"ghosts" Stories:

"Ghosts" the title track, was written on the road in Indianapolis where the hotel window looked down on a war memorial. With its victory column and simulated old church, the small square took on the appearance of a provincial English town which put Dave Cousins in a strange mood for writing.

Lemon Pie "Lemon Pit" is one in a series of Strawb songs which addresses the meaninglessness of meaning and other eternal contradictions like shallow & deep and sour & sweet. Am I, or am I not - that is the question.

Starshine/Angel Wine While "Ghosts" was being recorded, bassist Chas Cronk and his wife had their first child, Saffron. The birth gave Strawbs a good reason to celebrate. And it also gave the album a new song, which Chas wrote in honor of the event.

Where Do You Go (When You Need A Hole To Crawl In! "Where Do You Go" is a bitter appraisal of a universal problem. The song supplies no answers, but provides an intense articulation of the pain. lt's a long road that has no turning.

The Life Auction "The Life Auction" has two sections which are linked by events rather than themes. One summarizes the impressions of greed at a West Country auction of an old lady's estate. The other describes London's backside on the train approach from the West Country. The two together present a powerful and bleak picture of a 'civilized' people.

Don't Try To Change Me This is Dashing Dave Lambert's warning to the world, and on it his solo work has never been more fluid or melodic. Who would try to change a man who knows how to flow?

You And I (When We Were Young) This one took Dave Cousins back to his childhood when he'd go fishing with a net and jamjar in the Minihaha that runs alongside Old Deer Park in Richmond, Surrey. Growing pains are such a small price to pay for the memories.

Grace Darling the last track was inspired by Grace Darling, one of the most heroic Englishwomen of all time. Grace was a lighthouse keeper's daughter who saved five shipwreck survivors by rowing into the teeth of a raging gale. That was in 1838 and she has been a legend ever since. The song has a dual purpose: its both an elegy to Grace and a way of saying "thank you" to a current day rescuer.

Produced by Tom Allom

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