The Music of My Youth

Probably the most played prog-rock (or should that be prog-folk?) LP in my collection during the '70s, Strawbs's 'Hero and Heroine', more than any other album of the time, indelibly captured the mood and spirit of my lonely youth, and remains the most vividly memory-stirring of the 5,000 or so discs still in my possession.

The music's impeccably crafted, with an intriguingly cohesive concept and a fine mix of elements — a scoop of art-rock sophistication here, a dash of Celtic folk vibrancy there, and an unforced measure of melodic grace almost everywhere. The album features the (IMO) classic Strawbs lineup of Dave Cousins (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars), Dave Lambert (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars), John Hawken (piano, electric piano, organ, Mellotron, Moog synthesizer), Chas Cronk (bass, synthesizer, vocals) and Rod Coombes (drums, percussion, vocals).

BUY