Grave New World

The Strawberry Hill Boys were a bluegrass trio founded by Dave Cousins, Tony Hooper and Ron Chesterman in 1967. Sandy Denny briefly passed through the band, recording an unreleased album (1973’s All Our Own Work) before joining Fairport Convention. In 1969 the band shortened their name and landed a recording contract with A&M. The Strawbs recorded two early albums with production heavyweights Gus Dudgeon and Tony Visconti, respectively. In 1970, Chesterman left, and Cousins and Hooper added the rhythm section of John Ford and Richard Hudson. Session-keyboard wiz Rick Wakeman, recently extricated from the Royal Academy of Music, was next to join. His debut, Just A Collection Of Antiques And Curios, was recorded live at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, though his role on it was really just that of a soloist. Producer Visconti then urged the electric side of Cousins’s songwriting and the resulting From The Witchwood, though still reflecting the band’s folk roots, again put the band in the UK Top 40. By the time of Grave New World, Blue Weaver had replaced Wakeman. More importantly though, Cousins’s songwriting had now gone progressive; it’s best demonstrated here on “Tomorrow” and “New World.” The album ranges from the acoustic of “On Growing Older” to the more eclectic rock of “Queen of Dreams.” Cousins is a unique vocalist, his raspy voice not unlike a Peter Gabriel or Roger Chapman. The album became the band’s best-selling to date, reaching No. 11 in the UK. However, boosted by the single “Part of the Union” b/w “Tomorrow” at year’s end, Strawbs’ next album, Bursting At The Seams, proved to be their commercial peak.