Customer Reviews

From the Witchwood

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This is sort of an in-between album for Strawbs, recording during the period in which they were making the shift from being a slightly-electrified folk outfit to being a full-blown progressive rock band. Actually their fifth recording, it's the first one they did in the studio after being joined by then-unknown keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman, who would leave after this album to join Yes (and the rest about him, as they say, is history). His role here was noteworthy, and he certainly wasn't relegated to the background -- but neither did his organ, piano and harpsichord work dominate the group's sound as they came to do later in his work with Yes.

Led by guitarist/singer/songwriter David Cousins, with his distinctive voice always a trademark of Strawbs' sound, the group was still, for all intents and purposes, a folk-based ensemble -- even though this recording marked their first use of a full drum kit. The themes, melodies and 'feel' of the album was still 'folk'ish. The beauties of nature, mysticism, pacifism, the horror in a young boy's eyes at seeing sheep slaughtered, a vision of a secluded dale by a hermit monk -- these are the subjects and images in these songs, mostly penned by Cousins, some by Hudson and Ford.

The standout tune for me, though, is Dave Cousins' 'The hangman and the papist'. In this unforgettable work, we see a young monk condemned to die because he will not renounce the pope and swear allegiance to the king -- and we see a young soldier, chosen by the drawing of lots to act as the hangman. We are made privy to the thoughts of both of these men -- each full of his own brand of fear, trepidation and courage -- and then we see their worlds collide in the heart-stopping moment when the hangman, beneath his mask, recognizes the monk as his younger brother, 'standing proud. The hangman tries to protest, but is ordered to procede -- his trembling hands begin to take the strain. His eyes are blind with streaming tears, he cries for all to hear: "Forgive me God, we hang him in thy name..."'. This is strong stuff -- the album is worth the price for this piece alone, but everything on here is first-rate.

After this recording, Wakeman left the band and was replaced by Blue Weaver from the band Amen Corner, and the band's sound became more oriented toward rock. They put out several fine lps after 'From the witchwood' -- 'Grave new world' and 'Bursting at the seams' are really good -- but this was, I believe, the pinnacle of their achievement.

Thanks to A&M Records for making this recording available in this clear, re-mastered form -- it allows us to newly appreciate a classic.

Do not believe reviewers when they describe this album as a medaevil album. I personally should be slapped for having taken so long to buy "From the Witchwood". This is the vision the Strawbs were after, the synthesis of folk and rock, with a smattering of every other style thrown in just to keep you guessing. "A Glimpse of Heaven" is one of the most perfect opening songs ever to grace an album. It's a flawless song. Listen to it three times and play it to someone you care about. Every song on Witchwood is singular and timeless. Other standouts are the two song combo of "Flight" and "The Hangman And The Papist", the thematic change peace and discord between these two songs is wonderfully unnerving and drastic. The latter is one of Dave Cousins's most haunting songs, and ranks among his best. If you are fortunate enough to own this band's first two albums, you will recall songs like "The Battle" and the "Vision Of The Lady Of The Lake". After the album's original closer "I'll Carry On Beside You" finishes, it will still resonate for some time after you have switched to another CD. The bonus track "Keep The Devil Outside" is a worthy addition in the way it keeps with the predominant peace-discord theme of the Witchwood album. "From the Witchwood" like "Grave New World" is a classic keeper and should not be passed up if the chance to listen to it comes.

The Strawbs started out as a folk group. With this album they began to evolve toward a more "progressive" sound, undoubtedly spurred on by Rick Wakeman, who guested on this album. "Glimpse of Heaven," which leads this CD off, is a perfect example; it begins as a pastoral folk piece and evolves into a much quicker middle section, with Hammond organ flourishes, then returns to the folky beginning.

This first song sets the pace for those to follow. Although the album is not repetitive or dull, there is an overall "feel" to the album that is very representative of its time (early '70s). Lyrical themes tend toward the mystical, and the use of sitars, banjo, dulcimer and tabla, along with Wakeman's creative keyboards, add colors to the music that pull it out of the "folk ghetto" that a lot of similar bands got trapped in.

Dave Cousins, the main songwriter here, was never afraid to be earnest or romantic, sometimes to an embarrassing extent, but his occasional missteps are offset by the contributions of John Ford and Richard Hudson, who not only provided perfect accompaniment but contributed songs of their own.

