Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Strawbs
Label: A&M Records / Interscope
Release: 1972
Runtime: 36:31
Rating: 4.5/5
The legendary English progressive folk rockers Strawbs delivered the best moment of their long career with “Grave New World”, even though before the recording sessions it looked like their days were numbered. Guitarist, vocalist, lyricist and chief songwriter Dave Cousins was seriously down after keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman left. With Wakeman’s help, the band had taken a big step forward on the previous album, “From The Witchwood” (1971), moving on from their relatively shy acoustic folk beginnings into noticeably more complex territory, artfully weaving in elements of symphonic music and electrified rock. After Wakeman jumped ship to the prog rock titans Yes, plenty of people predicted a quick decline and a drowning in a sea of mediocrity, if not outright collapse.
Cousins and his up-and-coming musical crew survived the big loss anyway and came out of it stronger, with an album that most Strawbs fans rightly consider the best of their career. The turnaround began when Cousins was reading the classic Chinese text I Ching (an ancient system of cosmology and philosophy that was hugely important to the culture of ancient China) and asked the book what he should do. The answer ended up in the lyrics of the opening classic “Benedictus” – “Humble must he constant be, where the paths of wisdom lead, distant is the shadow of the setting sun”.
Derek John “Blue” Weaver (ex-Amen Corner, Fair Weather) successfully took over Wakeman’s keyboard duties, even though his stint in the band was only brief. Weaver obviously couldn’t match a keyboard miracle worker of Wakeman’s caliber, but he still lived up to the trust placed in him and contributed a string of juicy symphonic arrangements on organ, mellotron, harmonium and piano, which let the band sail into the vast world of progressive rock with full sails.
“Grave New World” is a concept album, meaning that most of the songs are tied together by a story about a man who discovers an inner awakening and a true calling in the world. The individual tracks reflect the band’s evolution and a step forward from their acoustic folk roots, with symphonic and electrified rock elements woven in. Founding member, acoustic guitarist and vocalist Tony Hooper wasn’t happy with this direction, so he left the band before the album came out. In the best tradition of quality British folk rock, the individual compositions on “Grave New World” are marked by an excellent mix of pastoral and sacral atmosphere, while the epic symphonic arrangements on some of the tracks add an almost solemn feel. There’s also no shortage of short acoustic guitar interludes from Cousins and Hooper, which remind us of the band’s acoustic roots.
The newly found fire and the band’s resurrection after Wakeman’s dramatic exit shine through right in the opening epic “Benedictus”, with its majestic symphonic arrangements on mellotron and organ and its enlightened lyrics. The symphonic grandeur is tied together by a pleasant pastoral acoustic guitar melody alongside mighty multi-part harmonies, which adds to the extraordinary, almost sacral mood. The innovation shows in the elegant piano flourishes and the juicy dulcimer passages (many a listener will be fooled on first listen into thinking it’s an electric guitar). This majestic epic remains a very strong contender for the best thing in their whole story.
The short, unobtrusive acoustic guitar solo pieces, like the interlinked “Hey, Little Man…Thursday’s Child” and “Hey, Little Man..Wednesday Child”, which tell of a dialogue between father and son, do a fine job as a transition between the more complex creations and the more basic folk moments. The psychedelic-tinged “Queen Of Dreams” shows an enthusiasm for prog rock experimentalism, featuring an experiment unusual for them: individual acoustic guitar chords were recorded backwards, while the witty dulcimer solo is nothing to sneeze at either. Despite these psychedelic whims, they still find enough time to craft a gallant melody with acoustic guitar and organ, which instantly charms all lovers of romantic folk rock.
“Heavy Disguise” is an excellent pastoral track under the baton of bassist John Ford, who handles the vocals and acoustic guitar melody all by himself here. Besides the spirited acoustic guitar chords, the majestic orchestral arrangements from a guest wind section impress. The rhythm of the song was inspired by the Jethro Tull classic “Thick As A Brick”, which Ford admitted himself, saying he’d supposedly heard that Tull classic on the radio. The political humor you can pick up in the lyrics bears this out. On the dramatic epic “New World”, they demonstrate their symphonic prog rock strengths in full for the first time, with a series of pompous orchestral arrangements on mellotron. Cousins’ lyrics were inspired by the tragic events in Northern Ireland and deal with politically divided families and conflict. In mood, message and structure, this excellent composition is in many ways a continuation of “The Hangman And The Papist” from the previous album.
“The Flower And The Young Man” is another Strawbs classic, with a strong acoustic melody and teasing symphonic arrangements on keyboards, mostly mellotron. The choral harmonies create a majestic sacral atmosphere that fits the romantic lyrics about a called-off love perfectly. The dramatic “Tomorrow” is Cousins’ superb tribute to Wakeman, with whom he stayed close friends even after the departure, and with whom he recorded the album “Hummingbird” (2002) many years later. Dave’s fierce singing style and mournful lyrics reflect the feelings that overwhelmed him when Rick left too soon without a single word of goodbye. The track is dominated by spirited electric guitar and organ with a string of playful passages and solos, while the soothing acoustic guitar melody in the background keeps the ambient balance. Cousins once said that this song marks the moment he was first happy with his own electric guitar playing.
The next composition, “On Growing Older”, sits on pleasant chords from Cousins’ acoustic guitar under dreamy vocals and moves in more classic folk waters, while “Ah Me, Ah My” is a perfect cabaret burlesque with a jokey melody, a cheeky xylophone and choral vocals. On “Is It Today, Lord?”, where sacral harmonies rule, drummer Richard Hudson shows off with some excellent playing on the sitar, the traditional Indian instrument that the Beatles had popularized back in the second half of the sixties. The closer “The Journey’s End”, with elegant piano passages and a pleasant vocal melody, provides a fitting end to this excellent album.
“Grave New World” is the finest achievement in the story of these prog folk rock legends and one of the best folk rock albums, period. After the tough test of Wakeman’s departure, Strawbs came out even stronger and marched into their most fruitful creative stretch with this classic. Hooper’s exit and the arrival of rocker Dave Lambert foreshadowed such times of creative triumph; with Lambert’s help they began working hard rock elements into their musical vocabulary, and recorded several more excellent albums that still belong in the collection of every music connoisseur today.
Line-up
Dave Cousins – vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dulcimer, recorder
Tony Hooper – vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, autoharp, tambourine
Blue Weaver – organ, piano, harmonium, mellotron, clavioline
John Ford – vocals, backing vocals, bass guitar, acoustic guitar
Richard Hudson – backing vocals, drums, sitar, tabla
GUEST MUSICIANS:
Trevor Lucas – backing vocals on “Benedictus”
Anne Collins – backing vocals on “Benedictus”
Robert Kirby – arranger on “Heavy Disguise”
Tony Visconti – arranger on “Ah Me, Ah My”
Production
Strawbs
Track list
1. Benedictus (4:24)
2. Hey Little Man … Thursday’s Child (1:05)
3. Queen Of Dreams (5:28)
4. Heavy Disguise (2:50)
5. New World (4:08)
6. Hey Little Man … Wednesday’s Child (1:05)
7. The Flower And The Young Man (4:17)
8. Tomorrow (4:44)
9. On Growing Older (1:54)
10. Ah Me, Ah My (1:21)
11. Is It Today Lord (3:04)
12. The Journey’s End (1:35)
Bonus tracks (A&M re-issue only)
13. Here It Comes (Strawbs A-side, post GNW)
14. I’m Going Home (Dave Cousins solo A-side, also found on his solo album Two Weeks Last Summer)
