Rick Wakeman and Dave Cousins released a duo album in 2002, but that was not their first co-operation since Wakeman left Strawbs in 1971 in favour of Yes. There recordings are from June 1988, from the DevonAir Music Festival, mainly a jazz/rock festival which Dave Cousins was instrumental in arranging. He had the idea that the two old bandmates should do a stunt together, and the result was this concert which now, 17 years later, finally is released on record.

After three solo numbers from Cousins, Wakeman sits down by the grand piano and they perform a small selection of songs which, with one exception, are drawn from the two Strawbs albums that Wakeman participated on. Cousins has a vocal expression like a desperate young protest singer and Wakeman plays apparently endless variations on the piano score for "Morning Has Broken".

Cousins’ vocal roughness and simple guitar backing is in large contrast to Wakeman’s classically inspired piano trickles, and from time to time they do get in each other’s way, like in "The Hangman And The Papist", which definitely had been better off with Cousins alone. Other times, like in "The Shepherd’s Song", the co-operation works a lot better, but all in all, this release must be regarded more as an historic document than as an essential live CD.

© 2006 Tarkus Magazine

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