Reviews (page 6 of 8)
Wow, initially listening I thought I could get on board with this album the first couple of tracks were a little kooky but manageable. Then came "A Very Cellular Song" - all 13 mins of it and it was just about as much as my mind could handle. The trippy lyrics and use of sitars and finger cymbals was way too much for me and I was definitely not high enough to appreciate much else. Some of the vocals (not sure who was responsible for them) reminded me of Italian folk music (similar era so maybe it was a thing) where the singing gets all whiny sounding like having a stomach ache. Which is what it gave me to be honest, not very pleasant. Best: The Minotaur's Song Worst: A Very Cellular Song
This album made me feel like a little lad.
Not offensive sonically, but without value for me. At times I couldn't tell if it was a theme/comedy/genre album. Commune vibes.
It was a little too folksy for me. I don't know if I would combine psychedelia and folk for a full album like that. I mean, one song is refreshing, but geez. By the end, it was just too much. I enjoy folk music a good deal, but I always get a sense of variety within the songs. These just feel very flat with not a lot of energy to them. I guess you had to be there? And then there's "A Very Cellular Song." It's an ode to mitosis? REALLY? Okay... Sorry, I just can't take this seriously.
Too weird. I did some reading and this was part of the psychedelia movement? Yeah, but took an acid trip and landed in the Middle Ages. I have to give them credit for the sheer variety of instruments they bring to bear. One or two songs I can handle, but the whole thing got old fast. Unless of course I was at Medieval Times for the day.
I'm glad these guys are doing their thing, but jesus christ
I did not know that psychedelic folk existed. Now that I have heard it, I'm not in love with it. It was fun to hear once. Some of the time, the conglomerated layers of instruments sounded less composed and more randomly thrown together.
Liked much of the instrumentation, heavily put off by the vocals. Songs meandered and stretched on and on at times
Halfway through and this album is NOT working for me at all. Just not something I can latch on to at all. Nope not really 😕 2 🌟
Boring acoustic
Experimental psychedelic folk... much of it sounds like a bunch of stoned hippies noodling around with instruments but there are some harmonious parts where I can understand how this type of music influenced bands like Led Zeppelin.
Rubbish
Ja, natürlich gibt es diese psychedelisch verspuktten Momente auch schon direkt im ersten Song, Koeeoaddi Theme, aber direkt danach im Minotaurenthema singt er wieder, der Gauklerchor und ich sehe die Angestellten des Ministry of Silly Walks vorbeischlendern. Witches Hat: ja nun, hallo Catweazle. Später dann auch mal Blaupausen für zB die Fleet Foxes (Waltz of the New Moon) und so, mehr Psychedelik (Three is a Green Crown), die icu aber von George Harrison schon besser gehört haben will. Lässt mich etwas ratlos zurück, ich will das doofer finden als ich es tatsächlich tue. Vergebe salomonische 2,6 und tue trotzdem nur 2 Sterne drauf. So.
I might find myself laughing at an album for any number of reasons. Some records – Thou’s Umbilical, Carcass’ Symphonie’s of Sickness – I’ll laugh at because they’re so confoundingly heavy that it feels like I’ll get the bends when it’s done with me. Others will merit a laugh for their ability to so quickly transport me back in time – AM by Arctic Monkeys, Owls’ first record; time machines to 2013. Some albums are just actually funny: Nighthawks at the Diner and its surprising one liners. Then there’s this. A record I’m laughing at maybe once every three minutes. It’s a multifaceted mirth, and I can’t say I’m particularly grateful for the laugh; I sort of think it reflects quite poorly on me. I’ll try to break it down… I find many of the songs either endless, aimless, or – as with the case of “A Very Cellular Song” – both. I find a couple of the songs – “Waltz of the New Moon,”, “The Water Song” – so ridiculously daft and ostentatious that I think they must be taking the piss (“The Minotaur Song” absolutely is, fair play). And then there’s “Swift as the Wind”, a song with a strong, powerful melody which could have cultivated an atmosphere of charming melancholy were it not for all the battle-wounded shouting going on in the background (there’s almost a full minute of just “oh oh, ohhhh” and “ahhhhh” duelling for attention). It’s a weird, individual record and I find it funny that these guys could ever have pointed to Sergeant Peppers with an accusatory, insinuating finger. Funny because yeah, I guess they have a point. I guess what I’m laughing at, either rightly or wrongly, is that special aspect of hippy culture that took itself so extremely seriously. And with all that, there’s a paradox at play: what’s laughable here is only funny so long as The Incredible String band is not joking. And if they are … well, as it is with so much more and that generation: the last laugh is theirs.
