Dancing to The Devil's Beat

Strawbs | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 25, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: WITCHWOOD MEDIA
• ASIN: B002F3BPSG
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,311 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Strawbs 40th anniversary album Dancing To The Devil's Beat is a record of its time - in its production values, and in reflecting Strawbs' evolution from sixties folk club origins, through the hits, on to stadium rock, and now as one of Britain's best loved Heritage bands. Dave Cousins' lyrics convey the maelstrom of current political events - from the machinations of climate change, to greed and corruption in the public sector, and the dignity of the armed forces in combat.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Return to Form, May 24, 2010

By 

Kurt Harding "bon vivant" (Boerne TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Dancing to The Devil's Beat (Audio CD)

Strawbs fans should be very excited by the quality of Dancing to the Devil's Beat. Some reviewers have called it their best since the 1970s. I say its their best since the underrated Deja Fou.
I like the entire album, but naturally have my favorites. Revenge (Can Be So Sweet) opens the album in grand style evoking the Strawbs of old. Reinforcing that return to form is the equally thrilling Beneath An Angry Sky. I also enjoy the expansive Pro Patria Suite, the very English ballad The Man Who Would Never Leave Grimsby, the quirky Ballad of Jay and Rose Mary, and the solemn Oh How She Changed.
The CD is housed in a standard jewel box and comes with an attractive and informative booklet that contains lyrics, pictures, and album information. Unfortunately, the CD cover is one of the ugliest I've seen...It's surely no hint of the wonderful music within!

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mighty Return, October 3, 2009

By 

M.R. "keyboardmi" (Kalamazoo, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing to The Devil's Beat (Audio CD)

After last years dissapointing HEARTBROKEN BRIDE, we see the STRAWBS returning to, if not their classic AM years, then getting very close. John Hawken, keyboards has left due to health reasons, and has been replaced with Oliver Wakemen (yes son of Rick). My only complaint is that while Cousins does write in long form, he doesn't share the vocal duties with Lambert like they used to do. Lambert writes one and sings two. He has always been undervalued in my opinion.
That being said, If you like Strawbs in the GHOSTS meets DEEP CUTS mold, then grab a copy, This is the best they have done since the seventies!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 40 years on and still creative, January 6, 2010

By 

Jim Panzee (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing to The Devil's Beat (Audio CD)

This is a solid follow-up to 2008's Broken Hearted Bride. If you enjoyed that CD -- and I did -- you'll like this one too. As with Broken Hearted Bride, the style is reminiscent of the Strawbs in their Hero and Heroine/Ghosts period without being duplicative. Eight of the nine tracks are good, the highlight being the Pro Patria suite, with its soaring anthem in the final part.

Overall, I liked The Broken Hearted Bride slightly better, but in one respect this CD improved on its predecessor: Broken Hearted Bride ended with a new version of a very early Strawbs song, We'll Meet Again Sometime, which, like the original version, was acoustic. It's a good song, but stood out like a sore thumb from the synthesizer-driven material around it. This time around, the Strawbs again redid one of their early songs, Oh How She Changed, but updated it with Dave Lambert's power chords and Oliver Wakeman's synthesizers. This was more successful, and Lambert's in great voice on that track, too.

Yes, I did say that only eight of the tracks are good. Track 7, the Ballad of Jay and Rosemary, sounds like something Dr. John might have produced on a very bad day. Just grin and bear it, better songs are on their way.