Reviews (page 2 of 9)
This felt a little irritating at times due to baroque-y sound, nasal singing, and chaotic flighty woodwinds/percussion. But I also thought it was pretty cool at other times. This definitely isn't on par with the best of psychedelic folk rock from this era, but they did something here. Feels a bit experimental.
This sounds like Kerri’s stream of consciousness songs she makes up. Hers are better because they usually involve things in my current life.
This one was not for me. It really felt like the band was thrown into a room with a bunch of random instruments and told to make an album. One of the songs had sitar, vibraslap and Irish folk vocals. It's such a weird mishmash.
I found this to be an overall difficult listen.. I feel like I should have liked this, having it be weird, folky, and kinda psychedelic? I feel as though it had psych elements but was almost using that label as an excuse for their lack of tightness, the instrumentation just felt a bit messy and chaotic, unsure if it was intentional or not though. I'm honestly not even sure what the psychedelic tag requires, but I am unsure if this is fully it or not. But who am I to say, this came out in 1968 so these guys probably weren't even thinking about what musical box their sound fit into. I want to like this more than I did, but the dudes vocals got annoying at times, its as if he is just wandering around between notes and words, with no rush to say what he has to say. Which does lend itself to the style of music that this is. I'll give it an extra star for being weird as hell and for the interesting album art. Are those kids in the photo a part of the band?
Oh jeez. This felt like a novelty album geared towards ren faires and perhaps a carousel in a pinch. Ramble-y and strange lyrics
It started off a little weird but ok. Then it just got progressively worse as the album wore on.
If they did a bit more twiddling and a bit less twaddling, and the songs were a bit quicker and even more experimental, I would have liked this a lot more. I admire the gall regardless.
nothing incredible about this band.
Hippy dippy weird shit. I don’t know what this music accomplishes or who it’s for. Made in 1968, and frankly meant to stay there…
This was quirky - medieval folk rock?! with kazoooo?? ok color me intrigued. This was a fun one time trip. Not one I'd do again per say, but it takes a drive through a weird branch of music and I appreciate that. they put in the effort and committed to the approach
Scottish! Any annoyance at the over saturation of genres on this list is eliminated whenever they’re Scottish. Immediately very pretty! Then adding silly sounds. Singing "ladybird, ladybird what is your wish, Your wish is not granted unless it's a fish. Your wish is not granted unless it's a dish. A fish on a dish is that what you wish.” (The above is only the start of the brilliant nonsense! Scottish people are the best.) Truly one of the most lyrically wild albums I’ve ever heard.
I did not do enough drugs to enjoy this album. It was just random noise and wailing with the semblance of "music". God I hate this experimental, psychedelic folk
That was an interesting album, very whimsical. It was going for a sound from another century it seems. It was a pleasant trip.
Cats meowing out of tune. 3 songs in was as far as I got.
I have to stop listening before my face sticks like this...
Never heard of this band. Wow, I really thought this would be an orchestra-like band. Psychedelic a bit. Cool stuff, not for me though
Wow. I really hated this. I mostly just found it annoying ... like being stuck inside of a tavern in the movie Willow.
I really hope the hangman’s daughter likes terrible music. Otherwise this band is in for a rude awakening
too old, too folky.
Psychedelic Folk ist jetzt nicht so meines
This album starts so strong, with the psych-folk opener Koeeoaddi There, the Monty Python-esque The Minotaur Song and the patchwork centrepiece A Very Cellular Song. Side 2 though is much more rambling and uninteresting.
IM SO FUCKING TORN I HAVE NO IDEA HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS.
Muy original. Genial
I like 60s psychedelia and this one had my attention for a while. By the last few tracks it lost me. Too groany and self indulgent. 2.3/5
apparently i have a real soft spot for goofy fantastical hippie folk. once again they're talking about riddles and minotaurs and the trees whispering and shit and i'm on my feet cheering. i can't blame all the 1 star raters for doing so but they are wrong
Not for me 1/5
The lead singer can't even sing in tune! How the hell does someone make the list.
Hørtes mer ut som en parodi av en Monty Python-parodi.
Due to external factors that I won’t be explaining to the internet, I woke up in a bad mood. As I woke I said “please don’t give me a bs album today, not today”…and lo and behold this is what I get, and boy was it a struggle. I’m sorry string band, if you caught me on a better day I might’ve given this 2 stars and said something along the lines of “I see the artistic value behind this but it’s just not for me.” But today isn’t that day.
You could tell me this was monty python and I'd believe you. Shocking
Good vibes, unremarkable songs.
OK when I was growing up we had three channels on the TV. No cable just an antenna. If your dad was serious he would put a larger antenna on the roof so you could find channels from farther away and the low band weird ones. Some nights if the weather was right you could get a really weird station that was like public access but on ALL the drugs. They would play things like this. You watched it because there was nothing else, it was different and new. Almost exciting until you actually paid attention to it. Then you realized it was shit. That is this album. I never heard of them saw the hippies and assumed they were the predecessor to The Polyphonic Spree. This album made me think they were a traveling group that would entertain the king and when the king realized they were shit ran them out of the kingdom. So they travelled from kingdom to kingdom, never getting better or changing their act, always doubling down. Never understanding why they were hated. The kids on the cover deserved better. We all deserve better. I can only assume this was popular because they had nothing else to listen to and it was different. Still shit, but different.
Quaint, rustic, and interesting - but I don’t think I’ll be coming back to it.
Where did they learn to sing?
Idk that it’s good but it’s not that bad
This is what happens when you go to Ren Faire on acid, kids. We’re being punked with this album on the list, right?
The opening track gives a hint at what this album could be. It's loose and free-flowing, with beautiful natural imagery. It feels a little like a song you'd play around campfire, but it's grounded in nice melodies. The band approaches the rest of the songs in the same way, but with much worse results. The songs meander instead of flow, and the lyrics become cryptic. It's hard to take things seriously when kazoos and jaw harps show up and the band is singing about minotaurs. The band eschews pretty melodies or any kind of predictable playing, making it sound like everyone is improvising different songs as they go. "A Very Cellular Song" opens nicely with some group singing that brings back the communal vibe, but it descends into an aimless mess not long after. I love some of the ideas here, but the execution is painful to listen to for even half of the album's length.
Waaaay to folky for me.
