Incredible String Band, The

Band members               Related acts

- Gerard Dott - keyboards, reeds (1973-74)

- Mike Heron - vocals, guitar, sitar, keyboards (1966-74)

- Stan Lee - pedal steel guitar (1971)

- Michael LeMaistre - vocals, bass (1973-74)

- Christina 'Licorice' aka 'Likky' McKechnie - percussion,

  Irish harp, harmonium, keyboards

- Robin Williamson - vocals, guitar , bass, drums, whistle

  (1966-74)

- Rose Simpson - bass, violin, percussion

 

 

 

- Mike Heron (solo efforts)

- Robin Williamson (solo efforts)

 

 

 

Genre: folk

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  The Big Huge

Company: Elektra

Catalog: EKS-74037

Year: 1969

Country/State: UK

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: name written in pen on back cover and inner label

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 4499

Price: $9.00

 

In the UK 1969's "The Big Huge" was couple with "The Wee Tam" as a double album set.  (In case you ever wondered, Robin Williamson explained the weird title as having been inspired by someone they knew in Scotland who went by the name 'Wee Tam'.)  Apparently concerned about costs and commercial viability, Elektra (ISB's American distributor), elected to break the collection up into two separate releases.  Produced by Joe Boyd, the album found the group working as a quartet consisting of Mike Heron, Robin Williamson and their girlfriends-cum-musicians Christina McKechnie and Rose Simpson.  Musically this is prime ISB, pulling together a quirky and total unique blend of sounds, including folk, mild psych and even atonal jazzy interludes.  This time around Williamson was responsible for most of the more experimental material, including the somewhat atonal nine minute plus opener 'Maya' and 'Lordly Nightshade' (the latter complete with references to Hitler).  In contrast, Heron-penned tracks such as 'Greatest Friend', 'Cousin Caterpillar' (don't even begin to ask us what it's about) and 'Douglas Traherne Harding' came off as being relatively mainstream and commercial (I'm using that term loosely) .  It isn't for everyone, but if you're reading this you probably already know what ISB is about.

 

"The Big Huge" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Maya   (Robin Williamson) - 9:24

2.) Greatest Friend   (Mike Heron) - 3:30

3.) The Son of Noah's Brother   (Robin Williamson) - 0:16

4.) Lordly Nightshade   (Robin Williamson) - 5:54

5.) The Mountain of God   (Robin Williamson) - 1:51

 

(side 2)

1.) Cousin Caterpillar   (Mike Heron) - 5:15

2.) The Iron Stone   (Robin Williamson) - 6:33

3.) Douglas Traherne Harding  (Mike Heron) - 6:16

4.) The Circle Is Unbroken   (Robin Williamson) - 4:47

 

 

 

Genre: folk

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  Liquid Acrobat As Regards the Air

Company: Elektra

Catalog: EKS-74112

Year: 1971

Country/State: UK

Grade (cover/record): VG/VG

Comments: gatefold sleeve

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 4696

Price: $15.00

 

 Co-produced by the band and Stan Schnier, 1971's "Liquid Acrobat As Regards the Air" has always struck me as being ISB's version of The Beatles' "White Album".  I'm sure the two of you actually out there reading these reviews are wondering 'what's this dumbsh*t rambling on about?'  While Heron and Williamson always wrote separately, to my ears this is the first ISB album that didn't sound like a collaborative effort.  Instead, most of the twelve tracks sounded like solo efforts with backing from the rest of the group.  On material like the opener 'Talking of the End' Williamson seemed content to continue mining the group's quirky mix of folk and early world music influences.  Perhaps not as intriguing as some of his earlier work, the set had it's moments including the semi-martial 'Dear Old Battlefield', while 'Adam and Eve' incorporated one of the first reggae influences I'm aware of.  In contrast, tracks like 'Painted Chariot' (complete with Gerry Conway's drums the album's best effort) and 'Worlds They Rise and Fall' found Heron opting for a more conventional rock sound. Again, the results weren't perfect, but it's weird enough to warrant a couple of spins.   Elsewhere, 'Tree' was a needless remake of a selection from their 1967 debut, while  'Cosmic Boy' and 'Here Till Here Is There' featured Likky McKechnie's helium powered little girl voice. 

