Few bands travelled as far from their roots as The Strawbs. Beginning in the early 1960s as a bluegrass and folk group, they grew into one of the most distinctive and literate names in British music, blending acoustic folk with rock muscle and symphonic ambition to become pioneers of folk-prog. Led throughout by the singular voice and songwriting of Dave Cousins — and, for a brief early spell, featuring a young Rick Wakeman — they made a run of remarkable records. Here is our fellow fan’s ranking of a core selection of their classic era.

The short version

For the heart of The Strawbs, start with Hero and Heroine, Grave New World, Bursting at the Seams, Ghosts and From the Witchwood. Between them they hold the band’s prog masterpiece, its boldest leap and its commercial peak. The full ranking is below.

From folk roots to prog ambition

The Strawbs’ story is one of constant evolution, from the troubadour folk of their beginnings to the dark, symphonic prog of their peak. Their early line-ups briefly included the singer Sandy Denny, later of Fairport Convention, and the keyboardist Rick Wakeman, who left to join Yes after From the Witchwood. At the centre of it all stood Cousins, whose literate, often haunting songwriting gave the band its identity. A note on the catalogue: it is large, running to more than twenty studio albums across six decades, and the eleven here are a core selection of the classic 1969–1978 era.

How we ranked them

This is one fan’s order, weighing songwriting, ambition and how each album has aged across that long evolution. The facts are accurate; the order is a starting point for the debate — and whether you came for the folk or the prog will shape your own list.

The essential five

At the top sits Hero and Heroine (1974), widely regarded as their prog masterpiece — dark, lush and atmospheric. Grave New World (1972) is the bold first leap into full progressive rock, muscular and inventive; Bursting at the Seams (1973) is the commercial peak, home to the prog-rock favourite “Lay Down” and their biggest hit, “Part of the Union”. Ghosts (1975) is another superb, eerie prog statement, and From the Witchwood (1971), with Wakeman aboard, is the lovely folk-rock album that bridged their two worlds.

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Reliably great

The next tier is rewarding. Deep Cuts (1976) is a polished, song-focused record that Cousins himself rated among their best-sounding; Dragonfly (1970) is an early album where the folk group first reached toward something grander, complete with an ambitious side-long piece. Nomadness (1975) is a solid, transitional set from a busy period.

The interesting middle

Here the catalogue is more variable. The self-titled debut Strawbs (1969) is a gentle, accomplished folk album that only hints at the prog band to come; and Burning for You (1977) leans toward a slicker, more American rock sound with mixed results.

For completists

At the foot of the list sits Deadlines (1978), the most overtly commercial album of the classic era, where the band chased contemporary trends and largely lost what made them special. It has its moments, but most fans place it well below their richer work — one for the dedicated.

The classic era, in order

A core selection from the classic era, 1969–1978, in chronological order — with a much larger catalogue beyond it. Click through to the full write-up on any record.

Where to start

Begin with Hero and Heroine — atmospheric, cohesive and quintessentially Strawbs, it is their finest album and the ideal way in. From there, Grave New World shows their most ambitious side, and Bursting at the Seams is the place for their best-known songs.

The players

The Strawbs were, from beginning to end, the vision of Dave Cousins, whose distinctive voice, guitar and banjo and literate songwriting shaped every record; he died in 2025. Around him passed a remarkable cast over the decades — among the earliest, Sandy Denny and the future Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, and later many fine players who came and went. Through every change, Cousins’s songs remained the constant thread.

Why they still matter

The Strawbs were among the great pioneers of British folk-prog, building a bridge between the acoustic folk tradition and the ambition of progressive rock that few others crossed so gracefully. Alongside folk-tinged peers like Renaissance and Jethro Tull, they proved how richly the two worlds could combine. In Cousins they had one of the era’s most thoughtful songwriters — and a catalogue that still rewards the curious listener decades on.

Go deeper

Keep exploring: read about the best The Strawbs songs, see every The Strawbs album in order, find your way in with our where-to-start-with-The-Strawbs guide, or dig up the most underrated The Strawbs albums. You can also place them in the bigger picture with our list of the best progressive rock albums of all time.

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