Halcyon Days (Strawbs album) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Halcyon Days is a compilation album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

by English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

band Strawbs. Although credited to Strawbs it does contain three Hudson Ford

Hudson Ford

Hudson Ford were a UK rock band-style duo, formed when John Ford and Richard Hudson left Strawbs in 1973. The original lineup featured Hudson and Ford along with Chris Parren on keyboards, Mickey Keen on guitars, and Gerry Conway on drums. Conway left in May 1974 prior to the recording of "Free...

tracks and a Dave Cousins

Dave Cousins

Dave Cousins has been the leader, singer and most active songwriter of Strawbs since 1967.-Career:...

solo track (taken from his album Two Weeks Last Summer
Two Weeks Last Summer
-Track listing:All songs written by Dave Cousins#"Two Weeks Last Summer" – #"October to May" – #"Blue Angel" – #:"Divided"#:"Half Worlds Apart"#:"At Rest"#"That's the Way It Ends" – #"The Actor" –...

). The album was released as a 2 CD set in the UK and US. The US release has a slightly different title (Halcyon Days - The A & M Years) and a different track listing.

Cover

The cover image is of a Common Kingfisher, a reference to the mythical Kingsfisher of Halcyon days

Halcyon Days

Halcyon Days is a collaborative album by the ambient musicians Steve Roach, Stephen Kent and Kenneth Newby. This album was recorded in the period from December 17 to 28, 1995...

CD one

"Ghosts" (Dave Cousins
Dave Cousins
Dave Cousins has been the leader, singer and most active songwriter of Strawbs since 1967.-Career:...

) – 8:30

"Sweet Dreams"

"Night Light"

"Guardian Angel"

"Night Light"
"On Growing Older
On Growing Older
"On Growing Older" is a song by English band Strawbs written by Dave Cousins. The track first appeared on the Grave New World album, although it was written and recorded a few years earlier...

" (Cousins) – 1:56
"The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
"The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" is a song by English band Strawbs written by Dave Cousins. It appears on their album Strawbs. An alternative mix of the song may be found on the 2006 box set A Taste of Strawbs.-B-Side:...

" (Cousins) – 3:50
"Stormy Down" (Cousins) – 2:44
"I Turned My Face into the Wind" (Cousins) – 2:35
"Queen of Dreams
Queen of Dreams
"Queen of Dreams" is a song performed by English band Strawbs and written by Dave Cousins. The track first appeared on the 1972 Grave New World album.-Musical content:...

" (Cousins) – 5:31
"Witchwood" (Cousins) – 3:22
"Keep the Devil Outside" (John Ford) – 3:01
"The Hangman and the Papist" (Cousins) – 4:11
"Benedictus
Benedictus (Strawbs song)
"Benedictus" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1972 album Grave New World.After the departure of Rick Wakeman, band leader Dave Cousins consulted the I Ching asking what to do next...

" (Cousins) – 3:38
"Golden Salamander" (Cousins) – 4:54
"Tokyo Rosie" (Cousins) – 2:49
"Hero and Heroine
Hero and Heroine (song)
"Hero and Heroine" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1974 album of the same name. It is written by Dave Cousins and has obvious drug allusions, the main reason it didn't get much airplay on BBC radio...

" (Cousins) – 3:22
"Pick up the Pieces" (Richard Hudson
Richard Hudson (musician)
Richard Hudson is an English singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:Richard Hudson was a member of Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, in which he played drums and sitar and sang. In 1970, he and band-mate John Ford joined Strawbs...

, Ford) – 2:35 Hudson Ford
Hudson Ford
Hudson Ford were a UK rock band-style duo, formed when John Ford and Richard Hudson left Strawbs in 1973. The original lineup featured Hudson and Ford along with Chris Parren on keyboards, Mickey Keen on guitars, and Gerry Conway on drums. Conway left in May 1974 prior to the recording of "Free...

track
"Lay Down
Lay Down
"Lay Down" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1973 album Bursting at the Seams. It peaked at number 12 in the UK Singles Chart....

