THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND

"Koeeodaddi There" opens the album with a melancholic, perhaps nostalgic sort of Psychedelic/Raga Folk. Unsurprisingly full of many sounds and more than decent melody. Then we have "The Minotaur's Song", quite seriously about the Crete Labyrinth legend from the perspective of the minotaur... It's just so damn silly haha. Like I don't have anything good to say kind of silly. From silly we go to dark and gloomy with "Witches Hat", which features some lovely harpsicord(?) and later on some sort of whistle. Regardless, didn't do a whole lot for me.

Then we have "A Very Cellular Song", which... is just such an odd title to me. This is a very long, old-timey sing-songy number lasting a whopping 13 minutes. Some interesting somethings are goin' around minute 4, but you'd have to endure (to me) what came before. And then there's this lovely fiddle solo to open up the next verse. Quite the endeavor, but it ain't for me, friends. "Mercy I Cry City" up next is actually something quite nice in comparison to everything before [and to follow]. Great melodies, awesome head-boppin' rhythm (keep in mind, with no percussion) and some lovely, wildly performed (apparently) reeds (sounds like a recorder).

Moving right along, we're back into the ominous (and occasioned) melancholy of "Waltz of the New Moon". There's something here. As a regular old Folk tune, I quite like it. Just trying to be reasonable here with my rating, song to song. Then we have "The Water Song". Another sort of hymnic tune, our singer seeking to be taught "the lesson of flowing", which of course in this day in age was hippie, "new age", and ultimately Eastern. The final minute or so is rather interesting. We've got another long one, with the nearly 8-minute "Three is A Green Crown". With sitar and more, we're back into Raga. It's long and compositionally flat. I do find it interesting, if anything, the mix of East and West religiosity. "Swift as the Wind" is next, starting with a straight rhythm and wordless "Ahhhs" and simple percussion. Most of the song is "Ahhhs" by the way. I'm not so sure... Finally, we have "Nightfall". Quieted, simple. The sitar and other strings are pretty cool, but the song was a merp from me.

Nice to see I'm not alone in my feelings here. Some good ideas, but only on occasion do those really shine. I'm nearing the end of my Incredible String Band exploration, that's for sure.

This album was published in 1967, ie it's coeval with Sgt Pepper and The Piper, we are in a pre-prog era, where pop groups, in this case a pop-folk group, played melodic beat songs mixed with pischedelia and Indian ragas. This album, in short, is a folk album with psychedelic and raga overtones.

It is not a prog album.

That said, this folk (and freak) album is truly sensational and iconic from the year 1967, we may consider it the folk version of Sgt Pepper (pop album) and The Piper (psychedelic album).

As is known, the ISB is the fusion of two songwriters who share songwriting and singing, a bit like Lennon and McCartney. The more inspired of the two is undoubtedly Robin Williamson.

Let's go.

Side A 1. Chinese White (3:40) It is a slow folk song by Mik Heron led by the acoustic guitar and a string instrument that seems to me similar to the violin: I suppose it is the bowed gimbri played by Williamson. Rating 7.75.

2. No Sleep Blues (3:53) Williamson's nasal voice is colder and more English than Heron's warm voice. This second folk song is more narrative and rhythmic than the previous one and enhanced by the flute. The guitar has some finger-picking passages. Donovan is around the corner. Vote 8.

3. Painting Box (4:04) Heron sings a ballad with double bass and a sitar-like sound that I can't identify. The arrangements close to being the pearl of production because the instruments move on a carpet of free folk music (Astral Weeks, the year after, is a relative). Rating 7.5. 4. The Mad Hatter's Song (5:40) This song is a psychedelic raga thanks to sitar and tamboura (Soma) and it is the album's first masterpiece. Here we are going towards Shawn Phillips, Williamson improvises a theatrical piece with a country & western saloon music (J. Hopkins at the piano) that stops before the third minute. This is a generational anthem. And it is a decidedly "porogressive" piece. The only flaw is that a solo is missing. Rated 8.5.

