The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter

The most psychedelic album so far on this list, for better or worse. Erratic sounds, every instrument you could have think of was used, many types of vocal. It wasn't really something that I was enjoying, or I would be enjoying in the future. Let's just forget about this album and move on.

This is some 1960s hippie flower power shit. I couldn't get past song 3 because it triggered my misophonia (ya girl got angry and wanted to punch something)

I owned this on vinyl back in the day. They were supposed to be part of the new English folk movement. But where Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Pentangle and others were doing great memorable music, these guys were doing hippy wanking. Embarrassing - I could only stand to listen to the first 6 or 7 tracks.

Wow. I did not like this at all.

Fascinating record. It's weird and objectively bad sometimes, but it seems intentional. I bet they had a good laugh making this. Favorite song: Waltz of the New Moon

I was wondering whether I should give this 2* just before the vocalizations of "Swift as the Wind" started.

conceptually interesting, but mostly annoying

3.75

i can't lie, i don't think folk music is for me. that one song that sounded like harmonizing frogs was on and i stopped at the light and the dude driving the car next to me looked at me like i was crazy. i didn't even realize i was bumping it like that. never need to hear this again.

Perplexing.... This is more bizarre and more obscure and odd than I knew music could. A maddening english riddle. Is this Month Python under cover? Or is this the turgor they mock? These are the people who made clockwork orange and a dish called toad in a hole.

Wow, full-on folk psychedelia! I wouldn’t have made it past the first couple of tracks, except that I was preparing a D&D encounter with pixies & faeries so now I have a complete soundtrack and extracts of lyrics…for a band of pixies who have been exiled for their lack of tunefulness!

I totally missed ISB back in the 60’s. I just don’t think I ever heard them. I picked up Mike Heron’s first solo album (1971) in a bargain bin in a Charlestown record bar in 1975, but it did nothing for me & I offloaded it. But I was lucky enough to see a Q&A at The Basement in Sydney in 2011, with Joe Boyd, who signed the band to Elektra, produced this album & was their manager for a while. He was accompanied by Robyn Hitchcock, who would alternate with Joe’s reminiscences by playing a tune, and did take a crack at an ISB song. Boyd only spoke lovingly of the band, but I have to say I was more interested that night with his memories of Dylan & Hendrix. Look, I find this to be totally weird shit. At first listen, it started sounding like music for kiddies. But by Waltz Of the New Moon & Three Is A Green Crown, I was starting to embrace the whacky instrumentation & vocals. I’ve always been a sucker for a sitar. I can certainly see how drugs would have helped. Weirdsville.

I listened to this all the way through. I found it pretentious and dull and tuneless and twee and with so little redeeming anythign that I went past boredom into active loathing. The 1001 list LOVES under-rated lost psychedelic 'gems.'. And this album is possibly the worst example yet. I am sick of it.

Unique, there were a few songs that caught my attention.

I almost thought this was a Monty Python album

Ja det var väl ganska mysigt

Not as bad as the review make it out to be but also just not that interesting or remarkable

Some songs were pretty good

Why the shit is this rated so low??? I really enjoyed this listen a lot, a magical pastoral folksy trip back in time The only criticism I could think of are the “rough” vocals, but they’re no worse than Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen, and they fit perfectly with the music

Convinced this is a pisstake. Even if it is, it's not a good one. 1.

Lyrics are really sketchy, vocals are even worse, and it's musically passable but nothing more. Is it particularly influential? I can't see that it is, and it is not a pleasant listen. 1/5.

The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter is the third album by the Scottish psychedelic folk group, The Incredible String Band (ISB). This psychedelic/acid folk album was the most ambitious project from the band to date and had a large impact on the genre, featuring exotic instruments while using multiple tracks and overdubbing. It was also the band's most successful album, charting in both the UK and US, and receiving a Grammy nomination. Critics loved this album for its fusion of world music elements with the backbone of psychedelic folk that would soothe listeners' ears. Although the album remained underground in the US, it was a major commercial success in the UK. This album was a surreal experience. It is definitely the music I imagine one would listen to when they are tripping, as it is relaxing and thought-invoking. The mind is allowed to wander while listening, but you are always brought back to the main point/element on each track. Overall it's a beautiful album that paints a picture of a more peaceful world where our differences are celebrated instead of demonized and the primary goal is to be happy and have fun. Stay energetic and youthful at all times, fellow 1000 albums journeyers!

