Strawbs - Hero and Heroine Medley - Live at ROSfest 2016

Dave Cousins / vocals, electric & acoustic guitars
Dave Lambert / lead guitar, vocals
Dave Bainbridge / keyboards / programming
Chas Cronk / bass, bass pedals, 12-string guitar, vocals
Tony Fernandez / drums, percussion

[@AudioFileZ]

Who says you can't go back home? This takes me right back to a sweet time.

[@randolfo1265]

Lots of people says you can't go back home, but they give up too easily. This was easy to find and it sounds brilliant!

[@edteach3r]

Wow… time stands still. The band sounds amazing and Dave’s voice is as mesmerizing as it has ever been. Long live The Strawbs!

[@delby66]

I'm in tears watching this great band perform. I saw them twice, back in the 70's and this brings back so many fond memories of those days. I'm 65 now and they still are one of my all time favourite bands.

[@reducecotwo]

...Autumn I sense Autumn coming on The mist has hung low all day Small birds gather on the wing Preparing to make their way. The trees begin to show A trace of brown among the green Bringing back the memories That only you and I have seen. I sense Autumn coming on The sun sinking red and deep The fires burning in the fields As late Summer falls asleep. The leaves begin to scatter As the North wind calls their name Folding gently back into The silent earth from which they came. ...The Winter Long (Cousins) Still waters flow Sea breezes blow Wild flowers grow Abundant at your feet. Soft falling snow Warm candle glow Flushed faces show The pleasure when we meet. Hold on to me, I'll hold on to you The winter long I will always be with you. Hold on to me, I'll hold on to you I will be the one who will always see you through.

[@reducecotwo]

...Hero and Heroine Hero's face was gaunt and tanned His sail was set in search of land His life-raft, solely by him manned Was guided by the tide Heroine wore fleecy white She beckoned like some saviour bright Shipwrecked sailors in the night Were bid welcome to her side. Where one man's search must surely cease The irresistible white fleece Led Hero in search of the peace That she alone could offer Thus he knelt before her feet Wary lest their eyes should meet He knew his life was incomplete For he had yet to suffer. Enticing Heroine, so calm Took Hero firmly by the arm Told him that she meant no harm That she alone could save him Hero could no longer speak While realising he was weak His life increasingly grew bleak For all the love she gave to him. While storm clouds gathered high above The heroine he grew to love Turned slowly to a snow white dove And spread her wings to fly Crushed and broken in the end Hero watched his soul ascend Knowing that he was condemned To sail all alone to die.

[@reducecotwo]

...Lay A Little Light On Me Watch my hand See it shakes Trembling as my life blood bleeds Superfakes, Superfakes Offering their empty creeds That have no faith or substance That change to suit the doubter To satisfy his needs. Rid me of my darkness Lay a little light on me Clothe me with your brightness Lay a little light on me Oh save me someone Lay a little light on me. Growing boys Masturbate, Drink the wine and take the bread Saintly priests Castigate Holy water for the head With shades of John the Baptist Who came intent to rescue But danced with death instead. Rid me of my darkness Lay a little light on me Clothe me with your brightness Lay a little light on me Oh save me someone Lay a little light on me Bless the good, curse the bad Some are wise, others mad Phoney propheteers Suitably seeming sad Preparing for the kingdom Annointing us with wisdom Convinced that we'll be glad. Rid me of my darkness Lay a little light on me Clothe me with your brightness Lay a little light on me Oh save me someone Lay a little light on me Oh save me someone Lay a little light on me Oh save me someone Lay a little light on me Oh save me someone Lay a little light on me. ...Round and Round After all it's just the revolution, I despise The dawn of revelations and the flower power prize And I pity those poor children With no sunshine in their eyes Round and round we go Round and round and round we go Round and round we go Round and round and round we go Round and round we go Round and round and round we go

[@nsmith1586]

Stephen I feel the same way.

[@Voyeurrrr]

Def brought me 2 tears (lay a little light ) they never sounded better I'm thinking ..so ya rite on .

[@mooseevans2983]

Absolutely phenomenal. KSHE-95 in St Louis turned me on to these guys back in 1973. Very groovy!

[@kenrussell1093]

This is one of the best live performances of the band that I have seen. I love what this represents, of the best times of my formative years as a young man. I don't know of anyone who lived in this time who wouldn't go back there, should the technology become available. Strawbs is one of the most important bands of the seventies for anyone fortunate enough to know of them.

[@davidgarione2206]

Procol Harum, Jethro Tull, Strabws, Genesis, Yes, Pink Floyd, etc etc etc ...ufff!!! miríadas de bandas increíbles de rock progresivo, británicas....eternas.

