Halcyon Days (Strawbs album)

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.

CD one

 * 1) "Ghosts" (Dave Cousins) – 8:30
 * "Sweet Dreams"
 * "Night Light"
 * "Guardian Angel"
 * "Night Light"
 * 1) "On Growing Older" (Cousins) – 1:56
 * 2) "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" (Cousins) – 3:50
 * 3) "Stormy Down" (Cousins) – 2:44
 * 4) "I Turned My Face into the Wind" (Cousins) – 2:35
 * 5) "Queen of Dreams" (Cousins) – 5:31
 * 6) "Witchwood" (Cousins) – 3:22
 * 7) "Keep the Devil Outside" (John Ford) – 3:01
 * 8) "The Hangman and the Papist" (Cousins) – 4:11
 * 9) "Benedictus" (Cousins) – 3:38
 * 10) "Golden Salamander" (Cousins) – 4:54
 * 11) "Tokyo Rosie" (Cousins) – 2:49
 * 12) "Hero and Heroine" (Cousins) – 3:22
 * 13) "Pick up the Pieces" (Richard Hudson, Ford) – 2:35 Hudson Ford track
 * 14) "Lay Down" (Cousins) – 4:32
 * 15) "Backside" (Cousins) – 3:50
 * 16) "Out in the Cold" (Cousins) – 3:19
 * 17) "Round and Round" (Cousins) – 4:44
 * 18) "Oh How She Changed" (Cousins, Tony Hooper) – 2:52

In the liner notes, track 16 is referred to as "Ciggy Barlust (Backside)"

CD two

 * 1) "The Battle" (Cousins) – 6:25
 * 2) "Grace Darling" (Cousins) – 3:54
 * 3) "Blue Angel" (Cousins) – 9:46 Dave Cousins solo track
 * "Divided"
 * "Half Worlds Apart"
 * "At Rest"
 * 1) "Here It Comes" (Cousins) – 2:42
 * 2) "The Shepherd's Song" (Cousins) – 4:33
 * 3) "We'll Meet Again Sometime" (Cousins) – 3:12
 * 4) "Martin Luther King's Dream" [Live] (Cousins) – 2:53
 * 5) "Burn Baby Burn" (Hudson, Ford) – 3:02 Hudson Ford track
 * 6) "Shine on Silver Sun" (Cousins) – 2:46
 * 7) "Why and Wherefore" (Cousins, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk, John Hawken, Rod Coombes) – 5:31
 * 8) "Floating in the Wind" (Hudson, Ford) – 4:13 Hudson Ford track
 * 9) "Absent Friend" (Cousins) – 4:35
 * 10) "Part of the Union" (Hudson, Ford) – 2:56
 * 11) "Will Ye Go" (Francis McPeake) – 3:54
 * 12) "The River" (Cousins) – 2:23
 * 13) "Down by the Sea" (Cousins) – 6:19
 * 14) "Tell Me What You See in Me" (Cousins) – 6:11

CD one

 * 1) "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" (Cousins) – 3:50
 * 2) "Where Is This Dream of Your Youth" (Cousins)
 * 3) "The Battle" (Cousins) – 6:25
 * 4) "The Weary Song" (Cousins) – 3:50
 * 5) "I Turned My Face into the Wind" (Cousins) – 2:35
 * 6) "Forever" (Cousins, Hooper) – 3:32
 * 7) "Song of a Sad Little Girl" (Cousins) – 5:28
 * 8) "A Glimpse of Heaven" (Cousins) – 3:50
 * 9) "Witchwood" (Cousins) – 3:22
 * 10) "Sheep" (Cousins) – 4:14
 * 11) "The Shepherd's Song" (Cousins) – 4:33
 * 12) "The Hangman and the Papist" (Cousins) – 4:11
 * 13) "Benedictus" (Cousins) – 3:38
 * 14) "Queen of Dreams" (Cousins) – 5:31
 * 15) "Heavy Disguise" (Ford) – 2:53
 * 16) "New World" (Cousins) – 4:11
 * 17) "Two Weeks Last Summer" (Cousins) – 3:07 Dave Cousins solo track
 * 18) "Blue Angel" (Cousins) – 9:46 Dave Cousins solo track
 * "Divided"
 * "Half Worlds Apart"
 * "At Rest"

CD two

 * 1) "Here It Comes" (Cousins) – 2:42
 * 2) "Part of the Union" (Hudson, Ford) – 2:56
 * 3) "Tears and Pavan" – 6:35
 * "Tears" (Cousins)
 * "Pavan" (Cousins, Hudson, Ford)
 * 1) "The River" (Cousins) – 2:23
 * 2) "Down by the Sea" (Cousins) – 6:19
 * 3) "Lay Down" (Cousins) – 4:32
 * 4) "Autumn" – 8:27
 * "Heroine's Theme" (Hawken)
 * "Deep Summer Sleep" (Cousins)
 * "The Winter Long" (Cousins)
 * 1) "Hero and Heroine" (Cousins) – 3:22
 * 2) "Midnight Sun" (Cronk, Cousins) – 3:06
 * 3) "Out in the Cold" (Cousins) – 3:19
 * 4) "Round and Round" (Cousins) – 4:44
 * 5) "Ghosts" (Cousins) – 8:30
 * "Sweet Dreams"
 * "Night Light"
 * "Guardian Angel"
 * "Night Light"
 * 1) "Grace Darling" (Cousins) – 3:54
 * 2) "Lemon Pie" (Cousins) – 4:03
 * 3) "To Be Free" (Cousins) – 4:17
 * 4) "Hanging in the Gallery" (Cousins) – 4:32
 * 5) "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)