Some few of the songs have not dated well, but there are many magical moments on this album, where the vocal harmonies of Cousins, Hudson and Ford mesh with the modernized (and sometimes fairly psychedelic) British folk structures of the songs to create a truly distinctive sound.

On a personal note, I have a great deal of affection for this album. It was helpful to me when I was trying to break away from my heavy metal youth, so I do wonder how well this review will relate to people in general. However, I do think that this CD is a lost classic, and anyone who enjoys Clannad, Lorena McKennitt, and other modern progressive folk music will find a lot to like here. I personally love this album for what it is; excellently performed progressive folk, sometimes with hippy overtones, but always sincere and always credible. I am really happy to see this back out on CD, as I have gone through two vinyl copies already. For fans of quiet, intricate, emotional music, the Strawbs "Witchwood" should not be passed by.

I actually went to go see the Strawbs in concert without owning any of their albums, but having listened to a few tracks on an FM radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico where the David Cousins led group was a personal favorite of a couple of disc jockeys. This would have been when the Strawbs were touring off of their 1975 "Ghost Album," which followed "Bursting at the Seams" and "Hero and Heroine" and together constitutes what many would consider their three best albums. "From the Witchwood" is a 1971 release that represents the transitional period when the Strawbs went from being an acoustic folk group, where Sandy Denny was a singer for a while, to a progressive folk group, with Rick Wakeman playing keyboards, before moving on to being more of a progressive rock group in the middle Seventies. At this point in addition to Cousins and Wakeman the group consisted of Richard Hudson on drums, John Ford on bass, and Tony Hooper as the lead guitarist.

Of course it is difficult not to pick up on Wakeman's organ and synthesizer playing on most of these tracks. It sure stands out on this version of "The Hangman and the Papist," more than I remember from the other version I have of this memorable tale about two brothers on opposite sides of the fence in Tudor England. The album opens with the pastoral "Glimpse of Heaven," originally a poem by Cousins which now features Wakeman's church organ accompaniment, and which defines the merging of the folk past and progressive future of the band. The folk impulse probably comes out strongest in the cautionary drug tale "Witchwood" and the sensitivities inherent in "Sheep." I always liked "The Hangman and the Papist," but "The Shepherd's Song" is the one that stands out this time, both in terms of the vocal harmonies and Wakeman's simulated horns and strings in the background.

The bonus track on this remastered album is John Ford's "Keep the Devil Outside," which has an acoustic opening before turning to hard rock. It was recorded during the "Witchwood" sessions but was only released as the B-side of "Benedictus," a single from the 1972 "Grave New World" album, with which "From the Witchwood" has the most in common. The Strawbs are a largely forgotten progressive rock group on this side of the pond except by those of us who had all of these albums on vinyl and/or cassette. I am just happy to see that more and more of those albums are becoming available here so that I do not have to keep importing them.

This is my personal favorite Strawbs album although this one through Hero and Heroine are pretty amazing in their own elcectic way- but you do get the sense that they are slowly trying their best to sell out and eventually they did. But this one WITCHWOOD is an excellent album that includes Rick Wakeman on keyboards before he joined Yes (incaseyadidn'tknow) and has some of Mr. Cousins finest compositions including Hangman and the Paptist, Shepards Song, and personal favorites witchwood, Sheep and Glimpse of Heaven (truely). My only complaint is in the production of the song In Amongst the Roses, which is one of their prettiest songs ever, has an excruciatingly loud screeching sound when the guitarist switches cords- a careless mistake that they could have been more careful about but the screeching sound seems to be so up in the mix that you can't help but notice it when trying to enjoy this otherwise very blissful song. Otherwise the production is really quite strong and the remastering really gives great balance (where the holycon compilation doesn't succeed as well). It's companion album Grave New World as well as the more straight foreward Bursting at the Seams and its companion Hero and Heroine are all highly enjoyable imaginative albums that combine many different ideas together. Four and 1/2 stars for Witchwood

The Strawbs was one of those bands I knew of forever, but never owned any of their albums, until now. Well, better late than never. From the Witchwood was their last album with Rick Wakeman. The rest of the group at that time consisted of Dave Cousins, Tony Hooper, Richard Hudson, and John Ford. The Strawbs were unlike many of their other British folk-rock contemporaries like Fairport Convention or Steeleye Span. For one thing, they did not touch on centuries old folk songs, jigs and reels, and mainly stuck to compositions written by band members. Mellotron was totally alien on any given Fairport or Steeleye Span album. Plus they wanted to explore prog rock, while at the same time not forsaking their folk roots.

