Important early work from The Incredible String Band – three albums in one great package! First up is the first album from the Incredible String Band – a real treasure from the trio of Clive Palmer, Mike Heron and Robin Williamson – who each sing and write, and bring unique charm to their own material! The sound is very folksy, and really lives up to their name – mostly just music on fiddle, banjo, mandolin, and guitar – served up in a blend that both echoes British traditional styles, yet paves the way for new expressions in the acid folk generation to come – especially on the group's original material. The group are really wonderful at this point – with a sound that drew them wide acclaim on both sides of the
Atlantic – and titles include "Maybe Someday", "October Song", "When The Music Starts To Play"", "Schaeffer's Jig", "Womankind", "The Tree", "Whistle Tune", "Dandelion Blues", "Good As Gone", and "Footsteps Of The Heron". Next is 5000 Spirits – a UK psychedelic folk gem that finds the group challenging conventions across the board – both artful and inviting, it's wonderful stuff! At this point, Clive Palmer had left, and Mike Heron and Robin Williamson contribute lead vocals with the additional vocalist Licorice also taking lead on a few tunes, the sound is fleshed out with more accompaniment and a rich warmth on a bevy of instruments – guitar, sitar, bowed gimbri, finger cymbals, tamboura, oud, rattles, flute, bass and piano. Includes the lovely and oft-covered "The First Girl I Loved", plus "Chinese White", "No Sleep Blues", "Painting Box", "The Eyes Of Fate", "The Hedgehog's Song", "You Know What I Could Be", "Gently Tender", "Way Back In The 1960s" and more. On Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, The Incredible String Band are paired down to the core duo of Mike Heron and Robin Williamson – using the studio as a most impressive adjunct member of the group at this point! This is an extremely talented pair – each playing myriad instruments – sitar, organ, guitar, hammer dulcimer, harpsichord, gimbri, whistle, pipe, oud, mandolin, mouth harps and more. Previous vocal collaborator Licorice sings on one song, and Dolly Collins and David Snell contribute flute organ, piano and harp – but the main duos incredible way of layering their magic with multitracking in the studio the real masterstroke of the effort. Titles include "Koeoaddi There", "Witch's Hat", "The Water Song", "Swift As The Wind", "Nightfall", "Waltz Of The New Moon", "Three Is A Green Crown" and more.
(Folk/Country, Rock)