Some nice folk music, I'm not enamored but some of the instrumentation is really quite experimental and worth admiring
odd and magical but would never listen again
Since reading Luke Haines' strong defence of Robin Williamson in Freaks Out, I've been interested to go back to The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter. Paul and I sampled a few lines and licks from Witch's Hat back whenever we did that sort of thing and lyrics from the song have become established parts of my vocabulary when speaking to Moose - she is a sleekid eldritch rat after all. But it is hardly a favourite record and not one that I've thought of much, let alone thought much of. But, yet again, the injustice of 'the lowest rated records on this site' raises something from the pit of the stomach to the throat. How do other people manage to get music so wrong? That is not to say The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter is a great record - it is not - but to listen to this charming, crackpot recording and focus on flat vocals, amateurish playing and formless songs seems to miss the point. Not only of the record itself, but of pop music more generally. The same logic leads to praising Eminem for his flow, mistaking a verbal athlete for an artist. A pop record is a window onto character. Perhaps not authentic or true character, but the artistic character that the artist puts forward, the avatar that you can engage with or relate to. That, i think, is the main appeal of a record, with tuneful singing and proficient playing as mere tools at the characters disposal. Or character plays a considerable part at least. That users here think that Robin Williamson singing about the pleasant inner lives of amoebas does not significantly counterbalance the voice with which he sings it baffles me. Here is a record that is ambitious, but lackadaisical. Diverse and yet always the same. It is impossible to tell if the melody is leading the guitar part or vice verse. In actuality, I think they are each chasing the other. And, in these seeming contradictions, you get a clear picture of the composers and performers. Charming freaks. My People Were Fair and Had Sky in their Hair is a fair comparison to The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, I think. Marc Bolan was just coming out of being a mod. He would soon be a glam icon. Unlike his buddy, Bowie, he wasn't a chameleon whose nature was to change. He couldn't progress through multiple forms, because his actual form was pop star. He got there eventually, but the fey Tyranosaurus Rex wasn't it and wasn't the vehicle, but there is no question that The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter is the final form of the Incredible String Band. One cannot go so far completely in one direction of absurdity and whimsy to then move on to something else. Freaks have nowhere else to go. Stars, like Bolan, have somewhere very specific to go - up. I find it hard to dislike Robin Williamson here. Luke Haines' account ends with attending a small venue performance by Williamson, who, now in his 80s, still lugs his own gear on and off stage. That's some going, as his gear includes a hurdygurdy. The glimpse of character we see on The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter - unfussy, undemanding, unpretentious - holds true over fifty years later. And that does not deserve to rank so low. That said, I don't think Robin would actually mind all that much. 3 I had to work late last night, which meant a couple of hours by myself in a big barn in the countryside. Notwithstanding my sobriety I reckon these were ideal circumstances for my first two listens to The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter. I listened with interest because this album currently features in the ten lowest ranking albums of the 1089 on the site. Ultimately I listened with great sympathy too; what had this harmless music done to earn this kicking? A quick check on Wikipedia for Incredible String Band members’ involvement in cult murders or paedophilia followed, naturally. No such demerit could be applied! I suppose people just hate whimsy and acoustic instruments. Well, I don’t. This was very nice. Robin Williamson‘s songs are melodically rich and he has an endearing, unpretentious voice. His lyrics are rambling but have a keen poetic edge and colour: The new moon is shining, the angels are washing their windows/ Above the years whose jumble sale goes spinning on below I’d be happy with that. Fuck all you downvoters. Mike Heron‘s songs seem rather more fussed for an audience than Williamson‘s; less introspective and somehow more studied in their oddness. They are also very good - particularly Swift is the Wind, which may be my favourite on the album. I wonder whether the greater part of the gulf between these apparently widely despised songs and Brian Wilson’s more whimsical moments - work for which he is regularly cited as a visionary genius - might be, in the main, a million dollars worth of studio time. Well as a piece of recording I find this interesting enough. It’s got lo-fi charm, it’s got all the instruments in the toy cupboard, and no one was brutally murdered or molested in the making. What more do people want? I am awarding an extra half mark here; a wee candle, lit for the sins of other listeners. I understand they might not all have a nice barn or other such ideal venues - ‚quiet places where the moss grows green‘ - in which to properly contemplate the album. But to be honest, I found that it slapped on the drive home up the motorway also. 3/5
Ugh, how do I get this hippie smell off of me?
A wild album. Sometimes it felt like a chill time at a pub with a local band, and other times it felt like a drug trip at a renaissance fair. I wouldn’t call it terrible, but I wouldn’t try to listen to any of the songs again.
It’s unbelievable that some of the worst music I’ve heard is coming from a list titled 1001 albums to listen to before you die. A Scottish psychedelic rock band playing the sitar relied seemed like the epitome of music? Really? Really? I hate this album so much. It belongs in the trash with any and all britpop that I know is coming
I mean... I didn't hate it. I wouldn't say it was good but it was definitely interesting. I'd rather have something be not great but interesting than boring. They were doing something here, which I can vibe to to a certain extent.
unironically so fun and goofy 'your wish is not granted unless it's a fish your wish is not granted unless it's a dish a fish on a dish is what you wish'
They aren't incredible at all. In fact, the "Incredible" String Band have a whopping 2.15 out of 5 on this site. "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter"'s mix of psychedelica and folk music doesn't impress me at all. I don't think a sober person would compose "The Minotaur's Song". Why am I getting so many psychedelic albums? 2 stars for "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter".
It feels like a Sgt. Pepper's kind of situation that honestly, is just not my vibe.
immediately... what the hell?
I owned this album because Richard Thompson was on it. I shouldn’t have.
I made it four songs
I can definitely see why it has such a low average rating. It's hard to love, even for someone who can stomach a lot of goofy 60's Psychedelia. I can't bring myself to dislike it all that much. It does a good job at setting an atmosphere. Said atmosphere is a kooky D&D tavern though. Full of weird shit and strange sounding instruments. Interesting inclusion, but not for me.
Bad
I can't tell if this exists because of drugs, or if only enjoyable with drugs. Or perhaps both. Psychedelic folk is not a hybrid genre I would have considered to exist, but I guess it's kind of right there in the atmosphere of the 60s. For the time, I'm sure the introduction of instruments not frequently heard in western music and the production value made it a bit of a novelty, but Pet Sounds had already shown heavily produced music and doing it much better. I really have no explanation for this album. It's a novelty that's somehow not really worth experiencing even for its novelty.
This is a hard album to describe, much less rate. It's a world-spanning mish-mash of folk instruments playing songs that are clearly carefully organized, but don't follow any discernible structure. The lyrics range from weird to totally incomprehensible, and parts of it sound like odd numbers cut from a Monty Python album for not being quite funny enough. The instruments are played well, but the vocals are often just out of tune enough to be maddening. I'm going to give it two stars, because it's interesting but I Just Don't Get It.
Nope
Didn't mind it, some nice weirdness
Acid folk is not my jam and toast but few grand tunes (2.5)
fuckin wank hippy nonsense. some of the worst lyrics ever commited to record
Some of it is… not great. But! I do like the feeling that I’ve been transported to a forest and a bunch of weirdos showed up with some instruments. And some water.
man fuck this, this would be the most insufferable group of people you could run into. I dont care about your enchanted forest bullshit. The flute that never stops and droning vocals makes my blood boil, I cant imagine this being someones preferred music.
Naa man this ain’t it. Unoriginal, boring hippie baroque ren fair bullshit. Save the 49 minutes and listen to almost anything else
Sounds like a medieval band playing improv. Terrible.
Not feeling it.
The dude can't sing, there are 10 other people and not one of them can play an instrument to safe their life, the lyrics are absurd, there is a kazoo..... but it made me laugh which is the most important thing
Robert Dimery is a beneficiary of the estate of this band. He gets royalties from every additional stream. That is the only reason this album could be included. Holy fuck I want that 50 minutes of my life back.
Absolute bullshit album, there are brief moments of interest surrounded and drowned by atonal, a rhythmic drivel, i couldn't wait for it to finish
Kamalaa. Ihan hirveetä tuubaa. Olisin kuollut iloisempana jos en olisi kuullut tätä.
Juuh elikkäs. Vaikee tästä on mitään sanoa, tsaikedelista folkkia kuulemma. Levyn alusta reilu puolet oli kyllä melko vaikeeta kuunneltavaa, loppupuoliskolta löyty pari vähän siedettävämpää biisiä, kokonaiskokemus ei lämmittäny.
Polyamory needs to be outlawed
One reviewer said "Kamalaa. Ihan hirveetä tuubaa. Olisin kuollut iloisempana jos en olisi kuullut tätä." and i completely agree. this makes me wanna fuck my own tätä with a tuubaa until I iloisempana jos all over the hangman's beautiful daughter's hirveetä. stupid ass kamalaa hippies get a real job!!!!
Fun and bad!