[@IanRuxton]

Gracias! 🙏

[@flytothesunmusic]

Your music is beautiful, timeless magic. Thank you David and Strawbs....from the bottom of my heart. Ray

[@joedecker3900]

Just as strong as any Genesis, Yes or King Crimson album in my opinion.

[@kave9482]

Yep, just not as promoted

[@ninicongedo8672]

È vero che quando leggo i vari commenti, sui gruppi anni 60/70, trovo spesso dichiarazioni del tipo: I migliori di sempre; i più bravi di tutti, ecc. Però mi chiedo, aldilà dei gusti musicali, come si fa a stabilre una classifica sui migliori GRUPPI di quegli anni? Fermo restando che anch'io avrei delle preferenze, come Pink Floyd, genesis e molti altri GRUPPI coetanei. Comunque ammetto che non conoscevo questo gruppo, e sono piacevolmente sorpreso della loro musica. Aggiungo che ho la veneranda età di 71 anni.

[@michaelrogers2972]

Hero and Heroine one of the best albums ever. Done beautifully here

[@kenrussell1093]

I totally agree! This album was only for the select few who had the depth to perceive its greatness.

[@gazzertrn]

Amazing .

[@wookiewoo1]

I love the Strawbs, so many beautiful songs with excellent music. It is also great to see Dave Bainbridge playing keyboards, as Iona is one of my favourite bands, also knowing he could just as competently be playing the lead guitar!

[@AudioFileZ]

Special kudos to Dave Bainbridge as these are as good keyboard parts of live Strawbs as I've ever heard. Simpatico with the great LP recorded versions. The core of three with Bainbridge and Fernadez really is as good as any Strawbs that ever toured.

[@GlennHallLivingWater]

Bainbridge is also one of the very best guitarists I've ever heard. Listen to any of the Iona albums!

[@MrPeter3011]

sooo great to see STRAWBS Live in such fine form......forever follower of that band.....

[@jacqueslacroix8023]

I saw that show. Only BIG disappointment is them using a BLAH string keyboard instead of sampling a REAL mellotron like the one on the album. Mellotron made those songs extra special.

[@dikbozo]

Stumbled over this tonight. Added to faves. Keeper the way they nailed that jagged rhythm in 'Hero''.

[@PhillyInKansas]

Wow...just wow....brings back the days of listening to the strawbs with a lude. Best times ever.

[@rick2112rkrk]

Proof that some things do improve with age. Dave sounds even better than he did 40 years ago.

[@peterverutes4021]

Totally Devastating! Never have they ever sounded better live. Loved them hardcore since Strawberry Hill Boys and still to this day. May they live Forever... Long Live The Strawbs!

[@holundabader8479]

So did I, one of my very favorite groups throgh all the years...and Dave Cousins, together with John Lennon, being one of the greatetst rock n roll voices in music history.

[@B2bigfoot]

Saw the "Classic" lineup in Detroit in either '73 or '74, at the old Michigan Palace with Television as the opening act. Such a great band....still! Lets hear it for us old guys!!

[@delby66]

I saw them around the same time Brian, in Toronto at Maple Leaf Gardens. Absolutely brilliant they were.

[@ruperteaster1252]

@@delby66 You can say that many bands had a classic line up, but with Strawbs that is less easy. They were a revolving door from the beginning. You could hardly point a finger at any of the less known members as being weak though. Remember Rick Wakeman had long gone by 73!

[@radioyankee]

prog rock royalty.. dave bainbridge on keyboards

[@HughCorbyCruick]

Dave always seems so happy when he plays.

[@luca2358]

But...he is not playing the mellotron...

[@jeffmilligan7030]

Dave Lambert has a great voice!

[@robertocona8547]

Yes

[@Haydn_Shew97]

The Winter Long reminds me of the early days of my relationship when it still worked, now we're drifting apart and I'm returning to this song to revisit those memories. I miss those times

[@vondumozze738]

Hayden, I dated a Gail Shewchuk of Clifton NJ back in 73-74. Anyway, the winter long became my wife and my favorite song. Next week it'll be 12 years since she's gone.

[@robertocona8547]

​@@vondumozze738😢

[@manfredbeuth2921]

The Strawbs are a favourite band of my youth!!! Love every songs of them.......... !!!! Hear them very often and smile........!!!!! Beautiful, Strawbs........ Love you sooooo much!!!!