I like folk, but this was just too folkey for me
Acoustic with flutes and sitars. What starts off as good lyrics, quickly loses any luster and becomes a drone. Add it to the list of early psychedelic rock that wasn't good enough to transcend a brief trend.
Started off strong but became pretty annoying as it went on. Neat concepts but not executed well.
Not my thing
Hippy music.
Not my thing.
Innnnteresting.
Didn’t finish this album. So freaking bored. I get it. Gonna give it 2 stars because I didn’t finish it.
Labeled Psychedelic. I appreciate it, but will not listen to again.
Wir zu weltmusiklich
Uma Schitar, um gajo que parece que desafinar junto com uma espécie de vibe medieval dá um álbum relativamente desagradável de se ouvir. Nota :3/10
What is this even supposed to be? Definitely not for me.
Iets te zweverig en nonsens lyrics voor mij
Production: 6/20 Songwriting: 8/20 Innovation: 14/20 Bangers: 0/20 Emotional response: 7/20 =35 Bit too weird for me petal. Lots of wailing and references to Christian mythology.
I was expecting to like it but didn't. Too far out there even for me.
a rambling, folksy, psychedelic experience. Feels like a bunch of folk musicians slowly falling down a flight of stairs. I'm shocked I didn't like this, given everything else I gravitate towards. Trout Mask Replica except I don't get the joke.
Very eclectic folk tunes. Sometimes sounds like Monty Python!
Ihan kivaa vaihtelua tällainen musisointi, mutta ei ihan minun kuppini teetä. Oliko tämä nyt sitten jotain keskiaikaista folkia vai mitä. Ei mitenkään häiritsevää, mutta ei tästä oikein sen suurempaa irti saanut. Elämysosastolle. Minotaurilaulun liian suuret sarvet jäivät mieleen.
lol these people are so high.
sorry, not for me
Psychodelic rock, my ass...
Brings me back. Haven't listened to this record in awhile. Not their strongest, but a good listen.
Very psychedelic funk. Typical 60s stuff.
Not for me
No nyt on taas huumeet maistunut pojille. Akustista progeilua ja sekoilua, joka ei iske omaan makuhermoon yhtään. Jopa kahteen kertaan kuuntelin läpi mutta ei tämä oikein auennut.
not bad, could be good on LSD?
Jesus would NOT approve this album.
Not for me. Too folky, airy fairy.
Cool hippy music with a lot of pjoing poijgn, that went on for way too long, also the singing was sometimes good, but mostly awful
dåligt men har hört sämre album hittills.
Blaaah. Ei pullamössösukupolven edustaja ymmärrä näin hienoa musiikkia....
What the heck is this
2
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.
Go away, hippies
This was hard to get through. I didn't like the folk psychedelic mash-up.
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.
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...
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.
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
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'.
gave me a headache
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
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
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.
Trash
Folk, 81 eme album =>1/5 Rien d’intéressant dans cet album ennuyeux à mourir. Impossible d'aller au bout.
Awful
Only enjoyable if brain damaged, high or both
By the third song, I was ready to dropkick leprechauns and start chucking potatoes at a wall.
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.
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
I know a lot of great music is made by people smoking pot, but these guys way overshot
I am not even a little bit a fan of folk music
You used to just be able to release any old shit
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.
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.
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
Almost painful to listen to.
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.
Absolute pish
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
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 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.
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.
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.
2/10
scary
I’m too sober to enjoy this.
tiene sonidos interesantes, me sentí en outlander y en heidi. tiene una canción de 13 minutos??? y otra que habla del agua??? la mitad de las letras no entendí ni el idioma
If leprechauns were real and they made shit music this would be it!
Uh
"Acid Folk" would be a better genre if I had some actual acid. But I don't
This is some wierd hippy dippy crap.
nic mi sie nie podoba poza okladka, praktycznie asluchane dla mnie, niektore fragmenty piosenek byly ok
Arghhhhhh! Poke out my ears please! These past two days have killed my motivation to continue this project!
Not for me, too pirate-y or Ren Fair-ish.
i knew after a few seconds that this is going to be hard to get through
Eh. It started off interesting and then they interweaved lyrics with Christian undertones.
lmao
33 - The Incredible String Band - The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter - Rating = 1 Wow - another unlistenable offering… just shit… why was this recorded and why do I want to hear this? Dylan-esque with flutes and sitars and just noise… absolutely not. Another one that should have a Zero. Point. Zero NOTE - I’m about done with this exercise… too many just shit albums. I get it that we’re talking about 1000 albums and I’m only 3% of the way through… but in those 33 records, I have 12 records with a 1… 2 ranked with 4 and only 5 with a 5… yes I’m picky… but give me something… If we don’t get a little better in the next few days I may be done here.