Truly abysmal
I'm very happy that something this indescribably bizarre could get made and also get enough attention to be included on a list like this. If you took all of George Harrison's raga rock pieces and deep-fried them in acid, you might get something similar to the sitar-driven tracks on this. There's some more "conventional" guitar-driven folk songs, but if a song on this album goes past the 4-minute mark, there will be at least 2 tempo changes. It's the progressive undercurrent that pins this album of very disparate people and influences together. I mean, there's a 13-minute song on here that changes up every minute or so! You'd be hard-pressed to find an album more eclectic and varied than this in the 60s British folk scene. Of course, there's a very cultish thing going on, especially with the songs like "Witches Hat" and the 13-minute centerpiece "A Very Cellular Song." The sitar-driven songs like "There Is a Green Crown" does the Indian influence justice, as does the singer who does a pretty serviceable job of imitating the vocal runs and microtones heard in Hindustani classical music. This is an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink kind of album, where the everything is basically any and all string instruments within a 50-mile radius of the band members (where else would they get their name from?) Definitely not something for everyone, but not something whose innovations can be discounted either. Key Tracks: Koeeooaddi There, Witches Hat, A Very Cellular Song, There Is a Green Crown
A grower. It's a bit much to take, but at least it's always interesting!
Oh man there are a lot of ideas on this one. Some are good, and many are insane. Still, they are going for something, and it doesn't really sound like much else. Hard to imagine how they got this made even at the height of the druggie/art era. Won't necessarily revisit much, but I'm glad I heard it.
This album is great! I'm really grateful to have encountered it through this list. I definitely understand why it's not for everyone, but I adore the overall weirdness and it sounds like some pretty inventive psychedelic experiments for 1968. I will need to continue relistening because there's just so much going on with this album.
This is not good, not good at all. Having said that, there are worse albums that aren’t in the lowest rated group like this one, but also saying that there is no way I’m listening to this again.
Cult music without the requisite magnetism? Pass.
So hear me out, this album isn't THAT bad. Don't get me wrong, It's weird as hell and I am sure everyone involved in its creation was on enough LSD to kill a silverback gorilla, but it don't think it merits bottom 10 status. I am only 35 albums deep and I have already heard two albums that were definitively worse than this one. I think the reason this is rated so low is that is it is one of the weirdest bad albums I have ever heard, but to be honest I prefer bad and weird to bad and boring. I guess some days you are the tablecloth and some days you are the table.
What a strange listening experience
This album sees the folk group embracing a particularly psychedelic sound as a part of the creation of a new countercultural British folk music. It deliberately embraces a kind childlike whimsy with a conscious amateurism. I'm not really blown away, but its an interesting project.
4 out of 5. Three stars because I can see why some people hate this album but I feel like there's worse I've come across so far. Last star goes to the dog on the album cover.
Interesting album
Grating frequently, occasionally ok, ultimately not for me
When people say they hate hippies…. Music made by hippies like this is the reason why.
It had the vague shape of something I might like but no thanks
Tem boas músicas, mas é um pouco chatinho.
I associate weirdness with being goofy, loud in some manner and somewhere along the spectrum. The Incredible String Band represents a brand of weirdness that veers into a strange, secretive community. The title of the album, and its cover convey this sentiment along with the music. They do not threaten the listener in any way, but I would feel uncomfortable stumbling upon this group as they strummed on a front lawn, or more appropriately at a darkened campsite. The Incredible String Band consumed a ton of mushrooms to work up this material. I have no evidence for this assertion, but the record does not conjure up LSD trips. It has soil, forest leaves and a dying fire, not bright rainbows. The song titles follow this theme: “The Minotaur’s Song”, “The Witches Hat”, “Waltz of the New Moon.” A campfire-folk club atmosphere prevails as they employ sing-alongs more than back-up vocals on “The Minotaur’s Song.” Unlike fellow English folk music explorers Fairport Convention, The Incredible String Band limits the music to acoustic instruments, nothing approaching rock and roll as the barest of percussion appears let alone drums. Robin Williamson and Mike Heron play a music shop assembly of instruments with enough competence to accompany their period piece vocals. Too often their singing sounds almost theateresque as the duo tries to replicate a long lost sound. At times the style pulled me into their world, but just as often it seemed performative. While not upbeat, a gloom does not linger over the album. We peak into some oddball villagers’ community as they make their way in the world. As I type this review at 8:34AM in August, the room is nearly dark as an early morning rain soaks the neighborhood. I recommend this album under these circumstances.
Happofolk kuulostaa ihan jo lähtökohtaisesti erikoiselta. Viihdyttävää taas erikoisuudessaan. Kunnon keskiaika folkkia, mutta kappaleet on oudompia ja progressiivisia. Parhaat: Waltz of the New Moon, The Water Song, Swift as the Wind
I've never heard of The Incredible String Band before, though I don't need to speculate too hard about what this album could be. The cover and album name make it pretty clear that this is a folk release. I suspect that the fiddle will also prominently feature on this album given that these guys are apparently an incredible string band. Oh, and they're probably Irish, too. Anyways, here goes. Eeeeyup. Issa folk release. This was quaint enough for the first couple of tracks, though I could not wait to see the back of this album by the time I crossed the finish line. Forty-nine minutes is kind of a brutal runtime for an album comprised of gimmicky psychedelic folk tunes, especially when they follow the exact same formula across each track. What else is there to say about this album, really? The world styles lend some semblance of variety to this album, though the slow, lethargic vocal melodies and plodding instrumentation firmly anchor this music in place. The panning on the streaming version of this album is fucking awful too, which is kind of the nail on the coffin for me. 80% of the song comes through the left ear whereas a single instrument and part of the vocals come through the right. As a result, the album is frustrating and jarring to listen to because of how empty the music sounds. All in all, this was quite the draining listen and I shant ever return to it. Book time. "This acid folk marvel represents a potent seed of the current "world music" movement, and a time capsule for the UK rural hippy lifestyle between 1966 and '73." The Incredible String Band were one of the frontrunner acts in UK underground music of the time. They're able to play a wide variety of instruments. Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and the frontman of Led Zeppelin are fans of this band. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards had attempted to sign The Incredible String Band when they were in talks about their ill-fated "Mother Earth" record label. The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter is widely considered to be the band's creative peak. Wikipedia says this album is The Incredible String Band's most ambitious, experimental and commercially successful outing. It also received a Grammy nomination, was influential in the development of psychedelic folk and has been warmly received by critics. It peaked at No. 4 in the UK and No. 161 in the US. Hmm. Hrmm. I've always been one for strange, offbeat albums, though my quirkometer readings for this album are dangerously low. Blending psychedelic and world music styles isn't exactly a bold or daring choice. I'd argue that both of those styles were rooted in folk from the get-go. That being said, I can't deny that some pretty prominent names like this album and it appears to have had a bit of a creative legacy. I can't argue with those latter points, so I'm content with letting this album through. I cosign this inclusion.
Better than Coldplay
Weird as hell. I kinda dig it.
I was not previously familiar with this album. This is an interesting album. It's a folk album at its core but it has a lot of complex layers and eclectic instruments. There are elements that remind me of Procol Harum and The Zombies. It is quite haunting at times. I am happy to have heard this once, but not sure I would come back to it.