Super psychedelic

Sounds like a parody of 60’s psychedelic folk. The vocals are so bad. Really hard to listen to. The intonation and playing of violin is so off. Very challenging album. Sounds like they don’t know how to play half of the instruments on this album.

I was absolutely miserable listening to this. Apparently it’s pretty much universally praised as an amazing record but I hated every second of it. They went pretty crazy with instrumentation. Whoever made this list loves jaw harp.

I kept lowering the volume on my phone so I could barely listen to this. I think this is the worst one we’ve had to listen to

One listen of this whining was enough 1*

Awful. Not good music for cycling the Belgian countryside.

What an incredibly hard to listen to album. Felt like this was a group of people just playing instruments at the same time and calling it experimental psychedelic music. The 60a were a weird time and this band encapsulated it. This wasn’t good and actually had to skip some of it. 1.9/10

dude....

Uh, some shrooms and D&D going on while this was written.

Actually horrible, lol. How the fuck is this here??

This album is in a lot of ways an exercise in frustration, mainly due to the album’s lack of coherence. The songs are disjointed and seem to meander without any clear direction or purpose. The lyrics are often obscure and hard to understand, which further adds to the confusion. It's as if the band was trying to be deliberately obscure and challenging. The album's production is often muddy and unrefined, making it difficult to appreciate the musicianship of the band members. The vocals are often off-key and grating, which was a major turn-off whilst listening to this. The only reason I considered giving this album 2 stars is due to the unique sound that is produced, it was clearly meant to sound the way it does. Sadly that sound is not very nice to listen to.

It's not nearly as tight as Beefheart, and the choice of instruments is based on earl-blind admiration, but the album has to be received in the same way. Technically, it is just performance art after all. Never really pleasant or funny or beautiful, but there are those ghosts and more flying around. The mind deserves a fair shot at this, or else will be damaged beyond repair. Too late now.

Interesting, but some of that was hard to get through.

Everything about this music irritates me yet I can't take my ears off it. I'm so confused.

Aaaaaaaa the horrror!

Bad, boring, blegh

Imagine if Pete Seeger had taken acid and decided to emulate Renaissance music with sitars instead of being an activist.

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? Wait, this is a real band? Like... for real? With a record deal and all? Huh. Oh, like a parody joke band. Right? Like a band that does Python-esque bits for the lolz? No?! Are you SURE? Ok... ok, give me a moment... (Frantically Googles to find out WTF is the deal here and finds NOTHING compelling). No. I don't believe it. This is a joke. It has to be. It's not a GOOD joke but it's gotta be one...

They had their heart in the right place. Sadly they didn't have the raw talent to back it up.

I've never encountered music in which the sound is in such tight alignment with what the band members look like. If Chat GPT had to come up with hippy music, I think it would be this. It's folksy and light-hearted - I'm not sure I could see myself ever voluntarily listening to this album again. HOWEVER, during summer mornings and afternoons, my family sometimes sits out on our porch and we let the kids run amok for about an hour while my wife and I try to relax. I feel like this music would reflect that vibe perfectly. 2.5 stars.

Yuck. Just yuck

Imagine Belle and Sebastian on *more* drugs.

Interesting folk songs, Celtic and middle eastern. Pretty good but not something I would listen to again

I understand why this album is ever on the list of worst albums at the Global stats of this site, but I think this is very unfair. Yes, the songs are not great, but in 1001 (and some extras) albums, we have soundtracks and many Live albums, so why not an RPG soundtrack directly from a Playstation One game from the 90s? And they influenced Led Zepellin (according to Wikipedia), which should count as some points for them. I'll rate it with 3* because having this strange stuff around is fair and sometimes necessary.

