Customer Reviews

Broken Hearted Bride

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the best Strawbs album since their creative peak in the early-mid 70s.

The first four tracks are all terrific: driving, creative, complex progressive rockers. They were written by Dave Cousins, who's at the peak of his form here. The energy level isn't quite as high after that, although all of the Cousins' songs on the album are good, and I liked Dave Lambert's Shadowlands too.

The overall sound is closer to Hero and Heroine or Ghosts than any of the albums since, possibly because John Hawken is back on board and heavily featured on the best tracks. If you liked those albums, you'll also like this one.

Although I note the existence of a dissenting opinion among these reviews, like many I thought that Deja Fou was a letdown, and wondered if the Strawbs were still able to create decent songs. I needn't have worried. On this evidence, there is a lot of great music left in the band.

4 1/2 stars might be a truer number, but still a surprisingly strong return to form for a band who seemed to be going through the motions on their last album. Yes, there is a dirth o'mellotron, but there are some nice tasty keys here and Dave Cousins is in great voice. That being said, it's Dave Lambert's screaming lead guitar that really is the highlight of many of the songs (especially on his own "Shadowland" and Chas Cronk's "Everybody Knows"). The epic "Through Aphrodite's Eyes" could easily have come from Hero & Heroine. Another classic track is "Christmas Cheer" that has the 'chorus of hundreds' sound a la "Glimpse Of Heaven" from the old days. A nice remake of the old number from Dragonfly "We'll Meet Again Sometime" closes out the set and makes you hope that the full electric Strawbs head to middle America for some shows. Rarely do reunions of old bands work this well.

Like the previous reviewer I agree this album comes closest in spirit and strong material to the vintage prog Strawbs. It also sounds much better than their other recent efforts, the production being dense but clear with a good deal of punch. Sounds great on a quality mp3 player. "Call to Action" was originally featured on the Dave Cousins / Conny Conrad album "High Seas", and I admit I prefer that version. It's a bit more "proggy", with faux Mellotron and a bit stripped down. However, this version with violin and more instrumentation is also good, a testament to the quality of the song. It's one of Cousins' best in a long time, but the whole album is quite satisfying. Give it a try. Also agree 4 1/2 stars is more accurate.

I had to laugh when I read the comment that The Broken Hearted Bride is big improvement on Deja Fou. This can't touch that little gem, but that being said there is still much to like here. The titular head of the band, Dave Cousins, has been quite active in 2008, cranking out two solo albums and now this new Strawbs album.

Those who have heard and liked the Cousins/Conrad side-project should be delighted with the inclusion of a very stirring take on Call to Action. That song, with a little help from a couple of other cuts, keeps The Broken-Hearted Bride from being merely mediocre. Those others are the rousing Christmas Cheer, the proggy Through Aphrodite's Eyes, and an instrumental take on the opening cut called Action Replay. But then there are three I don't really care for, one of which is the title cut that unfortunately has a whiff of eighties corporate rock about it. The others are You Know As Well As I, a cheesy song with a sound that is mired in the 70s, and the dull repetition of Everybody Knows.

There is no doubt that there is a lot of music left in Cousins and Company. The problem on The Broken Hearted Bride is that Strawbs seem to be treading water, musically speaking, as opposed to taking any chances they way they did on Deja Fou and as Cousins himself did on his recent solo outing Boy In A Sailor Suit.

The Call To Action alone makes it easy for me to endorse this CD which comes with an attractive booklet containing lyrics and pertinent album information. Get this yes, but also get Deja Fou if you do not already own it...a few listens to both and you should come around to my view.

I didn't think these guys still had it in them. What a pleasant surprise! Their last few releases, including Deja Fou, (almost unlistenable)and Blue Angel (only enjoyed the re-makes on this one) had me thinking one of my long-time favorite bands were done for. The first four songs on this CD are now in heavy rotation on my Ipod. Amazingly (like the new AC/DC and Motorhead CDs) sometimes these veteran bands can still bring it, and their fans are rewarded for their loyalty.

I just got this, and after a few listens it's growing on me. But I can't understand all the reviews that claim it's the "best recent album"! The previous album, Deja Fou, despite the silly name and tacky artwork, was a top-notch Strawbs album, with a fine selection of songs and a welcome return to some of the acoustic folk and prog/art music that is where the band shines. This album, although having a much classier cover and album title, tends more towards the pleasant, but unremarkable soft-rock songwriting of the band. Not bad, with some good tracks, but not as consistently varied and excellent as Deja Fou in my opinion. The two epics, "A Call To Action" and the proggy "Through Aphrodite's Eyes", are really good and there's an instrumental revisit to "A Call To Action" at the end, which I like. My girlfriend immediately fell in love with "Deep In The Darkest Night", although it didn't particularly stand out to me - but, then, I do tend to prefer the more folky or proggy stuff, so a well-crafted pop song can be lost on me.

So, if you like their other recent work, this should be a worthy purchase. I would certainly recommend "Deja Fou" before this one, although I like it better than their early 90's "Ringing Down the Years" or some of their later 70s albums like "Nomadness".

Being a fan since day one and lucky to own the entire catalog this for me was confirmation that this great band had another great record in them and here it is! Musically it is a perfect fit between Ghosts and Nomadness, on one track Hero and Heroine album comes to mind and this is Strawbs heaven for any fan. The Broken Hearted Bride is not the classic Hero and Heroine but serves itself well as a perfect balance song for song and the best in decades.

Even though the present album reminds me of the old "vintage" folk prog, regarding the early period, especially in its mood, it seems quite different...the "key" tune is "Call to Action", originally written for another work by Dave Cousins and Conny Conrad, entitled "High Seas"; but here it's realized in a strange version, which is enriched by means of the violin and other odd istrumentation. Nevertheless- unfortunately- such tune seems pre-recorded...instead I wonder if the overall sound is equal or anyway close to their classic evergreen "Hero and Heroine" and "Ghosts" or- once again- in a different way, if you note something new in the arrangement and in the spirit too! However It's difficult to express a definitive opinion about it (as it's typical, by considering the artistic value of their compositions in general...), but the first four tracks are quite essential within a collection of folk prog, being complex enough...I'm so curious about a different version of the same tunes with Rick Wakeman at the keybaords for example (if ever He would decide to change artistic direction and come back live on stage with them, perhaps as a special guest, one day...), despite the work by Chas Cronk, "coupled" with the supporting keybaords by Cousins is good, after all!!

At the end this album is quite essential within its particular genre, which is a bit far away from the polyphonic folk of the Renaissance, in the most progressive sense of the term I mean, but nevermind...You'll choose to check it out at least, in any case, even by erasing one star from the final score!!

this album is a vast improvement over deja foo! the title track is a classic killer strawbs track.no pun intented!!a fine addiction to the strawbs catalogue..put where is the mellotron?