| "Part of the Union" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Strawbs | ||||
| from the album Bursting at the Seams | ||||
| B-side | "Will You Go" | |||
| Released | January 1973 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:54 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Strawbs | |||
| Strawbs singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "Part of the Union" on YouTube | ||||
"Part of the Union" is a song by English band Strawbs, featured on their 1973 album Bursting at the Seams and was the band's most successful single, peaking at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart. It also reached No. 10 in the Irish Singles Chart.
The song was included on the album Bursting at the Seams but is not considered typical of the songs on that album. It was originally recorded without a contribution by band leader Dave Cousins and was to be released under the name of "The Brothers". It demonstrates the different, more commercial direction the writing partnership of Richard Hudson and John Ford was taking within the band.
The song (especially its chorus "You don't get me I'm part of the Union") quickly became popular as an unofficial anthem of the trade union movement. [1] Subsequently, the Strawbs have confirmed that the song was written with genuine celebratory intent, in support of the unions. [2]
The song resurfaced on the UK television advertisement for insurance company Norwich Union in 1998. [3]
The B-side track "Will You Go" is an arrangement of the Irish folk song "Wild Mountain Thyme" written by Belfast musician Francis McPeake, dating back to the repertoire of The Strawberry Hill Boys (the original name of Strawbs)
The song is played at the end of Philadelphia Union home games.
In the band's appearance on BBC's Top of the Pops , keyboardist Blue Weaver appeared with both piano and pedal harmonium and drummer Richard Hudson appeared with a marching bass drum emblazoned with the words "The Associated Union of Strawbs Workers".
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) [4] | 2 |
| Canada (RPM) [5] | 48 |
| Ireland | 11 |
| United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) | 2 |
The original "Brothers" recording can be found on the box set A Taste of Strawbs . Cockerel Chorus (of "Nice One Cyril" fame) also recorded the song for inclusion on their 1973 Party Sing-a-long album. [6]
Recorded by The Hindle Strikers with T.B.E. in 1984 on the Catch 22 label (CTT001A) – originally they recorded it on cassette unaware that DJs required it on vinyl to play it on the radio. [7]
From 2007 to 2016 the song has been included as a standard part of the Strawbs' live set[ citation needed ] and was included in their live DVD The Strawbs – Lay Down With The Strawbs, filmed and recorded live at The Robin 2 in Bilston, UK on 5 March 2006. [8]
The Strawbs are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock and progressive rock.
From the Witchwood is the third album by the English band Strawbs. It was recorded at Air Studios in London during February and March 1971 and reached number 39 in the UK Albums Chart on 17 July 1971.
Grave New World is the fourth studio album by English band Strawbs, their fifth overall. It was the first album to be released after the departure of Rick Wakeman, who was replaced by Blue Weaver, late of Amen Corner.
Bursting at the Seams is the fifth studio album by English band Strawbs, released on 1 January 1973 by A&M Records. It was the first album to be released after the departure of founder member Tony Hooper and the recruitment of Dave Lambert. It contains their two most successful singles and peaked at No. 2 in the UK Album Chart and No. 65 in Canada.
Hero and Heroine is the seventh studio album by English band Strawbs.
Strawbs is the first album released by the English band Strawbs. The Sandy Denny & The Strawbs LP All Our Own Work was recorded earlier, but not released until 1973.
Dave Lambert is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter, who has been a member of the Strawbs at various stages of the band's career, beginning in the 1970s.
"Benedictus" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1972 album Grave New World.
"Lay Down" is a single by the Strawbs which reached No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart in October 1972 - their first hit. It was included on their 1973 album Bursting at the Seams.
All Our Own Work is an album by Sandy Denny and the Strawbs, recorded in 1967 but not released until 1973. The album was recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark, and contains an early recording of one of Sandy Denny's best known songs "Who Knows Where the Time Goes?". Denny later recorded this song as a member of Fairport Convention. The album was released by Pickwick Records, who in the 1970s specialised in budget releases of deleted record company catalogues.
Ringing Down the Years is the fourteenth studio album by English band Strawbs. The album was released initially only in Canada. Because of the record company's request that a Canadian song be included on the album, the track "Might as Well Be on Mars" written by members of the Pukka Orchestra was included.
Ronald George Arthur Chesterman was an English musician. He is best known as the original double bass player with the Strawberry Hills Boys, starring Dave Cousins on guitar, dulcimer, banjo and vocals, Tony Hooper on guitar and vocals and Ron himself on double bass. They kept that name from 1964 when they formed until June 1967, when they were giving a concert and needed to put the name of the band on stage, so they became The Strawbs. Later, after he left the band, he became a county archivist in Chester.
Blue Angel is the 15th studio album by English band Strawbs. It was the first Strawbs album in 12 years to contain new material and featured several different line-ups of musicians from past Strawbs eras. Welsh folk-singer Mary Hopkin featured on many tracks, continuing a working partnership established by Dave Cousins and Brian Willoughby on their album The Bridge, from which several of the tracks on this album are drawn.
Sandy Denny and the Strawbs is a compilation album of songs by Sandy Denny and Strawbs. The album is a reworking of tapes recorded by the band in Copenhagen in July 1967. Tracks from those recordings were first released on the Pickwick budget label in 1973 under the name All Our Own Work. The track listing on this album is slightly different and some of the songs have the original string arrangements that also were recorded in 1967.
The Best of Strawbs is a compilation album of songs by Strawbs, with one track from the Dave Cousins solo album Two Weeks Last Summer.
"Shine on Silver Sun" is a song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1974 album Hero and Heroine. It is written by Dave Cousins and was intended as a "come-back" single after the post-"Part of the Union" band split. The single was a minor success peaking at number 34 in the UK Singles Chart.
Strawbs in Concert is a live album by English band Strawbs. The tracks are taken from recordings of two BBC In Concert programmes from 1973 and 1974.
"Autumn" is a three-part song by English band Strawbs featured on their 1974 album Hero and Heroine. The final part "The Winter Long" was released as a single in 1974 under the title "Hold on to Me ".
"The Flower and the Young Man" is a song by English band Strawbs written by Dave Cousins. The track first appeared on the Grave New World album.
Lay Down with the Strawbs is a live album by English band Strawbs. It was recorded at Robin 2 in Bilston and features the "Hero and Heroine line-up" of the band with a guest appearance of former member John Ford.