This was a struggle. I have been able to appreciate the value in Duck Stab/Buster & Glen, Trout Mask Replica, Opus Dei, and even uncountable hours of 69 Love Songs, but this stretched my commitment. The first track is bad in the most pointless way. Track 2 honestly had me thinking it was a Monty Python sketch - but honestly it was entertaining. Then track 3 manages to provide something approaching music for the first half, but disintegrates into mush. Track 4 has a recorder and a kazoo competing for most annoying. And why is this track so absurdly long? This is absolute wank. Somehow whoever was in charge of this plane seems to decide to land it after these 13 minutes in free fall. 5 and 6 absolutely fly by as almost competent compositions (well except track 6 forgetting that it is supposed to be a waltz about halfway through). In the end it’s either a 1 or a 5 - let’s stick with the spirit of this project and go 5.
Sorprendentemente me ha gustado más de lo que pensaba al principio. Aunque hay canciones que parece que cada uno las haya grabado en su casa sin saber que hacia el resto.
?????
Fantastical and psychedelic use of Indian sitars but sounds through composed and not memorable. 3/5
Not everything about this works (there is, for instance, not an insignificant amount of kazoo) but this is quite good. It really captures exactly the mood it’s going for too, it feels like it’s midnight in the woods.
but more boring than the cover would suggest..
So not my style of music. Folk, flute and fantasy are no bueno
Psychedelic folk built from acoustic guitars, exotic folk instruments, whimsical arrangements, and fragile vocals feels like wandering into an eccentric curiosity shop filled with fascinating objects from around the world. At first, every shelf invites another look, but after a while the endless stream of oddities becomes exhausting because I no longer know what to focus on or what any of it is meant to add up to. The album's surreal lyrics and unconventional performances give it a unique identity, but for me curiosity gradually gave way to fatigue.
Whelp, there was a moment I really thought I could like this and then it was gone. Was hoping for some bluegrass and I was thoroughly disappointed
ik heb nog nooit zoiets vaags gehoord. niet perse slecht maar wel echt niet goed
An utterly bizarre and wildly fantastical folk album. I knew right away that other reviewers were gonna crucify it, lol, but I’m glad to see so many others defend it. Yes it’s polarizing in its approach, but it’s just so utterly whimsical that it feels ripped straight out of a child’s imagination. I instantly felt transported into a scene from Monty Python & the Holy Grail. I could definitely see a young Neil Peart and Geddy Lee of Rush giving this a listen while absolutely toasted and getting all the inspiration needed to write the lyrics to the songs from 'Hemispheres'.
Meh, didn't really bring me any joy. It's pretty I guess
Enjoyed listening to this album while playing OSRS, but not sure I would choose to listen to it on its own
Absolutely nothing incredible about this.
Crazy album. Some parts I loved, others I did not.
Worst album I’ve ever had the displeasure of listening to
Nope literally didn’t finish it. Burning pile of garbage not music. Hurt my ears
I wanted so badly to not finish this album, yet I mustered through the pain. Genuinely should get zero stars. It's a nothing album. I do not need to be hearing Kazoo in 2026. Music so bad I got angry. Swift as the wind maybe just maybe just maybeeeee was fine.
Please do NOT have this playing when the girls get here. Reminds me of mip from smiling friends and all the fantasy games and u get it. If u like this ur lying
Quite horrible. Maybe it would be good at a ren faire or some other joking event
About 10 seconds in I was convinced I would hate it, but it was just so dense it pulled me in. Structured in the microstructure but not in the macrostructure. Lyrics were a little annoying at times but never lazy. I don't think I would ever listen to the whole album again for fun though so that loses it a star sadly.
Ugh. Best Song: N/A Rating: 3/10 Stars: 2
Dit soort kaboutermuziek ga ik dus echt hard op
Best: N/A (if I had to choose Minotaur's song but still meh) Worst: Koeeaddi There
light 3.5. Folk legal mas nada que realmente chame atenção, e com certeza dura mais do que o necessário
The most challenging listen for me so far. Cellular Song about killed me. One highlight is The Minotaur. Cool vibe, gimmick and story telling on that one alone. Gotta go with a strong 3/10...
There are a lot of great Singer-Songwriter albums but this is definitely not one of them. 2 stars or D+.
Nah mane
oof. There's a lot here.
Makes me wish I was back in my shroom era the world is one to fully enjoy it more. I can see why it's important and of its time and the impact it's had on a lot of other work I like. Jingle jangle give me a five more minute pan flute water driping break about the cellular world and how we are all one. Enjoyed as a whole don't think I would go back to listen to individual songs though it grew on me after multiple listens. Just feels a bit trite in 2026 maybe or I'm not in the mood to hear the message, I've spent enough time with hippies nicknamed moonstone who hold celestial powers to feel a bit exhausted by it. Update: I see a glaswegian nicknamed Licorice in the wikipedia page and links to scientology which all things considered makes a lot of sense. Can you believe they didn't even record them for the Woodstock film? Is this band somehow too hippie for Woodstock who would have funk it. You get the feeling these are some of the worse people you would meet at a houseparty that would try to get you to join their polyamorous commune. I've met glaswegian fire breathers I imagine it's the same feeling.
One would assume that the intended audience for this whole 1001 albums project isn’t high on fucking acid all day long, because who the fuck listens to this boring crap?
Go away, hippies
Koeeoaddi There
The jesters making it out of the castle with this one, such an interesting listening experience. A combination of fairytale atmosphere and Dylan like inflections really make this such a fantasy like experience. With medieval melodies accompanied by haunting vocals with religous subject matter really make this one of the most baffling albums I’ve listened to. I will say the vocals do get a bit whiney at points and aren’t so comfortable to listen to. While kinda joking in my first sentence, it does actually sound like a jester performing his life’s work to the king in hopes he doesn’t kill his family. Can’t say I’d return to this album a lot, it was a really fun listen, I’d definitely recommend it to those who wanna divert themselves into some really experimental and haunting environments.
*1968. Scottish psychedelic folk... *This is so strange. Sometimes it's like the parts of Beatles' albums where you can tell they were doing many drugs. Other times it's like a sea shanty. And then most of the time it was like being at a very strange Renaissance Faire. *It was kind of fun, but I also frequently wanted to skip songs. RATING - 6/10
With my propensity to NMH I thought this might be right up my alley. It was only okay. The psychedelics were there but it just wasn't dynamic enough to be what I wanted it to be. Still a cool project.
Extra point for technical competence but otherwise “psychedelic folk” is not something that I want, ever.
my kind of stupid nonsense
Fuck. 3 notes into this and I already don’t want to listen to it. I don’t know if it’s because it’s super shit (I’m inclined to believe that’s at least a factor) or because I’m about 8 days into straight 1 and 2 star records and I’m about over it. This pretty much blows. Like, it’s bad enough that it’s actually laughable. It sounds like something you’d hear at a renaissance fair. But not hired by the ren fair. Like if random people just showed up at the ren fair with a sitar (?) and a guitar and and some castanets and started jamming. It fucking sucks. I have at least laughed a couple of times; the humor is unintentional, but I did laugh. 4/10
This album is definitely an experience, though a pretty exhausting one. It’s basically “Ren Faire cottage-core” turned up to eleven, like it was made by people who dropped way too much acid and completely forgot how to stay in tune. Listening to it feels like being trapped in a room with a group of eccentric hippies who just found a pile of kazoos, sitars, and jaw harps. It’s a rambling, discordant mess of medieval sea shanties and hippie-dippie stuff that honestly just gave me a headache.
I like the ISB...this is not their best though
I have a soft spot for this as I used to listen to my dad's old ISB records. I mustn't have listened to this one as much as the others though, I'm not so familiar with it. It seems more mystical and less whimsical and silly than the others. I suspect I'd find it a harder listen if I came across it for the first time now.
This one was a bit odd. The vocals make this really difficult to listen to, but I enjoyed the rest of the package.