[@ToIsleOfView]

Beautiful song craftmanship is what made their music so timeless. This is classical composing where every note is part of a grand symphony that unfolds, returns to a new beginning, and turns into several different related themes of beauty and power. Totally unique. No one has ever sounded like the strawbs. Theme based albums from the Moody Blues are my favorite but this is up there. The Tommy album by the Who is another theme-based symphony. The late 60s and early 70s had a bloom of new and creative talent that was given the opportunity to create music exactly as they wanted to.

[@bench7434]

The song just start and my room get full of that patchouli Smell ,yes

[@tullfan2560]

Never heard this band before. Great stuff. Now I know where Peter Gabriel 'got' his voice from. The background ambience is first-class. They remind me of The Church.

[@Jwango44ggie4]

One of the best albums ever.

[@retohofmann5878]

Yes indeed!

[@Trans909]

Magnificent!

[@millardsteeper2729]

Beautiful production

[@millardsteeper2729]

Please listen with headphones enjoy

[@robertocona8547]

Ok boy

[@lanatrzczka]

I was so lucky to see Strawbs live twice in Sparta, Jersey. Such a small venue, you could just go "That was great, Dave!" and he'd respond. They did Autumn fully electric (LOUD!) and let me tell you, it was STUNNING. That opening keyboard line shook the mugs on the tables. There's something hugely missing today with newer bands being all timed with tracks and cues and earpieces. When Strawbs finished a tune, you didn't jump and clap and carry on... you were stunned thinking "What greatness have I just witnessed?"

[@dpraptorP]

Wow, just amazing to hear them again! Discovered them in the mid 1970's during high school and have loved them since. Hero & Heroine, Ghosts and Deep Cuts were my favorite albums, and still hearing new songs from albums I missed even today! Still listen to them often and so glad to see they are still spreading their amazing music! Long Live the Strawbs!!

[@chrisl.7345]

Exquisite poetry, music and instrumentalist…, thank you Strawbs for being in my time of life…I will meat the stars with your art in my heart…! 🙏🏻❤️✊🏻

[@danguee1]

I've looked up "to meat [someone/something]" - I can't find anything

[@sandydundas9787]

Saw this lineup at the Green Hotel, Kinross-absolutely fabulous. So sad that their last live performance looks like it will be at Cropredy this year--Tribute band anyone? ?

[@nsmith1586]

Strawbs performed before Procol Harum in 1972-73 LA California. Wonderful then better now.

[@Docent_Mag]

The best!

[@kave9482]

This is some deep root prog.

[@richardsire6332]

When I was a kid I just was given an album someone had of their greatest hits... I had never heard of them... But dang did I think it was great music... Great to still hear them these days...

[@geraldolivier3681]

Im a Gilmour buff, yet David could Not have improved on this intro, or the whole of Floyd. Salute to Cousins. I repeat...

[@robertocona8547]

Band più volte vista in concerto in Italia, gustosissima, solo bei ricordi, atmosfere delicate accompagnate da momenti più energici ma mai troppo invadenti Bravi ma oramai...anzianotti

[@inakidelvalle5580]

Que recuerdos....tengo 67 años y esto escuchaba cuando estaba en la mili con 20 añitos. Era un disco delicioso

[@victoriarosario3338]

Beautiful and Timeless. Still moves my heart to tears...

[@FRANSU1]

My favorite band from the 70:ees super great even today

[@derekamanwiththegivennamej1082]

Always loved this band, like Yes on fantasy fiction, lol.

[@TheJacoop]

Saw them at Massey Hall when Heroine first came out--one of my top 5 and l've seen a lot of concerts

[@harleygal420]

A moment of silence for those who haven't heard this yet.

[@boltbiter]

GOLD!

[@1731dave]

‘Discovered’ these guys summer of ‘72 I think it was. Brought the album back to college with me and we listened to it over and over and over... Loved it!!

[@ralex3697]

A complete masterpiece

[@justinmesh3667]

I'm glad to read comments about the The Strawbs. Hero and Herione is a freaking masterpiece. I'm a drummer and use this album for practicing.

[@NorderstedtMusik]

Still great. Heard them from the very beginning!

[@Voyeurrrr]

Its so good! Better than ever , its crazy!!!!!

[@brendangilmore4297]

One of my favourite bands & probably my biggest musical influence (alongside APP)

[@ralex3697]

One of my favorite albums of all time

[@utopro]

I feel like I'm falling into a certain memory instantly. What a fantastic concert.... The sound is just as perfect as it was back then, even the vocals are much better.

[@marcfrancoisrouleau]

Come in Montreal, please.

[@fransenmusic]

It might be a little rough at times, but it is freaking David Cousins #respect

[@williammichael3357]

I've loved the Strawbs ever since I bought the Hero and Heroine album in high school. I've since seen them in concert at Hughs Room in concert in Toronto more than once.