From the Witchwood was their fourth album, and while mainly sticking to a folk-rock sound, started showing some progressive tendencies. This was their first album where the Mellotron was used, although just on one cut, "The Shepherd's Song". Wakeman did not stick around long enough to watch the band get more progressive, we all know what happened: he hopped board to Yes, where his keyboards (Moog, Mellotron, Hammond organ) was put to much greater use in that group. Yes was not happy with Tony Kaye, who was reluctant to play Moog on The Yes Album, and Wakeman's presence in Yes resulted in some of that band's finest albums (Fragile, Close to the Edge). Of course it was with Wakeman's stay with the Strawbs that allowed him to record his solo albums on A&M (which the Strawbs recorded for).

"A Glimpse of Heaven" was one of the band's singalongs they had a habit of including on many of their albums (like "Part of the Union" off Bursting at the Seams or "Shine on Silver Sun" off Hero and Heroine). Dave Cousins vocals sounds to me like a cross between Peter Gabriel and of Cat Stevens. "Witchwood" is a nice, pleasant folk-rock piece with mandolin. Some people would state that the songs not written by Dave Cousins were not the album's finest, but I can't say that they're bad. "Thirty Days" (Ford), "Flight" (Hudson), and "Canon Dale" (Hudson) might not be up to the quality of the songs written by Cousins, they're not bad. "Canon Dale" is a rather odd experimental psychedelic piece complete with sitar. "The Hangman and the Papist" is one of the album's high points, and it's little wonder it was a staple in the band's live repertoire. "The Shepherd's Song" is one of the first serious attempts at the band exploring prog rock. Here Wakeman uses his Mellotron to good use. I can't help but be reminded of the Moody Blues here, but then suddenly there's this Spanish feel to it, and during this part, Wakeman whips out his Moog. "In Amongst the Roses" goes back to folk music, but is a truly stunning acoustic piece.

It might not be their most progressive album (despite the presence of Wakeman), but the music is great, although the production isn't that great. Still, you need this album if you're a Strawbs fan.

I really enjoy the music of the Strawbs and especially appreciate their proggier works from the 1972-1975 timeframe, i.e. Grave New World through Ghosts). From the Witchwood (1971) is slightly different from those later works in that the folk rock influences are much stronger and even psychedelic pop influences are present. Specifically, there are vocal harmonies that remind me of Rubber Soul and Revolver-era Beatles and there is even a fleeting reference to the Jefferson Airplane track White Rabbit. Overall, I find this album to be a great example of English folk rock with some touches of prog rock.

The lineup on From the Witchwood includes Rick Wakeman (Hammond organ; mellotron (mostly with string setting); harpsichord; mini moog synthesizer; and clarinet); Dave Cousins (vocals acoustic and electric guitar; banjo; dulcimer; tenor recorder); Richard Hudson (drums; vocals; sitar); John Ford (electric bass; vocals); and Tony Hooper (vocals; autoharp; acoustic guitar; tambourine). This would be the last Strawbs album with Rick Wakeman before he joined prog rock giant Yes for their Fragile album.

From a quick glance at the instruments these guys were using, it becomes clear that an interesting mixture of the exotic; the "very old"; and the cutting edge were used to make this album. The use of the sitar on the album is pretty unusual in that scales typically associated with eastern music are not used - rather, the instrument is used to play more straightforward melodies associated with western rock music. Rick Wakeman does stand out though. In fact, his lightning fast and virtuosic runs on the Hammond organ and mini moog seem to be just a little bit at odds with the generally folky, pastoral and psychedelic feel of this album. Although I have been using descriptive terms like folky and pastoral, this was the first Strawbs album to feature a drum kit and some of the songs are pretty "rocking". Dave does note that they were a little nervous how their predominantly folk oriented audience might react to a drum kit, so the drums are mixed down a bit. However, John's bass work is especially heavy and really contributes to the rock element along with the electric guitars.

