Dave Cousins was the singer, main songwriter, and leader of British band THE STRAWBS. He passed away July 13, at the age of 85. The Strawbs were a unique band, starting as folk rock, then evolving and adding elements of progressive, and hard rock over time. From 1972-73 the band had 3 UK hit singles – “Lay Down”, “Part Of The Union” (#2) , and “Shine One Silver Sun”.

Back in 2008 I received a few Dave Cousins solo albums (CD), His latest album – The Boy In The Sailor Suit, and a reissue of his 1972 album Two Weeks Last Summer. At the time I wasn’t very familiar, but I knew “Hero And Heroine”. I went and saw him, while promoting these discs, when he played a ‘songs & stories’ solo show at Hugh’s Room in Toronto. It was an entertaining, intimate show. Afterwards, Dave came out and greeted people, signed albums, got in pictures. I recall seeing a few posters in the Hughs Room hallways that were from previous Strawbs (Acoustic Strawbs) shows, so reckon the band had quite a following in Toronto for many years. This tour was captured in the live album Duochrome.

After that, my buddy Ed and I walked a few blocks over to a used record shop, where I picked up a handful of Strawbs’ LPs. On another day, just prior to or after the show I interviewed Dave. A bit of this was used in a local music paper. For some time now I’ve been intending to dig out the tape, and fully transcribe it.

The Strawbs last album was 2023’s The Magic Of It All.

LINKS:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jul/20/dave-cousins-obituary

https://www.strawbsweb.co.uk

https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/strawbs-founder-and-singer-dave-cousins-has-died-aged-80

Music Legends Strawbs To Release ‘Magic From the Moon’ On Blu-ray June 9, 2025

British music legends Strawbs will be releasing “Magic From the Moon” on Blu-ray on June 9, 2025. A spectacular acoustic and symphonic concert from the Strawbs 40th Anniversary Show, this release showcases the acoustic talents of the Strawbs. The set list covers many milestones over their long career with the Strawbs performing songs from their 1969 self-titled debut album to the Dancing to the Devil’s Beat album from 2009.Special guest Sonja Kristina joins the Strawbs for four of the songs, singing Sandy Denny’s parts. This unique concert also features the closing extravaganza with the legendary Robert Kirby, along with members of the Royal Artillery Orchestra. The full contingent of Electric Strawbs (Dave Cousins, Rod Coombes, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk, John Ford and Oliver Wakeman) faithfully recreate some of the great classics in the Strawbs vast repertoire.The Blu-ray also features an interview with Robert Kirby. Kirby discusses “David’s brilliant attitude towards music”, his time in the Strawbs, and working for the band. Rehearsal footage of the conductor and the orchestra is also included.This unique show, including the performances which feature Sonja Kristina, has never been released on home video since the concert was performed in 2009. Having only been seen by those in attendance at the show, this release promises to be of great interest among Strawbs fans across the globe.

• Set List:
  1. Simple Visions (Deep Cuts, 1976)
  2. Josephine for Better or for Worse (Dragonfly, 1970)
  3. Copenhagen (Dancing to the Devil’s Beat, 2009)
  4. Cold Steel (Deja Fou, 2004)
  5. Sail Away to the Sea (Strawberry Music Sampler, 1969)
  6. On My Way (All Our Own Work, 1973)
  7. All I Need is You (Strawberry Music Sampler, 1969)
  8. Tell Me What You See in Me (The Strawbs, 1969)
  9. Evergreen (Baroque and Roll, 2001)
  10. The River (Bursting at the Seams, 1973)
  11. Down By the Sea (Bursting at the Seams, 1973)
  12. Heavy Disguise (Grave New World, 1972)
  13. Where Silent Shadows Fall (Dancing to the Devil’s Beat, 2009)
• Strawbs official website: https://strawbsweb.co.uk/

Many years ago I heard the title track to this album at someone’s house. I had no idea who the STRAWBS were, but that dramatic intro/riff that repeats throughout the song was unforgettable. Years later, in the 2000s I had the opportunity to see Strawbs frontman Dave Cousins in Toronto, at a small venue, doing a ‘songs and stories’ show. Met Dave after the show, got his latest CDs…. After that my buddy and I stopped at a shop or 2, still open and not far from the venue, and I picked up a bunch of Strawbs on vinyl. Though I never got into all of them right away, I’ve found myself coming back to this album every so often for multiple listens, and it gets better each time.

Besides the standout title track, there’s a lot of variation here, a lot of atmosphere, a lot of acoustics, as the band – then sort of changing from a bluegrass/folk band to a more folk-progressive band, with more rock, and the use of various keyboards, mellotrons, etc… adding to the band’s sound. There was also lots of changes in the songs, such as with the album’s epic opener “Autumn: Heroine’s Theme; Deep Summer’s Sleep (Hold On To Me) The Winter Long”. Hero And Heroine featured 10 tracks, all of which are enjoyable, and there’s a smooth flow from song to song. Standouts for me, aside from the opener and the title track, would be the single “Shine On Silver Sun”, “Midnight Sun” (as it eases in right at the end of “Hero And Heroine”), and “Round And Round”, which after a lengthy intro, kicks in to a good rock tune.

I’m not sure, but I think Hero And Heroine was one of (if not – The) biggest Strawbs albums. It came at a time after the band had gone through a few personnel changes, and despite not charting high in the US or Canada, it was certified Gold in Canada, as the band seemed to build up quite a following here. I’ve seen a couple of CD versions with a couple of bonus tracks, but a proper deluxe version of this classic album is overdue, I think.