Young again (Strawbs) (LP 4009 - 4011)

Strawbs  Dragonfly (Vinyl, A&M Records, 1970) ****  

Strawbs  Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios (Vinyl, A&M Records, 1970) ***  

Strawbs  Hero and Heroine (Vinyl, A&M Records, 1974) ****  

Genre: Folk, folk rock, prog rock

Places I remember: In Sheep's Clothing Hi Fi (LA), Real Groovy Records

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Where is This Dream of Your Youth? (Just a collection...)

Gear costume: Lay a Little Light on Me (Hero...)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: I have a passing interest in Strawbs - mainly centering on albums with Rick Wakeman's contributions. he appears on the epic Dragonfly track - The Vision of the Lady of the Lake. The rest of the album is beautiful, gentle folk rock (this was their second).

Their third album, also from 1970, Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios, wasn't a compilation, but a (mostly) live recording that utilised Rick's skills more coherently. Dave Cousins is Strawbs' main man and his singing is great on both of these early albums.

Band members came and went throughout their history. There was a major split with three members leaving before my third album, Hero and Heroine came out. Never mind, Cousins and Dave Lambert dusted themselves off, got some new musicians onboard and produced a pearler (that mellotron sound is superb - just saying!)

Where do they all belong? I'd be keen to find their debut - just called Strawbs, and From The Witchwood - the last album with Rick Wakeman as a band member.