CATALOG CRAWL: THE STRAWBS, Part 5 (1978-1979)

The Strawbs' original era drew to a close alongside the end of the '70s. They managed to consistently produce inspired material despite an array of personnel changes, not to mention a few record label changes and all the music biz politics that come with record labels. Somehow, Dave Cousins managed to keep the band going as both a recording and touring outfit, providing great songs and a sense of creative focus that sustained the group until the challenges of management and finances became insurmountable.

This Catalog Crawl installment focuses on the last two studio albums of their '70s era, one that was released at the time and another that sat on the shelf for over a decade and a half. Also included is an archive live set that got an official release in 2019 and makes an interesting listen because it shows how the band made its AOR-era material work on the live stage. It's all interesting listening for the band's fans - and if you're into AOR or pomp rock and haven't heard this material, it might interest you, too.

Members: Dave Cousins (lead vocals, guitar), Dave Lambert (lead vocals, guitar), Chas Cronk (bass, vocals), Tony Fernandez (drums), Robert Kirby (keyboards), John Mealing (keyboards), Jo Partridge (guitar, vocals - album 3), Andy Richards (keyboards - album 3)

DEADLINES (1978): Opening track "No Return," a so-so rocker with a strangely atonal keyboard tag, doesn't inspire confidence but the rest of this shapes up as a solid closer to the Strawbs' AOR period. It was a trial to make: Jeffrey Lesser's production was forced on the group by Arista and it had to be recorded twice because several tracks were destroyed by an engineer's mistake. However, the final product has a layered, pomp-rock sound that brings dimension to its more radio-minded tracks: "Sealed With A Traitor's Kiss" and "I Don't Want To Talk About It" are compellingly intense ballads fleshed out by rich keyboard textures, "Joey And Me" retools the Strawbs uptempo folk style into credible pop with a sing-along chorus and "Time And Life" is grand mix of pomp atmosphere and arena rock bombast. Better yet, this album brings the progressive stylings that were M.I.A. on Burning For You with its closing tracks: "Deadly Nightshade" and "Words Of Wisdom" are atmospheric pocket-size epics that build lush arrangements with care and take time to explore their contours.

BBC RADIO SIGHT & SOUND (1978/2019): if you're curious about how the Strawbs sounded live during their AOR period, this concert outing will scratch that itch. It was included in Esoteric's 2019 reissue of Deadlines in both CD and DVD forms and serves up an hour long set recorded at Golders Green in February of 1978. It takes the band a few songs to warm up and there's the occasional mic-ing/mixing hitch but everything's gold by the third song, a powerhouse 10-minute rendition of the "Ghosts" suite. Then-recent AOR efforts like "Heartbreaker" and "No Return" acquire a nice uptick in energy and intensity here and there are also rousing run-throughs of classics like "Round And Round" and "Hero And Heroine." Cousins leads the show with a ragged intensity and it's impressive how the band retains the complexity of their recorded arrangements while keeping things energetic. Listen out for Cousins' cheeky introductions of the band at the top of "Simple Visions" and admire the way the song smoothly segues into "Cut Like A Diamond" via a keyboard passage.

HEARTBREAK HILL (1979/1995): it's criminal that an album that could have positioned the Strawbs for the '80s got shelved due to band/management collapse and wasn't released until 1995. It revives a grittier rock element in their work, thanks in no small part to Tom Allom's return to the producer's seat, and presents a nicely balanced bill of prog and AOR fare with pomp stylings.  On the prog side, the title track and "Something For Nothing" are driving 7 minute-plus epics with complex riffs, arrangements full of melodic twists and ornate keyboard layering while "Starting Over" offers a thrilling three-part composition that is bursting with enough ideas to fill nearly eleven minutes. On the AOR tip, "Another Day Without You" is an emotive ballad that starts in traditional Strawbs acoustic mode before flowering into pomp grandiosity and "Desert Song" is a charming, hooky pop tune whose fanciful arrangement recalls 10cc. Overall, it's a fantastic outing with focused, dynamic songcraft and it's interesting to note how new keyboardist Richards adds a streamlined, shiny synth palate that predicts '80s prog.