Despite having quite a few outstanding albums, STRAWBS were very much aware, when they wrapped up the recording of their 1972 work, that “Grave New World” would be special, as proven by the film the ensemble created to accompany this platter. Which is why when the veterans celebrated the band’s semicentennial anniversary back in 2019, they made the first-ever concert delivery of the classic in its entirety a central event of the weekend of April 26th to 28th spent in Strand Theater in Lakewood, NJ, where the Brits played many of fans’ favorites, most notably on the 27th, when they performed a sort of three sets. And now one of those is prepared for release on October 9th as an initial offering from the jubilee tour.
Produced by none other than Larry Fast, “Grave New World Live” will see the light of day in a vinyl form in a run limited to a thousand units, with all proceeds going to the University of Leicester and Bangor University, as per the late David Cousins’s will, yet here’s hoping a mass CD / Blu-ray variant may follow it. With John Ford and Blue Weaver – both present on the original album, and the later weaving some post-production magic on some bits of this one – back in the fold, alongside Brian Willoughby, Cathryn Craig, Tony Fernandez and Eric Bazilian as well as Wesley Stace as Narrator, it promises to be a great document of the group’s might.
Grave New World Live
1. Benedictus
2. Hey, Little Man… Thursday’s Child
3. Queen of Dreams
4. Heavy Disguise
5. New World
6. Hey Little Man… Wednesday’s Child
7. The Flower And The Young Man
8. Tomorrow
9. On Growing Older
10. Ah Me, Ah My
11. Is It Today Lord
12. The Journey’s End
