''A Taste of Strawbs'' is a box-set album by Strawbs. Instead of being a "best of" album, the compilers (
Dave Cousins
Dave Cousins (born David Joseph Hindson; 7 January 1945) is an English musician who has been the leader, singer and most-active songwriter of Strawbs since 1967.
Career
Cousins is a founder member of the Strawbs, which started out as the Str ...
and Dick Greener) have attempted to present alternative versions of some well-known songs plus some previously unreleased material. Included are some very old songs by The Strawberry Hill Boys, with Dave Cousins, Tony Hooper and Ron Chesterman, also are some very interesting songs by Sandy Denny and The Strawbs, and outtakes from different periods of the band's career.
Track listing
CD 1 – ''Eyes Wide Open''
#"The Grey Hawk" (
traditional
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
) Strawberry Hill Boys live recording
#"The Cruel Wars (Higher Germanie)" (traditional) Dave Cousins unreleased recording
#"You Don't Think About Me" Strawberry Hill Boys demo
#"Not All The Flowers Grow" (Dave Cousins) Dave Cousins demo
#"You Keep Going Your Way" (Cousins) Strawberry Hill Boys demo
#"Sail Away to the Sea" (Cousins) Sandy Denny and the Strawbs
#"Nothing Else Will Do" (Cousins) Sandy Denny and the Strawbs
#" Oh How She Changed" (Cousins, Tony Hooper) 2005 re-mix
#"Or Am I Dreaming" (Cousins) 2005 re-mix
#"All The Little Ladies" (Cousins, Hooper) Alternative mix with spoken word intro and outro
#" Ah Me, Ah My" (Hooper) Alternate mix
#"
The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
"The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" is a song by English band Strawbs written by Dave Cousins. It appears on their album '' Strawbs''. An alternative mix of the song may be found on the 2006 box set '' A Taste of Strawbs''.
B-Side
The B-side tra ...
" (Cousins) Alternative mix
#"The Battle" (Cousins) Live
#"It's Just Love" ( Dave Lambert) Unreleased
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products.
At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames a ...
recording
#"Another Day" (Cousins) Live
#"
Forever
Forever or 4ever may refer to:
Film and television Films
* ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice
* ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama
* ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...
" (Cousins, Hooper) '' Dragonfly'' outtake
#"Where am I"/"I'll Show You Where to Sleep" (Cousins) 1970 live track
#"Canondale" ( Richard Hudson) 1971 live instrumental track
#"RMW" ( Rick Wakeman) 1971 live track
#"Sheep" (Cousins) 1971 live version
John Ford
John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...
,
Blue Weaver
Derek John "Blue" Weaver (born 11 March 1947) is a Welsh rock keyboardist, session musician, songwriter and record producer.
Career
Weaver's career as a musician began as a co-founding member of 1960s Welsh rock band Amen Corner and its succ ...
) 1972 live version
#"
New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...
" (Cousins) 1972 live version
#"
Here It Comes
"Here It Comes" is a song by the English band Strawbs. It did not appear on any of their studio albums, but it was included on two compilation albums: '' Strawbs by Choice'' and '' Halcyon Days''. Written by bandleader Dave Cousins, "Here It Com ...
" (Cousins) 1972 live version
#"See How They Run" (Cousins, Lambert) Cousins and Lambert 1972 home demo
#"Going Home" (Cousins) Alternative version with Dave Lambert singing
#"The Actor" (Cousins) Alternative mix
#"
Part of the Union
"Part of the Union" is a song by English band Strawbs, featured on their 1973 album ''Bursting at the Seams'' and was the band's most successful single, peaking at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart. It also reached No. 10 in the Irish Singles Chart. ...
" (Hudson, Ford) The original version which was to be released by "The Brothers"
#"The Winter and the Summer" (Lambert) Dave Lambert home demo
#"Whichever Way the Wind Blows" (Cousins) Previously unreleased version with Dave Cousins on vocals
#"
Shine on Silver Sun
"Shine on Silver Sun" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1974 album ''Hero and Heroine''. It is written by Dave Cousins and was intended as a "come-back" single after the post-"Part of the Union" band split. The single was a mino ...
" (Cousins) Extended version with Cousins, Lambert and members of
Ten Years After
Ten Years After are a British rock group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Between 1968 and 1973, the band had eight consecutive Top 40 albums on the UK Albums Chart. In addition, they had twelve albums enter the US ''Billboar ...
#"Out in the Cold"/"Round and Round" (Cousins) Dave Cousins acoustic demos
#"The Writing on the Wall" (Cousins) Dave Cousins acoustic demo of unreleased song
#"The Four Queens"
#"Ghosts Theme" (Cousins) church bells – field recording
#"Lemon Pie" (Cousins) Dave Cousins acoustic demo
#"Cherie Je T'aime" (Cousins) French version of "
Grace Darling
Grace Horsley Darling (24 November 1815 – 20 October 1842) was an English lighthouse keeper's daughter. Her participation in the rescue of survivors from the shipwrecked ''Forfarshire'' in 1838 brought her national fame. The paddlesteamer ...
"
#"So Shall Our Love Die" (Cousins) Dave Cousins acoustic demo
#"Still Small Voice" (Cousins) Dave Cousins acoustic demo
#"How I Need You Now" (Cousins) Live recording from
The Old Grey Whistle Test
''The Old Grey Whistle Test'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''Whistle Test'' or ''OGWT'') is a British television music show. The show was devised by BBC producer Rowan Ayers, commissioned by David Attenborough and aired on BBC2 from 1971 to 1988. ...
Burning for You
''Burning for You'' is the eleventh studio album by English band Strawbs, with cover art by Patrick Woodroffe.
Recording
The producer of the album Jeffrey Lesser was, according to songwriter/singer Dave Cousins, "...a great engineer but didn't ...