Oh boy. Certainly not for me
If medieval minstrel folk music filled with flutes and whistles, handclaps and finger snaps is your thing then you are in the weirdest fucking human group. I’m sure in the 17th and 18th century this might have been a thing but there is a reason it died the fuck out. Things get better with time. This didn’t. Technology is the reason this sort of stuff no longer exists so there was absolutely no reason to do it again 2 centuries later. Since it is all the same-ish with some of the boring nonsense longer that others, there is no point in getting granular. For me, the handclaps at the first part of A Very Cellular Song was the only near highlight. Sitars and jaw harp. Holy crap. I’m out. Good night. 1/5
God, hippies are so annoying.
No interest here. This did nothing for me. 1.0
Tried to find something redeemable with this. Couldn't finish the 2nd listen
Trash. Like a bunch of mid-talented middle schoolers decided to make an intentionally quirky recording, only the musical talent isn't really there, the concepts are sophomoric, and the compositions just suck. Listening to this is pure masochism.
This wannabe Tolkien shit is one of the major food groups of British 60s rock and good gravy it’s terrible
More like The Incredible BOring Band. Get this outta here it sucks
Brave brave sir Robin ran away, when danger reared its ugly head he bravely turned and bravely fled...minstrels on acid, horrendous
boring as hell
An album you should 100% avoid before you die. This is what they play in purgatory. Also the album cover creeps me the fuck out. It’s like the family of cannibals in the woods waiting for people to get lost.
I would urge everyone to listen to this record. That way you will witness what true shitness it.
A incredible Stringy Nope from me. Not my thing at all, wafflely mythical lyrics.
Makes me wonder if music in general was just a mistake.
Well this is weird and twee.... I'm sort of unsure what the target audience is here... Like who's listening to this willingly? Moreover, who is putting this on a list of albums that I must hear?! Wild.
There are only two songs on this album, that didn't want to make me wish the hangman hung me.
0.5 - Please Kill Me
Psychedelic folk really should not exist. Throw in the word 'experimental' and my knees start to weaken (not in the good way). Maybe its a 'should have been there' type of album?
I remember the folk music scare from the late 60's. The crap almost caught on. Anyway this was a difficult listen and I'll admit to listening thru maybe half a song before I skipped ahead.
Genuinely disappointed that I didn't like this. Sometimes I forget that just because something is innovative, doesn't mean it's good </3
I can't believe this list has The Incredible String Band and The Incredible Bongo Band (the bongo band clears this band by miles). I do kind of feel band giving this one a 1, since it isn't the worst thing ever and has some creativity, but DAMN I could not listen to this out of tune moaning for another second. This has to be the worst vocalist on the entire list. This album couldn't end soon enough, everything just kept dragging on, especially that 13 minute song. High 1.
I was excited to see this, but I thought it was 'A String Cheese Incident". Oops, so I listened as much as I could to this, the looked up the other band, because I know people that LOVE them. Well I don't really like either one!
Felt very surreal, couldn't get into it.
unbearable
Trash
1. Have absolutely no idea what to expect from this. I'm in such a bad spot to be honest. My life is going so horribly, as always really. It's 100% my fault btw. I'm a pathological idiot. And this song is not really making me feel any better. Okay i actually hate this song. 2. Jesus christ, this is not okay. 3. No. Okay, maybe it's because i'm in a bad mood, as i mentioned before, but this fucking album is pissing me off. I don't wanna be such a hater but does this actually count as music? And song number 4 is exactly 13 minutes long so I'm giving up. Sorry.
Hasta no prestando mucha atención me estaba molestando en los oídos.
I quite enjoyed the outro to A Very Cellular Song, but that was about it. I can appreciate they were influential and innovative, but that doesn't make an album enjoyable to listen to.
imagine an album recorded by one of those summer camps for artsy high schoolers but the campers are actually all homeschooled by ren faire fanatics
really annoying psychedelic belle & sebastian
No
If acid trip was a record.
This was the worst album yet.
This is exactly the type of album that shouldn't be on this list. There are enough 60s hippy psychedelic folk records on the list already. This one seems particularly bad and unnecessary.
Nothing incredible about this.
So you show up at Woodstock on Friday afternoon. Richie Havens kicks it off. Nice. Joan Baez is headlining tonight. Fuck yeah. But the rest of the lineup is full of this absolute dogshit. I don't care enough to read up on these guys, but I do hope they had a nice little career on the ren faire circuit. Side note: After the album ended, the song "Painting Box" came on and it was worlds better than anything on here. Do more like that, you weirdos.
