''The Very Best of the Strawbs: Halcyon Days'' is a compilation album by English band Strawbs. Although credited to Strawbs it does contain three

Hudson Ford Hudson Ford were a UK rock band-style duo, formed when John Ford and Richard Hudson left Strawbs in 1973. The original line-up featured Hudson (now playing guitar instead of drums) and Ford along with Chris Parren on keyboards, Mickey Keen ...

tracks and a

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 ...

solo track (taken from his album ''

Two Weeks Last Summer ''Two Weeks Last Summer'' is the first solo album by Dave Cousins, singer and guitarist from the Strawbs. It was released in 1972 on A&M Records. Track listing All songs written by Dave Cousins #"Two Weeks Last Summer" – (3:07) #"October to ...

''). The album was released as a 2-CD set in the UK and US. The US release has a slightly different title (''The Very Best of Strawbs: Halcyon Days – The A & M Years'') and a different track listing.

Cover

The cover image is of a

common kingfisher The common kingfisher (''Alcedo atthis''), also known as the Eurasian kingfisher and river kingfisher, is a small kingfisher with seven subspecies recognized within its wide distribution across Eurasia and North Africa. It is resident in much of ...

, a reference to the mythical kingsfisher of Halcyon days.

Track listing – UK release

CD one

#"Ghosts" (

) – 8:30 #:"Sweet Dreams" #:"Night Light" #:"Guardian Angel" #:"Night Light" #" On Growing Older" (Cousins) – 1:56 #"

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) – 3:50 #"Stormy Down" (Cousins) – 2:44 #"I Turned My Face into the Wind" (Cousins) – 2:35 #" Queen of Dreams" (Cousins) – 5:31 #"Witchwood" (Cousins) – 3:22 #"Keep the Devil Outside" (

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 ...

) – 3:01 #"The Hangman and the Papist" (Cousins) – 4:11 #"

Benedictus Benedictus may refer to: Music * Benedictus (Song of Zechariah), ''Benedictus'' (''Song of Zechariah''), the canticle sung at Lauds, also called the Canticle of Zachary * The second part of the Sanctus, part of the Eucharistic prayer * Benedictus ...

" (Cousins) – 3:38 #"Golden Salamander" (Cousins) – 4:54 #"Tokyo Rosie" (Cousins) – 2:49 #"

Hero and Heroine ''Hero and Heroine'' is the seventh studio album by English band Strawbs. Background After the tour supporting the previous album, ''Bursting at the Seams'' (1973), there was an acrimonious split leaving only Dave Cousins and Dave Lambert to ...

" (Cousins) – 3:22 #"Pick up the Pieces" ( Richard Hudson, Ford) – 2:35

track #"

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) – 4:32 #"Backside" (Cousins) – 3:50 #"Out in the Cold" (Cousins) – 3:19 #"Round and Round" (Cousins) – 4:44 #" Oh How She Changed" (Cousins,

Tony Hooper Anthony Hooper (14 September 1939 – 18 November 2020) was an English folk singer-songwriter and musician. He was best known as a founder-member of Strawbs together with Dave Cousins and double bassist Ron Chesterman. He left The Strawbs ...

) – 2:52 In the liner notes, track 16 is referred to as "Ciggy Barlust (Backside)"

CD two

#"The Battle" (Cousins) – 6:25 #"

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 ...

" (Cousins) – 3:54 #"Blue Angel" (Cousins) – 9:46 Dave Cousins solo track #:"Divided" #:"Half Worlds Apart" #:"At Rest" #"

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) – 2:42 #"The Shepherd's Song" (Cousins) – 4:33 #"We'll Meet Again Sometime" (Cousins) – 3:12 #"Martin Luther King's Dream" ive(Cousins) – 2:53 #"Burn Baby Burn" (Hudson, Ford) – 3:02 Hudson Ford track #"

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) – 2:46 #"Why and Wherefore" (Cousins, Dave 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 ...

John Hawken John Christopher Hawken is an English keyboard player, best known as a member of The Nashville Teens, Renaissance, and the Strawbs. He also played in Spooky Tooth, Third World War, Vinegar Joe, Illusion, as well as being a session musician. ...

Rod Coombes Rodney Coombes (born 15 May 1946) is an English musician. He was mostly known from playing drums with British bands Stealers Wheel in 1972 to 1973 and again in 2008 and Strawbs from 1974 to 1977 and again from 2004 to 2010. Career He has pla ...