5. Little Cloud (4:05) Heron moves the arrangements with percussion (Williamson), churning out another very narrative ballad. More traditional piece but always beautiful. All inspired songs so far. Rating 7.5

6. The Eyes of Fate (4:02) An emblematic title for a song-elegy where Williamson's singing leads the music, thanks to changes in tempo and atmosphere. This is also a proto-prog song thanks also to the choir present in the middle of the track. Wiliamson shows his singing skills by performing remarkable vocal progressions. Another peak of the album. Rated 8+.

The second side sees Williamson prevail over Heron.

7. Blues for the Muse (2:49) is a bluegrass characterized by Williamson's harmonica and singing, a perfectly successful traditional piece. Rating 8.

8. The Hedgehog's Song (3:30) Heron responds to Williamson with another guitar and percussion (played by Christina McKechnie) ballad. The best part is the finger picking of the guitar. Heron's singing is reminiscent of Dylan. Rating 7.5. 9. First Girl I Loved (4:55) Once again the quality of the music goes up when the songwriter is Williamson. The freer arrangement, the more modulated and courageous singing make his songs a small fre-folk masterpiece that approaches those of Tim Buckley and Shawn Phillips, except that Williamson is ahead of them. Double bass (Danny Thompson) has a strong role in this song. This track, with a less refined arrangement than the others, still remains on good levels thanks to its singing. Rating 7.75.

10. You Know What You Could Be (2:46) Short song, almost a folkloric dance, marked by the mandolin. Very good final tail with flute and percussion. Rating 8. 11. My Name Is Death (2:46) Funeral lament guitar and vocals. Williamson displays his gifts with ease, without fear of boring the listener. Crystal clear beauty. Rating 8.

12. Gently Tender (4:49) Heron's pastoral ballad with excellent arrangement, especially Williamson's flute. This song is less narrative than its previous ones and more lively, it remains his best, the only one at the height of Williamson's peaks. Williamson's unison and counter-melody choirs to embellish it with a "progressive" vocal passage. Very nice. Rating 8+.

13. Way Back in the 1960s (3:11) Last blues song for Williamson, who prefers to be more folksinger and less psychedelic goblin on the second side. He also mentions Bob Dylan and in fact one of his vocal progression recalls It's Alright Ma. Rating 8.

Total Time 50:10

The album as a whole exalts more than the qualitative value of the individual songs, the beauty of this music is enhanced by the sequence of these songs (with no flaws, no weak passages), by Williamson's singing, by the general atmosphere and by the refined and fantastic arrangements.

Small masterpiece.

Rating 9. Five Stars.

THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND formed as the trio of Clive Palmer, Robin Williamson and Mike Heron in 1966 after Palmer and Williamson had been performing together since 1963 in night clubs. As a trio the band released only one album, its eponymously titled debut the same year as formation and immediately clicked with a folk crazed public with kudos even from Bob Dylan who claimed the STRINGS were his favorite new band however for whatever reason Clive Palmer decided to go separate ways thus leaving the band as only a duo.

Given the changing times as the year 1966 ceded into the Summer of Love, THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND adopted the psychedelic flavors of the brave new world and released its second album THE 5000 SPIRITS OR THE LAYERS OF THE ONION to critical claim for its bold transition into a more progressive style of folk music that added the contemporary Indo-raga trends of incorporating not only the sitar but also other exotic instruments such as the oud, tamboura, bowed gimbri as well as finger symbols.

The album was quite long for the sixties with thirteen tracks that added up to over 50 minutes but somehow managed to be squeezed in on a single album. THE 5000 SPIRITS was perfectly tailored for the psychedelic 60s with an audacious but beautiful colorful album cover and authentic English folk melodies accompanied by exotic instrumentation which were performed by four guest musicians including Pentangle's Danny Thompson on double bass and legendary UFO Club owner John Hopkins on piano. Nazi Jariazbhoy performed the sitar and Christina McKechnie added some feminine charm in the form of background vocals.

Despite only reaching #25 on the UK album charts, THE 5000 SPIRITS was championed by none other than DJ John Peel who played multiple tracks during his gigs and even Paul McCartney jumped on board as a big fan thus making the album quite successful in folk circles. The album featured excellent original songwriting with thought provoking lyrics as well as fairly complex folk arrangements for the year 1967 and the impetus for the world of psychedelic folk to expand in the following years. In addition to the world ethnic sounds the folk guitar strumming is also accompanied by the occasional harmonica, mandolin, flute and drums.

