- Audio CD (12 Aug 2002)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Warner
- ASIN: B000066BN6
- Other Editions: Audio CD | MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 79,464 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Something of a Curate's Egg But Still a Delight......,
By
This review is from: I Looked Up (Audio CD)
After the (almost) universal acclaim rightly accorded to "Wee Tam & the Big Huge" and "Changing Horses", the Incredibles came up with a curious but engaging collection of songs with this album, which despite its obvious faults holds a special place in the hearts of many fans. It is in turns sprightly and lighthearted (Mike Heron's "Black Jack Davy", "The Letter" and the sublime "This Moment") and profoundly mysterious, scary even (Robin's "Pictures in a Mirror) and downright frustrating (the rather awkwardly constructed "When You Find Out Who You Are"). This last piece really is lovely in parts...a little editing was needed possibly to smooth out the chaotic bits. The album closes with the very light "Fair as You"; not the most memorable ISB performance, but a nice showcase for Rose and Likky's vocals. The album represents just one of the many transitional stages of the Incredible String Band; Scientology was the order of the day and everyone was trying out different ideas, communicating and being POSITIVE - just look at those grins on the wonderfully blurred cover shot - but you just get the feeling that a bit more active control by producer Joe Boyd might have resulted in a more accomplished whole. Still, a delightful album if only for Robins dark howls and yelps (deep in the hollow jail...sleeps Lord Randall)in "Pictures in a Mirror", and Mike's gleeful ad-libbing (oh my goodness, gosh and golly, no) in "This Moment" - and a must, of course, for all Stringheads.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Just doesn't cut the mustard!,
By The BlackFerret "Steve The BlackFerret" (Plymouth UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: I Looked Up (MP3 Download)
Changing Horses was a disappointment & they got worse with this.
The original vinyl cover was fun, with its' brightly-coloured goblins doing a fairy dance. So was Black Jack Davey, still a wonderful track 40 years later. And This Moment is wonderful, too. Shows the girls had their uses as well. The rest-less said the better. The Letter & Sweet as You are fillers. Just as with Changing, 6 tracks is too few and 2 obvious fillers indicated a complete lack of enthusiasm. When You Find Out Who You Are is messy and too long. Robin Williamson just drifts all over the place & can't handle a multitude of key & tempo changes as Heron can on extra-long songs. Pictures In A Mirror is a disjointed racket based on the old folk song Lord Randall. There is one word that describes its' effect adequately for me then and now. I'll leave you to guess what that word is! So, they were definitely on the slide by now. Just a shame the following double album didn't get the sales it deserved.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Still Magic....in parts,
By
This review is from: I Looked Up (Audio CD)
Having lived with the superb ISB Albums up to and including Big Huge/Wee Tam for some years, and cherished them, I lived under the false belief that everything thereafter was pretty dire, as was the general consensus of the critics opinion of the day. Maybe the mood of the time had just changed, and beardy hippies spouting rambling lyrics were no longer deemed relevant to the modern music scene. Idiot that I was I was influenced by the critics and the shift in musical fashion and disregarded the ISB later output. BIG MISTAKE. Move on best part of 40 years and I decide to re-evaluate that rash decision of the fickle 15 year old self by investing in their 1970 album 'U' (see my review) only to discover it contained some of their best ever music, although admittedly some tracks of lesser quality. Interest rekindled, I vowed to progress onward with my discovery of the latter period ISB albums...which has brought me to 'I looked up'.
It shares much of the same qualities and character of 'U'. I must admit to preferring the more concise numbers on this album, all written by Heron, being 'Black Jack Davey', 'letter' and 'This moment'. 'Concise' being a relative term, ('This moment' is over 6 mins long) as compared with 2 of the Williamson tracks that last for almost 11 mins apiece. Williamson's songs are not without merit, but you've certainly got to be 'in the mood' to really appreciate them. They are made up of a number of different sections, with moments of beauty and parts where he seems to be losing his way altogether, before it must be said, recovering with some style. And it's the fact there is always enough of the ISB quality in every track that makes every track worthy of the ISB Catalogue. Sometimes you wish that they had a producer that curtailed some of their excesses, but then you run the risk of losing that indefinable ISB quality, and I for one am prepared to forgive the ocaissional dodgy moment in order to retain that unique charm and beauty that is ISB. Well worth adding to your collection, but only after 5,000 Spirits,Hangman, Big Huge/Wee Tam and 'U'.Probably in that order.
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