Search - Strawbs :: Hero & Heroine

David Cousins and the Strawbs at their heroic height

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 12/13/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Hero and Heroine" is considered by most of their fans to be the best album produced by the Strawbs. Certainly this album is a concerted group effort: keyboard player John Hawken provides the evocative "Heroine's Theme" that begins the opening "Autumn" suite, bassist Chas. Cronk teams with Cousins on "Midnight Sun," and while guitarist Dave Lambert's "Just Love" is the track that least fits the overall theme of the album, his "Hero's Theme" serves as a nice closing counterpart to the moody opening. Lambert's electric guitar is put to good effect throughout the album, which makes it clear that the folk music origins of the group are now well behind them.



Of course the prime tracks are those composed by Cousins, exemplified by the dramatic title track that may well surpass "Down by the Sea" as the group's best work (pay attention to not just Hawken's organ work but what he does on the harpsichord) and the equally frenetic "Round and Round." For those who like Cousins more intimate work, there is "Lay a Little Light on Me" and "The Winter Long" finale of the "Autumn" suite. This was the group's most polished effort to that point in time, and given how much they missed him when he left the group the credit in that regard goes largely to Hawken. This 1974 album only made it to #94 on the Billboard album charts (where it actually made more of a splash than in the U.K. where it was considered a failure both critically and commercially), which is a shame because the Strawbs should have been more than what they were, which is the best second tier progressive rock band of that era. I saw them when they were on tour in American for this album and the next day after the concert went out and bought all of their albums that had been released to that point and have been doing the same as they come out on CD.



Following the final transformation of the group during the production of "Bursting at the Seams," the "Hero and Heroine" album solidifies the musical identity that the Strawbs would explore further on their "Ghosts" and "Nomadness" albums. Of all the progressive rock groups of the seventies, the Strawbs were distinct in their willingness to produce music you would think of as darker or more moody, which may have to do with their grounding in folk music (Sandy Denny once sang with the group in one of its earlier incarnation)."

Kinda bleak and really great.

Lawrance M. Bernabo | 07/03/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Though side one is just a bit inconsistent, with Dave Lambert's "Just Love" not really fitting in with the overall theme of the album, Side 2 is one of the best and bleakest looks at life that I know. Maybe bleak is too strong a word, but Dave Cousins is really struggling here with life's meanings. There is even some striking sexual and religious imagery here, something I had not encountered up to that point. The themes on the mellotron are some of the best I have heard on a rock album, and side 2 flows wonderfully from song to song, as though it were one long suite. It is difficult to interpret just what Cousins was getting at lyrically, but the music is so strong and the band so tight that in the end it doesn't metter. Though "Bursting At The Seams" is a great record and maybe more consistent than this one, I prefer this one because it cuts deeper. In addition, I admire Cousins ability to explore themes of a spiritual nature in a way that is both deep, and yet ultimately accessible. Side 2 makes this album worth the price of admission. Of all their "progressive" albums, I think this one is the best."

Bleak progressive folk rock with some upbeat moments

Jeffrey J.Park | Massachusetts, USA | 04/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Released in 1974, a lot of folks regard this as the first prog album for the Strawbs (and their best), although I felt they were proggy as early as 1972 (with Grave New World). The musicians on Hero and Heroine included former Renaissance keyboardist John Hawken (acoustic/electric piano, Hammond organ, mini-moog, mellotron w/voice and string settings, and string synthesizer); Chas. Cronk (bass); Rod Coombes (drums); and Dave Cousins/Dave Lambert (acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and vocals). I should note that the vocals of Dave Cousins may be an acquired taste, but I actually like them quite a lot. The playing on the album is generally very good, with John Hawken creating wonderfully gothic atmospheres with his haunting and sweeping work on the organ, and especially the mellotron. In fact, his wall of minor keys and somber tones sets the melancholic mood for much of the album. On the whole, the pieces comprise a nice blend of prog, folk, and rock styles and range in length from 2 - 5 minutes, with one track at 8'27". The album opens with a brooding swirl of mellotron, string synthesizer, and some very gloomy guitar chords on Autumn, which is the longest track and a personal favorite. The proggy track Round and Round is also great - as an aside, this track was included on the prog rock box set by Rhino and was my first exposure to the Strawbs. Added bonus tracks include the excellent Still Small Voice and an early version of Lay a Little Light on Me. Although I generally liked this album, the upbeat rock piece by Dave Lambert (Just Love) does not fit very well with the gloom and doom of the remaining pieces. Apart from this minor complaint, Hero and Heroine is highly recommended to those folks interested in exploring progressive folk rock. Other albums by the Strawbs that might also be enjoyable include Grave New World (1972) and Ghosts (1975), which features the Hero and Heroine lineup."