Disco un tanto conceptual con reminiscencias étnicas, que no me ha aportado nada y que considero muy experimental

I'm sure this was probably influential on future artists, but it honestly sounds like a bunch of hippies with string instruments got super high in the 60s because that was exactly what it was. That being said, props for the experimentalism.

Rating: 5/10

Is this serious music? This can't be serious.

Give a bunch of Hobbits acid and this is what you'll get. I was really excited after I hit play and was met with the style of this record. And although I can't say it got worse, it's hard to say if it got any better. I got tired of the mediaeval theme relatively quickly but I would be lying if I said I didn't like the idea. It's quite unique. No songs really stood out to me unfortunately it was all good but not amazing. Personal Enjoyment - 6.5 Songwriting - 7.5 Lyrics - 8.5 Originality - 10 Production Value - 9 Artwork - 9 Overall - 8.1

Some dross noises made by children with lyrics like 'Porridge for my Porridge Bowl'

What was 'incredible' about this is that anyone took the time to commit it to record. The singer sounded like Kenneth Williams, and the songs were just silly. Hey Nonny Nonny NO.

It probably meant a lot more back in 1968, but to my contemporary ears this is just pretentious shit. It means fuck all to my world. My world is all the better for this. Never trust a hippy.

This sounds like the band was high on LSD and stayed up all night reading Lord of the Rings and The Bible. First, the instruments other than the guitar sound extremely sloppy. Also, the lyrics are absolute crap; I’d highlight one, but there are so many. The singer sounds bored, too.

Not one song did it for me. Maybe need drugs to make it sound good.

Despite other reviews, this is a great unique album that really shows inspiration. I have yet to dive into the meaning of everything but it’s already great, love his vocals at well

Shit

Very distinct as late 60's psychedelic folk. A lot of renaissance themes to it, combined with their Scottish accents, makes it sound like it would fit in the Fox Robinhood universe. Theatrical and silly yet oddly satisfying.

I'm usually open to most genres of music and I enjoy most folk music and can appreciate the musicianship and skill. After listening to The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, I realize there are exceptions. If you take the worst aspects of Donovan's psychedelic period, mix it with the most intolerant Irish Rovers songs fronted by a horrible singer, you have the Incredibly Horrible String Band. My lowest rating on this list is reserved for unlistenable, grating, abrasive music I can't stand (usually metal and rap) and I can add this to the lowest of the low. More proof that "folk" music can be played by all, it's just somehow someone thinks this is essential, what???

lol

A Cellular Song is good... Everything else is either ignorable or of it's own time and place.

Another “influence” album. Overall too british for me. I guess I could see myself listening to it again on a walk in the woods or something. A very cellular song was my fave.

Fun concept and the execution was good. Felt like I should have been watching some sort of religious lord of the rings movie to enjoy the album more

I think this is the Incredible String Band's best release. A great example of late sixties psychedelic folk. It may have sounded dated in the 80s and 90s, but so many artists have jumped on the train, this sounds refreshing now. There are great individual tracks (A Very Cellular Song), but overall, this floats along like a single work in a dream-like manner. A great listen.

Psychedelic folk music just doesn’t work for me. It’s not bad but I don’t want these genres combined.

Probably too ambitious for its own good. Unless so little thought was put into this that it became a sound collage. I can't tell which scenario is more likely. I like the section with "And We Bid You Goodnight" because the Grateful Dead do this song too and it was nice to latch on to something familiar while listening to this album. Would not listen again.

ouais ouais ouais ça me parle

je sais vraiment pas quoi penser mais je peux pas dire que j'ai pas aimé non plus ?¿

Some of it was odd, but I'm a sucker for a bit of jews harp.

Weird… but not in a good way. Some songs were ok, but overall pretty bad.

Uuuuh

is this the worst album on this entire list? sure seems like it!

Horrific stoner wankery

This really isn’t very good at all.

Is it over yet? Good lord this is bad.