" (Cousins) – 4:32
"Backside" (Cousins) – 3:50
"Out in the Cold" (Cousins) – 3:19
"Round and Round" (Cousins) – 4:44
"Oh How She Changed
Oh How She Changed
"Oh How She Changed" is a song by English band Strawbs written by Dave Cousins and Tony Hooper. It was the first single to be released by Strawbs and later appeared on their 1969 album Strawbs...

" (Cousins, Tony Hooper
Tony Hooper
Tony Hooper is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as a founder-member of Strawbs together with Dave Cousins. He left Strawbs in 1972 after their album Grave New World, when it became obvious that the band was moving further away from its folk roots towards rock and...

) – 2:52

In the liner notes, track 16 is referred to as "Ciggy Barlust (Backside)"

CD two

"The Battle" (Cousins) – 6:25
"Grace Darling
Grace Darling (song)
"Grace Darling" is a song by English band Strawbs, featured on their album Ghosts . The track was recorded at in the chapel of the Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, which the members of the band Genesis had attended in the 1960s, and which Strawbs' producer at the time, Tom Allom, had also...

" (Cousins) – 3:54
"Blue Angel" (Cousins) – 9:46 Dave Cousins solo track

"Divided"

"Half Worlds Apart"

"At Rest"
"Here It Comes
Here It Comes (song)
"Here It Comes" is a song by the English band Strawbs. It did not appear on any of their studio albums, but it was included on two compilation albums: Strawbs by Choice and Halcyon Days...

" (Cousins) – 2:42
"The Shepherd's Song" (Cousins) – 4:33
"We'll Meet Again Sometime" (Cousins) – 3:12
"Martin Luther King's Dream" (Cousins) – 2:53
"Burn Baby Burn" (Hudson, Ford) – 3:02 Hudson Ford track
"Shine on Silver Sun
Shine on Silver Sun
"Shine on Silver Sun" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1974 album Hero and Heroine. It is written by Dave Cousins and was intended as a "come-back" single after the post-"Part of the Union" band split...

" (Cousins) – 2:46
"Why and Wherefore" (Cousins, Dave Lambert
Dave Lambert (British musician)
Dave Lambert is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who was a member of The Strawbs in the 1970s.-Career:...

, Chas Cronk
Chas Cronk
-Strawbs:*Hero and Heroine *Ghosts *Nomadness *Deep Cuts *Burning for You *Deadlines *Heartbreak Hill *Blue Angel *Déjà Fou *Strawbs Live at Nearfest 2004...

, John Hawken
John Hawken
John Hawken John Hawken John Hawken (born John Christopher Hawken, 9 May 1940, at Christchurch General Hospital, Bournemouth, Hampshire (now Dorset) is a British keyboard player. He studied classical piano between the ages of four and eighteen at which point he succumbed to the lure of rock and roll...

, Rod Coombes
Rod Coombes
Rod Coombes is an English singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:He has played professionally since he was 17, when he joined singer Lulu's backing band The Luvvers. He played with the Jeff Beck Group at the time of the release of the single "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and then joined soul band Trifle,...

) – 5:31
"Floating in the Wind" (Hudson, Ford) – 4:13 Hudson Ford track
"Absent Friend" (Cousins) – 4:35
"Part of the Union
Part of the Union
"Part of the Union" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1973 album Bursting at the Seams and was the band's most successful single, peaking at number 2 in the UK Singles Chart. The writing credits are given to Richard Hudson and John Ford, but the song may be an adaptation of the...

" (Hudson, Ford) – 2:56
"Will Ye Go
Wild Mountain Thyme
"Wild Mountain Thyme", also known as "Purple Heather" and "Will You Go Lassie, Go", is a folk song, rewritten by Francis McPeake, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland...

" (Francis McPeake) – 3:54
"The River" (Cousins) – 2:23
"Down by the Sea" (Cousins) – 6:19
"Tell Me What You See in Me" (Cousins) – 6:11

CD one

"The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
The Man Who Called Himself Jesus
"The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" is a song by English band Strawbs written by Dave Cousins. It appears on their album Strawbs. An alternative mix of the song may be found on the 2006 box set A Taste of Strawbs.-B-Side:...

