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Track Listings
| 1. Chinese White |
| 2. No Sleep Blues |
| 3. Painting Box |
| 4. The Mad Hatter's Song |
| 5. Little Cloud |
| 6. The Eyes of Fate |
| 7. Blues for the Muse |
| 8. The Hedgehog's Song |
| 9. First Girl I Loved |
| 10. You Know What You Could Be |
| 11. My Name Is Death |
| 12. Gently Tender |
| 13. Way Back in the 1960s |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
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'
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
67 of 69 people found the following review helpful
By misty may
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 :-)
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By Drengskap
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!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By KMorris
Format:Audio CD
1967. Bob Dylan temporally out of action, but a whole load of exciting new music for the young mind to take in. The Beatles, The Byrds, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Country Joe and The Fish, Love, The Mothers Of Invention, Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band - they all entertained, amazed, warmed the spirit and carried us through those days.
Own up time. I unfortunately overlooked this gem when is came out. Maybe it was dismissed as being too fey and folky. After all, how could two chaps from Scotland compete with the psychedelic big guns and San Franciscan darlings? A variety of routes, most significantly an article in Mojo Magazine's recent excellent "Hendrix and The Summer Of Love" edition, now lead me to investigate this forty years on!
A happy surprise. What we have here is a marvellous collection of songs by this talented duo here reaching their peak form. Their special interaction with, and support for each other bursts forth and this along with their next release was certainly a golden interlude for Heron and Williamson. Folky this obviously is, but such a whole lot more besides. The use of Eastern instrumentation is truly trail blazing, being fully integrated and in no way merely incorporated as a facile fashionable gimmick.
It now appears to me to be an important, unique offering. Muchly of it's time, it may be said, but like all great albums, also beyond it. Often quoted as being Paul McCartney's favourite record of that year, at this distance it still stands as a mighty achievement, not to be underestimated.
The best album of 1967? Well, there's fierce competition - "Are You Experienced", The Doors' eponymous debut, Arthur Lee's masterwork "Forever Changes", "Safe As Milk" - but here's an unexpected candidate. A magical listening pleasure four decades down the line!
Own up time. I unfortunately overlooked this gem when is came out. Maybe it was dismissed as being too fey and folky. After all, how could two chaps from Scotland compete with the psychedelic big guns and San Franciscan darlings? A variety of routes, most significantly an article in Mojo Magazine's recent excellent "Hendrix and The Summer Of Love" edition, now lead me to investigate this forty years on!
A happy surprise. What we have here is a marvellous collection of songs by this talented duo here reaching their peak form. Their special interaction with, and support for each other bursts forth and this along with their next release was certainly a golden interlude for Heron and Williamson. Folky this obviously is, but such a whole lot more besides. The use of Eastern instrumentation is truly trail blazing, being fully integrated and in no way merely incorporated as a facile fashionable gimmick.
It now appears to me to be an important, unique offering. Muchly of it's time, it may be said, but like all great albums, also beyond it. Often quoted as being Paul McCartney's favourite record of that year, at this distance it still stands as a mighty achievement, not to be underestimated.
The best album of 1967? Well, there's fierce competition - "Are You Experienced", The Doors' eponymous debut, Arthur Lee's masterwork "Forever Changes", "Safe As Milk" - but here's an unexpected candidate. A magical listening pleasure four decades down the line!
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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Like nothing else around.....then or now.
An aural dreamscape that far trancends the time and place of it's creation. These songs, whole or in part, will reverberate in your head long after the last note has faded away. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Madcaplaughs
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed
Love the album and the cover but it's won't upload to iTunes and so I can't listen to it on my iPod. Disappointed.
Published 4 months ago by Rebecca Connolly
5.0 out of 5 stars
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
4.0 out of 5 stars
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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
5.0 out of 5 stars
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
5.0 out of 5 stars
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
4.0 out of 5 stars
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 Mr T
5.0 out of 5 stars
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"
5.0 out of 5 stars
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
5.0 out of 5 stars
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
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