) – 5:31 #"Floating in the Wind" (Hudson, Ford) – 4:13 Hudson Ford track #"Absent Friend" (Cousins) – 4:35 #"

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) – 2:56 #" Will Ye Go" (Francis McPeake) – 3:54 #"The River" (Cousins) – 2:23 #"Down by the Sea" (Cousins) – 6:19 #"Tell Me What You See in Me" (Cousins) – 6:11

Track listing – US release

CD one

" (Cousins) – 3:50 #"Where Is This Dream of Your Youth" (Cousins) #"The Battle" (Cousins) – 6:25 #"The Weary Song" (Cousins) – 3:50 #"I Turned My Face into the Wind" (Cousins) – 2:35 #"

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) – 3:32 #"Song of a Sad Little Girl" (Cousins) – 5:28 #"A Glimpse of Heaven" (Cousins) – 3:50 #"Witchwood" (Cousins) – 3:22 #"Sheep" (Cousins) – 4:14 #"The Shepherd's Song" (Cousins) – 4:33 #"The Hangman and the Papist" (Cousins) – 4:11 #"

" (Cousins) – 3:38 #" Queen of Dreams" (Cousins) – 5:31 #"

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) – 2:53 #"

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) – 4:11 #"Two Weeks Last Summer" (Cousins) – 3:07 Dave Cousins solo track #"Blue Angel" (Cousins) – 9:46 Dave Cousins solo track #:"Divided" #:"Half Worlds Apart" #:"At Rest"

CD two

" (Cousins) – 2:42 #"

" (Hudson, Ford) – 2:56 #"Tears and Pavan" – 6:35 #:"Tears" (Cousins) #:"Pavan" (Cousins, Hudson, Ford) #"The River" (Cousins) – 2:23 #"Down by the Sea" (Cousins) – 6:19 #"

" (Cousins) – 4:32 #" Autumn" – 8:27 #:"Heroine's Theme" (Hawken) #:"Deep Summer Sleep" (Cousins) #:"The Winter Long" (Cousins) #"

" (Cousins) – 3:22 #"Midnight Sun" (Cronk, Cousins) – 3:06 #"Out in the Cold" (Cousins) – 3:19 #"Round and Round" (Cousins) – 4:44 #"Ghosts" (Cousins) – 8:30 #:"Sweet Dreams" #:"Night Light" #:"Guardian Angel" #:"Night Light" #"

" (Cousins) – 3:54 #"

Lemon Pie A lemon tart (french: tarte au citron) is a dessert dish, a variety of tart. It has a pastry shell with a lemon flavored filling. In the UK, lemon tart consists of a pastry case (often made in a fluted tart tin) containing a baked lemon custa ...

" (Cousins) – 4:03 #"To Be Free" (Cousins) – 4:17 #"Hanging in the Gallery" (Cousins) – 4:32 #"The Promised Land" (Cronk) – 4:07

Personnel

The songs were performed by several incarnations of Strawbs, plus the Hudson Ford and Dave Cousins session musicians. The following musicians featured: – *

– 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 ...

– vocals, acoustic guitar * Dave Lambert – vocals, electric guitar *Miller Anderson – electric guitar (on Dave Cousins solo tracks) *Micky Keen – guitar (on Hudson Ford tracks) *

Ron Chesterman Ronald George Arthur Chesterman (27 November 1939 – 16 March 2007) was an English musician. He is best known as the original double bass player with The Strawberry Hills Boys, starring Dave Cousins on guitar, dulcimer, banjo and vocals, Tony ...

–

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...

*Claire Deniz – cello *

– vocals, bass guitar *

– bass guitar, vocals *Rod Demick – bass guitar, vocals *

Roger Glover Roger David Glover (born 30 November 1945) is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known as the member of the hard rock bands Deep Purple and Rainbow. As a member of Deep Purple, Glover was inducted into the Rock and R ...

– bass guitar (on Dave Cousins solo tracks) * Rick Wakeman – keyboards *

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 ...

– keyboards *

– keyboards * Andy Richards – keyboards
Chris Parren
– keyboards (on Hudson Ford tracks) * Richard Hudson – drums, guitar, vocals *

– drums, vocals *Tony Fernandez – drums *Ken Laws – drums (on Hudson Ford tracks) *

Jon Hiseman Philip John Albert "Jon" Hiseman (21 June 1944 – 12 June 2018) was an English drummer, recording engineer, record producer, and music publisher. He played with the Graham Bond Organisation, with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers and later for ...

– drums (on Dave Cousins solo tracks)

Release history

References

''Halcyon Days'' (UK release) on Strawbsweb
*Liner notes to CD set 540,662-2 {{DEFAULTSORT:Halcyon Days (Strawbs Album) 1997 compilation albums Strawbs compilation albums A&M Records compilation albums