As great as The Strawbs were in the studio, they were truly at their peak in a live setting. As a matter of fact, the loudest concert I ever saw was the Strawbs in NYC at the Academy Of Music. Not bad for a folk-rock band. With ear splitting mellotrons with songs that made good use of them, Dave Cousins and his Strawbs men have, through the years, come to define British folk and rock and their universal message is put into a superb focus on their self-owned release of A Taste Of Strawbs. You can’t miss the cat on the cover, but for those who know of their music, the four CD box set is quite essential. A 48 page booklet tells the tale of their rise to fame with superb BBC studio tracks and a staggering cross-section of studio quality rarities to amaze hard core fans. What’s even cooler is the attention to chronicling the many great players with amazing pictures to back it up. Timeless British folk, rock and prog put into a sonic mix, The Strawbs have an impressive legacy and it’s all there on A Taste Of Strawbs. www.strawbsweb.co.uk / www.witchwoodrecords.co.uk

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