What Are You Listening To?

[Ruby]

Strawbs – From the Witchwood (1971). This was the final largely folk-oriented album they made before moving more emphatically into the progosphere, and it was also their last with Rick Wakeman. Some lovely instruments make for interesting sounds … banjo and dulcimer by Dave Cousins … RW plays all sorts of keys including the harpsichord and celesta, and there’s a sitar in the mix too. Lead vocals are credited primarily to Cousins, but others also contribute which makes for a bit of variation, i.e. Tony, Hooper, Richard Hudson and John Ford. All in all a good listen and a worthy precursor to an incredibly successful run of albums produced in the first half of the 70’s …

“In Amongst the Roses” … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzJu0vNzWgM

“Thirty Days” with sitar, and since John Ford wrote it, and his name appears first in the list of vocal credits, it’s probably him singing it too. Whoever it is, their voice, and the song IMHO calls to mind George Harrison … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYFowSOgufk

The title track

[video=youtube;8XlT1jlD-xU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XlT1jlD-xU[/video]