[@Pexster]

I saw 3 of the 4 nights there for the 30th anniversary tour of Hero and Heroine.

[@bobc2960]

sigh..... lost forever in the seas of time. This song brings so many memories of love lost. I should have held onto her

[@MattyExtrordinairIndeed-rp1mk]

Shorten the shpeal.

[@kipmarsh1305]

I Love the Strawbs...

[@MattyExtrordinairIndeed-rp1mk]

Hey my darkness shed a little light on me... then into the krimcon sownsline.... f in good job little McLean

[@MattyExtrordinairIndeed-rp1mk]

I had a few. Sentiment all there.

[@Dblossom1]

Awesome. Great band! Love them.

[@machinenutdel6764]

The only band ever to bring a tear to my eye !

[@swanwarren4637]

Awesome!

[@Possiblysane]

Watched them with Renaissance and Annie Haslam in 1976 at the Ambassador Theater in St. Louis. A truely memorable concert. The next night I kicked a game-winning field goal. This song was one of my favorites when I was discovering rock and roll.

[@jeffpose2135]

I saw them with Renaissance in Nov 75 at the fox theater in St. Louis

[@richardvaughan1032]

truly envious, Renaissance Annie Haslam and Strawbs Dave Cousins. Both I still with us and a big thank you to both of them for making my own life more enjoyable.

[@filmusikchannel7596]

Epic

[@yolandehay-buchanan9269]

One of my best - love them

[@lastrada52]

20:30 stunning shift in music. Typical Strawbs artistry. Sent chills down my spine and the audience must have reacted as well because some shouted. Tony Fernandez is spectacular on his drums. Round and round and round we go.....indeed. I'm going to miss this band. They played their last show already (2023). I was fortunate to have seen them during a private closed-door acoustic concert in NJ several years ago. Magnificient show. These guys were always first-class musicians. The last show in 2023 brought back several past players from the earlier years -- which made it quite nostalgic.

[@tomdutton6976]

Amazing live band the Strawbs are! I only wish I could have ever been lucky enough to have seen them in concert here in the USA. I discovered them in 1974 and been following ever since. I'm not sure if they ever toured here that much. What a fantastic band they are. True musicians with sophisticated records. I love this band!

[@jonmccormick602]

Always a big favourite of mine. Grave New World was the 3rd album I ever bought. Remember seeing them the first time in 1973 at the Sundown Theatre in Edmonton, North London (long since gone). Many times since. Most recently just before the Covid nightmare, at Under the Bridge (the nightclub at Chelsea FC!) accompanied by my (then) 21 year old daughter who, I’m glad to say, has inherited her old man’s taste in music👍She was the youngest there by a good 40 years😂😂

[@BeauTokyo]

Guys I hung out with back in the day.....well, we covered this .......not easy.....no where as good....but still one of the moments of covering something this great. This is incredible.......

[@user-md4di6yg2p]

Wow... totally forgot about these guys. Had their albums back in the 70's. What a time machine...good stuff!!

[@taffyjones281]

Bloody wonderful, I'd almost forgotten how much I loved The Strawbs back in the day - and to be fair, sounding great!!

[@giumorin-giulianocolzani4726]

Grande Bruno sempre Musica Bellissima !

[@robertocona8547]

Eh si hai buon gusto amigo

[@joedecker3900]

No Sad Young Man?

[@thefxgirl]

Wow! Both Dave's singing their heart out. What a great performance.

[@gerrycorrigan836]

So many memories and enjoying there music to this day.

[@jonbjornsigurgeirsson8627]

Sjá gleðina hjá þessum snillingum frábærir

[@FilmFolktv]

Fantastic sound from Paul smith too :)

[@CStack2Ci]

Brilliant!! Thanks for posting!!

[@lucguenette7534]

Sounding better than ever.

[@aliengrey6052]

What an amazing band.

[@osher1525]

AMAZING BAND

[@chimalpopoca5797]

..guauuuuú !!;

[@plumleytube]

Just sack the lead singer. The rest is ok

[@jthunders]

Come to America- or better yet I’ll come to Britain. This place is going down the drain. Saw you at the Masonic in Detroit ‘73 maybe? When I was in high school.. Oh it is America, hah. Gettysburg PA.

[@prog2manforever225]

Yes, you better go Britain, great bands do not come to the US sadly.. Europeans are very lucky with all those great bands constantly touring across Europe, well except for last year and this. Peace

[@jthunders]

@@prog2manforever225 you let me in you’ll be sorry. Je suis la poubelle blanche. Actually, my daughter informed me she is moving to Godalming, home of the electric lightbulb and Genesis. So I can come visit.