FEATURED CD - Strawbs : From the Witchwood

[Duncan Glenday]

Time to go all-classic on ya...

Very good, IMO - not my favorite Strawbs album, but still essential, and I don't remember it ever being a featured CD.

Per Allmusic:

This album was originally the weak link in the transition of the Strawbs from an acoustic folk-rock outfit to a progressive folk band, being neither fish nor fowl and suffering from an anemic mix. The 1998 British reissue (A&M 540-939-2), however, solves some inherent problems that plagued both the original vinyl edition and the first CD reissues. The new remastering toughens up the bass sound, and brings out more of the sheer power of Rick Wakeman's organ and synthesizer playing, accenting the harder side of the group's sound that was obviously there in the studio but lacking in the analog mix. "A Glimpse of Heaven" and "The Hangman and the Papist," in particular, benefit from the remastering, and "Sheep" finally has the musical fury to match its lyrics. Dave Cousins' voice also comes off as really close, and the effect is to make this a much more potent album than it previously seemed. Overall, it's now far easier to visualize this recording as the step leading to full-blown progressive rock releases such as Grave New World, which followed. The disc includes one bonus track, John Ford's "Keep the Devil Outside," which has an acoustic opening and a hard rock break and finale, which was cut at these same sessions, and which turned up months later as the B-side of "Benedictus," a single drawn from the next album.

http://www.allmusic.com/album/from-t...d-mw0000460022

[Scrotum Scissor]

The first of their five truly great studio albums.

[Lopez]

Probably my favorite Strawbs album. Just love "The Shepherd's Song." Years ago ('74 or so), Rick Wakeman gave an interview on local Philly station WMMR, and he mentioned that that song was the first number that he knew of that featured both Mellotron and synthesizer.

[emperorken]

Strawbs are really hit and miss with me. Most of their best songs appear on Grave New World through Ghosts, IMO. From the Witchwood is just OK to me.

[Blah_Blah_Woof_Woof]

What about Dragonfly and the folky stuff? I love the covers for Dragonfly and self/titled import. Aside from the classics I like Hero & Heroine's high points, too.

[Duncan Glenday]

I think "Bursting At The Seams" is the best thing they've done, followed by the far more dramatic and less subtle "Grave New World".

[Trane]

Their best with Curios... Hangman & The Papist is their best moment... Still poignant after 30 years of listening

The last of their five truly great studio albums.

corrected!! OK, GNW is still good

I think "Bursting At The Seams" is the best thing they've done, followed by the far more dramatic and less subtle "Grave New World".

Can't stand that one, especially Union and Lay Down...

Strawbs are really hit and miss with me. Most of their best songs appear on Grave New World through Ghosts, IMO. From the Witchwood is just OK to me.

I'm definitely more of a fan of the Hooper, Hudson & Ford days than the Lambert, Coombes and Cronk ones...

[emperorken]

I think "Bursting At The Seams" is the best thing they've done, followed by the far more dramatic and less subtle "Grave New World".

Bursting at the Seams certainly has 2 of the best songs they ever did, "Down by the Sea" and Tears and Pavan". However, IMO, Hero and Heroine is their most consistently great album.

[Man In The Mountain]

Witchwood is a classic Strawbs album. One that still resonates with me very strongly. I have no idea what the reviewer is talking about with the bad mix, or it being a weak link. Some of Wakeman's purest groves are found right here.

I think "Bursting At The Seams" is the best thing they've done...

Ha Wow, interesting opinion. I consider myself a pretty hard-core Strawbs fan, own nearly every album they have come out with (with the exception of recent studio and live stuff), but I've always considered "Bursting At The Seams" the only dud in their 60's - 70's output. Never got into it, except for Tears & Pavan & Down By The Sea.

[Trane]

Ha Wow, interesting opinion. I consider myself a pretty hard-core Strawbs fan, own nearly every album they have come out with (with the exception of recent studio and live stuff), but I've always considered "Bursting At The Seams" the only dud in their 60's - 70's output. Never got into it, except for Tears & Pavan & Down By The Sea.

