Halcyon Days: The A&M Years

Artist: The Strawbs
Label: A&M
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 2

UPC: 731454095129
EAN: 0731454095129
ASIN: B000009QQI

Release Date: 1998-08-11

Related Categories:

British Folk

| Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General

| Folk | Styles | Music

General

| Pop | Styles | Music

Folk Rock

| Rock | Styles | Music

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock

| Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Listmania:

British Folk
Listening Double: a list of great double CDs or albums
Essential 70s Rock

Tracks:

The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
Where Is This Dream Of Your Youth
The Battle
The Weary Song
I Turned My Face Into The Wind
Forever
Song Of A Sad Little Girl
Glimpse Of Heaven
Witchwood
Sheep
The Shepherd's Song
The Hangman And The Papist
Benedictus
Queen Of Dreams
Heavy Disguise
New World
Two Weeks Last Summer
Blue Angel

Tracks:

Here It Comes
Part Of The Union
Tears And Pavan: i) Tears/ii) Pavan
The River
Down By The Sea
Lay Down
Autumn: i) Heroine's Theme/ii) Deep Summer Sleep/iii) The Winter Long
Hero And Heroine
Midnight Sun
Out In The Cold
Round And round
Ghosts: i) Sweet Dreams/ii) Night Light/iii) Guardian Angel
Lemon Pie
Grace Darling
To Be Free
Hanging In The Gallery
The Promised Land

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Customer Reviews:

Halcyon Days, Indeed!.......2005-08-24

"Halcyon Days: The A&M Years" (US release) while not necessarily the definitive compilation of The Straws is certainly one of the best. Many of their more popular songs from the albums "Strawbs" to "Nomadness" are featured in this 2-CD album. Over 35 songs ar featured, including a few songs from Dave Cousins' "Two Weeks Last Summer".

The track selection is solid throughout. There are folk flavoured songs like "Witchwood", "The Battle" and "The Hangman & The Papist", rock ditties like "Round and Round" and "Lay Down", the psychedelic "Queen of Dreams", the spiritual "Benedictus" and the classically inflected "Tears & Pavan" and "Autumn".

Cousins' poetics and music is simply enthralling. The keyboard wizardry of Rick Wakeman is on show before he joined Yes. The grittier, harder sound of Ford and Hudson is also evident. Only the lovely voice of the late Sandy Denny is not heard here.

Indispensable to this album is a 24-page booklet. It provides an excellent overview of the group's history. Cousins sheds meaning on many of the songs he authored. And pictures of various members are interspersed throughout.

"Halcyon Days: The A&M Years" is an excellent album. Don't hesitate to buy it if you can find it, new or used.

All their own work, the very best of..........2001-07-12

My introduction to the Strawbs, in college in 1988, was the track "Deadly Nightshade" from their 1978 LP Deadlines. I was not impressed; but I decided that this was not representative of the band and vowed to seek out their other albums. It took me over ten years, but when I found Halcyon Days in a record store in Memphis, I knew I had to check it out. I was not disappointed. This collection was my introduction to the band's years on A&M, and the sheer range of the material is stunning, to say the least. Beginning with the folk-influenced tracks of their 1969 debut, through the "gothic" period delineated by Grave New World, Bursting at the Seams, Hero & Heroine and Ghosts, to the more freeform work of Nomadness, these 35 tracks show the band's development into a mature and respected prog-rock band. Dave Cousins' impassioned and dramatic lyrics are offset by John Ford and Richard Hudson's more whimsical sing-alongs ("Part of the Union," a real tubthumper) and the thoughtful, introspective works of Tony Hooper and Dave Lambert. There is not a dud on this collection. All of the A&M albums are available as imports, the first two from Si-Wan Records in Korea (though you must act quickly to get copies of them), with the exception of Nomadness, which has not yet been remastered, and may very well not be. Essential.

