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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The original album Hero and Heroine was a successful album for the Strawbs back in 1974, so why re record it in 2011? Well, it serves to show the strength and power of the current line up of the band in 2011. It doesn't offer any new material and doesn't attempt to re visualise the original in any great way either.
It automatically invites comparison to the original line up and album. Some people may not care for the idea. But I have listened to the album a few times and I think that this is a cracking good line up of great musicians, and a great recording of a classic Strawbs album.
The original album was made during the bands early heyday. It did well in the US but not so well in the UK. But generally it is still accepted as one of those albums from the Strawbs early and successful period. The line up had been different to their earlier album "Bursting at the seams" and the style of song writing is also different. There is a more grittier and straight talking delivery with dark subjects. There is a powerful rock gothic feel and the whole album is epic. The line up consisted of Cousins, Lambert, Cronk, Hawken and Coombes.
This re recording begins with a wonderful "prologue" which is actually Dave singing extracts from "Lay a little light on me" with mild synthesiser sound. This blends into "Autumn" (which is where the original album began) with its three wonderful parts, -Heroines Theme, Deep summer sleep, and The Winter Long. The whole re recording of this track is excellent. The strength, emotion, power and beauty all shine through. The next five songs "Sad young man", "Just Love", "Shine on silver sun", "Hero and Heroine" and "Midnight sun" also follows the same running order as the original album. Each track is expertly handled. There is little attempt to re visualise the material. It is all reasonably faithful to the original album sound. Obviously there are differences but it is all done tastefully. The electric guitars sound great and the arrangement of the acoustic guitars has crispness and full-bodied sound.
However there is a slight new addition here. It is "Aurora" which blends into the end of "Midnight Sun" This is by new band member John Young on keyboard and vocals. It is only a brief tag on keyboard piece that lasts seconds. Then we get to "Out in the cold", "Round and Round", "Lay a little light on me" and "Heroes theme" (as the original album). Finally there is a reprise of "Round and Round". All of these are well recorded. The performance is superb.
The line up this time, some thirty-six years later, is Cousins, Lambert, Cronk, Fernandez, and Young.
The band is on top form. And it is a good re recording and revisit of a Strawbs classic album.
The artwork and sound recording are very good and thank goodness the CD is presented in a traditional CD plastic case instead of those awful Eco cardboard "mock vinyl" things where the disc fits too tight and the cover gets tatty quick.
If you have never heard the original album then I recommend you look at that first. There are some fabulous songs with strong harmonies and melodies. There is passion, emotion and drama. This version will probably only appeal to die hard fans of the Strawbs but it is a good release.
It automatically invites comparison to the original line up and album. Some people may not care for the idea. But I have listened to the album a few times and I think that this is a cracking good line up of great musicians, and a great recording of a classic Strawbs album.
The original album was made during the bands early heyday. It did well in the US but not so well in the UK. But generally it is still accepted as one of those albums from the Strawbs early and successful period. The line up had been different to their earlier album "Bursting at the seams" and the style of song writing is also different. There is a more grittier and straight talking delivery with dark subjects. There is a powerful rock gothic feel and the whole album is epic. The line up consisted of Cousins, Lambert, Cronk, Hawken and Coombes.
This re recording begins with a wonderful "prologue" which is actually Dave singing extracts from "Lay a little light on me" with mild synthesiser sound. This blends into "Autumn" (which is where the original album began) with its three wonderful parts, -Heroines Theme, Deep summer sleep, and The Winter Long. The whole re recording of this track is excellent. The strength, emotion, power and beauty all shine through. The next five songs "Sad young man", "Just Love", "Shine on silver sun", "Hero and Heroine" and "Midnight sun" also follows the same running order as the original album. Each track is expertly handled. There is little attempt to re visualise the material. It is all reasonably faithful to the original album sound. Obviously there are differences but it is all done tastefully. The electric guitars sound great and the arrangement of the acoustic guitars has crispness and full-bodied sound.
However there is a slight new addition here. It is "Aurora" which blends into the end of "Midnight Sun" This is by new band member John Young on keyboard and vocals. It is only a brief tag on keyboard piece that lasts seconds. Then we get to "Out in the cold", "Round and Round", "Lay a little light on me" and "Heroes theme" (as the original album). Finally there is a reprise of "Round and Round". All of these are well recorded. The performance is superb.
The line up this time, some thirty-six years later, is Cousins, Lambert, Cronk, Fernandez, and Young.
The band is on top form. And it is a good re recording and revisit of a Strawbs classic album.
The artwork and sound recording are very good and thank goodness the CD is presented in a traditional CD plastic case instead of those awful Eco cardboard "mock vinyl" things where the disc fits too tight and the cover gets tatty quick.
If you have never heard the original album then I recommend you look at that first. There are some fabulous songs with strong harmonies and melodies. There is passion, emotion and drama. This version will probably only appeal to die hard fans of the Strawbs but it is a good release.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
previous review m.s m potters excellent review says it all some good background on the history of hero and heroine musically and line up of the strawbs well worth a read certainly made my listenng experience more pleasurable having all that background knowledge , however just want to comment i,m not a die hard strawbs fan and dont remember hearing the original version of hero and heroine but this album certainly appeals , i think i was at school when the strawbs were at their height and had no cash to splash on Lp's and mostly remember the hit singles of the time part of the union etc , now its a blessing to be able to revisit and splash out on the odd cd from back catalogues , hero and heroine certainly exceeds my expectations of what i was expecting musically , certainly is epic , great guitar work , brilliant vocals the whole thing just fuses together nicely , sublime and ahead of its time , took a punt and purchased the cd because i loved the cover and all the mystery it conjures up , certainly not disapointed a great listening experience i want to play over and over again .
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This CD was a great disappointment. I have the original recording of Hero & Heroine and saw Strawbs in concert back around 1970 something.
The vocals on this recording, particularly Cousins, were nearly unbearable. My wife and I could not even get through half the disc.
Cousins allegedly claimed that the Strawbs consumed more alcohol than most other bands of their time and Cousins voice sounds like that is true.
The vocals on this recording, particularly Cousins, were nearly unbearable. My wife and I could not even get through half the disc.
Cousins allegedly claimed that the Strawbs consumed more alcohol than most other bands of their time and Cousins voice sounds like that is true.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Disappointing
The original recording of Hero and Heroine saw Strawbs at their creative height and is a classic. I ordered "In Ascentia" interested to hear what new perspective would be brought... Read more
Published 10 months ago by KOS
Why ?
The original album Hero and Heroine was a album for the Strawbs released back in 1974. I bought this album without knowing this is a re recording. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Luile
a magnificent revisit to Strawbs of old
I hadn't heard anything by the Strawbs in decades before their 2009, 40th anniversary album, "Dancing To The Devil's Beat", turned up at the door. And it was great. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mr. H
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