Reissue on CD of 1967 album (not issued in the UK on vinyl until 1973) that heralded the start of the recording careers of two names synonymous with the UK folk rock scene, and took the 'three blokes and a bird' harmony vocal blueprint of the Seekers et al and pushed it in an adventurous new direction. Although barely 20 years old at time of recording (and looking every inch the quintessential 60s coffehouse sex symbol, before the booze and drugs set in) the maturity Denny displays on this album is astonishing, both as a vocalist ('Tell Me What You See In Me' 'All I Need Is You' 'Stay Awhile') and composer (the original 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes'). Most of the credit, though, should go to Strawbs mainman Dave Cousins, who composed 80 percent of the material and takes lead on the unforgettable 'How Everyone But Sam Was A Hypocrite' and 'Nothing Else Will Do'- the first signs of a major talent showing through. Tony Hooper also sings lead on two tracks, and the instrumental 'Wild Strawberries' harks back to their previous incarnation as Flatt & Scruggs-influenced bluegrassers The Strawberry Hill Boys. A quintessential album of its era, the one that showed more than any other the direction British folk-rock was heading in- although it still in no way prepares you for the full-on psychedelia of their Denny-less self titled debut a year later.
