Strawbs

Strawbs (or The Strawbs) are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock and progressive rock.

They are best known for their hit "Part of the Union", which reached number two in the UK Singles Chart in February 1973, as well as for "Lay Down", a popular progressive rock hit from the same LP. Strawbs toured with Supertramp in their "Crime of the Century" tour, doing their own "Hero and Heroine" tour, which drew musical similarities and themes.

History

Early days

The Strawbs formed in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys while the founder members were at St Mary's Teacher Training College, Strawberry Hill, London. The name was shortened to 'The Strawbs' for a June 1967 concert in which they wanted to display the band name on stage. Their long-time leader and most active songwriter is guitarist and singer Dave Cousins (guitar, dulcimer, banjo, vocals) (born David Joseph Hindson, 7 January 1945, Hounslow, Middlesex). In the early days Strawbs played with Sandy Denny (later lead singer of Fairport Convention and Fotheringay).

Although they started out in the 1960s as a bluegrass band, the band's repertoire shifted to favour their own (mainly Cousins') material. While in Denmark in 1967, the Strawbs (Cousins, Tony Hooper and Ron Chesterman) with Sandy Denny recorded 13 songs for a proposed first album, '' All Our Own Work''. It was apparently not issued in Denmark and the fledgling band could not get a UK record deal. (Meanwhile, Denny left to join Fairport Convention and the album was forgotten until it was issued on Pickwick Hallmark in the UK in the mid-1970s.)

They were the first UK group signing to Herb Alpert's A&M Records and recorded their first single, " Oh How She Changed" in 1968, which was produced and arranged by Gus Dudgeon and Tony Visconti, who also worked on their critically acclaimed first album, '' Strawbs'' (1969). Between the first and second A&M albums, in 1969, a sampler, ''Strawberry Music Sampler No. 1'' was recorded. According to the 2001 CD reissue, only 99 copies of the original vinyl LP were pressed up.

After the folk-tinged ''Dragonfly'', Cousins and Hooper added Rick Wakeman on keyboards, Richard Hudson on drums, and John Ford on bass. The new line-up had their London debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, where they recorded their third album, ''Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios''; the ''Melody Maker'' reported on the concert with the headline "Tomorrow's superstar" in reference to Wakeman. Wakeman stayed with them for one further album, '' From the Witchwood'', then departed to join Yes, remarking to the press that "I'm sure we'll all benefit from the split because we were beginning to compromise a lot on ideas – like we'd use half of my ideas and half of theirs – and I don't think it was helping what was eventually coming out. We ended up lacking challenge. Complacency set in, and for the last couple of months we just weren't working."

He was replaced by Blue Weaver, who had previously been with Amen Corner and Fair Weather. This line-up produced what many feel to be the archetypal Strawbs album ''Grave New World'', before yet another change, the departure of founding member Hooper, who was replaced by electric guitarist Dave Lambert, formerly of Fire and the King Earl Boogie Band.

Pop success

Lambert's arrival in 1972 coincided with a move towards a harder rock style on the next album, '' Bursting at the Seams''. The first single from the album with Lambert on board, "Lay Down", hit the UK Singles Chart at number 12, followed by a further single from the album, "Part of the Union", which went up to number 2. The album also reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart and the band undertook a 52-date UK tour to packed houses. The harder rock style was also evidenced by Cousins' solo album, "Two Weeks Last Summer", recorded that summer, with guests such as Roger Glover from Deep Purple and Jon Hiseman from Colosseum.

However, during the course of a US tour, tensions came to a head and the ''Bursting at the Seams'' band did just that, with Hudson and Ford splitting off to record their own material, firstly as Hudson Ford, later as The Monks and High Society. Weaver also left the band, eventually finding a gig with the Bee Gees; he also played with Mott the Hoople.

Cousins and Lambert rebuilt the band, adding John Hawken (formerly of The Nashville Teens and Renaissance) on keyboards, Rod Coombes formerly with Stealers Wheel and Chas Cronk on bass. This line-up recorded the 1974 ''Hero and Heroine'' and ''Ghosts'', and tended to concentrate on the North American market with relatively little touring in the UK. Strawbs still retain a great fan-base today in the US and Canada. ''Hero And Heroine'' went platinum in Canada, and both albums sold extremely well in the US too. A further album, ''Nomadness'', recorded without Hawken, was less successful, and was their last for A&M Records.

In a review in ''Rolling Stone'' in 1974, Ken Barnes wrote:
"Strawbs moved from folkier days to a lush, stately and mellotron-dominated sound, with similarities to Yes, King Crimson and the Moody Blues. They wrote more compelling songs than the former two, and possessed more lyrical/musical substance than the latter."

Signed to the Deep Purple-owned Oyster label, they recorded two more albums with two keyboardists replacing Hawken – Robert Kirby, also known for his string arrangements (notably Nick Drake) and John Mealing

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