The Strawbs "From the Witchwood 1971 Full LP"1. A Glimpse Of Heaven 00:00
Autoharp – Tony*Banjo – Dave*Celesta [Celeste] – Rick*Choir – The Choir And Congregation Of Air Strawbs
2 Witchwood 03:53
Banjo, Dulcimer – Dave*Clarinet – Rick*
3 Thirty Days 07:19
4 Flight 10:13
Electric Piano – Rick*
5 The Hangman And The Papist 14:40
6 Sheep 18:54
Synthesizer [Moog] – Rick*
7 Cannondale 23:11
Harpsichord – Rick*Recorder [Tenor] – Dave*Tambourine – Tony*
8 The Shepherd's Song 26:57
Mellotron, Synthesizer [Moog] – Rick*
9 In Amongst The Roses 31:34
Harpsichord – Rick*
10 I'll Carry On Beside You 35:26
Bonus Track
11 Keep The Devil Outside 38:35
The Strawbs’ clunking UK number one hit “Part Of The Union” has rendered the rest of their fascinating output largely invisible. In fact the single is highly untypical; from their mid-60s bluegrass beginnings and brief association with Sandy Denny, they moved towards a form of Progressive pastoral rock that found perfect expression on the wild, wuthering songs of From The Witchwood. Featuring Rick Wakeman on keyboards, just before he gallivanted off with Yes, the record makes beautiful use of organ, Mellotron, celeste, dulcimers and clarinet. The sleeve reproduced a tapestry of St Jerome’s vigil in the wilderness, and vocalist Dave Cousins sings like a man in a trance as he wanders through transfigured landscapes that either give “A Glimpse Of Heaven” or grow imprisoning limbs, as in the forest of “Witchwood”. The fabular mode of most of these songs is well-grounded, as on “The Hangman And The Papist”, where the tale of religious separation in Northern Ireland mirrors Cousins’ own family background.
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