My dad loved this. No idea why. Bonkers
This was hard to get through. I didn't like the folk psychedelic mash-up.
White ppl shit
Three is a Green Crown encapsulates the frustration I have with this album, it's almost great but it's smothered in production choices that I wish I enjoyed more than I did.
New to me. An interesting album that I think would definitely grow on me over time, but on first listen I liked it rather than loved it.
For various reasons I listened to this in a bit of a stop / start way which probably didn’t do it justice. I will definitely revisit, interesting
As Jason said, probably a grower - but I enjoyed it enough.
Incredible stuff. “A Very Cellular Song” is one of my very favourite all time songs of all time. Thank you RGP and thank you ISB!!!! 4 stars. Tom.
Eh.
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter was an absolutely painful listen. This is one of those bands that just are incapable of writing melody to save their life. Initially i thought it sounded tolerable, a bit messy sure, but still tolerable but as it kept going, it just kept getting worse. This one just gives me a lot of Deja vu to Shivkumar Sharma's Call Of The Valley seeing as the two use similar instruments and they both get annoying really fast. I however, think that this album is worse than Call Of The Valley since at least it felt like that album had better melodies. This album was just an agonizing one to get through and i am so happy that it's over. Best Song: Koeeoaddi There Worst Song: Swift as the Wind
Well, that was weirder than anticipated.
Odotukset olivat kovat tämän levyn suhteen, kun luin wikipedia artikkelin levystä. Petyin, biisit huonoja, eikä tilannetta pelastaneet edes soitto.
Hippy strings
Did not enjoy this at all. Horrific vocals (did they even listen to ‘Swift as the Wind’ before publishing it?) , and too much 60’s. Probably would have sounded awesome in medieval times… some of the instrumentals were cool, but can’t get past the singing! Rating: 2/10 Favorite Song: three is a green crown (I guess?)
There were points that I didn’t think I would get through the album.
Whowee, what a desaster...
corny 60s folky/sitar
Someone in 1968 bought this album because they thought it would help them get laid when they brought the man or woman they were interested in back to their place. I gotta admit, I'm not sure if that worked out for that person.
absolute bullshit and i, weirdly enough, loved it
String Band? I like where this is going. "Psychedelic folk"? Alright, that's what I'm talking about! What else? "*More* experimental than previous albums." Hell yeah! I'm ready to declare this a wi--NOPE! No. Wrong. That's a damn mess. It's somewhere in the 1's for sure, but I will allow for the round up in recognition of the effort to get weird
A rare two for me. A parody of itself. I’m sorry, just because you put sitar in a song, doesn’t make you cool. I don’t mind the English folk genre, but come on. This is super cheesy and sounds like it was written in 10 minutes.
Вибачте, але я не буду це слухати до кінця. Для супер поціновувачів британського фолку з психоделікою на межі карикатури.
Хіпанський гуфі психоделік фолк з 60х. Я одразу уявляю погано постарівшу пародійну комедію нульових, де показують хіпанську комуну, в якій всі курять траву, приймають ЛСД і обімаються, а частина людей навколо вогня співає щось під гітару і флейту - саме так і звучить цей альбом. Жах
This falls squarely into the "not my thing" category. Experimental psychedelic music from the late '60s has never really been my lane, and this album does very little to change that. To its credit, it does improve with repeated listens. I gave it a few chances, and once the initial weirdness wears off, some of the ideas start to make more sense. The problem is that I have a hard time being completely impartial when it comes to this genre. The whimsical, freeform psychedelic folk approach just isn't something I enjoy.
Started thinking it was just a couple of lads being silly, ended up being extremely annoyed by it all. Truely a torurous 49 minutes of what only a few would describe as 'music'.
Horrendous. It definitely has a place on this list because it's so... unconventional. But just dreadful to have to listen to.
gave me a headache
3/5
Thank you 1001 Album Generator, I finally found an album to torture prisoners with should I ever need it! Sounds like a randomly cobbled together pile of nonesense. Whatever enchanted forest they're trying to channel I want nothing of it. Unlistenable 1/5
Dud
Urrggh that was tough going. It's so bad and trippy and weird that it actually becomes funny.
What the hell? There’s not enough acid in the world to make this sound good.
Kind of has an identity crisis on what to sound like. Fold, gospel, soft rock; sure they are related but was hard to figure it out.
Not for me but I thought it might be a 1, so there's that.
Holy pretentiousness
While I appreciate the diverse instrumentation utilized on this album, the final product has to have some level of listenability for the diversity to mean anything. A very unpleasant and overall muddy listen
cacota
Really odd, and I love it for that. The genre ascribed to this by Wikipedia is "Acid Folk," and that pretty much sums it up. Just... odd. Good for them.
It really wanted to like this album. The vocals drug it down a point.
The sitar was the only redeeming thing about this album
RATING: 7/10 HIGHLIGHT: The Minotaur's Song LOWLIGHT: Mercy I Cry City
I didn’t really get into this one.
There were a few moments that were kinda great, so it is getting 2 stars, but I have never listened to an album that made me feel physically uncomfortable, like my skin was crawling and i had to repeatedly stop listening to it.
Will never listen to it again, but seems quite cool for what it is
I sure am glad to have discovered this. Done some research, a fun and interesting deep dive into their history, how its come about, the fact that the Beatles were fans. Could have been about 10 or 15 minutes shorter though.
schlimm
The Water Song war cool. Zeitweise klingen auch die anderen Lieder gut, aber andererseits auch unangenehm zu hören.
Erstaunlich scheiße
No. 408/1001 Koeeoaddi There 3/5 The Minotaur's Song 4/5 Witches Hat 3/5 A Very Cellular Song 3/5 (3x) Mercy I Cry City 3/5 Waltz of the New Moon 2/5 The Water Song 2/5 Three Is a Green Crown 2/5 (2x) Swift as the Wind 2/5 Nightfall 3/5 Average: 2,69 The first half was way better than I expected. But it got progressively worse for me.
Too hippy folksy for my taste. The second point is for the weird
i don't use this term lightly so believe me when i say that this some hippy dippy bullshit really grating and directionless. does nothing and everything at the same time. couldn't even catch a vibe while listen, so failed in probably its main task
this is what a leprechaun would play for you to show off his new stereo setup
Irish folk psychedelic folk. Appropriately off the wall. Silly. Monty Pythonesque at times. A song about a minotaur that can't sleep. Good for what it is but not always pleasant. Interesting but not interested in ever listening to again.
se for deg The Gnome men i stedet for å være en koselig 3-minutters LSD throwaway, så er det nesten 50 minutter med påtatt wyrd folk. vi må forandre verden med middelalder-cosplay? ta heller og stikk den fløyta langt opp i rasstappen; en langt mer revolusjonær handling.
Nei, jeg er ikke interessert i å høre om kommende ridderturneringer i mitt område. Jeg prøver bare å så dette steinete jordet slik at jeg kan betale skatt til kongen.
