STRAWBS ALBUMS

A German Ariola compilation including both "Part Of The Union" and Hudson Ford's "Burn Baby Burn" (the only 1974 track, the rest are undated on 1973). There's also Stealers' Wheel's "Star" (but Rod Coombes had left by then). And of course, Tony Visconti produced the T Rex track. The front cover has a colour vignette of Hudson Ford(same sht as used for the insert in Nickelodeon The Strawbs are on the back in black and white - the first Hero And Heroine line-up promo shot, not the "Part Of The Union" line-up.

Alvin Stardust - My Coo Ca Choo

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Marc Bolan And T. Rex - Teenage Dream

Uriah Heep - Easy Livin'

Hudson-Ford - Burn Baby Burn

Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Jerusalem

Sahara - Rainbow Rider

Roxy Music - Street Life

Alex* - Delrue

Cat Stevens - Lady D'Arbanville

Carpenters - Jambalaya (On The Bayou)

Stealers Wheel - Star

Stylistics - Rockin' Roll Baby

The Hollies - Long Cool Woman

Billy Preston - Space Race

Emilio José - Soledad

Strawbs - Part Of The Union

Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol

Middle Of The Road - Music Music

Ike & Tina Turner - The Hunter

SUPER 20 INTERNATIONAL

(Ariola 88 394 IT, later in 1974?)

A second German Ariola compilation that year including Hudson Ford's "Floating In The Wind"

Elton John - The Bitch Is Back

Alvin Stardust - You, You, You

Sparks - This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us

Cat Stevens - Oh Very Young

Sweet Dreams - Honey Honey

The Hollies - Jesus Was A Crossmaker

Dominik - Rocket

Hudson-Ford - Floating In The Wind

Sweet Sensation - Sad Sweet Dreamer

George McCrae - Please Help Me Find My Baby

Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting

Billy Preston - Nothing From Nothing

Stephanie de Sykes - Born With A Smile On My Face

Stylistics - You Make Me Feel Brand New

Middle Of The Road - Rockin' Soul

Uriah Heep - Something Or Nothing

Peter Shelley - Gee Baby

The Sweet - Slow Motion

Joan Baez - Guantanamera

Status Quo - Turn To Stone

25 SUPER HITS (*)

(88 363 XCT, Ariola Eurodisc Benelux B.V., Holland 1974)

"Part Of The Union" is the opening track, and Rod Coombes plays on Stealer's Wheel's "Late Again". There's a track from Juicy Lucy, of which Coombes was also a member, but I don't think he played on that. A&M owner, Herb Alpert is featured, as well as labelmate Burt Bacharach's classic "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head".

Strawbs - Part Of The Union

James Lloyd - Keep On Smiling

Stealers Wheel - Late Again

Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol

Nino Tempo & April Stevens - Love Story

Herb Alpert - Spanish Flea

Wally Tax - Miss Wonderfull

Middle Of The Road - Samba D'Amour

Tony Ronald - Help (Get Me Some Help)

Udo Jürgens - Mein Klavier

Dalida - Gigi, Der Verliebte (Gigi L'Amoroso)

The Herd - From The Underworld

Tony Marshall - Schöne Maid

Blue Haze - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

Alvin Stardust - My Coo-Ca-Choo

Sweet Dreams - Honey Honey

Ruud Bos - Killy The Kid

Stephanie De Sykes - Born With A Smile On My Face

Burt Bacharach - Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head

Peret - Borriquito

Debbie - Everybody Join Hands

Stylistics - Rockin' Roll Baby

Gilbert O'Sullivan - Came To See Me Yesterday

Juicy Lucy - Who Do You Love

Chris Montez - The More I See You

NATIONAL LAMPOON IN-STORE AIR-PLAY ALBUM FOR APRIL 1974

(National Lampoon, US 1974)

This is a mix of music, political satire and comedy: "This album features cuts from artists whose albums are advertised in the National Lampoon and is intended for promotional use only. NOT FOR SALE". "Hero And Heroine" is the featured Strawbs track, and Rick Wakeman plays on David Bowie's "Changes".

