Yutututututut-yutututututut-yututututata-ta-tawowowow!
Having fun with the second album. Find it quite invigorating actually. I don't get this light whimsical sense of fun coming across so well very often.
Some of it beautifully carefree without going into the thing I hate most in music: sounding like you don't even give a fuck about the music you're playing.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 18 May 2018 18:26 (six years ago) link
I love the second album.. especially the heron tunes
― brimstead, Friday, 18 May 2018 18:33 (six years ago) link
childlike whimsy with its cock out and its women captive
― imago, Friday, 18 May 2018 19:03 (six years ago) link
no objection to distaste for ISB but that take makes no sense to me.
― JoeStork, Friday, 18 May 2018 19:10 (six years ago) link
done this already but their vibe is 100% creepy cult to me, and that's even before considering the whole scientology thing - i would need strong anecdotal evidence showing otherwise to dissuade me. sorry for shitting up yet another isb thread but thbd was the single most unpleasant listening experience i've had of late and i will not withhold from expressing my revulsion until it is either resolved or chased away. live and let live sure but i'm not certain that was isb's credo
― imago, Friday, 18 May 2018 19:27 (six years ago) link
ISB: Still Freakin' Out The Squares
― tylerw, Friday, 18 May 2018 19:35 (six years ago) link
i would need strong anecdotal evidence showing otherwise
would be nice to have strong anecdotal evidence for the concern. seen this band live and they seemed chill. the records are pretty chill too. seen their documentary, also chill. what exactly is the cause for alarm?
― Hazy Maze Cave (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 18 May 2018 19:47 (six years ago) link
does it go past "you got a bad vibe"?
Sound like a lovely bunch of guys to me.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 18 May 2018 19:47 (six years ago) link
I guess I just have never heard anything, at least pre-Scientology, that sounds aggressive or manipulative or particularly sexual, it all sounds like pretty sincere folky hippies who are really excited about instruments and drugs and making new sounds. It’s kind of culty in that it feels like they’re existing in their own world/community but I don’t hear anything sinister in it. But then I’m in the cult so I would say that.
― JoeStork, Friday, 18 May 2018 19:48 (six years ago) link
imago needs his bumps felt
― Poisoned by Johan's pea soup. (Tom D.), Friday, 18 May 2018 20:22 (six years ago) link
LOL @ the idea of Robin Williamson being sinister in any way whatsoever!
― Poisoned by Johan's pea soup. (Tom D.), Friday, 18 May 2018 20:25 (six years ago) link
Listening to ISB recently, randomly googling pics of them etc and ended up reading some ex-Scientologist forums with people talking about auditing them back in the day. One guy claiming he knows where Licorice McKechnie is - supposedly in California not wanting to be found. No-one else has seen her in 30 years.
― everything, Friday, 18 May 2018 21:46 (six years ago) link
otm
― brimstead, Friday, 18 May 2018 21:47 (six years ago) link
Williamson's MYRRH album is a strange little record. Love these guys and I get the creeps from anything remotely "culty" so I think imago's take is interesting.
― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Friday, 18 May 2018 23:40 (six years ago) link
Myrrh is great
― cheese is the teacher, ham is the preacher (Jon not Jon), Friday, 18 May 2018 23:43 (six years ago) link
Had not seen this groovy thread before, and didn't know Clive had shuffled off this mortal coil, damn. In days of yore, I incl. a microview of Moyshe among a tiny Voice round-up of outriders, Dred Foole etc.:COBMoyshe McStiff and the Tartan Lancers of the Sacred Heart
In the summer of 1971, COB, Clive's Original Band, led by Clive Palmer,dropout co-founder of the Incredible String Band, descended through dogpaths ofCornwall and into a London studio: barefoot buskers, shaking from their knapsackthe likes of cannily enigmatic "Lion of Judah," which darts across the paraderoute of all orthodoxies. Meanwhile, the soulful "Chain of Love" has its ownkarmic seeds to burn. And that's all, acid folks! But a taste for anyone who hasn't heard it.
― dow, Saturday, 19 May 2018 01:34 (six years ago) link
I was in awe of these guys in my late adolescence. I must have been 16 or 17 when I bought a copy of Relics of the Incredible String Band and that record really changed me. I couldn't believe the level of musicianship, the intelligence, and just the sheer beauty of those early records.
― timellison, Saturday, 19 May 2018 01:38 (six years ago) link
Williamson's MYRRH album is a strange little record.
I didn't say the guy wasn't capable of strangeness - he surely is!
― Poisoned by Johan's pea soup. (Tom D.), Saturday, 19 May 2018 07:00 (six years ago) link
Cant decide between "Little Cloud" and "First Girl I loved" from second album as my favorite.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 1 June 2018 18:53 (six years ago) link
Confess that I find a lot of the Mike Heron's tweer songs difficult to listen to - with Williamson the wtfness tends to compensate for the tweeness, though not all the time.
― Poisoned by Johan's pea soup. (Tom D.), Friday, 1 June 2018 18:56 (six years ago) link
A reminder that RW can be pretty twee:
ducks on a pondducks on a pondverrrrrry prrrrrretty swimming 'round
for example
― Paul Ponzi, Friday, 1 June 2018 19:19 (six years ago) link
Heron wrote “Chinese White” from that album, which I don’t think is twee in the way you would call Hedgehog Song or Little Cloud twee if you were so inclined. Have long wondered what the story is with “Chinese White.”
― timellison, Friday, 1 June 2018 19:19 (six years ago) link
xp always thought of Heron as the McCartney to Williamson's Lennon, in some ways
― Paul Ponzi, Friday, 1 June 2018 19:20 (six years ago) link
Chinese White is a pigment used in painting.