Nyt oli sen verran hippimeininkiä, että ois vaatinu muutaman jointin pohjille ennen tän kuuntelemista. Ei irronnu ei.
Tämä saattaa olla paskinta paskaa mihin olen koskaan kuluttanut aikaani. En ole juurikaan näitä tässä rojektissa mukana olleita albumeita googletellut, mutta tähän piti oikein perehtyä. Ilmeisesti tätä on siis oikeasti pidetty ihan mestariteoksena, ja ainakin Bob Dylan ja Robert Plant ovat ilmeisesti olleet innoissaan tästä. Kuinka sekaisin pitää huumehista olla, että moisen mielipiteen pystyy muodostamaan? Siis oikeasti, ihan uskomatonta paskaa. En oikeastaan nähnyt edes meemiarvoa tässä, niin paljon vitutti ihan kaikki tässä. Pakko oli jättää kesken!
This album is what happens when the only Beatles songs that you know are the George Harrison ones made between 1966 and 1967. Besides the first song, everything on here is just mumbo jumbo garbage. If you're going to put the word incredible in your band name then you had better back it up, and this band does nothing incredible. Just a waste of time, and an album that I couldn't recommend to anybody.
some pretty boring 60's folk hippie stuff. feels like a bad version of fairport connection or something
oh god. never again, please.
I am speechless
the unlistenable string band
Unlistenable.
The only word that comes to mind is... interesting. Not sure if that's in a good or a bad way... probably a bad way.
No just no. Folk is a tough genre, you NEED a good voice and this guy didn't have it (nevermind the psychedelic aspect)
Boy, it’s a hard album to ignore. It really won’t let your mind wander too far. It’s like when Jack Napier fell into the Vat of acid and became the Joker. Except it was a Celtic chap that fell into the acid and Boy howdy was there a lot of acid involved with this record. I’m glad it exists and I’m so happy to be done with it. I want to give it an extra star for being unique… but I think it belongs in the special 1 star club because it is a special album and two stars would not honor that fact.
Honestly have nothing good to say
not for me
Not my music.
This was horrible. I couldn’t listen to the whole thing.
I thought this was so cringe. There were a couple of decent parts or instrumental moments but I just couldn’t listen to this
Cant believe you can just pick up instruments you’ve never played in your life, play with no sort of rhythm or measure and whine into the mic for 49 mins and make money off it.
Stop singing, please. This would be a reasonable listen if it was purely instrumental. A bad acid trip.
Psychedelics have been getting a lot of positive press lately as a way to ease depression and anxiety, as well as other benefits. This album is important because it reminds us that they are not a magic bullet and there are incredibly bad side effects, such as rambling incoherently and thinking things are interesting that are not. This was one of the more ridiculous albums (I hope) that is on the list. If someone made a parody of terrible 60's psychedelic music, it would have been impossible to do a better job than this album.
The album was interesting. I almost added it to my library until I heard “The Water Song”. That water sample in the background made me “dance”, if you know what I mean. It was a really cruel joke that didn’t appreciate.
I wasn't really sure if I was going to give out another 1-star review, but here we are. Multiple times through this album I was cringing to myself, thinking "Oh no, this is bad", and begging for the session to be over with. I started out with a tentative hopefulness thinking maybe this is just what the 60's and 70's were like. Even The Beatles dipped their toes into this sort of Indian vibe pretty heavily. But I was quickly met with seemingly pretentious lyrics, unbearable vocals, and experimentally unpleasant compositions. I just couldn't recommend this to a single person with good intentions.
Utterly terrible but also listened to the whole thing because it was a fascinating mess that kept being interesting. ADHDer’s dream. Will never listen again.
Absolute dreck. About as close to entirely unlistenable as any record I've ever heard. I am having to be really nice to myself today after having forced myself to listen to that garbage yesterday.
Nope... Nope... Nope. Nope, never again.
I wish I could give this 0 stars
Pretty awful stuff. They used any instrument they could just to say they did, with no regard for whether they could play it or if it fit the song. Abysmal singing as well, sounded like the dude was being tortured at times.
not a vibe. quite hard to listen to
Hated everything about this. Did not finish. Can I give zero stars?
How is this even a thing? The lyrics are ridiculous. The singing is horrendous. And the music sounds like an elementary school band recital. There was a lot of LSD used in the making of this album and not in a good way.
