CATALOG CRAWL: THE STRAWBS, Part 1 (1969-1970)
One of the longest running franchises in progressive rock history actually began its professional life as part of England's prog-adjacent folk rock boom as the '60s gave way to the '70s. The Strawbs' roots extended all the way back to 1964, including an early stint as a bluegrass band (!) before becoming a folk ensemble that signed with A&M Records in 1968. Their early albums stayed close to their roots in English folk music but gradually unveiled the progressive leanings that would soon come to the fore in their most popular work.
This installment of the Catalog Crawl for the Strawbs covers the busy period of 1969-1970. Everything covered here sounds very impressive, benefitting from the strong studio craft of a couple of top record producers. That said, the key here - as with any decent modern folk outfit - lies in the songs. All three albums below (two studio, one live) are packed with the kind of engaging melodies and clever wordsmithing that would sound good even if just performed solo on an acoustic guitar.
Members: Dave Cousins (lead vocals, guitars, percussion), Tony Cooper (lead vocals, guitars, percussion), Ron Chesterman (double bass - albums 1 & 2), Claire Deniz (cello - album 2), John Ford (vocals, bass - album 3), Richard Hudson (vocals, percussion, sitar - album 3), Rick Wakeman (keyboards - albums 2 & 3)
THE STRAWBS (1969): the debut benefits from lush, expensive sounding production by future Elton John producer Gus Dudgeon featuring studio pros like Nicky Hopkins on keyboards and bass work from John Paul Jones. Equally important to the album's big sound are ambitious arrangements by Tony Visconti that add exotic splashes of sonic color to flesh out the folk-driven sound: the spacey pitch-bending mellotron in "Pieces Of 79 and 15," an Arab string section in "Tell Me What You See In Me," a lavish orchestration that draws out the pop-friendly nature of "Or Am I Dreaming." That said, the songs are what makes all this elaborate sonic architecture feasible and Cousins and company supply an array of strong ones: highlights include religious commentary with a rousing melody on "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus," the incisive character portrait "Poor Jimmy Wilson" and particularly "The Battle," a powerful story song that piles up precise details to fuel its anti-war commentary. Cousins' intense vocals are fully in place, giving the songs a distinctive character that would continue throughout the band's career.
DRAGONFLY (1970): their debut was a budget-buster that ate up a lot of the band's advance from A&M so record #2 was recorded on a shoestring. Thankfully, they had Tony Visconti in the producer's chair and he gives the album a polished, handsomely textured sound. This was the only album for Claire Deniz, a gifted cellist who gives several songs an earthy, chamber music vibe: "I Turned My Face Into The Wind," a pensive ballad with ghostly vocal harmonies, and the lush romanticism of "Josephine (For Better Or Worse)" are great examples of what she added to the sound. Elsewhere, the title track is medieval folk with an Eastern-styled drone and "Another Day" is a sprightly uptempo piece that shows the group's gift for a harmonized chorus. That said, the key track here is "The Vision Of The Lady Of The Lake," an epic story song that combines Arthurian legends and the Tibetan Book Of The Dead to create a surreal, intense tale of mythic horrors. Rick Wakeman added keyboards to this song and would soon join the group...
JUST A COLLECTION OF ANTIQUES AND CURIOS (1970): this live album of mostly new material was a key album for multiple reasons. The first is the debut of Hudson and Ford as the band's rhythm section, adding a rock sense of drive to the band for the first time. The second is the brief but impressive addition of Wakeman as a full-time player: he gets an impressive multi-genre solo keyboard showcase in "Temperance Of Mind." Most importantly, this is where the Strawbs really embrace prog for the first time: "Antique Suite" is a grand song cycle that merges their skill for sturdy folk melodies and vocal harmonies with a more complex instrumental palette and a redux of "Where Is The Dream Of Your Youth" is radically extended to include a pyrotechnic keyboard break underpinned by a tribal groove from Hudson and Ford. The recording quality is excellent and Cousins's songwriting and vocals keep it consistent with the band's folk past. Unexpected surprise: "Fingertips," in which Cousins uses poetic wordplay to create the folk version of a sex-themed rocker.