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Hero and Heroine is the seventh studio album by English band Strawbs.

Hero and Heroine
Studio album by Strawbs
Released	March 1974
Recorded	November 1973, Rosenberg Studios, Copenhagen
Genre	Progressive rock[1]
Length	39:36
Label	A&M, (UK)
Producer	Dave Cousins, Tom Allom
Strawbs chronology
All Our Own Work (1973) Hero and Heroine (1974) Strawbs by Choice (1974)
Singles from Hero and Heroine
"Shine on Silver Sun" "Hero and Heroine" "Hold on to Me (The Winter Long)"

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic[2]

Background

After the tour supporting the previous album, Bursting at the Seams (1973), there was an acrimonious split leaving only Dave Cousins and Dave Lambert to rebuild the band. John Hawken of The Nashville Teens and Renaissance on keyboards, Chas Cronk on bass and Rod Coombes on drums from Juicy Lucy and Stealers Wheel completed the line-up. The new line-up gelled very quickly and studio sessions were very productive. The album was released first in the US to a warm reception, and then in the UK where reviews were less positive. The album only reached number 35 on the UK Album Charts[3] and the band increasingly began to look to North America for a successful future.

All band members made writing contributions, notably Chas Cronk, with whom Cousins would write many songs on future albums.

Critical reception

Stephen Lambe, author of Citizens of Hope and Glory: The Story of Progressive Rock, has called it "their most prog album" and has identified John Hawken's Mellotron playing as "a particular highlight".[1] The album ranked number 44 in 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums of All Time list of Rolling Stone magazine.[4]

Track listing

The following tracks did not feature on the original vinyl release, but were included as bonus tracks on the A&M reissue.

Personnel

• Dave Cousins – lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Dave Lambert – lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• John Hawken – organ, piano, electric piano, Mellotron, synthesizer
• Chas Cronk – backing vocals, bass guitar, synthesizer
• Rod Coombes – backing vocals, drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Claire Deniz – cello on "Midnight Sun"

Recording

• Dave Cousins, Tom Allom – Producers
• Tom Allom, Freddy Hansson – Engineers

Recorded at Rosenberg Studios, Copenhagen.[5]

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog	Comment
United Kingdom	April 1974 (1974-04)	A&M	stereo LP	AMLH 63607
United States	February 1974 (1974-02)	A&M	stereo LP	SP 3607
Canada	1974 (1974)	A&M	LP, 8-track, cassette, CD	SP-3607, 8T-3607, CS-3607, VPCD 3607	#70 [6]
Worldwide	1998 (1998)	A&M	CD	540 935-2	Remastered with bonus tracks
Japan	2002 (2002)	A&M	CD	UICY-9216

Sources

• Hero and Heroine at strawbsweb.co.uk
• Hero and Heroine: CD 540 935-2 - sleeve notes

Notes

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