I had to look this musical style up as I was unfamiliar with it. Apparently ISB was a pioneer in “Psychedelic Folk” music in the 60’s. After listening to the album, I’m certain you need to be on psychedelics to enjoy it. The over enunciation of the lyrics, the call and response from the band, and the out of tune harmonies were annoying from the beginning on without any reprieve. The album gave traveling minstrel vibes that made we wish they moved on to the next village. I wanted to be kind in my review, but this is really bad music. Whomever thought this was good enough to make this list, either now or 60 years ago, needs to do a stint in Bellevue.
These folks are amazing. No, definitely not the dirty, talentless hippies in this “band” - I mean all of the great people who wrote one star reviews of this album. While I usually love skewering terrible albums on my own, the community did such a great job, I’m not sure I have anything new to add. So, I curated some of my favorite quotes from the reviews, collected while dutifully listening to the entirety of this soundtrack from purgatory. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did, because there will be nothing enjoyable about your listening experience. • I wish I could go back to when I never knew this album existed. • It's a good thing they didn't tune the instruments, so it matches the vocals. • I’d rather listen to the meth head at the bus stop down the road beatbox and fart. • So many people on the album cover but not one of them stopped to think that maybe this was shit. • Like a Monty Python spoof of an early Genesis album. • This is "The Velvet Underground and Nico" for folkies. • Why did someone think that a recording of a bunch of off-key drunkards in a country pub is something I should listen to before I die? • No tengo de los champiñones adecuados para escuchar esto. (“ I do not have an adequate amount of mushrooms to listen to this.”) • Even if you're not a big fan of the kazoo, these fuckers have you covered with panpipes and harpsichords. • Holy hell..... somebody put the wounded animal singing out of its misery already. • Like hearing a cancer diagnosis. • I feel like I’m tied to a post hanging over a fire whilst they dance around in circles singing these songs in their weird cult. • This is the music folks would listen to before a dragon would come and burn down their thatch roof village. • I want the creator of the 1001 list of albums to go to jail for this. • I can’t sing and I can’t play a music instrument so save my life. However, neither would prevent me from being a member of this band. • I am growing weary of white people. • Have you ever known you're going to hate an album within the first 10 seconds? No? Try this one. • You’re in a cult, call your dad. • Scottish psychedelic folk is exactly as good as it sounds. • I want to fight everyone on this album cover, including the small children and the dog. • I regret electricity was wasted to play this in my home. • No situation really calls for this type of music, unless you're like some magical swamp creature. • This album should be in the other book: 1001 albums you should avoid at all costs.
In terms of quality, 1/5. In terms of, this is so bad I need to share this trainwreck, 4/5
Super nervig schlecht gesungen und klingt wie kaputte Musik ausm elbenland
Hippy shit
I'm trying to imagine the reaction of my grandparents to something like this if my parents brought it home in 1968. I've not heard the theory advanced before now, but I wonder if this band's existence contributed to the breakup of the Beatles. Or inspired Lester Bangs to go into music journalism. If these people were joking, I might give it two stars, but it appears they were dead-serious about this. I enjoyed reading that the amoeba section of "A Very Cellular Song" was covered by actor Nigel Planer, in character as Neil the Hippy from The Young Ones on the LP Neil's Heavy Concept Album in 1984. That's exactly who this album was made by and for. The fact the organizer of this project thinks that I need to listen to this before I die makes me once again question the entire exercise. OK, I just clicked on "Reviews" to read what others said about this album and it made my morning.
This is almost in so bad it’s good territory. But uh. No it’s one of the worst things I’ve ever heard in my life
Meh
This was painful. It’s like nails scraped down a chalkboard.
I tried to convince myself this was camp, I really did. But by 35 minutes in and “Three Is A Green Crown,” I just couldn’t do it anymore.
Look, I originally gave this a 2 because it felt like there was some musicality here but after reading the 5 star reviews some of you need to be punished. This is not a celebration of world music and they weren't drawing from other cultures or engaging with them in a meaningful way. Please don't give them a 5 because you've never heard a sitar before, we can change you. The song writing is so low effort and I truly despise the Gilbert and Sullivan-esque Minotaur Song.
Just a bunch of lads having fun
Only enjoyable with substantial amounts of acid
Strange and boring.
I think the best I can say about this is that it didn't hurt my ears or offend my senses. But it certainly isn't an interesting album. Perhaps it was influential back in 1968 but does nothing for me in 2026.
This is just not my thing. Just not my style of music at all. I didn't enjoy it.
Not my music at all
Is that Nico on lead vocals? (I know it's not, but the resemblance is uncanny)
They lost me the moment the jaw harp came in on the first track. The rest of the album played out as a series of similarly cringy hippie noodlings on quirky instruments with little substance
Ridiculously awful The way his vocals went up and down, it was like he couldn’t even sing!