Mary Travers - Circles

not listed (from American Graffiti) - Rock Around The Clock

David Bowie - Changes

Strawbs - Hero And Heroine

Nazareth - This Flight Tonight

Woody Allen - comedy

Johnny Winter - Stone Cowboy

not listed - The Missing White House Tapes

Maggie Bell - After Midnight

not listed - Casablanca

Mick Ronson - Love Me Tender

Brian Auger - Straight Ahead

HARETE LATER (*)

(A&M AMN 75, Norway, 1974)

A Norwegian sampler, with both Hudson Ford's "Free Spirit" and Strawbs' "The Winter Long". With cracking tracks from labelmates Supertramp, Gallagher & Lyle and the Ozarks (all of which are favourites of mine), it's a good buy.

Gino Vanelli - People Gotta Move

Hudson Ford - Free Spirit

Paul Williams - The Family Of Man

Andy Fairweather Low - Spider Jivin'

Ozark Mountain Daredevils - Look Away

Strawbs - The Winter Long

Billy Preston - Nothing From Nothing

Gallagher & Lyle - Keep The Candle Burning

Sam Neely - You Can Have Her

Michael D'Abo - Fuel To Burn

Nutz - Round And Round

Supertramp - Bloody Well Right

ESTAS DÃO AUDIÊNCIA (*)

(SDP 590 promo, Odeon, Brazil 1974)

A Brazilian 1974 promo LP includes "Hold On To Me (The Winter Long)".

Three Dog Night - Sitting In Limbo

João Nogueira - Batendo A Porta

Paul McCartney & Wings - Junior's Farm

Simone - Proposta

Al Green - Sha-La-La (Make Me Happy)

Lemos & Debétio - Morro Do Barraco Sem Água

Luiz Ayrão - Intrigas E Opiniões

Strawbs - Hold On To Me (The Winter Long)

Eduardo Gudin - Mordaça

The Righteous Brothers - Dream On

Maysa - Bloco Da Solidão

Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods

O REBU (*)

(Som Livre? 404.7055, Brazil, Dec 1974)

Unusually, a Hudson Ford track from 1973's Nickelodeon features on this Brazilian compilation.

Claude-Michel Schönberg - Le Premier Pas

Elton John - The Bitch Is Back

Velvet Glove - Sweet Was My Rose

Daniel Sentacruz Ensemble - Working In The Hacienda

I Cugini Di Campagna - Anima Mia

Hudson-Ford - I Wanted You

Moon Williams - Sticks And Stones

Oscar Toney Jr. - Make It Easy On Yourself

Miami - Melô Da Noturna (Party Freaks)

Jim Weatherly - You Are A Song

Lobo - Goodbye Is Just Another Word

Al Morrison - Swanee

Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '77 - The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye

Stevie Wonder - Bird Of Beauty

SUA PAZ MUNDIAL - VOLUME 3 (*) NEW

(Brazil, Som Livre 404.7054, 1974)

Released in late 1974, though credited as 1975. Another outing for "I Wanted You".

Barry White - Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe

Elton John - Roy Rogers

New Walkers - Mandoline

Tony Sherman - Tonight

Roy Etzel - Soleado

I Cugini Di Campagna - Anima Mia

Miami - Party Freaks (Melô Da Noturna)

Riot - Put Your Gun Down Brother

Daniel Moore - (You're) Having My Baby

Cookie (19) - Kung Fu Fighting

Hudson-Ford - I Wanted You

The Stylistics - Heavy Fallin' Out

Commodores - I Feel Sanctified

Cheryl Dilcher - So Sad

ROCK 70 (*) NEW

(A&M SA&MX-2147, Brazil, 1975)

Another Brazilian A&M compilation, this time with "Ghosts" and Hudson-Ford's "Mechanics".

Supertramp - School

Peter Frampton - (I'll Give You) Money

Henry Gross - Dixie Spider Man

Strawbs - Ghosts

Esperanto (5) - Eleanor Rigby

Hudson-Ford - Mechanics

Head East - Fly By Night Lady

Armageddon (6) - Buzzard

GOLDEN HIT PARADE

(8LP, Readers Digest, 1975)

Eight LP set of greatest hits starting with Volume 1, the Fifties, with each subsequent LP covering a two year span. A patchy collection, some good stuff but some cheesy rubbish as well - volume 8 for 1972-1973 includes "Part Of The Union". For sleeve notes on the Strawbs, click on the thumbnail below.

