Esoteric [Release date: 26.6.20]

In common with most rock survivors, David Cousins’ Strawbs have worked a variety of music genres over the past 50 years, segueing early folk stirrings into more conventional song structures via a progressive heyday.

The last just predates the recording in 1977 of ‘Burning for You’. While the musical equivalent of a ‘troubled shoot’ judging by Cousins’ candid booklet notes, it yields a clutch of fine pop/rock songs in his title track and the Chas Cronk co-write ‘Cut Like A Diamond’ while Dave Lambert’s ‘Heartbreaker’ shouts ‘single’ amidst balancing ballads and novelty songs.

The album’s lush tone is partly determined by the addition of Robert Kirby and John Mealing’s keyboards and orchestrations to the line-up and the outcome is distinguished overall by quality composition and performance lent a definable identify by Cousins’ distinctive and emotive vocalising.

While this outcome may have disappointed fans yearning for the sprawling blasts of ‘Grave New World’, punk lurked, and producer Jeffrey Lesser sought a hit.

The single chosen to sell it was the rollicking and nostalgic ‘Back In The Old Routine’. More reminiscent of ‘Part Of The Union’ than ‘Lay Down’, while an airplay fave it was to “undermine the credibility built up over the years” after the release of an album with “the imprint of management demands over artistic feasibility written all over it”, according to the notes.

It includes Cousin’s ‘Alexander The Great’, his counter to a period Melody Maker review of its predecessor ‘Deep Cuts’ that summarised its appealing to ‘mums and dads’.

As with today’s airwave-surfing baby boomer, shocked to discover that the unidentified station he’s been enjoying in the car is BBC Radio 2, so this record’s appeal to fans perhaps rests easier on their ears now they are those very parents.

This remastered reissue features four bonus tracks including an early version of the song ‘Joey and Me’; solo Cousins with guitar, it harks back to the Strawbs, a folk band of yore. ***
Review by Peter Muir

---

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

---

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

---

Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)

---

---

Popular (last 10 days)

---