The Wikipedia entry for this 1968 album labels it as "acid folk" but what it really sounds like is the work of someone who went to one too many Renaissance fairs and decided to pick up a dulcimer to impress the damsels. If that ain't the reason, then the purpose of this album is baffling. There's nothing here that's aesthetically pleasing: the singing is stilted, the melodies are archaic, the lyrics are overwritten and the song structures are all of the place.
In general I would prefer to celebrate rather than punish difference. Apparently I have now discovered the extent to which I really do enjoy difference. It is not nearly enough to give this a positive review.
Here we have THE psychedelic folk album that showcases . . . oh, fuck it. This is objectively terrible. I thought I listened to 6 or 7 songs, but when I looked, song 4 was 13 minutes long and I just can't any more.
Hahahaha No
I wanted to enjoy this one, but no.
++: The Minotaur's Song, Three Is a Green Crown +: Koeeoaddi There, Mercy I Cry City, Waltz of the New Moon +-: Nightfall -: Witches Hat, A Very Cellular Song, The Water Song, Swift as the Wind 3,6/10
This is the kind of album that makes me question why I’m doing this
Incredible because it's so bad .... verges on self-parody. This is an album you inflict on your enemies.
Did not enjoy. They should have chosen a more mellow opener to warm me up but nope: chaos from the start. 1/5
Sounds like a Spinal Tap bit: nice kazoo solo on the 13 minute epic.
I've made a habit of checking the community reviews/ratings before listening to each Book Album (mostly to help mentally prepare myself for whatever I'm about to listen to) and the first thing I noticed on the page for The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter was how low the LP's rating was – seemingly lower than any album I've been assigned so far. I jumped over to the Global Stats page and sure enough, there THBD was... #8 on the Lowest Rated Albums list. As much as I'd love to be contrarian and say something like "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter is actually really good, you guys just don't get it," it wouldn't come from a genuine place – this was a pretty unpleasant listen for me. It's got a lot of the right ingredients for a good folk album, but the way everything comes together just doesn't work at all. I know not all art is meant to make you feel good, but I don't think boredom and discomfort is what they were going for here. "Waltz of the New Moon" was one that didn't irritate me as much as the others, but I also wouldn't call it a highlight – compared to some of the folk this challenge has exposed me to, it's still not very good. Maybe if I hadn't gotten Basket of Light just a few days ago I'd feel slightly more positive about The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, but it just sounds so weak coming off of such a solid Pentangle album. While it's certainly not the worst LP I've ever heard, the Incredible String Band's sole Book Album absolutely fits the criteria I've set for a one star rating. Marianne Faithfull is probably tired of being down in the one star club by her lonesome, so I'm sure she'll appreciate having ISB (not to be confused with IBS) there to accompany her! Good riddance. Highlights: N/A
I love bad mixing mfw every rhyme is an emergency rhyme This album would be funny and pretty good if they weren't serious, I've heard artist trying to be bad on purpose sing and play better. This album could probably be used effectively as anti-drug propaganda
Really? This is a must hear, based on what? This is folk music from the 60's that sounds like all the other folk music from the 60's and since the dawn of time. I was bored out of my skull listening to this. It sounded like a live recording from a local community theater production. Weak vocals, weak songs, droning delivery, subpar musicianship, I'm baffled how this made anyone's must hear list. No hits, a really low listen count for a nearly 60 yr old album, nothing cutting edge. I feel like this was a mistake entry. 1 star, it truly sucked.
what the hell is this hippie slop
Unlistenable. Maybe least favorite album so far. Giving this a 1 makes me want to revise the albums to make them a 2 so that this one is worse.
Really bad
more like the Incredibly Shitty Band
I feel like I’m tied to a post hanging over a fire whilst they dance around in circles singing these songs in their weird cult. There’s a lot of weird hippy shit on this list and I am not a fan of it at all
Why?
Ugh. I am not enjoying this. It’s arduous to get through each song. Some parts are kind of cool and then they mess it up on purpose it seems. Not my thing. Not sure I can make it through the whole thing. How did this make the list???
Trivia Fact: We live in a drug free world. All the drugs were used up in the production of this album. Not because the songs are tripping, but because it must have took a lot of drugs to help convince these people tat their output was worth recording and putting into the world.
I thought the 1 star ratings were overblown and then started listening and realized...no, everything about this is bad. Bad vocals. Bad instrumentation. Bad lyrics. Too long. It sounds so utterly amateur it's just mystifying that these people ever ended up in a recording studio rather than playing around whatever hippie drum circles they came from.
That made the charts?
