Wakeman & Cousins Live CD - Import

This concert album captures prog-rockers Rick Wakeman and Dave Cousins in a live performance recorded in Exeter, England, in July 1988.

Except for one track, this CD -- billed as volume one in "the Witchwood Media Archive Series" -- was recorded live in Exeter, England, on July 14, 1988, by Rick Wakeman and Dave Cousins. It's odd, though, that Wakeman gets the top of the duo billing, as it's really more a Dave Cousins show, with Wakeman as accompanist. All of the songs are sung and written by Cousins, with the exception of "Part of the Union," the big hit by Cousins' band, the Strawbs -- which, many forget, Wakeman was also a part of briefly in the early '70s, prior to his rise to superstardom with Yes. The bulk of the disc has unplugged performances of early-'70s Strawbs tunes with Cousins on acoustic guitar and vocals, and Wakeman on grand piano, comprising the only full-length show the pair ever did in Britain as a duo. In fact all of the songs on which Wakeman and Cousins both play were originally released by the Wakeman-Cousins lineup of the Strawbs on the early-'70s albums From the Witchwood and Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios, with the exception of "Ways and Means," which was on the Dave Cousins early-'70s solo album Two Weeks Last Summer (on which Wakeman played). With pretty good though not stellar sound, it's a chance to hear this material played with sparse arrangements. That's admittedly something that might not be of much interest to many listeners other than serious Strawbs fans, but then this is clearly marked as an archival series release, and said Strawbs fans will appreciate the opportunity to acquire it. Note that the show opens with two solo acoustic Cousins performances (of "Grace Darling" and "Part of the Union," both originally unveiled on early-to-mid-'70s Strawbs LPs). The CD also includes one Wakeman-Cousins concert recording, of "Martin Luther King's Dream," recorded at a Belgian festival in August 1988, though it's the least impressive track, as Wakeman plays a borrowed synthesizer rather than grand piano. ~ Richie Unterberger

Includes Dave Cousins solo material as well as collaborations with Rick Wakeman, recorded in Devon & Belgium in 1984. Ten tracks. Witchwood. 2005.