Går knappt att föreställa sig vilka KOPIÖSA mängder syra detta gäng konsumerat. Många textrader är vad man 2012 skulle kunna beskriva som "random". En upplevelse, med mängder av olika, obskyra instrument och väldigt mycket som pågår samtidigt. Det är verkligen inte avslappnande, men inte heller dåligt! Det är som att åka på ett äventyr till rymden och till underjorden på samma gång, mystiskt och magiskt. Kan fatta vilka pionjärer de var i genren, psykedelisk folk. Tanken att Beatles och många andra hörde Incredible String Band innan den stora psykedeliska vågen är inte långt borta. Säkert även Monty Python, då vissa låtar låter precis som en av deras medeltids-soundiga skämtlåtar. 'A Very Cellular Song' är bitvis bra, speciellt slutet. 'Waltz of the New Moon' också rätt fin. Bäst är nog antingen 'Three Is a Green Crown', med tydligt sydasiatiska influenser där den gråtande sitaren (tror jag?) framträder tydligast, eller 'Swift as the Wind', som är riktigt weird, om ett barn som fantiserar om hemska saker i verserna för att bli tröstad i refrängerna. 'Nightfall' också fin avslutning, så generellt blev albumet bättre och bättre ju längre jag kom i det. Som sagt, spretigt, eggande, vad som vissa skulle kalla oljud, men ändå på något sätt tilltalande. Bästa låt: 'Three Is a Green Crown' eller 'Swift as the Wind'.

Dreadful - twee folky background tunes with weird noises on top. The sound quality is awful, the singer is terrible and the songs go on forever without mercy. A shame as I probably like much of what this inspired - perhaps this is The Velvet Underground and Nico for folkies, but regardless it's one of the worst things I've ever heard.

"It had a large impact on the psychedelic folk genre." As in what not to do? Okay, now that I got the joke out of my system, this isn't nearly as terrible as I was expecting based on the reviews. I was expecting a complete mess, but it was actually, often, pretty and relaxing. Some places were weird, yeah, and you can just write off the lyrics (which is what I did), but it wasn't nearly as off-putting as other comments are saying, at least to me. Okay, fuck it, I actually unabashedly love this album. I was sad when it finished. I laid back and closed my eyes and it was as great of an experience as some of the top psychedelic albums I've listened to. The nonsense lyrics, the warm instrumental variety, everything worked. So, long story short: expected to hate it, fell in love. 5/5.

I've seen people say this is a "love it or hate it" sort of album, with quite a few people on this generator going for the "hate it" route, but quite honestly, I've neither. I just think this is alright and really interesting, with a sort of folk-psychedelic vibe going on that may be annoying at times but really works at times. There are times when the hard acoustic guitar, such as on "Swift as the Wind", goes really well and sounds great, with the dreary vocals adding to it. I just fail to understand how this apparently the fifth worst album on this whole list, as it reminded me a lot of Pink Floyd's first album on here, and yet that has a almost a whole star on this album. Guess it just goes to show that artist bias is most certainly a thing. You know what? This gets a 4, it may not have earned it totally, but it won't move the number too much any way, and I wanna help it get up a bit.

Apparently, to make folk "fun", one has to put a lot of drugs in it. It was indeed fun.

still wagering whether this is me coming off as an insanely pretentious snub, but goodness, The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter is nothing short of a transcendental experience; a wildly bizarre (such is the craziness of this record that i had to place two synonyms back-to-back to describe it) journey into the depths of folklore and mythical treasures that are deeply evocative and original in their take. they tell the tales of sea shanties and minotaurs and innocent children in mysterious but beautiful villages, and speak of every single one as almost religious, that you can’t help but feel its sacredness oozing off every single syllable. none of it makes any real sense, and yet it manages an odd relatability that even i cannot understand. of course, this is music made by a band who were higher than the heavens; whose minds conjured half-baked fables that they smoothly pass off as real (a song about a children-eating part-man-part-bull creature should not be as alluring as it is, and yet). their buzzed state not only shows up in the lyrics (equal parts sloppy and mind-bogglingly brilliant), but extends to the music itself, where they layer vocals and stuff a menagerie of instruments into every song. they run the gamut here, pulling influences from Gaelic, Sikh, Indian, and Scottish music, combining them into such softly psychedelic compositions that have no other effect but to hypnotize. the music is so complex — rich in texture, blitzing through space and time — but the ethos of The Incredible String Band is so deliriously simple: to make music that feels like flying… and gosh look how high they soar.