Track listing, Vol 8, 1972-1973 only

Chicory Tip - Son Of My Father

Nilsson - Without You

Vicky Leandros - Come What May

Elton John - Rocket Man

Lieutenant Pigeon - Mouldy Old Dough

Peter Skellern - You're A Lady

The New Seekers - I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing

Strawbs - Part Of The Union

Focus - Sylvia

Peters And Lee - Welcome Home

Carpenters - Yesterday Once More

Bobby Pickett And The Crypt Kickers - Monster Mash

Sweet - Ballroom Blitz

Status Quo - Caroline

A&M SUMMER SPECTACULAR

(A&M US, SP 8330, 1975)

A US A&M in store sampler, which includes a Hudson Ford track from When Worlds Collide.

Carpenters - Solitaire

Cat Stevens - Two Fine People

Joan Baez - Blue Sky

Gino Vannelli - Mama Coco

Billy Preston - Fancy Lady

Captain & Tennille - God Only Knows

The Tubes - White Punks On Dope

Hummingbird - For The Children's Sake

Head East - Never Been Any Reason

Pablo Cruise - Island Woman

Hudson Ford - Keep On Rolling

BULLETS

(A&M Israel, SP8371, 1976)

An Israeli US sampler, which unusually includes "Little Sleepy" from Nomadness. Not the most politically correct album cover in the world ....

Carl Graves - Heart Be Still

Hustler - Little People

Strawbs - Little Sleepy

Bazuka - Love Explosion

Joan Armatrading - Back To The Night

Gino Vannelli - Gettin' High

Elkie Brooks - He's A Rebel

Chris De Burgh - I'm Going Home

Hustler - Break Of Day

Elkie Brooks - Tomorrow

Andy Fairweather Low - La Booga Rooga

Carl Graves - Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

Gino Vannelli - Mama Coco

Firefly - Hey There Little Firefly

Shades Of Blu - Bella Mi

Paul Williams - The Family Of Man

TAKRL ANTHOLOGY BOZO 1

(white label copy, 1976)

The Strawbs track here is a not terribly high quality live version of "Lay Down", source uncertain, not one I'm familiar with (pretty certain it's not either of the BBC transcription disc recordings in 1973/1974), so it may be something hitherto unreleased. Dave Lambert's vocal very high in the mix, making the chorus a clear duet. From the cymbals, I'm guess it was the Hero And Heroine band on this.

Sleeve notes run: "Although unfortunately never then issues, this collection was originally prepared in 1976 by the late Dr Terrence H "Telly" Fone. This edition was re-edited by Art Knuvo and Deek Kibard from the Doctor's original manuscripts and re-recorded and mastered from the original tapes by Sparko Time. Thanks to Roy N Oak for the cover..."

Bruce Springsteen - The Fever

Crosby Stills Nash & Young - Long May You Run

Jimi Hendrix And His Band Of Gypsies - Little Drummer Boy/Silent Night/Auld Lang Syne

Frank Zappa & The Mothers Of Invention - Deadly Jaws

The Rutles - Get Up And Go

The Beatles - No Pakistanis

Brian Eno - The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Gentle Giant - The Runaway

Strawbs - Lay Down (live)

The Mushroom Tabernacle Choir - The Twelve Drugs Of Christmas

Jackson Browne - You Just Want Heavy (You Don't Want Me)

Little Feat - All That You Dream

Groucho Marx - Hooray For Captain Spaulding

INSTANT REPLAY

(Polydor Super 2480 426, UK 1977)

Just the 1976 nearly-was hit "I Only Want My Love To Grow In You" on this UK sampler release. On my copy someone has typed the track listing onto the white inner sleeve ...