"Liquid Acrobat As Regards the Air" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Talking of the End   (Robin Williamson) - 5:30

2.) Dear Old Battlefield   (Robin Williamson) - 3:05

3.) Cosmic Boy   (Mike Heron - Christina McKechnie) - 3:49

4.) Worlds They Rise and Fall   (Mike Heron) - 3:32

5.) Evolution Rag   (Robin Williamson) - 4;42

6.) Painted Chariot   (Mike Heron) - 3:42

 

(side 2)

1.) Adam and Even   (Robin Williamson) -2:31

2.) Red Hair   (Mike Heron) - 2:05

3.) Here Till Here Is There   (Robin Williamson) -2:47

4.) Tree   (Mike Heron) - 2:57

5.) Jigs - 2:41

    i.) Eyes Like Leaves   (Robin Williamson) -

    ii.) Sunday My Wedding Day (traditional) - 

    iii.) Drops of Whiskey (traditional) - 

    iv.) Grumbling Old Men (traditional) - 

6.) Darling Bell   (Robin Williamson) -10:53

 

 

 

Genre: pop

Rating: *** (3 stars)

Title:  No Ruinous Feud

Company: Reprise

Catalog: MS-2139

Year: 1973

Country/State: UK

Grade (cover/record): NM/NM

Comments: promo white label copy with insert; still in shrink wrap (opened)

Available: 1

GEMM catalog ID: 4495

Price: $22.00

Cost: $66.00

 

Most dedicated Incredible String Band fans don't have much nice to say about 1973's "No Ruinous Feud".   Produced by Mike Heron, it's certainly different from anything the band had recorded up to that point in time, but the album isn't without it's charms.  The LP marked yet another personnel shake up, this line up including multi-instrumentalist Gerard Dott and former Stone Monkey dancer-cum-musician Malcolm LeMaistre.  Along with the David Bailey glamour shot cover photos, this time around band mainstays Heron and Richardson seem to have decided they needed a tighter, more commercial sound.  Mind you, using the term 'commercial' with an ISB product still left a lot of ground to cover.  The lyrics remained full of hippy-dippy imagery, complete with odes to lighthouses and pirates.  While you can still tell this is an ISB effort, material such as 'Explorer', 'Down Before Cathay' and 'Old Buccaneer' found the quartet abandoning their earlier penchant for obscure instrumentation in favor of conventional guitar-bass-drums arrangements.  Besides, whoever would have thought you'd hear ISB doing a pair of Dolly Parton covers, or backed by the UK band Greyhound, a reggae cover of Duke Reid's 'Second Fiddle'?  Best song here is LeMaistre's bouncy ''At the Lighthouse Dance (which was released as a UK single Island catalog number WIP 6158).  Worst song is probably Williamson's painful 'Circus Girl'.  

 

"No Ruinious Feud" track listing:

(side 1)

1.) Explorer   (Mike Heron) - 3:20

2.) Down Before Cathay   (Michael LeMaistre) - 4:17

3.) Saturday Maybe   (Robin Williamson) - 2:43

4.) Jigs (instrumental)   (traditional arranged by Robin Williamson) - 2:49

5.) Old Buccaneer   (Robin Williamson) - 3:23

6.) At the Lighthouse Dance  (Michael LeMaistre) - 3:30

 

(side 2)

1.) Second Fiddle (instrumental)   (Duke Reid) - 2:23

2.) Circus Girl   (Robin Williamson) - 2:30

3.) Turquoise Blue   (Dolly Parton) - 3:59

4.) My Blue Tears   (Dolly Parton) - 2L00

5.) Weather the Storm   (Robin Williamson) - 3:02

6.) Little Girl   (Mike Heron) - 4:21

 



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