Dr Strangely Strange - Halcyon Days

New and archive tracks from cult Irish folk trio

The fading days of late 60s bohemia can be glimpsed throughout this collection of recently unearthed recordings from Incredible String Band and Nick Drake roster-mates Dr Strangely Strange. As an added bonus, the 10 archive tracks, drawn from the period surrounding the band’s celebrated 1969 LP Kip Of The Serenes, are complemented by three newly recorded songs, suitably bedecked in period-style arrangements.

Famously one of the few bands who would go to the (often headache-inducing) trouble of hauling a harmonium out on tour, Dr Strangely Strange began to record when, having signed to Joe Boyd’s legendary Witchseason Productions, they relocated from Dublin to Dalston in 1969. With Boyd often serving as producer, the band developed an appealingly loose folk-pop sound best heard here on Horse Of A Different Hue (check those vocals!), Going to Poulaphouca and HMS Avenger.

Though coming to an abrupt end in 1971, there have been sporadic reunions since – most recently to produce the three new songs that round out this set. The melody-rich, crisply recorded Halcyon Days, The Invisible Kid and Le Le Rockin Sound suggest the freewheeling spirit of ’69 remains very much intact, and there are evocative liner notes from compiler Adrian Whittaker too.

Hux | HUX 092

Reviewed by David Davies
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