Trash
es medio raro, m hace acordar a la musica celta
More irritating than interesting
Das schottische Duo Robin Williamson und Mike Heron nahm sein drittes Album im Dezember 1967 in den Sound Techniques Studios in London auf, produziert von Joe Boyd für Elektra Records. Was dabei entstand, war weit mehr als ein weiteres Folk-Album: ein Klangkosmos aus Sitar, Oud, Hackbrett, Hammerklavier und unzähligen Perkussionsinstrumenten, der sich gegen jede Schublade sperrte. Der Begriff Acid Folk greift hier noch am ehesten – doch auch er bleibt Annäherung. Das Album trägt seine acht Stücke wie Rituale, nicht wie Songs. „Koeeoaddi There" eröffnet mit magischem Nonsens und verschlungenen Melodielinien, während „A Very Cellular Song" – mit über dreizehn Minuten das Herzstück der Platte – Amoeben, Liebe und Kosmologie in eine einzige mäandernde Komposition fasst. „The Minotaur's Song" changiert zwischen Volksballade und psychedelischem Theater. Williamson und Heron singen oft schief, nie egal – und genau das verleiht allem eine seltsame Wahrhaftigkeit. The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter erreichte bei seinem Erscheinen Platz fünf der britischen Albumcharts und brachte der Band eine Grammy-Nominierung ein – bemerkenswert für Musik, die sich so demonstrativ der Konvention verweigert. Wer sich auf dieses Album einlässt, betritt eine Welt, die gleichzeitig uralt und vollkommen fremd wirkt. Ein Werk, das man nicht so sehr hört, wie man es durchquert – und das man verändert verlässt.
Folk, 81 eme album =>1/5 Rien d’intéressant dans cet album ennuyeux à mourir. Impossible d'aller au bout.
Awful
Bonkers music only the 60’s. Floaty folksy whimsical scattergun.
Eclectic is a word for this. I like the acoustic instruments, but the singer is not the strongest. Liked Songs Added: The Minotaur's Song
Only enjoyable if brain damaged, high or both
I don’t really understand the vitriolic hate this album seems to get here. Not that I loved it, but it’s quaint and charming and raw in a way that feels like it’s bristling with human experience. Whatever that means. I’m struggling to articulate exactly how it made me feel but it definitely did make me feel, so even though I may not have enjoyed the musicality of it at some points I think it deserves a 3
By the third song, I was ready to dropkick leprechauns and start chucking potatoes at a wall.
On the morning, I listened to this album, I rushed to get out the door thinking I was running late, only to realize partway through my drive that I still had plenty of time to get to work. This album was certainly one of the most interesting and challenging listens so far: the lyricism and vocal style was consistent with folk and traditional music I often love, but the instrumentals were absolutely unhinged the entire time. I suppose that when a band is called The Incredible String Band, I probably should expect a lot of wild strings. Rarely do the instrumentals ever rest, often sounding like a collage of every single string instrument I could possibly imagine, and even including what sound like flutes and kazoos and cartoon sound effects on top of that. The instrumentals are genuinely so overwhelming that I frequently lose track of the songs. I respect the ways in which the band incorporates elements of musical influences from other cultures, and the band's commitment to their own artistic vision, but it just doesn't hold me most of the time. The earlier half has quite a few more songwriting moments which click with me than the later songs do, but there is still just a general disconnect between me and most of this album. Highlights: Koeeoaddi There, A Very Cellular Song, Mercy I Cry City, The Water Song
Falopa rara pero no está mal, el violín a veces está todo podrido y parece un mosquito jodiendo, las otras cuerdas carrean bastante. Por momentos roza el parecido con Yoko Ono gritando pero no llega a ser molesto. Sape
When I saw The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter by The Incredible String Band described as a psychedelic folk album, I’ll admit my expectations were not particularly high. Still, one of the points of this challenge is to keep an open mind, so I gave it a fair chance. Unfortunately, this album did absolutely nothing for me. I found it baffling from start to finish and struggled to connect with any of the songs. The whole thing felt like an unfunny Monty Python sketch stretched across an album, with bizarre lyrics, strange vocal performances and ideas that seemed more interested in being eccentric than actually being enjoyable to listen to. I can appreciate that it was probably groundbreaking and influential in its day, but I genuinely have no idea how it made the 1001 Albums list. This is one of those records where I finished it more confused than entertained, and it’s not something I can ever imagine returning to. Favourite track: Honestly, I couldn't pick one Least favourite track: The entire album was a struggle for me Album artwork: I can see why people compare them to the Manson Family — it's certainly an unsettling and memorable cover
Es wirkt wie ein ausuferndes Duselexperiment, das mehr Räucherstäbchen als Richtung besitzt. Die Incredible String Band taumelt hier zwischen Feenfolk, esoterischem Geflüster und endlosen, zerfaserten Songstrukturen. Einzelne Momente schimmern kurz auf, doch das Album verliert sich zu oft in skurrilen Ritualen ohne echten Kern.
It reminds me a lot of Syd Barrett. Many of the lyrics have a childlike quality to them with the simple rhyming couplets but there is the occasional disturbing imagery. Maybe that’s the meaning behind the title. The Hangman is the cruel, messed up world and his Beautiful Daughter is the childlike perspective. The band said that the title’s meaning was up to audience interpretation, so there’s mine. There are some pacing issues, the album feels very long for being less than 50 minutes. Despite that, I thought that the longest song was the best one. 3/5
Reminds me of the The Holy Modal Rounders with a dash of Monty Python at times. Can't say it's an album I'll listen to again.
This was very very very bad.
I can only visualize cheesy costumes and a bad stage play.
Bravely bold Sir Robin rode forth from Camelot He was not afraid to die, oh, brave Sir Robin He was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways Brave, brave, brave, brave Sir Robin His head smashed in and his heart cut out And his liver removed and his bowels unplugged And his nostrils raped and his bottom burnt off And his penis split and his— Listening to this was worse than the fate suffered by poor Sir Robin.
What the shit. I guess maybe you need some random shit like this that someone gets into and inspired to make something better. But I did not like this. Was that a harpsichord? A sitar? A flute? Maybe a kazoo? All the instruments I don’t like. Also, how is this remaster? Did no one think people would listen to this on headphones and pumping certain sounds (like a sitar) loudly into my right ear might not be enjoyable. 1.25
I like renaissance fairs as much as the next guy, but I’m not out here releasing soundtracks for that shit. Christ. 1/5
Are you trolling?
Half a dozen times I have started this album and got so far through. But every time I come back to it I start at the beginning trying to work out if I enjoy it or not. It’s easy listening and the Indian feels to certain tracks along with the cowboy vibes really brings it to life in a weird it shouldn’t work but it does kind of way. Fave track- ‘waltz of the new moon’ Worst track- ‘three is a green crown’ Decent album 7/10
Incredible String Band Love the fact that some guys mixed up Gaelic folk with Indian sounds with a heady dose of psychedelia and made this. And even more so that folks bought it and lived it. That is what was great about the 60s, that willingness to embrace experimentation without fear. Best Track - that long one about the amoeba Worst track - the one with just too much sitar about a green crown 7/10
It’s interesting but I would not listen again.
I know a lot of great music is made by people smoking pot, but these guys way overshot
Aucune idée de comment interpréter ce que je viens d'écouter. wikipedia dit: "large impact on the psychedelic folk genre".. tu m'étonnes. J'ai eu l'impression plus d'une fois pendant l'écoute que le but de l'album était de faire essayer la drogue à ceux qui n'en avait pas les moyens. La variété d'instrument rend l'album super riche mais aussi incompréhensible/ dur à suivre (évidemment c'est pas juste la variété mais surtout la façon dont ils sont utilisés) donc je me suis juste laissé porter. Par moment ça me faisait penser aux délires de ringo starr quand il prenait des inspirations exotiques ça reste pas ouf mais au moins j'ai bien rigolé
Je pensais mettre un 5* mais je me dis que je m'approche surement plus du rageait que de la véritable adoration du projet. ça reste pourtant une très bonne surprise et j'ai pris beaucoup de plaisir à l'écouter. Très original
Moyen sans être médiocre
Sometimes I wish I could skip to the next album and get ahead of the game.
