The Incredible String Band

The Incredible String Band
The original UK cover of the album, showing Clive Palmer, Robin Williamson, and Mike Heron
Studio album by The Incredible String Band
Released	June 1966
Recorded	May 1966
Genre	Folk
Length	45:07
Label	Elektra
Producer	Joe Boyd
Professional reviews
Allmusic link
The Incredible String Band chronology
The Incredible String Band (1966) The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion (1967)

The Incredible String Band is the band's eponymous debut album. Released in 1966, it is the only Incredible String Band album to feature the original trio line-up with Clive Palmer as well as Robin Williamson and Mike Heron.

The trio had been signed to Elektra Records by Joe Boyd, who had seen them play in Glasgow. They recorded the album at the Sound Techniques studio in London in one or two days in May 1966, with Boyd as producer. Boyd insisted on focusing on the group's own self-written material, rather than the traditional songs and tunes which they had also been performing. This marginalised Palmer, who wrote and sang on only one track, and played on only four others.

The band's imagery is less prevalent on this album than on their later albums, although the liner notes, by Heron, include a surreal tale of the band's encounter with a magic blackbird. Unlike their later work, the instrumentation is relatively orthodox (mostly guitars, fiddle, mandolin and banjo), but the album does contain unconventional tunes and singing styles. Heron later described the album as his favourite.^[1]

The album was released in Britain in June 1966, and in the USA, and showcased their playing on a variety of instruments. It won the title of "Folk Album of the Year" in Melody Maker's annual poll, and in a 1968 Sing Out! magazine interview Bob Dylan praised Williamson's "October Song" as one of his favorite songs of that period.

The original LP sleeve used in the UK showed the band holding obscure musical instruments in Boyd's office in London. For the USA issue, a different photo was used, showing the three musicians posed on what appears to be a rusting bus.

The trio broke up immediately after recording the album, but Heron and Williamson reunited after a few months to continue the band's name as a duo, later augmented by other musicians.

Track listing

Side one

1. "Maybe Someday" (Mike Heron) – 2:20
2. "October Song" (Robin Williamson) – 4:09
3. "When the Music Starts to Play" (Heron) – 2:43
4. "Schaeffer's Jig" (traditional) – 0:58
5. "Womankind" (Williamson) – 3:45
6. "The Tree" (Heron) – 2:55
7. "Whistle Tune" (trad, arr. Williamson) – 1:02
8. "Dandelion Blues" (Williamson) – 3:02

Side two

1. "How Happy I Am" (Heron) – 2:20
2. "Empty Pocket Blues" (Clive Palmer) – 4:47
3. "Smoke Shovelling Song" (Williamson) – 3:47
4. "Can't Keep Me Here" (Heron) – 2:14
5. "Good as Gone" (Williamson) – 3:30
6. "Footsteps of the Heron" (Heron) – 3:14
7. "Niggertown" (trad, arr. Palmer) – 2:09
8. "Everything's Fine Right Now" (Heron) – 2:12

Personnel

• Mike Heron - vocals, guitar
• Clive Palmer - banjo, guitar, vocals, kazoo
• Robin Williamson - violin, vocals, whistle, guitar, mandolin

References

External links

• Lyrics