Those of us who have quietly upgraded our old Incredible String Band albums in recent years need no longer fear the contempt once accorded our secret vice, as the ISB, hailed as godfathers of the current "psychedelic folk" movement, are now hipper than at any time since the late Sixties. Hence this splendid anthology culled from the band's peak Elektra years, charting their progress from whimsical strummers to sitar-stroking spiritual explorers and mummers. Such tags, however understate the complex dynamics of the songs, both in the mix of folk, blues and "ethnic" flavours, and the broad lyrical range. It is impossible to imagine a musician today sustaining a comparable balance between fairy-tale fancy, cosmic contemplation and shrewd social commentary, and indeed, the ISB didn't manage it for long. But this compilation happily covers the years when Robin Williamson's spiritual musings were in perfect equilibrium with Mike Heron's more grounded observations.
DOWNLOAD THIS: 'First Girl I Loved'; 'Way Back in the 1960s'; 'Koeeaddi There'; 'You Get Brighter'; 'Half Remarkable Question'
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