married Ford's vocal and rhythm guitar with a great brass arrangement by Robert Kirby, till then best known for his expressionistic arrangements for Nick Drake, but destined to play a pretty huge role on the next several Strawbs albums.
New World - Another intense song about divided families and loyalties, again inspired by 'the troubles.' It's an intense experience, thanks in part to one of Cousins' most impassioned vocals. A reprise of "Hey, Little Man" (carrying a subtle anti-war message) helps take the edge off a bit.
The Flower and the Young Man - Though it's Cousins' song, this is Tony Hooper's last great Strawbs moment. Opening with a breathtaking a capella harmony and featuring one of his greatest lead vocals, accompanied mostly by Weaver's harmonium, it's a lovely meditation on the passage of time, and a nice throwback to the old Strawbs sound. Had Hooper stuck around, I could see more songs in this direction. But it was not to be.
Tomorrow - Strawbs' rep as a prog band may start with Wakeman, but it reaches full status here. A full-band co-write, the vitriolic opening lines ("You talked of me with acid tongue and pointed trembling spiteful hands") dedicated to Wakeman on his contentious exit from the band, A masterful performance by Hudson and (particularly) Ford, with a riff that sounds very much based on a movement from Benjamin Britten's Simple Symphony, it's a dynamic and dramatic arrangement, but also intense and direct like Cousins at his best. Once again, highly acclaimed by Strawbs fans, and one of my very favorites.
The Britten movement for comparison. I've never heard Ford (whose bass melody the riff grows out of) or Cousins admit to it, but it seems pretty obvious to me:
On Growing Older - Most of the songs on side two are concerned with aging, this one most obviously so. An older song - Cousins was obviously meditating on his own mortality already in his 20s - it's also a lovely throwback to their older sound, with wonderfully crisp acoustic rhythm guitar.
Ah Me, Ah My -
Neil Jung wrote:The only weak spot is Ah Me Ah My.
Well, can't disagree too strenuously, but it is a bit of whimsy to take the edge off the intensity elsewhere - the album's "When I'm 64," if you will. The last Hooper original performed by Strawbs, it was originally recorded (one of the rejected songs) for the debut. The brass arrangement is by Tony Visconti. It's short. I don't mind it.
Is It Today, Lord - Another meditation on mortality, this one by Richard Hudson, with what is likely his best sitar playing. Another that, had it been released a few years earlier, might have made some of those "great British psychedelia" comps.
The Journey's End - Nice echoed piano and a sensitive Cousins vocal ends the story on a down note.
It only reached the lowest rungs of the US album charts, but it was their first major success in the UK, making it up to #12.
Having spent a couple years on the verge of stardom, they were now one of the biggest bands in the UK. It would get even bigger - and even stranger, with many changes yet to come - soon enough.