# Halcyon Days (Strawbs album)

The Very Best of the Strawbs: Halcyon Days is a compilation album by English band Strawbs. Although credited to Strawbs it does contain three Hudson Ford tracks and a Dave Cousins solo track (taken from his album Two Weeks Last Summer). The album was released as a 2-CD set in the UK and US. The US release has a slightly different title (The Very Best of Strawbs: Halcyon Days – The A & M Years) and a different track listing.

## Cover

The cover image is of a common kingfisher, a reference to the mythical kingsfisher of Halcyon days.

## Track listing – UK release
### CD one

* "Ghosts" (Dave Cousins) – 8:30
    "Sweet Dreams"
    "Night Light"
    "Guardian Angel"
    "Night Light"
* "On Growing Older" (Cousins) – 1:56
* "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" (Cousins) – 3:50
* "Stormy Down" (Cousins) – 2:44
* "I Turned My Face into the Wind" (Cousins) – 2:35
* "Queen of Dreams" (Cousins) – 5:31
* "Witchwood" (Cousins) – 3:22
* "Keep the Devil Outside" (John Ford) – 3:01
* "The Hangman and the Papist" (Cousins) – 4:11
* "Benedictus" (Cousins) – 3:38
* "Golden Salamander" (Cousins) – 4:54
* "Tokyo Rosie" (Cousins) – 2:49
* "Hero and Heroine" (Cousins) – 3:22
* "Pick up the Pieces" (Richard Hudson, Ford) – 2:35 Hudson Ford track
* "Lay Down" (Cousins) – 4:32
* "Backside" (Cousins) – 3:50
* "Out in the Cold" (Cousins) – 3:19
* "Round and Round" (Cousins) – 4:44
* "Oh How She Changed" (Cousins, Tony Hooper) – 2:52
In the liner notes, track 16 is referred to as "Ciggy Barlust (Backside)"

### CD two

* "The Battle" (Cousins) – 6:25
* "Grace Darling" (Cousins) – 3:54
* "Blue Angel" (Cousins) – 9:46 Dave Cousins solo track
    "Divided"
    "Half Worlds Apart"
    "At Rest"
* "Here It Comes" (Cousins) – 2:42
* "The Shepherd's Song" (Cousins) – 4:33
* "We'll Meet Again Sometime" (Cousins) – 3:12
* "Martin Luther King's Dream" [Live] (Cousins) – 2:53
* "Burn Baby Burn" (Hudson, Ford) – 3:02 Hudson Ford track
* "Shine on Silver Sun" (Cousins) – 2:46
* "Why and Wherefore" (Cousins, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk, John Hawken, Rod Coombes) – 5:31
* "Floating in the Wind" (Hudson, Ford) – 4:13 Hudson Ford track
* "Absent Friend" (Cousins) – 4:35
* "Part of the Union" (Hudson, Ford) – 2:56
* "Will Ye Go" (Francis McPeake) – 3:54
* "The River" (Cousins) – 2:23
* "Down by the Sea" (Cousins) – 6:19
* "Tell Me What You See in Me" (Cousins) – 6:11

## Track listing – US release
### CD one

* "The Man Who Called Himself Jesus" (Cousins) – 3:50
* "Where Is This Dream of Your Youth" (Cousins)
* "The Battle" (Cousins) – 6:25
* "The Weary Song" (Cousins) – 3:50
* "I Turned My Face into the Wind" (Cousins) – 2:35
* "Forever" (Cousins, Hooper) – 3:32
* "Song of a Sad Little Girl" (Cousins) – 5:28
* "A Glimpse of Heaven" (Cousins) – 3:50
* "Witchwood" (Cousins) – 3:22
* "Sheep" (Cousins) – 4:14
* "The Shepherd's Song" (Cousins) – 4:33
* "The Hangman and the Papist" (Cousins) – 4:11
* "Benedictus" (Cousins) – 3:38
* "Queen of Dreams" (Cousins) – 5:31
* "Heavy Disguise" (Ford) – 2:53
* "New World" (Cousins) – 4:11
* "Two Weeks Last Summer" (Cousins) – 3:07 Dave Cousins solo track
* "Blue Angel" (Cousins) – 9:46 Dave Cousins solo track
    "Divided"
    "Half Worlds Apart"
    "At Rest"

### CD two

* "Here It Comes" (Cousins) – 2:42
* "Part of the Union" (Hudson, Ford) – 2:56
* "Tears and Pavan" – 6:35
    "Tears" (Cousins)
    "Pavan" (Cousins, Hudson, Ford)
* "The River" (Cousins) – 2:23
* "Down by the Sea" (Cousins) – 6:19
* "Lay Down" (Cousins) – 4:32
* "Autumn" – 8:27
    "Heroine's Theme" (Hawken)
    "Deep Summer Sleep" (Cousins)
    "The Winter Long" (Cousins)
* "Hero and Heroine" (Cousins) – 3:22
* "Midnight Sun" (Cronk, Cousins) – 3:06
* "Out in the Cold" (Cousins) – 3:19
* "Round and Round" (Cousins) – 4:44
* "Ghosts" (Cousins) – 8:30
    "Sweet Dreams"
    "Night Light"
    "Guardian Angel"
    "Night Light"
* "Grace Darling" (Cousins) – 3:54
* "Lemon Pie" (Cousins) – 4:03
* "To Be Free" (Cousins) – 4:17
* "Hanging in the Gallery" (Cousins) – 4:32
* "The Promised Land" (Cronk) – 4:07

## Personnel

The songs were performed by several incarnations of Strawbs, plus the Hudson Ford and Dave Cousins session musicians. The following musicians featured: –
* Dave Cousins – vocals, acoustic guitar, dulcimer
* Tony Hooper – vocals, acoustic guitar
* Dave Lambert – vocals, electric guitar
* Miller Anderson – electric guitar (on Dave Cousins solo tracks)
* Micky Keen – guitar (on Hudson Ford tracks)
* Ron Chesterman – double bass
* Claire Deniz – cello
* John Ford – vocals, bass guitar
* Chas Cronk – bass guitar, vocals
* Rod Demick – bass guitar, vocals
* Roger Glover – bass guitar (on Dave Cousins solo tracks)
* Rick Wakeman – keyboards
* Blue Weaver – keyboards
* John Hawken – keyboards
* Andy Richards – keyboards
* Chris Parren – keyboards (on Hudson Ford tracks)
* Richard Hudson – drums, guitar, vocals
* Rod Coombes – drums, vocals
* Tony Fernandez – drums
* Ken Laws – drums (on Hudson Ford tracks)
* Jon Hiseman – drums (on Dave Cousins solo tracks)

## Release history

| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
| United Kingdom | 1997 (1997) | A&M Records | 2-CD set | 540,662-2 |
| United States | 1998 (1998) | A&M Records | 2-CD set | 31454 0951-2 |