Great! I hope that you both like it. They may not play that particular song, but I am sure that they will play one or more slower songs like that. They always do. (Nice break from the bombast. )
Well, it was a nice show. They played 3 tunes from a Ferryman's Curse, a couple from Hero and Heroine, and a couple from Ghosts. Can't remember the rest of them since I'm not that familiar with their discography. Dave Bainbridge was the star of the show; he's even a great guitarist! Dave Cousins had a lot of vocal trouble and seems very frail. I wonder if he's ill? He had a couple of cringe-inducing moments and forgot where they were in the setlist at one point.
The venue, the Palais Montcalm, seemed mostly full with at least 1000 in attendance. I was a bit surprised, but Cousins mentioned that they've sold more records in Canada than anywhere else in the world.
I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Cousins had some sort of operation somewhere around July. Maybe he's not fully recovered?
There has been some insinuation that Cousins may be ill. He's lost a LOT of weight. I hope that's not the case though, and I hate when people think you're ill because you lost a lot of weight. But "frail" is a word I have never heard to describe David Cousins. I'm sorry to hear he was having vocal problems.
Picture from a few months ago.
37716346_1671351519601279_2203121861238194176_o[1].jpg
Last edited by Man In The Mountain; 10-11-2018 at 08:57 AM.
Just working out the kinks I expect....by the time they hit Gravenhurst he was in powerful voice and that continued throughout. He was ill with kidney stones earlier this year & had an operation to remove them, but he's recovered and he looks good.
After seeing them, I've delved into their catalog a bit. First, through the Broken Hearted Bride, I think Cousins is a great singer. Yes, his singing is idiosyncratic, but I consider that a good thing. I understand that such a distinctive voice and timbre would turn some people off, but I think it's indispensible for Strawbs music and suits the material. Sadly, I think he's declined since the Broken Hearted Bride. The material on the Ferryman's Curse is great, but Cousins' singing has suffered. There's almost an "old man's whistle" to his singing. Kind of to be expected. In his prime, though, he was a monster vocalist and that prime lasted for decades.
I'd recommend seeing them before it's too late. I'm glad I did!
I saw them last Sunday at Hugh's Room in Toronto...apparently, they have played this venue 35 times. Cousins voice is just OK, I feel that it's getting close to over. It's certainly over for Dave Lambert's voice. Regardless, it was an excellent show with many well deserved standing O's. Dave Bainbridge is a real asset to this line up and a perfect fit.
Dave Sr.
I prefer Nature to Human Nature
Outdoor fire, weed, dram of Edradour whisky, and Strawbs Grave New World....oh yeah.
Frick, that sounds awesome!
Hey Little Man! I just listened to this in the past week and really enjoyed it as well. What's the word? Classic, oh yeah.
The other day I asked Alexa to shuffle songs by the Strawbs and after a live song Cousins was telling a story about the next song which was about an elderly woman who had died and all her possessions she had accumulated over her live were being auctioned off in her house and then the shuffle started a different song. I can’t think of what song he was talking about. Does anyone have that live recording or know what song it was he was talking about?
"Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
"[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM
Antique Suite maybe?
What was the song they played before his introduction?
[QUOTE=Fracktured;954350]I think it was cold steel but I’m not positive]
Well they do Cold Steel then Life Auction right after it on the DVD from the tour in the '00's so I think Harbottle was correct
I'm sure I've read/heart Dave Cousins talking about the inspiration for this song and it involved seeing a woman's possessions being sold after she had died.
Maybe it's in the booklet that came with the CD. (Not that I know where my CD is, as they're all in boxes up in the attic!)
When I've finished listening to Fleetwood Mac's Time (Not a great album) I might listen to Ghosts! Not listened to both for a while and Ghosts has always been my favourite album by the Strawbs.
The other day I was listening to the APP's "Eye in the Sky," which I haven't heard in ages. When the song "You're Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned" came on, I could have sworn it was Dave Cousins singing. I checked and it's Lenny Zakatek.
Bookmarks