THE 5000 SPIRITS OR THE LAYERS OF THE ONION is one of those albums that perfectly epitomizes the era from which is arose but also retains a sense of timelessness as the album resonates even more than a half century later. By adhering to the traditional folk values that preceded the psychedelic movement with only enough experimentation to capture the attention of the folky freaks of the era, THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND not only successfully reinvented themselves with a STRING of beautiful albums to follow but also provided a blueprint for all the psych bands on the mellower side to follow. In short, this is a beautiful pastoral piece of poetic acoustic music that came out in the wild and crazy 60s that ages quite well.

The Incredible String Band followed up The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter with a double album (Wee Tam and the Big Huge) which was also released as two single albums - again following a trail blazed by Donovan, who'd taken a similar marketing route with A Gift From a Flower To a Garden.

Whilst Wee Tam showed a gentler side of the String Band than The 5000 Spirits or Hangman's Beautiful Daughter had showcased, things perk up on The Big Huge. The sound is livelier, more varied, and the diverse religious content more apparent, from the opening Maya providing a long sitar-laden exploration of the Buddhist concept to the concluding The Circle Is Unbroken, a sort of response to the classic spiritual Will The Circle Be Unbroken?, whilst along the way it visits quirky territory like Cousin Caterpillar. If Wee Tam was presenting a distinct sound of its own, separate from 5000 Layers and Hangman's Daughter, The Big Huge ends up blending the sound all three together to present a final, definitive statement of the band's most consistent years.

In general, both halves of the double album are more or less on a par with each other; shortly after recording the material the String Band would go on the fateful US tour during which they would be introduced to Scientology, prompting a shift in their worldview which coincided with a shift in their artistic approach and more mixed results.

The Incredible String Band followed up The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter with a double album (Wee Tam and the Big Huge) which was also released as two single albums - again following a trail blazed by Donovan, who'd taken a similar marketing route with A Gift From a Flower To a Garden.

Whereas on The 5000 Spirits the String Band had gone absolutely wild for the sort of Indian influences that had been popularised in psychedelic circles at the time, whilst The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter had a sense of playful whimsy to it, on Wee Tam the duo of Heron and Williamson (plus extended family of guest musicians) seem to have mellowed out somewhat, playing a placid, gentle style of psychedelic folk; if 5000 Layers was an acid trip album, this Wee Tam business is more of a gentle toke of grass, or perhaps a soothing glass of smoky whiskey - soothing and relaxing, whilst also having a meditative tone to it, and the odd sitar and call to Krishna here and there suggesting that spiritual ideas were still strong on their mind.

In general, both halves of the double album are more or less on a par with each other; shortly after recording the material the String Band would go on the fateful US tour during which they would be introduced to Scientology, prompting a shift in their worldview which coincided with a shift in their artistic approach and more mixed results.

After the departure of their co-founder Clive Palmer, the String Band reconfigured with the creative duo of Heron and Williamson as their core. This second album finds them plunging deeper into psychedelia than before, with extensive use of the sort of Indian instruments and pastiched borrowings from Indian music that the Beatles had popularised at the time. However, they had not "gone electric" the way Dylan had - nor were they veering down a sunshine pop path in the manner of Donovan (though closing song Way Back In the 1960s is a spot-on parody of Donovan's style).

A resolutely psychedelic folk album, with a strong emphasis on both halves of that equation, The 5000 Spirits contends with The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter - a lighter and more whimsical take on similar territory - for the title of the Incredible String Band's best album. I am slightly inclined to give the trophy to 5000 Spirits, but it's a close-run thing.

The Incredible String Band's debut album is their sole one with founder member Clive Palmer, and occupies much the same place in their discography as Donovan's debut album (What's Bin Did and What's Bin Hid) would in his: a comparatively "straight" album with only minor flashes of the psychedelic direction to come. Whereas Donovan's debut showed a strong Dylan influence, the String Band seem to be more inspired by traditional folk - if there's any social commentary here, they're being much shyer about it than Donovan would be. By and large fairly rootsy, the band do display a momentary glimpse of more whimsically psychedelic stylings on Everything's Fine Right Now, and already their vocals are a particular treat, but the album is more interesting as a glimpse of the String Band's origins, especially if their psychedelic side is the aspect you're really excited about.