Hey, look! A bunch of pub singers got together, pooled their spare change, bought a sitar and an Irish flute, and then made a Donovan album. Cool, cool. Also, it kind of sounds like they kidnapped Nico and made her sing for them here and there. Also cool. Kidding. None of this is cool. I made it through 3 songs that sort of just fine and decided this was 3 material and moved on.
Super weird music designed for the Renaissance Faire. I'm somewhere between a 2 and 3 but can't imagine going back to this after one listen.
This seems like it could be an origin point for one thread of prog. Unfortunately, it's the gratuitously weird and folky part I don't like very much. It's like Jethro Tull's Thick As a Brick meets the bad parts of early King Crimson meets a Monty Python song minus the humor. But, points for being totally bananas.
3/5 - Well, this is a perfect back-to-back with Frank Sinatra. Could anything possibly be farther from Songs For Swingin' Lovers!? This is anything but professional, and it's not traditionally pleasant. You have no idea what the group of trick-or-treaters on the album cover has in store for you. This isn't "good music" in any normal sense, but it has to get points for swinging for the fences with all the instruments and utterly bizarre lyrics. Will I listen to this again? Almost certainly not. Am I glad it exists? Definitely. I'm sure many people heard this album and decided they too could sing of minotaurs, witches, and amoebae. That counts for something.
I am not even a little bit a fan of folk music
Not really sure who the audience is for this record or this band? This feels like music that would have killed in Greenwich Village in the early 60s. I do like how weird it is, but also firmly rooted in tradition. I really like A Very Cellular Song, I sing this one to Goldie when I put her down at night. I can see Jerry Garcia loving this and incorporating it into their encores. I don't know if there is a direct line from this style of music to more contemporary bands, but this feels like the source code for an Arcade Fire or King Gizzard or Edward Sharpe or Lankum or even Flogging Molly or The Pogues. An *event* band with lots of members doing weird things and just kind of leaning into the fun of all of it. Its not for everyone, but when it finds an audience, its kills.
You used to just be able to release any old shit
My kinda shit, somewhat nonsense, but there's a lot going on that I enjoy too.
Nope, I tried. I really did. My rule is listen through minimum 2/3, and skim through last songs if I'm not vibing. And this just irritated me to no end.
very hippie, not as long as i expected, and wdym one of the original members was last seen hiking arizona ?!?!?
Album is good but overlong and the singers semi-orgasmic wailing in the second-to-last song hurts it.
Ahhh… drugs. Drugs and Jesus-y psychedelic folk. It was okay honestly. Two harsh and three generous. 2/5.
뭐라 쓰지
I feel similarly about The United States of America's self titled album as I do about this one. I think this takes some really big swings that often pay off. That being said, this album is not as good as The United States of America. Many of its big swings fall flat, but many do not. I may be particularly primed to like this. And so I do. Far from flawless, far from "a cancer diagnosis" (jesus christ some of you are monsters in the reviews). 3/5
Ok
I skipped through this hippy, Renaissance fair, drug-influenced mess in record time. I wanted to escape this as quickly as the poor dog on the album cover did longingly looking like he wishes he was somewhere else.
I think the amount of illicit drugs it would take for me to comprehend the greatness of this album would take me to the other side of mortality. (4.2) ★★
Psychedelic ren fair. I don't particularly like it. 2.5 stars
Next time some boomer tries to tell you music was better in their day, I think you can just spin this bad boy. Is it the worst thing I've ever heard? No, but it's pretty aimless and it feels like some guy with a sitar crashed a ren-fest. "A Very Cellular Song" was the highlight for me. 2.5 stars.
Very cool nice Wicker Man freak folk. Loads of gems in the first half. Gets gnarlier and knobblier and slightly more parched of true highlights in the second half but still pretty cool. If I had a message for The Beautiful Hangman’s Daughter it would be “You are beautiful no matter what they say cause mean 1001 random generator reviews and low site rating can’t bring you down.” A big influence on Boards Of Canada’s first album also on this list and top of that Led Zep’s first album too because Robert Plant is a huge fan. Highlights are A Very Cellular Song, Shooeewaddywaddy There and of course the jolly jaunty Minotaur’s Song. “I'm the original discriminating buffalo man And I'll do what's wrong as long as I can. HE’LL DO WHAT’S WRONG AS LONG AS HE CAN!!!”
Fuck these dorks
1.4 They totally lost me at the line "next week a monkey is coming to stay"
Did not enjoy at all
Awful. Like some sort of nursery class music for kids
It’s a solid 2. Don’t need to listen again.
I guess this is where the ren faire woodland fairy sound in psychedelic music comes from? It wasn’t awful but it wasn’t good.
Almost painful to listen to.
Interesting listen. The hate is real, but I found myself much more bored while listening to the Stones or Led Zeppelin. I listened to it all with just one short lunch break in the middle, and it was kind of enjoyable. Swift as the Wind fucking sucks tho, it's an awful performance from everyone involved. I can't give anything higher than a 3, because I'll never listen to it again out of my own free will.
What in gods youth group gathering is this? It’s like if the band LOVE was a Christian experimental minstrel group. 3/10
Well, that was... Actually, I don't know what that was. It's left me feeling slightly bewildered. I know of the Incredible String Band, I know they're often cited as influential by bands I like, especially on the folky, proggy, side of things, but I've never connected with them myself. They sound like a spoof - if you told me this record was actually written by Eric Idle and Neil Innes, I would probably listen again and enjoy it. In places, brought to mind images of Graham Chapman clapping coconut shells together, and I'm pretty sure that's not what they were going for. Two stars for amusing me, albeit unintentionally.
The late great Paul 'Jacko' Jackson occasionally used the phrase "legend in his own lunchbox" (for all I know he may have coined the phrase) and this seems entirely apt for this lot. This is wonky whimsy which is at times endearing and at times incredibly irritating. I suspect Paul was a fan. I'm not.
meh, empezo bastante bien, pero no me mantuvo. nose, no me transmitio mucho, pero bueno me hizo acordar un poco a estilo irlandes
Very interesting album, I enjoyed the amount of sitar. The album felt very 60s flower power but also felt at times very Irish folklore-ish along with elements of world music.
This sounds like a minstrel jam night Love it
Started the first song and immediately knew it wasn’t for me.
Genuinely the worst sounds imaginable, let alone music. It's a good day for deaf people
I couldn't finish it. I really tried, even when the first song made me thing this just wouldn't be something I enjoyed. The lyrics are too whimsical and day nothing at all. The music and song structure are simply throw whatever sounds woodsy-mystical at the recording booth and see what sticks. Straight dogshit music.
Det er utroligt spændende og utroligt underligt. Det er svært at vurdere på en godt/skidt skala, men jeg var interesseret hele vejen igennem. Det skal det have cadeau for. Det er heller ikke en plade man lige glemmer, og hvem vil ikke altid gerne have psykadelisk folk fra 60'erne i ærmet når samtalen går kold. Det får en ekstra stjerne bare fordi det er noget af det mest autentisk psykadeliske jeg længe har hørt...
Incredi-BULL. Det er ganske enkelt forrygende. Fløjte, mærkelige instrumenter og lydeffekter, skør tekst og lalalala. Forstår hvorfor medieval er et keyword i reviews - men det er kun godt. Særligt de første fire numre, "Koeeoadii There", "The Minotaur's Song", "Witches Hat" og "A Very Cellular Song" alle rigtigt fine fine fine numre. Stærkt afsluttet med "Nightfall". Der er intet på dette album der trækker ned.
