CD-Charts Position 1
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Hangman's Beautiful Daughter

by: Incredible String Band

Release Date March 09, 1992
In is only of recent times that I got to know about this band and what a surprise. They were contemporaries of the beatles and yet they are so little known. Their songs are full of great lyrics with many twist in the accompanying musical score. The Scottish influence shows through and they can be described as early pioneers in world music with daring to be different. Take the time to listen to the lyrics one time, they are really interesting!

CD-Charts Position 2
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5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion

by: Incredible String Band

Release Date March 09, 1992
I only just got this on CD.
When I first heard it (C1968) I loved it dearly, but only ever had access to a loaned and worn copy of the LP to play on a crappy BSR radiogram that partially achieved some stereo effect when you put your head in the cupboard provided for storing discs. The beautiful production by Joe Boyd was, therfore, a revelation when I played the CD.
The songs are a perfect pivot between the simple folky style of the Stringbands first album and the complex masterpiece that is "Hangman's". The numbers, particularly the more pop stylee ones, like "First Girl" and "Paintingbox" are just so evocative and beautifully crafted. Robin's virtuoso guitar and Mike's quirky songs are breathtaking. It is a wonderful snapshot of the ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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Wee Tam/the Big Huge

by: Incredible String Band

Release Date July 08, 2002
Someone wrote thet their previous album "The Hangmans Beautiful Daughter" was a conventional folk album... for the first 15 seconds. I dont know that this album manages even that. Its hard now to convey the impact they had back then but this album remains a staggering achievement of musical inventiveness and lyrical intelligence.
The themes here are in a very broad sense religious or perhaps spiritual is more accurate and the tone is impassioned, a tad confused, searching and dont forget humour... and doesnt that sum up life really? Who else could combine musing on the Crucifixion with quotes from Groucho Marx. No blasphemy here - just compassion and wisdom about this trap we`re all in. And there they went making music to uplift, question ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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Tricks of the Senses

by: Incredible String Band

Release Date January 26, 2009
Someone wrote thet their previous album "The Hangmans Beautiful Daughter" was a conventional folk album... for the first 15 seconds. I dont know that this album manages even that. Its hard now to convey the impact they had back then but this album remains a staggering achievement of musical inventiveness and lyrical intelligence.
The themes here are in a very broad sense religious or perhaps spiritual is more accurate and the tone is impassioned, a tad confused, searching and dont forget humour... and doesnt that sum up life really? Who else could combine musing on the Crucifixion with quotes from Groucho Marx. No blasphemy here - just compassion and wisdom about this trap we`re all in. And there they went making music to uplift, question ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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The Incredible String Band

by: Incredible String Band

Release Date July 05, 1993
This album, the ISB's debut, is hugely overlooked and underrated. If you don't know the 'October Song' then there is an ache in your soul you are not aware of yet. This album is one of the essential ones along with the 3 that followed it- 5000 Spirits, Hangman's Beautiful Daughter,Wee Tam and the Big Huge. Joint 1st for Scotland's finest with (the also hugely underraterd and misrepresented) Donovan, but even more original and adventurous. A dream of a better world and maybe a time-dispatch from a better world.

CD-Charts Position 6
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The Best of the Incredible String Band 1966-1970

by: Incredible String Band

Release Date July 02, 2001
Possibly the weirdest, most lovely and most unsettling album in my collection. Musically they go further than most bands could ever dream.
There is something wonderfully anarchic about A Very Cellular Song, and so full of life in Job's Tears.

CD-Charts Position 7
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The Incredible String Band - Live at the Lowry [2007]

by: The Incredible String Band

Release Date June 27, 2005
I expected this to be a dvd of later ISB material, with the odd good moment but mostly stuff I don't care for much and from a time when the spark was dying. Wrong! Now the bad news. Robin Williamson is not on this. Now the good news. I've never known a String band fan who considered that either of Robin or Mike was more important than the other. So if you extracted Mike Heron's material from the classic 1st 4 albums you'd still have a couple of stunning albums. And the contribution of multi-instrumental Clive Palmer(the band's founder who dropped out after their 1st album) justifies calling it an Incredible String Band set -he does a great version of one of Robin's songs plus a couple of his own, and helps to make this a living folk event rather than a clinical ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 8
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Across the Airwaves

by: Incredible String Band

Release Date May 21, 2007
As a true ISB & Robin fan I simply cannot resist the temptation of buying practically all ISB stuff that hits the market, and this cd of BBC recordings seemed like a wonderful addition. And it is, really. The packaging is fine with an insightful essay regarding the sessions and perhaps best of all a "sessionography" of BBC sessions has been included. While the performances are fine, the sound quality is not as uniformly excellent, due to the fact that some of the tracks, mostly due to lost tapes, have been recorded off-air. But this will not daunt the true fan.

In fact, it's mostly these tracks that make this collection interesting. Some Robin songs especially have by their absence from any release gained an almost mythical status, like "Fine fingered ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 9
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Wee Tam

by: The Incredible String Band

Release Date March 09, 1992
Buy it with the other half. Essential but get both albums or at least treat them as one, as they were intended - that's 'Wee Tam and the Big Huge'. (Scottish for: ' Little Thomas and the Very Large').

CD-Charts Position 10
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5000 Spirits Or the Layers of the Onion/the Hangman's Beautiful Daughter

by: Incredible String Band

Release Date July 08, 2002
dont understand the previous review...this is the original albums in their entirety with better sound !!
Wonderful sounds from a wonderful year!..buy with confidence