I must admit the first few times I listened this recording I was not that impressed, but over the years it has really grown on me the the extent that I revisit it often. The songs are all pretty strong the exception possible being "My father was a lighthouse keeper" which sounds a little silly. However when this album is strong it is wonderful " Sailor And The Dancer" always raises the hair on my arms. Licky's voice is stunning here and also on "Banks of sweet Italy".

I have often been told that by this stage ISB had lost their way, but to be honest this and "Liquid acrobat as defies the ground" are my two favorite recordings by this band and I love a lot of their output. IBS may not be for everyone but those of us that love them do with a passion. Their influence on modern neo-folk cannot be understated this band like no other demonstrate what eclectic means.

If you don't own any ISB I would thoroughly recommend the five CD box set , although it does not include this gem of an set it does have their first five, almost universally acclaimed LPs, at a bargain price.

ISB are well worth checking out, if you like them chances are you will grow to love them, if they are not to your taste that is a shame but we are all different. But please please don't disrespect them because for many of us they are Scotland's finest band. Is this progressive music? That is for you to decide.

One of the true pioneers in the British psychedelic folk scene was THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND that developed from a mutual interest of folk music between the two founding members Robin Williamson and Clive Palmer in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1963. After a couple of years playing as a duo they met Mike Heron in 65 and quickly gelled into their new group and got snatched up by Transatlantic Records. Right from the start the trio were catching the attention of even big stars like Bob Dylan with their unique take on the mix of English folk, Woodie Guthrie styled narrations and local Scottish influences. While the band would expand on the second slicker album "The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion" and beyond, this eponymous debut is the only album to feature the original founding trio as Clive Palmer would soon take a sojourn to India and opt not to reunite with the others as they were becoming more and more successful.

As only a trio, the music is much more roots oriented on album number one and not nearly as psychedelic and experimental as what would soon blossom as the band got more comfortable expanding beyond their influences. Despite a mere threesome, this album has a wealth of instrumentation as the musicians were all very skilled and comfortable on many a noise making devices. It's a fairly diverse sounding album as there are many styles, tempos, dynamics and all three members shared lead vocal duties. Mike Heron played guitar only but Clive Palmer contributes not only guitar but banjo and kazoo. After leaving the group he would record a banjo based album ("Banjoland" in 67) that wouldn't be released until 2005. Robin Williamson also plays guitar but also fiddle, violin mandolin and tin whistle. The instruments appear on different songs and create an interesting contrast between styles.

While the psych crowds may find this one a tad ho hum, as a straight forward folk album with a diverse palette of influences, album number one is actually a very pleasant listen with catchy acoustic folk songs jumping all around the folk spectrum with an authentic roots music feel with nice narrative lyrics about everyday life but the flirtations with the psychedelic scene were taking root at this stage with the inclusion of a surreal tale of a magic blackbird and accompanying unconventional vocal styles and mixings of sounds. The album found two different album covers for the UK and US and wasn't particularly successful. While a few tunes were traditionals, the majority of tunes were written by the three members. After this debut album the band would officially split up but Williamson and Heron would reform the band add a few more members and seriously up the sophistication of the style and progressiveness. While this debut can't really compete with the albums that follow, THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND is a fine debut release that shows the band's transition from pure roots to create mixings of those styles.

3.5 rounded up

For many a high point in the Incredible String Band discography - it's shorter than the sprawling double album Wee Tam and the Big Huge, and crucially it predates their conversion to Scientology which sent them spinning down an often-contentious path - this is a nigh-archetypal work of psychedelic hippy folk. Nods to Indian raga music, a strange sense of humour, and the help of some friends allow the duo of Heron and Williamson to produce the closest a prerecorded studio album can get to sounding like a spontaneous hippy jam session. Fairport Convention guest on backing vocals, providing a chorus used to good effect in The Minotaur's Song.