David Cousins, 1945-2025

 

I have had a strange relationship with the band Strawbs for many years now. I came into them late, around 1977, and the first song I heard and liked a bit, sounded nothing like anything before it. Over the years, there always seemed to be Strawbs records in the collections I'd purchase and I'd usually pull out the "Nomadness" album since it was the record that introduced me to the band. And while I didn't mind it, I never loved it enough to dig deeper. That song I liked, "Little Sleepy," does nothing for me now. 

As time went on, more collections came through with more Strawbs records, and it was the earlier folkier stuff that intrigued me. I especially loved the album with Sandy Denny, "All Our Own Work," as well as "Hero & Heroine" and "From The Witchwood." The Sandy Denny record is pure British folk, but then the band started to dip their toes into the prog world and the fact that they didn't go all in, at least to my ears, kept their records far more interesting than say a full blown prog epic from bands like E.L.P. or P.F.M..

 

 

Yesterday, I read a short tribute written by Rick Wakeman for his friend David Cousins, the leader of Strawbs who had just passed away. It was time for me to pull out those Strawbs records again. Both "All Our Own Work" and "From The Witchwood" hit the spot.

I don't have a serious attachment to the band or to Cousins, the way I do with other artists, so I won't attempt to write a heartfelt obit, or one of those social media bandwagon tributes that always begin with "I was lucky enough to..." and have an accompanying blurry pic of the writer and the recently deceased standing outside a concert hall holding an album cover and a Sharpie. I will simply say that the first five or six Strawbs records are filled with some truly lovely music and most of it was courtesy of Dave Cousins.

 

 

 

 

Wetter & Better Legs

 

When exactly did the term "sophomore slump" originate? I ask because I was leading today's post with "it's rare when a smash debut is followed by an even better record," until I started thinking about it. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello, Led Zeppelin, The Beach Boys, David Bowie, The Kinks, Prince, Lou Reed,  Roxy Music & Simon & Garfunkel all made better second records, and that's just off the top of my head.

That said, Wet Leg's debut was huge and many loved it. Listeners who don't usually go for this brand of offbeat rock and roll fell hard as well. It pushed a lot of buttons people didn't know they had. Now after three years of what seemed like relentless touring, Wet Leg is back with "moisturizer" and it's not just better, it feels like a different band. There's more singing, more music, different instrumentation, so much so that to my ears, that debut sounds like a collection of demos in comparison.

The leap isn't as jarring as say, Elvis Costello going from "Trust" to "Almost Blue," but "moisturizer" sounds more like a band on their fourth or fifth record. Maybe that's because I just expected the "sophomore slump" and this is far from it.

Am I wrong in thinking that Hester Chambers is singing more on this than on the first? I don't recall her taking the lead on the debut. If memory serves, it was all Rhian Teasdale. I'll have to pay attention next time I give it a spin.

I'm three plays into "moisturizer" and I still want to hear more. That's always a good sign. Songs like "CPR," "mangetout," "jennifer's body" and "pokemon" kept me on my toes. The album is more musical than the first and the band did not skimp on the hooks. "moisturizer" is a very happy surprise. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Songs Of The Week, 2025: 7/5-7/11

 

Little Bit of Love- Free
Down Home Girl- Alvin Robinson
I'm Into Something Good- Sugar 'N' Dandy
The Wheel- Jerry Garcia
Brother Louie (Instrumental)- Matumbi
Cannonball- The Darkness
Endlessly Jealous- Lou Reed

zip 

Little Bit of Love- Free
(Great single that feels like the template for Bad Company's "Good Lovin' Gone Bad.")

Down Home Girl- Alvin Robinson
(I first heard this on a Rolling Stones' record. I bet many of you did, too. Good cover, but Robinson's is greasier.)

I'm Into Something Good- Sugar 'N' Dandy
(The first of two new favorite reggae covers I discovered this week.)

The Wheel- Jerry Garcia
(Dead haters don't be afraid. I think you might dig this track.)

Brother Louie (Instrumental)- Matumbi
(Here's my second new fave reggae cover.)

Cannonball- The Darkness
(Just read a story of Justin Hawkins asking Ian Anderson to play an extended flute solo on this track and Anderson agreed! Then, no one else in the band wanted it on the "Hot Cakes" album, so it was relegated to bonus track status, leaving Dale Hawkins to wonder if Ian would ever talk to them again.)

Endlessly Jealous- Lou Reed 
("New Sensations" has really aged well. I play this album more now than I did then. Actually, my friend Tim Vega hated "I Love You Suzanne" because his sister was convinced Lou had written it for her. We'll never know.)

BW's Saturday #58

 

Where Are We Going?

 

I hadn't anything prepared for today. Then I put on Marvin Gaye's "You're The Man," just because I felt like hearing it. It's a solid record for mostly vault material. But the song "Where Are We Going" is truly a gem. I had first heard it as a bonus track on the deluxe CD edition of "What's Going On" about 25 years ago. It killed me then and it just killed me now. So here it is.

Tommy & The Bijoux

 

 

I purchased a small collection yesterday, which is always a good thing. If the records sell, it's a better thing. Still I do enjoy the process of cleaning, pricing and spinning. There was a copy of Mike Heron's "Smiling Men With Bad Reputations" in the haul. Heron was one half of the Incredible String Band  and while I wasn't a huge fan of their twisted, English psych/folk, I do enjoy a few of their records, and I especially like Heron's solo record. 

The one track I love sharing is "Warm Heart Pastry" which features Heron backed by Tommy & The Bijoux, a band consisting of Pete Townshend, Ronnie Lane, Duncan Browne and Keith Moon. John Cale is here too. He is billed as John Cale.

World Hit Pops!

I happened upon a compilation while blog hopping last week that featured original recordings of songs that became hits for others. The title of the set is "1st Recordings of World Hit Pops Made Famous By American Artists." And no, that is not a typo, as you can see here:

 

Most of the tracks are inferior to the hits that we all know so well. And I was surprised by how many I hadn't realized came before the hits, like Sammy Ambrose's version of "This Diamond Ring" or Helen Shapiro's "It's My Party." 

This collection is obviously sketchy. But there were enough tracks I hadn't heard before to keep me interested. The other thing I noticed while listening was how little the arrangements changed once covered. Check out The Monkees "Valleri" and the first recording of that "world hit pop" by The Pineapple Heard. It's identical, right down to the "oh yeah, come on."

 

I also dug the verey garage-y first go of The Grass Roots smash "Midnight Confessions" by The Ever-Green Blues.