* 52 Jeg bøjer mig i støvet for deres ihærdighed og originalitet - men der var lidt for mange instrumenter/elementer, der ikke blev håndteret specielt godt. Desuden troede min kæreste, at jeg var ved at gå fuldstændig fra sans og samling, da den dejlige backing vokal "lal al al al al al la la lal al" kørte parallelt med den psykotiske fløjte på Witches Hat. De får 3 meget små kuriøse stjerner herfra.
Var på vej op fra start, men synes godt nok det udviklede sig i en grim retning. 1,8 bliver til 2
what the frick ????? 'A very cellular song' ?????? læg sitaren og lutten fra jer igen 1.8
Ved simpelthen næsten ikke hvad jeg skal sige eller mene. Der er gode momenter og noget af det er mærkeligt på den interessante måde, men damn der har været mange (hårde) stoffer involveret. Minotaur- sangen kommer tæt på at tage præmien for det mest fucked up jeg nogensinde har hørt
I'm not sure what was happening but this sounds like a parody of a folk psychedelia album.
Absolute pish
Acid folk, psychedelic folk, the problem here is that this is a Scottish effort so this felt like the late stages of chamber music's evolution, to me. It didn't sit great with, it wasn't calling me, just fundamentally. Later on I got to feel the "world" or middle eastern influences, and that was interesting, but the building blocks still feel off to me. I can see its historic significance, I can see how it inspired other psychedelic rock acts later on. The 13 minute star track didn't feel evolved, it felt like a weird stitching together of different songs that are meant to work together, but it doesn't -feel- like a progressive composition. I gave it a few listens throughout the day and it's pretty clear I'm not gonna get it. 2.3/5
*shrug* That's fine.
Won't these dorks please shut up
pissed me off. "Nightfall" is pretty enough that I can imagine the sort of delight people might have gotten from hearing this the first time. But it largely plays as hindustani cosplay (DEROGATORY in all caps)
ABSOLUTELY not
Absolutely dreadful. This album lured me until a false sense of security with the first few songs. I quite liked The Minotaur Song, the lyrics are quirky and it's a bit of fun. After Witches Hat the album completely falls to pieces. Some of the most mind-numbingly annoying music I've heard, repetitive and grating. The vocals in Swift as a Wind make me want to headbutt a wall repeatedly, I can't believe how shit this is. 1.5/5 (.5 for the Minotaur Song)
Wtf was this psychedelic folk fever dream? Was that a kazoo? Why am I supposed to listen to this? Maybe I'm being harsh because I had to listen in spurts, and dreaded turning it back on, but was not a fan
This is folk turned up to 11, with what can only be described as a Medieval & psychedelic twist. It borders on too extra, but the instrumentation choices make this somewhat worth listening to. Just one time, though.
This is why people hate 60s folk. I can imagine being at the Gaslight cringing at this blender of acoustic sounds.
I was anticipating some hippie bluegrass stuff but this was more olde English folk tunes. I didn't love it
Ugh.. the content exactly matched what I feared from the album cover. Psychedelic meandering hippie bs. You can literally smell the weed fumes through the record. The album serves as interesting historic piece to show where the music was at in '68, but I didn't really enjoy much of it. It just feels hastily thrown together and all over the place. Would work wonders at a 70s party reenactment in the woods, but not for much else.
This sounded like a piss-take of folk and psychedelia, but it seems they were serious. How this was ever popular is beyond me since it mostly sounded like a joke-record with some bad kareoke thrown in there. Maybe it was just a counter movement to the very polished 60s sound, I guess I’m more square than hippie.
Terrible music :-( One star...
I always liked to think that I would have been a hippie had I lived in the sixties. After listening to this album I am glad to be a nineties kid who grew up on Eurodance. I give the album two stars because I’ve learned about the interesting life of singer Licorice, who reminded me that amoebas indeed are very small. Also, Neil from The Young Ones was a fan. You can’t go against Neil.
Every band on this list is here for a reason, and 99% of that reason is because their albums are so good, or the songs are so incredible, that they influence other artists who hear them and think, 'Man, I want to make a song like that.' That's great, and that's exactly why they should be celebrated. Unfortunately, then you have a band like The Incredible String Band who play such a meandering, self-indulgent fucking mess. I've heard it labeled as 'psychedelic folk,' but it just sounds like pure garbage to me. If they are influencing anybody, whoever they influence, I do not want to hear them—because if they are anywhere near as awful as this band, they will be virtually unlistenable. One star, and that's only because I can't give it a zero.
I always appreciate when the 1001 albums list leads me to an older work and/or group that I haven't heard before, as it did here. But while I wanted to like the what now seems like naive earnestness of this album, it's mostly just kind of forgettably silly. This might have "had a large impact on the psychedelic folk genre," as its Wikipedia page claims, but what the hell even IS that genre?! Lyrically, I guess I hear hints of some of Led Zeppelin's nerdier tracks. Musically, I can hear elements that Jethro Tull would later rock up a bit. But nothing here is even fractionally as memorable as the works of those groups.
Ok so I saw this album was got SHIT on and I was very worried going into this album....... and its good???? Jesus yall are aggressive Sure its not everyone's cup of tea; its psychedelic, experimental, and just straight up weird at times. But like, these people obviously know how to make music. This album reminds me of Lucy in the sky with diamonds Dont get me wrong there is plenty I didnt care for in the album but ho ly shit guys yall act like this album stole your first born. Like the other guy said in the reviews, this album isn't even in the bottom 100 The minotaurs song A very Cellular song (this song is god damn gorgeous in between the tangy strings and flute parts)
I just wanted for this hippy shit to be over.
Yeah, it's awful. I can't believe someone thought this was a good idea. Must of been the drugs.
couldn't listen to it... Hurt my ears too much
This is ass
Listens: 2 Standout Tracks: No, not really. I recognized the name of this album as being bottom 20 (I've really gotta stop looking at the top/bottom 20), and I'm thinking to myself, man, I really hope this isn't that bad (when are reviews going to support italics??). I've listened to 7 out of 20 of the bottom albums on the List so far; Most have been deserving, but maybe one or two weren't absolutely soul-crushingly bad. 60's Scottish psychedelic-folk by definitely wasn't on my bingo card today, so I was not mentally prepared for this. It started off okay enough I guess (no, not really), but things quickly went down hill. These guys tried to speedrun how to do everything wrong making music: out of tune vocals, the chorus singing over the lead and vice versa, particularly terrible and out-of-tune flute, congratulating yourselves on a particularly ordinary and not impressive at all song, and including it on the record... and saying "Huzzah!", referring to a Minotaur as a "buffalo man", something about slithering and squelching on a 13 minute long song about who the hell knows what. All of that was just in the first three or four songs. Suffice to say, this was comically bad. I have no desire to listen to this ever again. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Psychedelic hippie folk rock. Interesting and boring at the same time. Talented artists.
Geht für mich gar nicht! Langweiliges. Gedudel!
I'm known among my friends as a guy who listens to all kinds of music, from all genres and all eras. Then a friend of mine came up to me and said, "You should listen to this. It's totally your style!" And it was this album... Today I see that episode as an insult.
never heard so many la la la la la's in my fucking life. What a goofy gringe shite album.
3/5 80% of the time pretty Main singer needs to be quiet sometimes.
muy buena musica, pero algunas canciones se me hicieron repetitivas
I've been rather forgiving for a lot of the bottom 20 here, but this is just bad. It's not folksy enough and the psychedelia leaves you checking the runtime. It's not offensive nor accessible and thus commits the worst musical sin, it's boring.
Off-key choir does improv on acid.
I felt like this was something I should have been able to get into, but just couldn't
Stunning, strange, beautiful even though I'd never heard of the band. Exactly the reason why I listen to this stuff.