Incredible String Band
Like the mysterious alchemical formula chanted on their song "Koeeoaddi There," The Incredible String Band held a certain elemental mystique, composed of equal parts magic and imagination. With its two principal songwriters Robin Williamson and Mike Heron, the ISB's heyday was the 1967-72 period, when their albums were navigated by producer Joe Boyd and their live shows mixed mime, improvisational theatre, and rambling compositions played on an increasing number of ethnically exotic instruments in front of devoted audiences of chemically-fueled fans. But before the haze-daze of psychedelia, before the wondrous adventures of Hirem Pawnitof, Cousin Caterpillar, Big Ted, The Little Cloud, Black Jack Davey, Malcolm, Rose, or even Liccy, there was the more humble...
official website
Like the mysterious alchemical formula chanted on their song "Koeeoaddi There," The Incredible String Band held a certain elemental mystique, composed of equal parts magic and imagination. With its two principal songwriters Robin Williamson and Mike Heron, the ISB's heyday was the 1967-72 period, when their albums were navigated by producer Joe Boyd and their live shows mixed mime, improvisational theatre, and rambling compositions played on an increasing number of ethnically exotic instruments in front of devoted audiences of chemically-fueled fans. But before the haze-daze of psychedelia, before the wondrous adventures of Hirem Pawnitof, Cousin Caterpillar, Big Ted, The Little Cloud, Black Jack Davey, Malcolm, Rose, or even Liccy, there was the more humble...
official website
The Big Huge
Recorded in 1968, as the Incredible String Band popularity was peaking, the band by this point had more or less stabilized to quartet form with Williamson, Heron and Licorice being joined by Heron’s then-girlfriend, Rose Simpson, on violin and percussion. They were touring a lot at this point throughout Europe and the U.S., which I assume is how they fell in with the Scientologists, but that particular tragedy doesn’t have any noticeable effect on this album (!)Along with having very developed a…
Wee Tam
Wee Tam and The Big Huge were originally released in 1968 as both a double LP in the UK, and individually as two separate albums in the US. They mark a creative high point for the Incredible String Band that is only matched by their other 1968 masterpiece, The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter. Produced, as always, by the legendary Joe Boyd, these albums feature some of the band’s best, and most accessible song writing. While Hangman’s and The 5000 Spirits… may have been considered more revolutionary…
Incredible String band
Beginning as a duo in Edinburg, Scotland, acoustic musicians Robin Williamson and Clive Palmer sought to stretch the boundaries of contemporary folk music from the start. Composing much of their own material rather than relying solely on the hidebound traditional repertoire, they were spotted by Elektra Records' Joe Boyd while playing in the Crown Bar and, duly impressed, he signed them to the label. After adding additional guitarist Mike Heron, they traveled to London's Sound Techniques Studio …
The Hangman\'s Beautiful Daughter
The 1968 release of The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter, the third Incredible String Band album, was met with wide acclaim, both critically and commercially, reaching # in the UK. Sitar, oud, panpipe, jaw harp, water harp, penny whistle, chananai, harpsichord and gimbri merged with traditional folk instruments in a multi-tracked musical extravaganza. This audacious aural experience proved to be heavily influential on the band’s contemporaries. The surreal imagery of the song lyrics and the group’s …
The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion
The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion was the second LP by The Incredible String Band, released in July 1967. Since recording their debut album the previous year, the original trio had been reduced to two, Mike Heron and Robin Williamson. They recorded The 5000 Spirits... in London in early 1967. The album also featured Pentangle's Danny Thompson on double bass, Williamson's girlfriend Licorice McKechnie on vocals and percussion, master sitar player Nazir Jairazbhoy (credited as "Soma"), a…
Be Glad For The Song Has No Ending
A television special on the I.S.B., made circa 1968/69, but never seen until now. This 80 minute DVD vividly encapsulates the intensity of The Incredible String Band in the late 1960's. Live sequences show the band at the height of their powers, casting a spell on the audiences with their unique blend of theatrical and musical metaphysics. Originally designed for the BBC's Omnibus Arts Programme, 'Be Glad for the Song Has No Ending' was never broadcast, but it enjoyed an independent cinema relea…
Philadelphia Folk Fest 1969
An official bootleg featuring the INCREDIBLE STRING BAND performing live at the 1969 Philadelphia Folk Festival. Widely considered to be one of the bandis best live recordings, the album features eight wonderful songs.
Liquid Acrobat As Regards The Air
During their lifespan, The Incredible String Band contained several wives, children and pets, and were a five-piece when they disbanded in November 1974. Basically, everyone else acted as a supporting cast to the songwriting nucleus of Robin Williamson and Mike Heron. Liquid Acrobat As Regards The Air marks the halfway point, more or less, of the Incredible String Band. This 1971 release was their first for Island Records, following Joe Boyd (formerly Elektra UK's director of A&R) to the label. …
I looked up
New remastered edition, originally issued in 1970, I LOOKED UP represents the end of the Robin/Mike/Likky/Rose period of the Incredible String Band. Later that same year would see te release of the 2-lp set U, which would introduce new faces and influences into the melting pot that was the 'sound' of the ISB.Other than being the last album by this line-up, I LOOKED UP is notable for several other reasons -- for one thing, it was the last album they recorded that was mostly acoustic (I don't cons…
U
Their 1970 album intended as a soundtrack to their theatrical stage show, this was subtitled A Surreal Parade in Song and Dance. Includes the epic 'Rainbow'. Never before on CD, this the amazing Elektra remastered edition."U" is something special, and almost accidental. Its structure, dictated by its title, seems almost unapparent in the music itself. Look closely at the cover: it represents a "Siddhartha" like journey from the purity of innocence, down into the temptation and turmoil of the phy…
The Chelsea Sessions 1967
This album is essentially the first recording by Robin Williamson and Mike Heron as a duo. What's most exciting about this album is that fans can witness these songs take creative flight for the first time. Most of these selections found their way onto subsequent studio recordings, but there are also a few unreleased songs, including Williamson's "Born in Your Town" and Heron's "Lover Man," which was later recorded by Al Stewart. The discovery of these tapes was made in 1985. They finally saw re…
Changing Horses
They really don't write them like this any more. "Big Ted's dead / He was a great old pig," sings Robin Williamson. "He'd eat most anything / Never wore a wig." Although the Incredible String Band had always been delightfully ramshackle, 1969's Changing Horses found the innovative folk-rock duo of Williamson and his mate Mike Heron becoming almost a slipshod stoned parody of themselves--with assistance from their girlfriends Rose and Licorice. Of the six tracks, two ramble on at such length (ove…