#'Deadly Nightshade' Dave Cousins acoustic demo
#"Midnight" out-take from first Deadlines sessions
#"Sweet Voices" out-take from first Deadlines sessions
#"Bring Out Your Dead" (Cousins, Wakeman) Dave Cousins acoustic demo (aka "The Young Pretender")
#"Another Day Without You" (Cousins) demo version
#"Touch the Earth" (Lambert,
Chas Cronk
Chas Cronk is an English musician, best known as the bass player and acoustic guitarist for the Strawbs from 1973 to 1980 and again from 2004 to the present. Chas also toured and recorded with Steve Hackett and Rick Wakeman in the 1980s and C ...
) Lambert and Cronk studio recording
#"Armada"
Juan Martin
''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, t ...
and Strawbs 1981 studio recording
#"A Glimpse of Heaven" (Cousins) Cousins and Willoughby live at
Sidmouth
Sidmouth () is a town on the English Channel in Devon, South West England, southeast of Exeter. With a population of 12,569 in 2011, it is a tourist resort and a gateway to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site. A large part of the town h ...
Folk Festival
#"The Hangman and the Papist" (Cousins) a recording made for Rick Wakeman's Gastank programme
#"I'll Carry On Beside You" (Cousins) 1983
Cambridge Folk Festival
The Cambridge Folk Festival is an annual music festival, established in 1965, held on the site of Cherry Hinton Hall in Cherry Hinton, one of the villages subsumed by the city of Cambridge, England. The festival is known for its eclectic mix o ...
#"
Heavy Disguise
"Heavy Disguise" is a song by English band Strawbs written by bassist John Ford. The track first appeared on the '' Grave New World'' album and features just John Ford from the band singing and accompanying himself on the acoustic guitar backed ...
" (Ford) 1984 rehearsal recording
#"That's When the Crying Starts" (Cousins) 1984 live recording
#"Evergreen" (Cousins) Dave Cousins home demo
#"Song of a Sad Little Girl" (Cousins) 1988 Wakeman and Cousins live recording
CD 4 – ''Further Down the Road''
#"Ringing Down the Years" (Cousins) 1990 Strawbs live recording
#"Further Down the Road" (Cousins) Dave Cousins acoustic demo
#"Heartbreak Hill" (Cousins, Cronk) 1993 silver jubilee tour with Don Airey
#"Extravaganza on a Theme of Strawbs" ( Don Airey) Don Airey solo from 1993 silver jubilee tour
#"File of Facts" (Cousins, Airey) 1993 Dave Cousins and Don Airey recording
#"Hero and Heroine" (Cousins) Chiswick House concert recording with guest
Ric Sanders
Richard Sanders (born 8 December 1952) is an English violinist who has played in jazz-rock, folk rock, British folk rock and folk groups, including Soft Machine and Fairport Convention.
Biography
Sanders' first experience with a professiona ...
#"The Ten Commandments" Dave Lambert and Brian Willoughby from 2001 tour
#"The King" (Cousins) Wakeman and Cousins Hummingbird album outtake
#"Hummingbird" instrumental outtake from Wakeman and Cousins Hummingbird album
#"Alice's Song" (Craig, Willoughby) 2003 live Acoustic Strawbs recording
#"McLean Street"/" Who Knows Where the Time Goes" (Sandy Denny) 2004 live recording
#"We'll Meet Again Sometime" (Cousins) 2004 Acoustic Strawbs recording
#"Sunday Morning" (Cousins, Lambert) single mix
#"On a Night Like This" (Cousins) acoustic version
#"Dragonfly" (Cousins) live 2005 version
#"Canada" (Cousins) new Dave Cousins solo song
#"Here Today, Gone Tomorrow" (Cousins) live 2006 recording
CD 5 – ''Tastebuds'' (bonus disc)
#"The Happiest Boy in Town" (Cousins) Strawberry Hill Boys demo
#"Draught Raga" (Hudson, Ford) 1970 live
sitar
The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...
instrumental
#"Ways and Means" (Cousins) Two Weeks Last Summer outtake
#"Rip it Off Blues" (Cousins) Dave Cousins demo
#"Stay Awhile With Me" (Cousins) Dave Cousins version of '' Strawberry Sampler Number 1'' track
#"Oh So Sleepy" (Cousins) outtake from the ''Deep Cuts'' album
#"Barcarole" (Cousins, Cronk) instrumental outtake from the album ''Burning for You''
#"Time and Life" (Cousins, Cronk) Dave Cousins home demo
#"Heartbreaker" (Wil Malone) from the '' Intergalactic Touring Band'' album
#"Andalucian Express" Strawbs with Juan Martin
#"
Lay Down
"Lay Down" is a single by the Strawbs which reached No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart in October 1972 - their first hit. It was included on their 1973 album ''Bursting at the Seams''.
The lyrics are loosely based on the 23rd Psalm in the Old Testa ...
" (Cousins) 1984 live version
#"Over the Hill" (Blue Weaver) Blue Weaver solo track
#"You Never Needed Water" (Cousins) originally on the Cousins & Willoughby album ''The Bridge''
#"If" (Cousins) Acoustic Strawbs
#"Cold Steel" (Lambert) Folk Scene live recording
#"The River" (Cousins)/"Down by the Sea" (Cousins) Strawbs live in Thalgau 2006
Personnel
*Dave Cousins – lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar,
dulcimer
The word dulcimer refers to two families of musical string instruments.
Hammered dulcimers
The word ''dulcimer'' originally referred to a trapezoidal zither similar to a psaltery whose many strings are struck by handheld "hammers". Variants of ...
, banjo
Most of the musicians from the various incarnations of Strawbs over the years play on the various tracks. For a full list see the article on the band.