A deep cut from the depths of the Renaissance Faire? I love bardcore, but bardcore cooks. This is like, prog bard with hare krishna vibes. It's the musical equivalent of getting cornered by a krishna monk on a school campus. I think these guys would get run out of the tavern.
Is this how Marlon feels when he listens to the Beatles? This is why you shouldn’t do drugs. I don’t know why but I hated everything about this.
This is the music folks would listen to before a dragon would come and burn down their thatch roof village.
Too weird. I can understand that it was of its time, and I can certainly hear that it was influential. But man, this is just not essential in the slightest. 1/5
My god I absolutely loathed this album, LOATHED it. This is one of the worst things I have ever heard. Before the first song had ended I was already checking how long was left on the album. 1 star is bloody generous
This was awful hipster nonsense from the time of the OG hipsters. Hate psychedelic music
Not my cup of tea
this is kinda unlistenable. I would be so disappointed if I bought this album. It just sounds dumb and goofy... I don't hear the genius behind the music.
ну это поебота полнейшая
H: I don’t know if I would hear this at the Renaissance Fair or around a campfire. NO SONG NEEDS TO BE 10 MINS. 0/10 H fav song: N/A Z: Bring out the Sitar and panpipes loser we’re going on a mystical quest. The ISB delivered one of if not the most 60’s sound albums in history. The equivalent of taking two tabs of acid and looking for the cat you lost while you were a child in the rolling hills of Mother Earth. 3/10 Z fav song: The Minotaurs Song
OMG how did this make the list?
I was stone cold sober when I listened to this album. I don't think that's the intended way to listen to this music. If I was tripping on acid or shrooms I am sure I would have had a much better time. I appreciate the historical significance of this band and music, but this was absolute trash. Lowest rating yet, worse then OutKast 1/10
My headphones died 80% through and I remember not even being mad about it
Im sure if you like it then it's groundbreaking and fascinating. I didn't like it, it's just noise.
I feel like I am being pranked. This is bad music; like, objectively bad music. Dont tell me itw 'experimental', it doesnt sound good. I am lost on how this was ever allowed on this list. It's not even good religious music. Do not lose 40 minutes of your life here like I did. Skip this one. Trust me.
This might be the worst thing I've ever heard. British fantasy folk. There's a song called the Minotaur song. Really bad.
No I don’t like it :( but not as bad as frank zappa
- no nyt näyttää ainakin ajankohtaan sopivalta levyltä (avainsanat syssy, spooky) - nyt on kyl kunnon hippisekoilun tunnelma tässä levyssä - on aika raskasta kuunneltavaa - tää 13 min biisi on ihan paska xD - kiinnostais tietää että millä perusteella tää on listalla mukana kun ei tätä pysty kuunnella - en kuunnellut 5. raitaa pidemmälle enkä kuuntele enää ikinä
Quite possibly the worst album I've heard on this project. .5/5
They're not incredible, and I absolutely don't need to hear this before I die. Heard before ❌️ Listened this time ✅️ in part, but turned it off Revisit ❌️ Zitar hell ★☆☆☆☆ (2/10)
Reeks of folk night at the local - pewter tankards, arran sweaters and blokes singing badly with their fingers in their ears.
There’s 1000 albums you should listen to before you die. Then there’s whatever the hell this is. Awful.
They did a lot of drugs in the 60's. 1/5
What the actual f*€#?! I can’t believe how bad this is. I think the musicians were pulling a prank.
Didn’t know psychedelic folk was music genre, so it’s good to now know about it, and that it is to be avoided. The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter is an off-key traveling minstrel with a lot of moaning. L = (0.5*) That got worse as it progressed. J = (1.3*s) Dang, when I read the write up I was excited for Scottish psychedelic folk! When I listened to the album, it was a disappointment.
This sounds like a handful of eccentric 60's hippies grabbed a fist full of acid and started playing whatever instruments they could find. I guess Acid Folk as a genre pretty accurately describes a bunch of strung out minstrels playing some whimsical songs. It's definitely a mixed bag. There's some colorful segments but at times it felt like a parody of what you would expect at a renaissance fair. I held on for a while but the back half of the album went out with a whimper. Not sure how I feel about The Incredible String Band. Pretty sure I would recommend they change their name as I heard mostly flute and light vocals and didn't find any of it incredible. 1.33 stars
1 star - based on the first 90 seconds alone. Dear god why is this here? I think this is the nail in the coffin of giving up on this shite list. And on day/album 101 :(. Track 1 broke my no skip streak/goal to listen to 100% of the album. Nearly 100% skips. Just so awful
How the heck is this album on the list but so many better ones aren't.