― Poisoned by Johan's pea soup. (Tom D.), Friday, 1 June 2018 19:27 (six years ago) link
Heron wrote “Chinese White” from that album, which I don’t think is twee in the way you would call Hedgehog Song or Little Cloud twee if you were so inclined.
I'm specifically thinking of stuff like Hedgehog Song and Little Cloud or something like Cousin Caterpillar. Mind you, Williamson wrote Big Ted which isn't even a good tune.
― Poisoned by Johan's pea soup. (Tom D.), Friday, 1 June 2018 19:30 (six years ago) link
"Little Cloud" was one of the tunes i put on a mix tape i made for him the week he was born,,, backed it up with the Femmes "I'm Free" cuz they both make me imagine skipping through a sunny flower-filled field.
― bodacious ignoramus, Friday, 1 June 2018 20:02 (six years ago) link
I like Big Ted till the boogie woogie chorus part
― Paul Ponzi, Friday, 1 June 2018 20:02 (six years ago) link
their twee-est tune is "Puppies," surely
― Paul Ponzi, Friday, 1 June 2018 20:03 (six years ago) link
Not the ultimate dog song "God Dog"?
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Saturday, 2 June 2018 00:26 (six years ago) link
I love that song but prefer the Shirley & Dolly Collins version tbh
I definitely prefer Robin songs pound for pound but “Chinese white” might be the best thing either of them wrote. Where the f did that thing come from.
― cheese is the teacher, ham is the preacher (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 2 June 2018 00:52 (six years ago) link
3 listens in, loving Hangman's Beautiful Daughter. In college there was an IT exercise to use vectors to draw a cassette with "Incredible String Band - Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" written on it. I didn't even know if they were a real band at the time.
Wish youtube had that interview of Billy Connolly complaining about people who don't like Incredible String Band. I know this could be pure blurb fluff talk but all the same I'm intrigued by Connolly saying that Heron's book changed the way he thought about music.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 10 August 2018 17:22 (six years ago) link
Are you talking about the recent book that Connolly wrote the foreword for?
― timellison, Friday, 10 August 2018 17:29 (six years ago) link
It's called You Know What You Could Be.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 10 August 2018 18:21 (six years ago) link
Right. The video clip - the one from the documentary where he's talking about people in London wearing elaborate clothes who only came out for Incredible String Band shows? Because I feel like I've watched that clip on Youtube at least five times!
― timellison, Friday, 10 August 2018 19:10 (six years ago) link
It's here I believe.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il44CZU19YI
― everything, Friday, 10 August 2018 19:13 (six years ago) link
I was thinking of a show called Shrink Rap that he did with his wife interviewing him. He was talking about the biggest regret of his life being trying too hard to get into things and wishing he had accepted earlier that you cant understand all of the good things.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 10 August 2018 19:14 (six years ago) link
Just read this, maybe you've all heard this stuff but I found it interesting, including the observation about the sharp drop in their fame.https://web.archive.org/web/20071023215030/http://cosmedia.freewinds.cx/media/articles/grn040197.html
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 10 August 2018 19:20 (six years ago) link
Quite blown away by the best songs on Hangman's Beautiful Daughter. Enriched my past few weeks considerably. "A Very Cellular Song" is so moving and the atmosphere of the opening track is perfect.
"Here we go, slithering"
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 31 August 2018 22:37 (six years ago) link
Always meant to listen to this band but didn't anticipate getting this wrapped up in them. Kind of a revelation.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Friday, 31 August 2018 22:39 (six years ago) link
One of the many things I like about "A Very Cellular Song" is one of the singers imitating some instrument (which I cant pin down) vocally. It works so much better than I'd think it would, because it's close but not freakishly accurate.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 8 September 2018 09:50 (six years ago) link
Don't hate me but Cellular is too long imo
― nostormo, Saturday, 8 September 2018 14:33 (six years ago) link
One of the many things I like about "A Very Cellular Song" is one of the singers imitating some instrument (which I cant pin down) vocally. It works so much better than I'd think it would, because it's close but not freakishly accurate
Where does this happen? I don't remember this tbh.
― Scottish Country Tweerking (Tom D.), Saturday, 8 September 2018 14:35 (six years ago) link
There's a bit where Mike Heron sounds a bit like a kazoo, and possibly a Jew's harp.
― The shard-borne beetle with his drowsy hums (Chinaski), Saturday, 8 September 2018 21:23 (six years ago) link
Current release of the 1st 3 lps is together as a 2cd isn't it?NOt sure how the sound compares to the Joe Boyd remasters on BGO since I haven't heard it.
Also never really progressed beyond Wee Tam & The Big Huge and the live set from 68.NOt sure what I'm missing since that is about when they slid into Scientology.
― Stevolende, Saturday, 8 September 2018 23:37 (six years ago) link
When did they extract themselves from scientology?
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Sunday, 9 September 2018 14:01 (six years ago) link
They never did, while they existed. I'm not sure if Robin Williamson is still involved, I don't think so, but he certainly was for longer than any of the others - 30/40 years? He doesn't talk about it. Heron left in 80s/90s I think? Rose after she left the band. No-one knows where Likky is but she was definitely still involved before she disappeared.
― Scottish Country Tweerking (Tom D.), Sunday, 9 September 2018 14:10 (six years ago) link
It's interesting to listen to the later ISB albums (and pretty much every Robin Williamson album) and try to work out the Scientology references.
― Scottish Country Tweerking (Tom D.), Sunday, 9 September 2018 14:11 (six years ago) link
Really enjoying Wee Tam & The Big Huge. Beautiful album cover(s). Got mixed feelings about how on one song (chilly chilly chilly) they create an amazing atmosphere just to rip it to shreds with a kazoo, it's kind of hilarious.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Saturday, 22 September 2018 10:09 (five years ago) link