The best Progressive Folk Rock band in the world!.......2001-06-17

I couldn't imagine this collection being done any better (chronological, and no fade-outs to separate from other tracks of the original albums.) It's put together better than the UK version, however, the UK version has some rare b-sides and Hudson-Ford tracks. The individual albums are available on A&M in the UK. (Amazon will be happy to get them for you). I don't think A&M in america cares about the Strawbs. Or even Rick Wakeman (once a member of Strawbs). Everyone knows that Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson are the most famous keyboardists in the world. But A&M (in america), still hasn't released all of Wakeman's albums on CD. They've really dropped the ball. I guess we'll just have to get the imports of what is available on CD. Halcyon Days is the collection I loan out to friends. Even they ask me "Do you have anymore?" I have to burn copies and give it to them because the Strawbs are so scarce in the US. Some may buy the expensive imports, but they usually ask me to make them copies, because, now even "Halcyon Days" is hard to find. I guess, expecting A&M to release any Hudson-Ford CD's would be totally out of the question. Even the UK hasn't done this yet (as of 2005). Strawbs are to England, what the Grateful Dead was to America. (except Strawbs tell cool stories, not talk about the joys of drug abuse and self-anguish). People still follow Strawbs around England as they do still tour. And they are still releasing rather decent respectable albums (although I do wish they would stop doing re-recordings of their previously released songs. This is so unnecessary.) Oh well, Halcyon Days may be out of print, but a smaller collection from the "20th Century Masters" has released "The Millenium Collection" on the Strawbs as this is now all that america has got to offer. "Halycon Days" is a great tight collection. I recommend it, but Good Luck finding it now.

Difinitive Strawbs Collection.......2001-01-05

The Strawbs were not just a fine band - they were several! The earliest bluegrass-flavoured manifestation is not represented here, but the development from introspective acoustic balladeers, to purveyors of folky anthems, to epic prog-rockers, and almost back again via flirtations with the pop charts, are all here on this very satisfying collection. The distinguishing feature throughout each lineup is, of course, Dave Cousins' remarkable voice. Standouts include "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" and "The Battle" from the first "real" Strawbs album (OK, the Sandy Denny one has its moments), the brilliant single "Lay Down", and longtime favourite "The Hangman and the Papist", but every track is worthwhile.

EXCELLENT Strawbs collection.......2000-11-26

I have been a Strawbs fan since the 80's, way past their 'prime time', however I knew that these guys had a special sound and feeling to their music that was rarely captured by other bands of the time. Back in my college DJ days of the late 70's, I used to play a few Strawbs cuts here and there (cleverly stuck between some Genesis or Rush or something), and people used to call up and ask 'who was that you just played???' So, that struck a note with me that I wasn't too far off in believing that these guys were largely unheard of in the USA for a large part of their career...and shoulda been!

So, to this CD...I have a promo LP of 'Best of Strawbs' from A&M back from 79...never reproduced on CD, and I always wish it would have. And along comes 'Halycon Days' to answer my prayers - and one AWESOME collection of their stuff it is. It is way beyond the LP I had, and showed me a new side of the early Strawbs that I had not heard (The man who called himself Jesus, The Battle, etc), as the LP had nothing from the first 2 Strawbs LPs! This compilation does and outstanding job of capturing all of Strawbs 'sounds' from '69 to '75, as they did vary a lot from folk-rock to prog-rock. The one thing that marks this band apart from many others is that they had a strong root to folk, added the prog-rock 'thing', however NEVER strayed from the strong songwriting that did not 'adjust' itself with 'the times'. They fit their sound to the turbulent times, however never really 'sold out'.

In detail, the material from 'From the Witchwood' and 'Grave New World' is great, as well as the cuts from 'Ghosts' and 'Hero and Heroine'. There are cuts from this CD that will have you singing for days and wonder where you were when these guys were at their peak (probably very young (like me)! or not born yet). My favorites are 'Heavy Disguise' (which sounds like a great Beatles song), 'Blue Angel' (a David Cousins classic that you just have to hear!), 'The River/Down by the Sea' (a very dramatic piece that will have you thinking and rocking), 'Lemon Pie' (more poppy, but great! - shoulda included 'Don't try to Change me'), and 'Lay Down' - simply a great rocker.

The thing that sets the Strawbs apart from the rest is that they had a grip on the prog-rock movement, however had a strong base in the folk-rock arena. Take these 2 together, and you have all the elements to create some great work. They are NOT some Genesis or Yes 'clone' - they are distinctly closer to Fairport Convention with some more rock elements thrown in - and the intensity of Cousins on vocals adds to it.

The Strawbs - a classic English Prog-folk-rock band that sits high in the annals of rock - give them a try!

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