| Halcyon Days | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]()  | ||||
| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1968 – 1991 | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock | |||
| Length | 148:37 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Strawbs chronology | ||||
  | ||||
| Alternative Album Cover | ||||
![]() US release cover  | ||||
The Very Best of the Strawbs: Halcyon Days is a compilation album by English band Strawbs. Although credited to Strawbs it does contain three Hudson Ford tracks and a Dave Cousins solo track (taken from his album Two Weeks Last Summer). The album was released as a 2-CD set in the UK and US. The US release has a slightly different title (The Very Best of Strawbs: Halcyon Days – The A & M Years) and a different track listing.
Cover
The cover image is of a common kingfisher, a reference to the mythical kingsfisher of Halcyon days.
Track listing – UK release
CD one
- "Ghosts" (Dave Cousins) – 8:30
- "Sweet Dreams"
 - "Night Light"
 - "Guardian Angel"
 - "Night Light"
 
 - "On Growing Older" (Cousins) – 1:56
 - "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" (Cousins) – 3:50
 - "Stormy Down" (Cousins) – 2:44
 - "I Turned My Face into the Wind" (Cousins) – 2:35
 - "Queen of Dreams" (Cousins) – 5:31
 - "Witchwood" (Cousins) – 3:22
 - "Keep the Devil Outside" (John Ford) – 3:01
 - "The Hangman and the Papist" (Cousins) – 4:11
 - "Benedictus" (Cousins) – 3:38
 - "Golden Salamander" (Cousins) – 4:54
 - "Tokyo Rosie" (Cousins) – 2:49
 - "Hero and Heroine" (Cousins) – 3:22
 - "Pick up the Pieces" (Richard Hudson, Ford) – 2:35 Hudson Ford track
 - "Lay Down" (Cousins) – 4:32
 - "Backside" (Cousins) – 3:50
 - "Out in the Cold" (Cousins) – 3:19
 - "Round and Round" (Cousins) – 4:44
 - "Oh How She Changed" (Cousins, Tony Hooper) – 2:52
 
In the liner notes, track 16 is referred to as "Ciggy Barlust (Backside)"
CD two
- "The Battle" (Cousins) – 6:25
 - "Grace Darling" (Cousins) – 3:54
 - "Blue Angel" (Cousins) – 9:46 Dave Cousins solo track
- "Divided"
 - "Half Worlds Apart"
 - "At Rest"
 
 - "Here It Comes" (Cousins) – 2:42
 - "The Shepherd's Song" (Cousins) – 4:33
 - "We'll Meet Again Sometime" (Cousins) – 3:12
 - "Martin Luther King's Dream" [Live] (Cousins) – 2:53
 - "Burn Baby Burn" (Hudson, Ford) – 3:02 Hudson Ford track
 - "Shine on Silver Sun" (Cousins) – 2:46
 - "Why and Wherefore" (Cousins, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk, John Hawken, Rod Coombes) – 5:31
 - "Floating in the Wind" (Hudson, Ford) – 4:13 Hudson Ford track
 - "Absent Friend" (Cousins) – 4:35
 - "Part of the Union" (Hudson, Ford) – 2:56
 - "Will Ye Go" (Francis McPeake) – 3:54
 - "The River" (Cousins) – 2:23
 - "Down by the Sea" (Cousins) – 6:19
 - "Tell Me What You See in Me" (Cousins) – 6:11
 
Track listing – US release
CD one
- "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" (Cousins) – 3:50
 - "Where Is This Dream of Your Youth" (Cousins)
 - "The Battle" (Cousins) – 6:25
 - "The Weary Song" (Cousins) – 3:50
 - "I Turned My Face into the Wind" (Cousins) – 2:35
 - "Forever" (Cousins, Hooper) – 3:32
 - "Song of a Sad Little Girl" (Cousins) – 5:28
 - "A Glimpse of Heaven" (Cousins) – 3:50
 - "Witchwood" (Cousins) – 3:22
 - "Sheep" (Cousins) – 4:14
 - "The Shepherd's Song" (Cousins) – 4:33
 - "The Hangman and the Papist" (Cousins) – 4:11
 - "Benedictus" (Cousins) – 3:38
 - "Queen of Dreams" (Cousins) – 5:31
 - "Heavy Disguise" (Ford) – 2:53
 - "New World" (Cousins) – 4:11
 - "Two Weeks Last Summer" (Cousins) – 3:07 Dave Cousins solo track
 - "Blue Angel" (Cousins) – 9:46 Dave Cousins solo track
- "Divided"
 - "Half Worlds Apart"
 - "At Rest"
 
 
CD two
- "Here It Comes" (Cousins) – 2:42
 - "Part of the Union" (Hudson, Ford) – 2:56
 - "Tears and Pavan" – 6:35
- "Tears" (Cousins)
 - "Pavan" (Cousins, Hudson, Ford)
 
 - "The River" (Cousins) – 2:23
 - "Down by the Sea" (Cousins) – 6:19
 - "Lay Down" (Cousins) – 4:32
 - "Autumn" – 8:27
- "Heroine's Theme" (Hawken)
 - "Deep Summer Sleep" (Cousins)
 - "The Winter Long" (Cousins)
 
 - "Hero and Heroine" (Cousins) – 3:22
 - "Midnight Sun" (Cronk, Cousins) – 3:06
 - "Out in the Cold" (Cousins) – 3:19
 - "Round and Round" (Cousins) – 4:44
 - "Ghosts" (Cousins) – 8:30
- "Sweet Dreams"
 - "Night Light"
 - "Guardian Angel"
 - "Night Light"
 
 - "Grace Darling" (Cousins) – 3:54
 - "Lemon Pie" (Cousins) – 4:03
 - "To Be Free" (Cousins) – 4:17
 - "Hanging in the Gallery" (Cousins) – 4:32
 - "The Promised Land" (Cronk) – 4:07
 
Personnel
The songs were performed by several incarnations of Strawbs, plus the Hudson Ford and Dave Cousins session musicians. The following musicians featured: –
- Dave Cousins – vocals, acoustic guitar, dulcimer
 - Tony Hooper – vocals, acoustic guitar
 - Dave Lambert – vocals, electric guitar
 - Miller Anderson – electric guitar (on Dave Cousins solo tracks)
 - Micky Keen – guitar (on Hudson Ford tracks)
 - Ron Chesterman – double bass
 - Claire Deniz – cello
 - John Ford – vocals, bass guitar
 - Chas Cronk – bass guitar, vocals
 - Rod Demick – bass guitar, vocals
 - Roger Glover – bass guitar (on Dave Cousins solo tracks)
 - Rick Wakeman – keyboards
 - Blue Weaver – keyboards
 - John Hawken – keyboards
 - Andy Richards – keyboards
 - Chris Parren – keyboards (on Hudson Ford tracks)
 - Richard Hudson – drums, guitar, vocals
 - Rod Coombes – drums, vocals
 - Tony Fernandez – drums
 - Ken Laws – drums (on Hudson Ford tracks)
 - Jon Hiseman – drums (on Dave Cousins solo tracks)
 
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 1997 | A&M Records | 2-CD set | 540,662-2 | 
| United States | 1998 | A&M Records | 2-CD set | 31454 0951-2 | 
References
- Halcyon Days (UK release) on Strawbsweb
 - Halcyon Days (US release) on Strawbsweb
 - Liner notes to CD set 540,662-2
 

