The Incredible String Band
Wikimp3 information about the music of The Incredible String Band. On our website we have 31 albums and 25 collections of artist The Incredible String Band. You can find useful information and download songs of this artist. We also know that The Incredible String Band represents Songwriter/Lyricist genres.
Biography
[Edit]One of the most engaging groups to emerge from the esoteric '60s was the Incredible String Band. Basically the duo of Mike Heron and Robin Williamson, its sound was comprised of haunting Celtic folk melodies augmented by a variety of Middle Eastern and Asian instruments. Heron was a member of several rock bands in England in the early '60s, while Williamson and Clive Palmer played as a bluegrass and Scottish folk duo. Heron was asked to join as rhythm guitarist, and the trio named itself the Incredible String Band.
The band was spotted at a club by Joe Boyd, who was opening a British wing of Elektra Records. The trio gave Boyd a demo tape of mostly American bluegrass standards with a few original songs, which impressed him more than the standards. The Incredible String Band, released in 1966, featured mostly original numbers enthusiastically played in American and Celtic folk styles. Following the album's release, Williamson spent several months studying music in Morocco, and Palmer left the group to travel to Afghanistan. For the String Band's second album, The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion, exotic touches such as the Middle Eastern oud, Indian sitars, and tambouras began to permeate the group's sound. The band's lyrics also became more whimsical; highlights include Williamson's tale of insomnia "No Sleep Blues" and Heron's amorous "Painting Box."
The press raved about the Incredible String Band, and their next album, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, was the band's brief flirtation with stardom. Although the music was less commercial than its predecessor, the LP reached the Top Ten in the British album charts and was also the group's highest Billboard chart placing in America, reaching number 161. The songs became less structured, as on the opening, "Koeeoaddi There," which changed tempo frequently as it cascaded joyously with sitars and jaw harp. The album's centerpiece, "A Very Cellular Song," was a suite of short pieces sewn together with the folk song "Bid You Goodnight." For Wee Tam and the Big Huge, the Incredible String Band were augmented by Williamson and Heron's girlfriends, Licorice McKechnie and Rose Simpson.
The group also began to electrically amplify its instruments. This expanded lineup performed at the Woodstock festival in 1969, but due to circumstances it was not one of the band's most memorable performances. The Incredibles' slot was originally to be Friday night after Joan Baez; however, due to heavy rain, the band opted not to perform. Folksinger Melanie took the Incredibles' place and went down extremely well, writing her big hit "Candles in the Rain" about that moment. The Incredible String Band got a lukewarm reception the next afternoon between Creedence Clearwater Revival and Canned Heat.
At the turn of the '70s, the Incredible String Band began to lose some of their momentum. The album Changing Horses was not as engaging as the band's previous collections, and the group's eclecticism became a liability rather than an asset. Bassist and pantomimist Malcolm LeMaistre joined in 1971 for U, a well-received stage show that did not translate as easily to record. The band made the transition to electric rock & roll in 1972.
In 1974, following the album Hard Rope & Silken Twine, the Incredible String Band disbanded. Both founding members had prolific solo careers; Heron's took him in a rock direction, while Williamson explored his Celtic roots. For several years the band was seen as a dated anachronism. Recently, with the resurgence in interest in the psychedelic '60s as well as world music, the Incredible String Band's music has been rediscovered by new audiences won over by its mystical charm. A double CD of rare tracks, studio outtakes, and live performances, Tricks of the Senses, was released by Hux Records in 2009.
Title: U
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Title: Wee Tam
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, World Music, Country, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Title: Liquid Acrobat As Regards the Air
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Title: Live In Concert
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Title: The Chelsea Sessions 1967
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic, Folk
Title: Heritage
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Punk Rock, World Music, Psychedelic, Folk
Title: Be Glad For The Song Has No Ending
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Title: Nebulous Nearnesses
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Progressive Rock, Punk Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Title: Bloomsbury 2000
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Punk Rock, World Music, Psychedelic, Folk
Title: I Looked Up
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Title: The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Title: The Incredible String Band
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Title: Everything's Fine
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Title: Changing Horses
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Title: Ducks On a Pond
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Folk
Title: Beautiful Strangers 1969-1970
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Psychedelic
Title: The Big Huge
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Title: The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Title: Rhino Hi-Five: The Incredible String Band
Artist: The Incredible String Band
Genre: Rock, Folk Rock, World Music, Songwriter/Lyricist, Psychedelic
Collections
Title: This Is the 60's
Title: Elektra Records Acoustic Sampler (1950-1973)
Genre: Alternative
Title: This Is Folk
Genre: Songwriter/Lyricist
Title: The Acoustic Folk Box (Disc 1)
Genre: Blues, World Music, Pop
Title: Anthology Of English Folk
Genre: Folk Rock, World Music
Title: Troubadours Of British Folk, Volume One
Genre: World Music, Folk
Title: Appetizers (CD2)
Genre: Rock, World Music, Pop, Folk
Title: Classic Acoustic 2017 (CD2)
Genre: World Music, Country, Traditional Pop Music, Indie
Title: Classic Progressive Rock
Genre: Rock, Progressive Rock, Punk Rock, Progressive Metal
Title: Hippies: 60's & 70's Classics
Genre: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Psychedelic Pop
Title: Folk & Roots: 50 Finest
Genre: Folk Rock, World Music, Folk
Title: Alternative Blues
Genre: Blues
Title: '60s Psychedelic Essentials (CD2)
Genre: Hip Hop/R&B, Soul, Rock, Punk Rock, Pop
Title: People Are Strange - Psychedelic Rock
Genre: Psychedelic Rock
Title: Hippie Flower Power
Genre: Psychedelic Rock
Title: Alternative 60s (CD2)
Genre: Alternative
Featuring albums
Title: Strange Coincidences in Specialty Tea Trading
Artist: Various Artists
Genre: World Music, Celtic, Folk