Strawbs - The Magic Of It All (2023) [Official Digital Download]

And so, here we all are, just four weeks to go before Strawbs make their last ever live appearance at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention, and Dave Cousins and Co. have provided us with a blistering new collection of songs which celebrate the (almost) 60 years of the band’s life and demonstrate that these old fellas still have a few new tricks up their collective sleeve.

Strawbs haven’t been particularly prolific of late – and there are several good reasons to explain why – but whatever they may have lacked in volume of output, they’ve surely made up for in terms of quality. 2017’s The Ferryman’s Grace was a revelation that recalled the halcyon days of Grave New World and From the Witchwood and, in these very pages, we referred to Settlement, Ferryman’s 2021 follow-up as “…Their best album for quite some time… a productive use of lockdown.”

And now, 50 years after Strawbs enjoyed their sunniest days of summer with hit singles Lay Down and Part of the Union, they’re back again, with a new album packed with great songs, and with a fascinating to story behind it, to boot.

Back in 1973, songs like the aforementioned Lay Down and Part of the Union, along with gems like New World and Bursting At The Seams were being adopted as anthems by the nascent Internal Resistance to Apartheid movement in South Africa. The movement was a multi-racial force that combined the involvement of students and workers from all races, religions and backgrounds with the efforts of organisations like the ANC and PAC to challenge the apartheid policies of South Africa’s ruling National Party. Progress may have felt slow, but the resistance movement made a real difference and provided one of the most vital sparks that led to the abolition of apartheid in 1991 and, ultimately, to multi-racial elections in 1994.

TRACKLIST

01. Strawbs - Ready (Are We Ready)
02. Strawbs - The Magic Of It All
03. Strawbs - All Along The Bay
04. Strawbs - Everybody Means Something To Someone
05. Strawbs - Our World
06. Strawbs - The Time Has Come (For Giving Back)
07. Strawbs - Slack Jaw Alice
08. Strawbs - Paris Nights
09. Strawbs - Wiser Now



Thanks to the Original customer.