Paul Nicholas - Grandma's Party

Rubettes - Baby I Know

Yvonne Elliman - Love Me

The Fatback Band - Double Dutch

Rick Dees & His Cast Of Idiots - Disco Duck

Chris Rainbow - Living In The World Today

Barclay James Harvest - Rock 'N' Roll Star

Lynsey De Paul & Mike Moran - Rock Bottom

Bryan Ferry - Tokyo Joe

Clodagh Rodgers - Save Me

The Ritchie Family - The Best Disco In Town

Atlanta Rhythm Section - So In To You

James Brown - Bodyheat

Strawbs - I Only Want My Love To Grow In You

Jean Michel Jarre - Oxygene (Part 4)

The Jam - In The City

20 SUPER HITS ORIGINAIS (*)

(Polystar 9199 140, Brazil 1977)

"So Close And Yet So Far Away" is the Strawbs selection on this Brazilian hits album - was "So Close" a hit in Brazil? Quite a few albums released in Brazil including Deep Cuts. Released in 1977 - there's a little sticker on the back "1877-1977 - 100 Anos de Som Gravado" (100 Years of Recorded Sound).

The Stylistics - I'm Coming Home

Nazareth - I Don't Want (To Go On Without You)

Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Hold Back The Water

Left Side - Mamma Mia (Everytime I See Ye)

10CC - The Things We Do For Love

Barry White - Don't Make Me Wait Too Long

Rick Dees And His Cast Of Idiots* - Disco Duck

Heatwave - Boogie Nights

Gloria Gaynor - Why Should I Pay

Ferre Grignard - Ring, Ring, I've Got To Sing

Julie Covington - Don't Cry For Me Argentina

Bee Gees - Love So Right

Kenny Nolan - I Like Dreamin'

Sylvia - L.A. Sunshine

Van McCoy - Good Night, Baby

Strawbs - So Close And Yet So Far Away

Mungo Jerry - Hello Nadine

Tony Joe White - Susie-Q

Paul Mauriat - If You Leave Me Now

Zamfir- Été D'Amour

PLAY IT AGAIN SAM (white label Polydor sampler)

(Polydor, 1977)

This comes in a nice cream sleeve with a Humphrey Bogart picture on the front and the track listing on the back. No cat no. Nothing at all on the white labels. Side 1 seems to be mixed rock and pop, including Strawbs' "Keep On Trying". Side 2 seems to be mainly jazz and blues cuts. The track listing is headed "June Supplement Releases, Record 1" which suggests there were other volumes.

Tim Moore - Love Overnight

Joe Beck - Love

Ted Nugent - Breast-Fed Gator

Ted Nugent - The Non-Conformist Wildebeest

Strawbs - Keep On Trying

Marie Osmond - This Is The Way I Feel

Easy Street - Flying

Easy Street - Rely On You

Wes Montgomery - Four Or Six

Ben Webster - Young Bean

Dizzy Gillespie/Stan Getz - It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)

Bill Evans - With A Song In My Heart

Harry Edison - Taste On The Place

Ella Fitzgerald - Jailhouse Blues

Oscar Peterson - Waltz For Debbie

VARIOUS – INGLATERRA DE HOJE - VOL.3 (*) NEW

(Brazil, Epic 144221, 1977)

A Hudson Ford track, "Poor Boy", from the 1977 CBS Daylight album.

Hudson-Ford - Poor Boy

Crawler - Stone Cold Sober

Mike Batt - The Walls Of The World

Quiver, Sutherland Brothers - Every Tear I Cry

Rogue - Lady Put The Light Out

Johnny Nash - Birds Of Feather

Judas Priest - Diamonds And Rust

The Vibrators - Baby Baby

The Clash - White Riot

Dead End Kids - Breakaway

Lone Star - Hypnotic Mover

Kursaal Flyers - The Sky Is Falling In Our Love

FOREPLAY

(A&M US, A&M SP 19009, 1978)

A US A&M "pre-release sampler" in a blue card sleeve, which includes two Strawbs tracks "Round And Round" and "Lay Down" (both taken from the Best Of album and two tracks from Stealers Wheel featuring Rod Coombes.

Cockrell & Santos - I'm In Love With You/I Tried It All

Gato Barbieri - Evil Eyes

Elkie Brooks - Since You Went Away/Learn To Love

Atlantic Starr - With Your Love I Come Alive/Stand Up

White Mansions (Various Artists) - Dixie Hold On/Bad Man

The Brothers Johnson - Ain't We Funkin' Now

Captain & Tennille - You Need A Woman Tonight/Good Enough

Stealers Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You

Stealers Wheel - Late Again

Strawbs - Round And Round

Strawbs - Lay Down

ARISTA AOR SAMPLER