Absofrigginglutely!! Though I'd say that some of the later 70's albums (from Nomadness onwards) are definitely not strong either. I could even draw a small parallel that Strawbs went downhill once they stopped making longer tracks (no more tracks above 5 mins).... longer tracks which were often their more progressive works, even though the IMHO better GNW and FTWW don't have any above 5 mins either

[kayfabe58]

A great album, with a unique feel. I'm a big Strawbs fan and also feel the Hooper, Hudson/ Ford era was the strongest. I think Deep cuts was the dying gasp for the band.Once the lineup drastically changed after BOTS-the quality didn't necessarily diminish, but the band evolved in a direction that eventually led to stagnation.

[Jerjo]

I only have those three core albums: Grave, Bursting, and Hero. Perhaps it is time to go deeper into their catalog.

[Brian Griffin]

I only have those three core albums: Grave, Bursting, and Hero. Perhaps it is time to go deeper into their catalog.

If you like these you will LOVE Ghosts - arguably their proggiest and best

Run don't walk!

BG

[mogrooves]

Not the first of theirs I reach for but a nice little gem (though patchy, as are most of their albums)......

[Toothyspook]

Maybe because it was one of the first LP's I owned I always enjoy listening to the first ever Strawbs album. I seem to remember Dragonfly not grabbing me quite so much but when Witchwood came out then it really made folk sit up and notice this band.

[Rael]

One of Strawbs best albums. For me, their greatest run started with the debut and went up through "Bursting at the Seams". I think when they became more overtly "proggy", Strawbs became less interesting.

[llanwydd]

I heard "Antiques and Curios" before this so that is my favorite Strawbs so far. "Witchwood", though is very atmospheric and English-folk sounding. I pick the title track as the best.

[Banquo]

I think "Bursting At The Seams" is the best thing they've done, followed by the far more dramatic and less subtle "Grave New World".

This, but I do love H&H.

[chalkpie]

LOVE this album. And the ones prior, and of course Grave. The folky Strawbs sprinkled with 'trons and Hammonds is the schiznet.

[Forester1]

Tackles some broadly "Christian" issues in many of the songs, but in a much more sympathetic way than Ian Anderson was doing at much the same time. Great contributions from RW, even though he was in process of leaving the band. Overall my third favourite after Grave New World and Hero.

[Garyhead]

Thanks PE. I just bought 12 of the early titles on amazon......this forum drains my wallet more than any other! Not too bad this time $87.00.

[Trane]

Tackles some broadly "Christian" issues in many of the songs, but in a much more sympathetic way than Ian Anderson was doing at much the same time. Great contributions from RW, even though he was in process of leaving the band. Overall my third favourite after Grave New World and Hero.

Diçfferent strokes for different folks... I happen to think TAAB and aqualung were spot on (and even a tad too dip^lomatic).

Thanks PE. I just bought 12 of the early titles on amazon......this forum drains my wallet more than any other! Not too bad this time $87.00.

12 album for 87$ is more than OK (was that physical or dematerialized support?), but you may want to look closer before buying so many from one band at a time... (and this is probably not just IMHO!

I can't thinkof 12 Strawbs discs worth owning ... IMHO, of course

[Brian Griffin]

Diçfferent strokes for different folks
I can't thinkof 12 Strawbs discs worth owning ... IMHO, of course

Different strokes indeed

See the below

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A lot of live boots, but I have 79 discs by them not including any solo ones

12 is "hard", only from a narrowing down perspective : )

Gary, which 12 did you go with?

BG

[Man In The Mountain]

I can't thinkof 12 Strawbs discs worth owning ... IMHO, of course

Yeah. For a novice, I would say no more than Antiques thru Nomadness (if even). That's a run of 7 albums. Anything else is just for Strawbs freaks. You have to realize this was a folk band in the 60's, that turned into a prog band in the early 70's, that then slimmed down to a rock band by the late 70's. Interesting to explore, but the prog stuff is wherein lies the gold.

[Brian Griffin]

If I had a gun to my head, here are the 12 I'd pick

1. Hero
2. Ghosts
3. Grave
4. Busrting
5. Nomadness
6. Deep Cuts
7. Witchwood
8. Antiques and Curios
9. BBC in Concert
10. Burning
11. NY 75
12. Broken Hearted Bride

BG