" (Cousins) – 3:50
"Where Is This Dream of Your Youth" (Cousins)
"The Battle" (Cousins) – 6:25
"The Weary Song" (Cousins) – 3:50
"I Turned My Face into the Wind" (Cousins) – 2:35
"Forever
Forever (Strawbs song)
"Forever" is a song by English band Strawbs written by Dave Cousins and Tony Hooper. It did not feature on any of their studio albums at the time but was included as a bonus track on the CD re-release of the album Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios....

" (Cousins, Hooper) – 3:32
"Song of a Sad Little Girl" (Cousins) – 5:28
"A Glimpse of Heaven" (Cousins) – 3:50
"Witchwood" (Cousins) – 3:22
"Sheep" (Cousins) – 4:14
"The Shepherd's Song" (Cousins) – 4:33
"The Hangman and the Papist" (Cousins) – 4:11
"Benedictus
Benedictus (Strawbs song)
"Benedictus" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1972 album Grave New World.After the departure of Rick Wakeman, band leader Dave Cousins consulted the I Ching asking what to do next...

" (Cousins) – 3:38
"Queen of Dreams
Queen of Dreams
"Queen of Dreams" is a song performed by English band Strawbs and written by Dave Cousins. The track first appeared on the 1972 Grave New World album.-Musical content:...

" (Cousins) – 5:31
"Heavy Disguise
Heavy Disguise
"Heavy Disguise" is a song by English band Strawbs written by bassist John Ford. The track first appeared on the Grave New World album and features just John Ford from the band singing and accompanying himself on the acoustic guitar backed by "The Robert Kirby Silver Band" – i.e...

" (Ford) – 2:53
"New World
New World (Strawbs song)
"New World" is a song by English band Strawbs written by Dave Cousins. The track first appeared on the Grave New World album.-Lyrical and musical content:...

" (Cousins) – 4:11
"Two Weeks Last Summer" (Cousins) – 3:07 Dave Cousins solo track
"Blue Angel" (Cousins) – 9:46 Dave Cousins solo track

"Divided"

"Half Worlds Apart"

"At Rest"

CD two

"Here It Comes
Here It Comes (song)
"Here It Comes" is a song by the English band Strawbs. It did not appear on any of their studio albums, but it was included on two compilation albums: Strawbs by Choice and Halcyon Days...

" (Cousins) – 2:42
"Part of the Union
Part of the Union
"Part of the Union" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1973 album Bursting at the Seams and was the band's most successful single, peaking at number 2 in the UK Singles Chart. The writing credits are given to Richard Hudson and John Ford, but the song may be an adaptation of the...

" (Hudson, Ford) – 2:56
"Tears and Pavan" – 6:35

"Tears" (Cousins)

"Pavan" (Cousins, Hudson, Ford)
"The River" (Cousins) – 2:23
"Down by the Sea" (Cousins) – 6:19
"Lay Down
Lay Down
"Lay Down" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1973 album Bursting at the Seams. It peaked at number 12 in the UK Singles Chart....

" (Cousins) – 4:32
"Autumn
Autumn (song)
"Autumn" is a three part song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1974 album Hero and Heroine. The final part "The Winter Long" was released as a single in 1974 under the title "Hold on to Me ."-Heroine's Theme:...

" – 8:27

"Heroine's Theme" (Hawken)

"Deep Summer Sleep" (Cousins)

"The Winter Long" (Cousins)
"Hero and Heroine
Hero and Heroine (song)
"Hero and Heroine" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1974 album of the same name. It is written by Dave Cousins and has obvious drug allusions, the main reason it didn't get much airplay on BBC radio...

" (Cousins) – 3:22
"Midnight Sun" (Cronk, Cousins) – 3:06
"Out in the Cold" (Cousins) – 3:19
"Round and Round" (Cousins) – 4:44
"Ghosts" (Cousins) – 8:30

"Sweet Dreams"

"Night Light"

"Guardian Angel"

"Night Light"
"Grace Darling
Grace Darling (song)
"Grace Darling" is a song by English band Strawbs, featured on their album Ghosts . The track was recorded at in the chapel of the Charterhouse School, Godalming, Surrey, which the members of the band Genesis had attended in the 1960s, and which Strawbs' producer at the time, Tom Allom, had also...