Horrible
Pagan sailor post-medieval bassooncore band singing shanties and not in a Neutral Milk or Beirut kind of way.
What did I do to deserve this
Udda medeltidsvibe, nja
Sounded like a bunch of drunk vikings in a mead hall badly attempting to sing and make sounds out of various objects around them. No thank you.
Man, I’m not enough of a Fantasy fan for this. It feels like pesky gnomes and goblins are trying to enchant me with kazoos and sploing instruments for 49 minutes. I recognize that there’s more artistic merit to the record than the haters give it credit for… but that also goes for any 1-star rating given on this list, and I can say with certainty that this goes straight to the bottom from a personal enjoyment point of view. Standout: Three Is a Green Crown
I am growing weary of white people
Honestly trying to give this album a fair shake, but everytime it hits on something halfway decent (Witches Hat before it gets into the annoying lalalas), the sharp, high pitched sitar/instruments come in, with weird/silly vocal and instrument choices come in (kazoos for instant). It's way too silly for how straight their playing it. And there's a dissonance to it that sometimes just sours me. It sounds like a mixture of Ren Faire/medieval vibey music mixed with a really bad attempt at replicating the Beatles' sound when they were getting into their weird, drug fueled psychedelic stuff. And no surprise, the Beatles knew what they were doing, whereas I feel like these guys don't. Waltz of the New Moon might have saved it, but the singing is just killing it for me. I really don't want to dish out the 1. It's not viscerally hitting me like some of my other 1s, it's at least just barely tolerable. But I also can't honestly sit here and say I enjoy any bit of this either. It's just consistently mediocre. Robert Plant apparently heard something in this to be influenced by it, but it's going right over my head. This is either the highest of 1s or the lowest of 2s. But I think I'll have to give the 1. I just don't enjoy it.
Who on earth honestly thinks you need to listen to this album before you die? Is it on this list only to reflect on how your life can always get worse?
oh perfect, another album from nineteen sixty-fucking eight. And it's even more shit than the other ones
+ gypsy sound folkmusic Some harmonies - Fever dream, not my cup of tea Bob Dylan and Eric Claptonish voices and the way they sing out of tune instruments
An unfunny and untalented Monty Python impersonation.
Jesus. Wut? Why? No.
No thanks
This sucks
A non-funny Monty Python album. Without Monty Python. Will never listen to again. People liked this? "Finland, Finland, Finland; the country where I want to be..."
This probably deserves a better rating, but I was really hoping for a bluegrass band. The Wickerman-core.
Made me think about being a medieval serf and the traveling merry men came to town playing some ballads after a long day of toiling in the hot fields. And ending that thought with “I’d probably kill myself”
I went into this with an open mind but it was just kind of grating and yet somehow boring.
not in the mood for this today. dont think i'll ever be.
Pleasant folk songs ruined by shrill flutes and horrible buzzing. I didn’t really enjoy this on any level other than the nice vocals.
Awful
This is a full-on 1968 time capsule, complete with random sitars, meandering folk chants, and a 13-minute odyssey called A Very Cellular Song that includes sounds I never needed to hear—like minotaur moans. Two stars for the ambition, minus one for the fever-dream execution.
Almost made it through the first song.
Initially I liked it, seemed to either be the inspiration for or be inspired by the later Beatles albums with sitars/Indian influence. Devolved into noise and it seemed that the vocals never took a break to let the instruments shine through. Ultimately forgettable
This is the best anti-drugs advert I've ever heard. Awful, neo-folk with utter bilge for lyrics. The 60s has a lot to answer for. I've never once thought "You know what this song needs, more mouth harp." The sub-surreal lyrics sound like some twat wannabe Might Boosh fan trying to make you laugh in the pub but ruining your night. As this album has. Hopefully the hangman didn't let any of these reprobates anywhere near his daughter. A hot piece of ass like that deserves so much better. Best Tracks (I only picked these ones as they're the shortest): Witches Hat; Mercy I Cry City; Nightfall
This sounds like the soundtrack to a secondary school play.
Ew.
No
I do not wish for a fish or any more of this album
I just couldn't finish this. Incredibly annoying.
The late 60s is such an interesting time for music.
Unfortunately could not get through the third song.
they all should be hanged
Crap
Estoy seguro que hay un público para esto.
Absolute wank !
Straight up disliked
Scottish psychedelic folk is exactly as good as it sounds. The album cover tells you everything you need to know about this album.
This is one of the most confusing but weirdly interesting as you’re always wondering where it’s going to go next Highlights: - Mercy I Cry City - The Minotaur’s Song - A Very Cellular Song
Fuck rating albums. Just let me listen.