Musically, this is a great album of folk rock that took a giant leap into the rock realm. There are some proggy touches here and there courtesy of Rick's phenomenal technique and the equipment he used including the mellotron and the mini-moog. The arrangements themselves are also pretty interesting too and are at times very haunting and gloomy, yet occasionally upbeat. From the Witchwood also features some nice, pastoral moments that were holdovers from the purely folk rock approach of albums including Strawbs (1969) and Dragonfly (1970) and the group even worked psychedelic flourishes into the music here and there. Most importantly though, From the Witchwood is a very even album with all of the tracks more or less "on the same page" - I say this in spite of the fact that some folks do not like the tracks written by members other than Dave Cousins. I also appreciate the vocals - while Dave does have a somewhat unusual voice, the vocal harmonies with the other members are superb and at times sound reminiscent of early English folk music.

This remastered album is excellent and features restored cover art and loads of informative liner notes and excellent sound quality (Tony Visconti was a great producer). The bonus track was written by John Ford and was not included on the original album because of the time limitations imposed by the vinyl LP format. The track is very good.

Well there you have it. This is a great folk rock album with some proggy flourishes here and there that demonstrates the proggier direction that the group was heading in. From the Witchwood is very highly recommended to prog fans that do not mind their prog on the folk rock side along with Grave New World (1972); Hero and Heroine (1974); and Ghosts (1975).

Eleven track 1971 effort by the Strawbs. Again, another band from long days past (that thanks to the Internet) I've been able to access at least some of their vintage works. Tunes here that I got the most out of were "Witchwood", the indepth "Thirty Days", "The Hangman And The Papist", "Cannondale" and "In Amongst The Roses". I've heard a couple of patrons comment that this CD reissue does, in fact do the 'original' lp a lot of justice. I consider The Strawbs to be like - part British progressive, part art rock. What mainly led me to this CD was the fact that I discovered this was Rick Wakeman's pre-Yes band. A good pick.

the strawbs a folk rock band who turned progressive with this masterpiece i cannot fault this body of work one bit..every bit an enjoyable ride..my favorites being witchwood an beautiful song which sends shivers down my spine everytime i hear it..
and "the hangman and the papist"
two truly awesome songs in a MASTERPIECE OF an album
this is my first proper strawbs album i've got the ultimate collection with their hit single "part of the union" after hearing both of them albums i'm gonna invest in more of their studio albums
get the stawbs "from the witchwood" and feel the benefits of a classic folk/progessive album

I actually went to go see the Strawbs in concert without owning any of their albums, but having listened to a few tracks on an FM radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico where the David Cousins led group was a personal favorite of a couple of disc jockeys. This would have been when the Strawbs were touring off of their 1975 "Ghost Album," which followed "Bursting at the Seams" and "Hero and Heroine" and together constitutes what many would consider their three best albums.

"From the Witchwood" is a 1971 release that represents the transitional period when the Strawbs went from being an acoustic folk group, where Sandy Denny was a singer for a while, to a progressive folk group, with Rick Wakeman playing keyboards, before moving on to being more of a progressive rock group in the middle Seventies. At this point in addition to Cousins and Wakeman the group consisted of Richard Hudson on drums, John Ford on bass, and Tony Hooper as the lead guitarist.

Of course it is difficult not to pick up on Wakeman's organ and synthesizer playing on most of these tracks. It sure stands out on this version of "The Hangman and the Papist," more than I remember from the other version I have of this memorable tale about two brothers on opposite sides of the religious fence in Tudor England. The album opens with the pastoral "Glimpse of Heaven," originally a poem by Cousins which now features Wakeman's church organ accompaniment, and which defines the merging of the folk past and progressive future of the band. The folk impulse probably comes out strongest in the cautionary drug tale "Witchwood" and the sensitivities inherent in "Sheep."

As I have indicated, I always liked "The Hangman and the Papist," but "The Shepherd's Song" is the one that stands out this time, both in terms of the vocal harmonies and Wakeman's simulated horns and strings in the background. This remastered DVD includes on bonus track, Ford's "Keep the Devil Outside," which was never on an album but was the B-Side for the single "Benedictus" from the group's next album, "Grave New World." The Strawbs are a largely forgotten progressive rock group except by those of us who had all of these albums on vinyl and/or cassette, and it is nice to see that just about all of their albums are finally available on CD. If they were a second teir British Prog Rock band, then they were the best on that level.