2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 71 - The Incredible String Band -The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion
I've finally plucked up the courage to listen to the second album by The Incredible String Band that I picked up in Castle Douglas namely The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion their second album from July 1967 on Elektra. I turned six then so was obviously blissfully unaware of it at the time.
Copious amounts of drugs had clearly been taken by Robin Williamson and Mike Heron - it was the Summer of Love after all. Little wonder perhaps that the album was a change in musical direction for the two as they transitioned from their more conventional folk music structures into complex psychedelic compositions influenced by British Folk and Indian Music - Wiki
As with The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter I am still sure about them.It is mostly hippy nonsense but there is enough about it which makes it worthy of further consideration. It will not be returned to charity just yet but it hasn't reached cataloging status.
Had we had more time in Castle Douglas I would have had good fun surreptitiously clocking the locals in an effort to find out who handed these two in!
PROPER MUSIC! This is possibly my favourite album of theirs (I could recommend others but I'm guessing that won't be required). 'First Girl I Loved' is one of the finest songs ever written.
ReplyDelete52 seconds of that first track was enough for me. I let the second track play on for a bit less than 2 minutes: reminded me of a bad Cat Stevens imitation.
ReplyDeleteStill 40 seconds more than Gemma Hayes and 52 seconds more that 'The Twelve Days of Progmas'
ReplyDeleteI listened to all of the 12 days of Progmas.
DeleteCoincidentally, I've also been listening to ISB this week having picked up one of those Introduction to ........series of band comps in a charity shop. All I'd known about them previously was a random track in my iTunes library The Tree which I really loved. On first play there were (to my ears) several 'wacky' tracks but as ever on subsequent listens their songs started to insinuate themselves (Damn! Songs have a habit of doing that don't they?). I'll look out for some of their albs now but fully expect that the old curate's egg expression won't be far from my lips!
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