Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
They really don't write them like Changing Horses any more. "Big Ted's dead, he was a great old pig", sings Robin Williamson, "he'd eat most anything, never wore a wig". Although the Incredible String Band had always been delightfully ramshackle, 1969's Changing Horses found the innovative 1960s folk-rock duo of Williamson and his mate Mike Heron becoming almost a slipshod stoned parody of themselves, assisted by their girlfriends Rose and Licorice. Of the six tracks, two ramble over 14 minutes each, so that even the inclusion of such exotic instruments as sarang, gimbiri, Chinese banjo and the inevitable sitar fail to maintain much interest. Bob Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands" had no doubt convinced them that quarter-of-an-hour wasn't too long to bang on about "messengers with sharpened heels" and an "amethyst galleon out on the rolling sea, la, la, la, la, la". But it is. While any committed Incredibles fan will hug this to his or her bosom, the casually curious listener might be advised to check out their 1967 classic The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter. --Johnny Black
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
In my opinion,one of the best Incredible String Band albums,recorded mid transition from the psychedelic folk whimsy of "The 5,000 Spirits" and their unsurpassed take on folk/rock with "No Ruinous Feud".Here,their entrancing sound is further enriched and enlivened by the odd squiggle of appropriately amateur electric guitar,the occasional burst of drumkit and the fitting splash of backing vocal from their partners,Rose and Liquorice. Robin Williamson really shines,from the sublime opener "Big Ted",packed with string band idiosyncrasies,winding through joyous singalong-"Dust Be Diamonds",and the endearingly baffling-"Mr and Mrs" to an epic conclusion with the stunning 16 minute "Creation". Everything is present that could be asked of this unique alliance,sitar,washboard and of course those intriguing lyrics. Altogether highly recommended as an enlightening musical journey,and surely no-one else could make the kazoo sound this cool?!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I have given ISB CDs Wee Tam, Big Huge, 1000 Spirits 5 star reviews because those albums were incredibly consistent and had some amazing song writing and performances that stand up today as masterpieces.
In fairness to ISB it would be impossible to continue producing LP after LP with the consistency they had achieved.
Consequently this CD really isn't up to the standard I am used to and is not one of those CDs I would play on a regular basis.
The track Sleepers Awake does remind me of Steeleye Span and is a nice addition, however there are also several tracks such as Big Ted and Dust to Diamonds which really are not great ISB songs.
Changing Horses really is the end of the classic era of ISB commercial music releases for me.
In fairness to ISB it would be impossible to continue producing LP after LP with the consistency they had achieved.
Consequently this CD really isn't up to the standard I am used to and is not one of those CDs I would play on a regular basis.
The track Sleepers Awake does remind me of Steeleye Span and is a nice addition, however there are also several tracks such as Big Ted and Dust to Diamonds which really are not great ISB songs.
Changing Horses really is the end of the classic era of ISB commercial music releases for me.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download
I suppose it was always a bit much to expect brilliance every time.
But after their first 4 wonderful albums, this was a disappointment when it came out & hasn't improved with age.
Problem number 1 is that the girls added nothing musically to the band & in fact detracted from Heron & Williamson's musical versatility at times. Both had fine singing voices, shown to great effect hereon with Sleepers Awake. But this was & should have remained The Incredible STRING band, not the Stoned Hippies Vocal Society!
Problem number 2-the measly 6 tracks. They'd previously provided 10 or 11 tracks with albums over 50 mins long in total, so this definitely looked like short change or self-indulgence.
Of the six, Sleepers is top-class, as is the whimiscal and totally bonkers Big Ted. Dust Be Diamonds & Mr & Mrs are just dreary-total filler material.
And then, problem number 3. The other 2 tracks,White Bird & Creation, last over half-an-hour combined. That's one epic too many.
Heron just about gets away with White Bird. And this from the guy who was always supposed to be best at short boppy tunes. HE was actually a trained classical music student & that's why White Bird passes muster.
Williamson, however, said as much in Waltz Of The New Moon on Hangman's in a quarter the time of Creation. Let him into double figures for minutes & he rambles all over the shop sometimes-and Creation is one such example.
A shame then, and a shame now-this COULD have been so much better.
But after their first 4 wonderful albums, this was a disappointment when it came out & hasn't improved with age.
Problem number 1 is that the girls added nothing musically to the band & in fact detracted from Heron & Williamson's musical versatility at times. Both had fine singing voices, shown to great effect hereon with Sleepers Awake. But this was & should have remained The Incredible STRING band, not the Stoned Hippies Vocal Society!
Problem number 2-the measly 6 tracks. They'd previously provided 10 or 11 tracks with albums over 50 mins long in total, so this definitely looked like short change or self-indulgence.
Of the six, Sleepers is top-class, as is the whimiscal and totally bonkers Big Ted. Dust Be Diamonds & Mr & Mrs are just dreary-total filler material.
And then, problem number 3. The other 2 tracks,White Bird & Creation, last over half-an-hour combined. That's one epic too many.
Heron just about gets away with White Bird. And this from the guy who was always supposed to be best at short boppy tunes. HE was actually a trained classical music student & that's why White Bird passes muster.
Williamson, however, said as much in Waltz Of The New Moon on Hangman's in a quarter the time of Creation. Let him into double figures for minutes & he rambles all over the shop sometimes-and Creation is one such example.
A shame then, and a shame now-this COULD have been so much better.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wrong song, wrong album, Greywolf
Sorry, Greywolf. "White Bird" doesn't end with "May the sunshine ......." "A Very Cellular Song" from "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" is the ISB song which ends with these... Read more
Published 18 months ago by R. T. Campbell
changing horses by Incredible string band
After the inspirational musicality and poetry of the Hangman and Wee Tam and the Big huge Albums this comes as a lessening of their creative powers. Read more
Published 18 months ago by keith bray
A few things you should know about 'Changing Horses'
A fine and underrated album by the Incredible String Band. While it lacks the aesthetic coherence of 'The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter', considered as a collection of individual... Read more
Published 24 months ago
Verily, Verily.....
This was the first String Band album to really divide opinion among fans of their previous albums: was it a work of pure genius or an over-indulgent load of pretentious nonsense? Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2010 by S. GODFREY
Magic
I love the ISB - the greatest folk-rock'n'roll band in the world. And this is one of their finest albums, including some of my favourite lyrics ever put on record. Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2009 by Greywolf
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
