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Stone psychedelic freaks Robin Williamson and Mike Heron were two talented multi-instrumentalists who were eventually joined in the Incredible String Band by their earth-goddess lovers, Licorice and Rose. They tapped into the British Isles' centuries-old traditions of myths and folklore, updating the ancient sounds with inspired, multi-layered recordings and a modern twist that helped you envision fair maidens riding unicorns through green and fertile fields while simultaneously advocating better living through chemistry. Hell, the title alone of this, their second album, is more psychedelic than anything the Jefferson Airplane ever did. --Jim Derogatis
CD Description
Deluxe, definitive re-mastered edition of the Incredible String Band’s second album – one of the masterpieces of the Summer Of Love. Following the release of their debut album Clive Palmer left to travel eastwards, Robin and Mike reconvened as a duo before recording 'The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion', released in July 1967 went to the top the UK folk chart, and was named by Paul McCartney as one of his favourite records of the year (the year of Sgt. Pepper!). The album includes some of the finest compositions of both Robin Williamson and Mike Heron – ‘Chinese White’, ‘Painting Box’, ‘The First Girl I Loved’ and ‘Way Back In The 1960s’ – and sympathetic accompaniment by Danny Thompson. Re-mastering supervised original producer Joe Boyd and engineer John Wood. Full page review in Uncut. Feature and full page review in Shindig!. Extensive feature and reviews in R2. Review and q & a in Record Collector. Reviews in fRoots Tracks; Chinese White / No Sleep Blues / Painting Box / The Mad Hatter’s Song / Little Cloud / The Eyes Of Fate / Blues For The Muse / The Hedgehog’s Song / The First Girl I Loved / You Know What I Could Be / My Name Is Death / Gently Tender / Way Back In The 1960s Also available FLED 3041 'Smiling Men With Bad Reputation' FLED 3071 'Journey’s Edge'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
64 of 66 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I'm going to start with a confession. My knowledge of the incredible string band is rather limited so you'll excuse me if I can't demonstrate the type of extensive background knowledge of the band displayed by other reviewers of this album. As a daughter of an original sixties child I have been influenced enormously by my father to whom my music taste is entirely indebted. Perhaps for this reason I feel completely let down by the majority of modern music and tend to raid my father's collection for stimulation. The wonderful man made a little compilation C.D. for his pretentious teenaged daughter and this is where I first encountered The Incredible String Band. Painting Box completely overwhelmed me with that complex confusion of vocals and strings vying for attention. So beautiful and natural...how could I not seek out the source of such a masterpiece?
And so I find myself surrounded by these incredible psychedelic string sounds even as I write this crit.. I challenge anyone to listen to the 5000 Spirits and not feel as I do; we, the youth of the nineties/noughties, are a musically deprived generation. Let us hope modern musicians seek inspiration in truly musical albums like this and perhaps the future of music will be a little brighter :-)
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
..so don't expect any cool objective criticism - this was the first album I ever loved, it was my introduction to the wildly whimsical world of the Incredible String Band and it remains precious to me over 35 years on. My first hearing was as a grubby-kneed schoolboy bunking off from a cross-country run. A friend who had left school to become a fully-fledged hippy (long hair, tie-dyes, strange cigarettes - the works!) played the album and it was like a whole new and wonderful world opening up for me. The cover art was a trip in itself but the music was like nothing I'd ever heard before. No point trying to classify it, it was weird, strange, disturbing, exhilarating, funny, sexy and downright fascinating, and I was (still am) hooked. Robin Williamson and Mike Heron were on a creative high which sustained them through this and the equally impressive "Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" and "Wee Tam & the Big Huge" albums (all works of genius) and which appeared in varying degrees in subsequent albums. But "5,000 Spirits" is the one which took the Incredibles out of the Scottish folk club scene (they had made an earlier, perfectly respectable album with Clive Palmer which has some great songs but which only hinted at the glories to come), and introduced their music and vision to a rather startled world. Sell-out concerts, star endorsements from Judy Collins, Paul Mcartney, the Stones, Dylan (and Julie Felix) followed. As for me, I fell in love with Hedgehog's Song, Painting Box, Eyes of Fate, First Girl I Loved...when I eventually saved enough pocket money to buy the album I carried it around with me everywhere. I still have my slightly battered original copy but it is nice to be able to play the CD these days. So, this is the one for me, and I heartily recommend that you buy it!
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
An absolute classic of late 60s high psychedelia. The Incredible String Band's second album, released in 1967 (the year I was born!), more or less defines hippyness (at least from the British perspective), with the cosmic symbolism of its cover art, and the eclectic blend of musical influences it displays - whilst the sound is rooted in a Celtic folk tradition, it incorporates Indian and straightforward rock sounds, and the influence of Bob Dylan is felt everywhere. My favourite tracks are the bittersweet First Girl I Loved, Painting Box and Gently Tender. The charming whimsy of Little Cloud and The Hedgehog's Song is quite appealing, though beware - if singing hedgehogs and lovelorn clouds sound stupid to you, you won't dig this album at all, man!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
40 years on
I only just got this on CD.
When I first heard it (C1968) I loved it dearly, but only ever had access to a loaned and worn copy of the LP to play on a crappy BSR radiogram... Read more
When I first heard it (C1968) I loved it dearly, but only ever had access to a loaned and worn copy of the LP to play on a crappy BSR radiogram... Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2008 by C. BANGS
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I have nothing to add to the plethora of excellent reviews already here other than it reminded me a little of a mix between Jefferson Airplane and The Velvet Underground, yet was... Read more
Published on 6 Jan 2008 by tricky wheeler
Joy from Way Back in the 1960's
1967. Bob Dylan temporally out of action, but a whole load of exciting new music for the young mind to take in. Read more
Published on 8 Sep 2007 by KMorris
just incredible
Timeless. Probably not for those who mail order knuckle-dusters from combat magazines or the jump up and down pretend you're a lesbian brigade. Read more
Published on 15 May 2007 by Jm Leven
Music that plays over in your head after the record has finished
They are repeating some John Peel sessions on the radio at the moment, and I heard the Mad Hatters song for the first time in 35 years. Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2006 by Old Fart At Play
5000 Influences
This is a very strange album. Essentially it's folk, a genre I'm not over familiar with. As it's played here, though, I kind of get it. Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2006 by N. J. Taylor
A materpiece for enlightened ears only.
Play any song from this album to anyone below the age of 40 and within a very short while the great majority of them will have their fingers in their ears. Read more
Published on 16 Mar 2006 by "leshoward51"
Clive Palmer's beard & Moustache had fallen off by this one!
Says the legendary Blackferret!
That's because he'd left the band & they were now the classic 2 piece ensemble of their best years. Read more
Published on 20 Mar 2004 by The BlackFerret
I Lived This Album
The First Girl That I Love still brings tears to my eyes because it always reminds me of my first girlfriend.We played it on an old Dansette. Read more
Published on 7 Aug 2001 by Mr. Mk Batstone
Live 'til you die, you poor little man...
The second ISB record is a beautiful affair: stark, bluesy, and infused with that unmistakable semi-mystic childlike wonder that the Incredibles made their own. Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2001 by "thomasbirch2"
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