" (Cousins) – 3:54
"Lemon Pie
Lemon Pie (song)
"Lemon Pie" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1974 album Ghosts.-Lyrical and musical content:The song was written by Dave Cousins and was the second single to be released off the album...

" (Cousins) – 4:03
"To Be Free" (Cousins) – 4:17
"Hanging in the Gallery" (Cousins) – 4:32
"The Promised Land" (Cronk) – 4:07

Personnel

The songs were performed by several incarnations of Strawbs, plus the Hudson Ford and Dave Cousins session musicians. The following musicians featured: -

Dave Cousins
Dave Cousins
Dave Cousins has been the leader, singer and most active songwriter of Strawbs since 1967.-Career:...

– vocals, acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...

, dulcimer
Appalachian dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
Tony Hooper
Tony Hooper
Tony Hooper is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as a founder-member of Strawbs together with Dave Cousins. He left Strawbs in 1972 after their album Grave New World, when it became obvious that the band was moving further away from its folk roots towards rock and...

– vocals, acoustic guitar
Dave Lambert
Dave Lambert (British musician)
Dave Lambert is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who was a member of The Strawbs in the 1970s.-Career:...

– vocals, electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
Miller Anderson – electric guitar (on Dave Cousins solo tracks)
Micky Keen – guitar (on Hudson Ford tracks)
Claire Deniz – cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...

– keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
Blue Weaver
Blue Weaver
Blue Weaver is a British keyboard player, session musician, songwriter and record producer.-Biography:...

– keyboards
John Hawken
John Hawken
John Hawken John Hawken John Hawken (born John Christopher Hawken, 9 May 1940, at Christchurch General Hospital, Bournemouth, Hampshire (now Dorset) is a British keyboard player. He studied classical piano between the ages of four and eighteen at which point he succumbed to the lure of rock and roll...

– keyboards
Andy Richards – keyboards
Chris Parren – keyboards (on Hudson Ford tracks)
Ron Chesterman
Ron Chesterman
Ron Chesterman was an English musician and archivist. He is best known as the original double bass player with Strawbs...

– double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
John Ford – vocals, bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Chas Cronk
Chas Cronk
-Strawbs:*Hero and Heroine *Ghosts *Nomadness *Deep Cuts *Burning for You *Deadlines *Heartbreak Hill *Blue Angel *Déjà Fou *Strawbs Live at Nearfest 2004...

– bass guitar, vocals
Rod Demick – bass guitar, vocals
Roger Glover
Roger Glover
Roger David Glover is a Welsh bassist, songwriter, and record producer. Glover is best known as the bassist and lyricist for the hard rock band, Deep Purple.-Early career:...

– bass guitar (on Dave Cousins solo tracks)
Richard Hudson
Richard Hudson (musician)
Richard Hudson is an English singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:Richard Hudson was a member of Elmer Gantry’s Velvet Opera, in which he played drums and sitar and sang. In 1970, he and band-mate John Ford joined Strawbs...

– drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

, guitar, vocals
Rod Coombes
Rod Coombes
Rod Coombes is an English singer-songwriter and musician.-Career:He has played professionally since he was 17, when he joined singer Lulu's backing band The Luvvers. He played with the Jeff Beck Group at the time of the release of the single "Hi Ho Silver Lining" and then joined soul band Trifle,...

– drums, vocals
Tony Fernandez – drums
Ken Laws – drums (on Hudson Ford tracks)
Jon Hiseman
Jon Hiseman
Jon Hiseman is an English drummer, recording engineer, record producer and music publisher.-Career:...

– drums (on Dave Cousins solo tracks)

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...		A&M Records A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...	2 CD set Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...	540 662-2
United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...		A&M Records	2 CD set	31454 0951-2

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