boooo

Pretty nice, almost a four. It's not quite as interesting as some of the early folk we've had on the list

Is this album on this list as a prank? Why the fuck would anyone want to hear this weird hippy shit. Seriously, its REALLY bad. 1/5

Weird, but in a good way. Did they really make a relia-bull joke in a song about a minotaur?

Well, this is annoying as hell. Some parts here and there are interesting, like some parts of "A Very Cellular Song" or the song "Witches Hat". Most of it sound like hippie minstrels that took too much drugs and decided to play multiple instruments that they don't really master. It reminded me a little bit of the annoying pirate that nobody likes at the beginning of Spongebob Squarepants. bling bling bling 3/10

Not as bad as everyone here makes it seem but that's about the best you can say about it. They seem like they had a good time making it and if that isn't what music is all about then I don't know what is.

Painful to listen to.

I think I need to absolutely spaced out of my mind to enjoy this record. But yeah, I don't think I can really appreciate it in a regular state of mind. The music is very free flowing, it has some interesting developments, but most of the times just sound like a clusterfuck. And the lyrics are really out there. The band blends a lot of different genres and some songs get interesting. Maybe this record just needs more listens though, I don't know. Key tracks: Koeeoaddi There, The Minotaur's Song, Witches Hat, A Very Cellular Song. 6,5 out of 10

Not very good at all.It’s all just bad or mediocre tbh.Not a single good riff,vocals range from mediocre to bad.Nothings super interesting.Just boring “world music” which I guess means bad folk.the only reason I’m not giving it a 1 is because it was never horrible to my ears.Just really boring and bad.there was an 11 minute song but I didn’t notice when it ended or began because the album is so monotonous.Not good.Dull.

4.5

Proper hippy music, no rhythm to get behind, not for me

Fucking hell, this was dreadful. Long, meandering, chaotic, lyrically self-indulgent and deeply stupid. At the same time, however, it's a really interesting window into a the hippie mentality. The problem is, I think I truly hate hippies. Can't quite shake the feeling this album is unremitting garbage

It was a weird ride for sure but sounded pretty much how I expected based on the cover. The Minotaur’s Song had a real sea shanty vibe to it. A Very Cellular Song was a bizarre jam session peppered with strange lyrics, Slithering and Squelching, eating misbehaving kids, etc. I’m not even sure the flautist was aware what they were doing. The vocals were breezy and and cluster of instruments did sound quite good, they did an excellent job sounding structured in the chaos. Mercy I Cry City was my favourite track. Thought this was cool. 3 stars

Not for me. Hard pass.

Drone folk music with unusual instrumental choices - sitars and harpsichord with pan flutes. It really wasn’t my jam. It reminded me of torturous open mics I’ve sat through in the past

I can see this album has received a lot of shade. I went into listening to it with an open mind, and it's not terrible. But equally it begins to get a bit nauseating and is not really my thing.

Shite. Zero stars. Damn the idiot who put this on the list.

wtf was that!

Grappige folk muziek. Klinkt wel echt beetje als die ierse dronken bar nummer gemixt met elven muziek. Klonk ook wel wijs met zinnen als ‘water is the wizard of change’. Ga dit alleen nooit meer luisteren

Ik vond dit echt een soort koortsdroom??? Werkte zo onwijs op m’n zenuwen en de teksten vond ik echt bizar. Kreeg een beetje ruinerwold vibes dat mag ik wel zeggen toch binnen deze veilige muren????

Het is slecht… maar niet slecht slecht. Dit album klinkt als een parodie op jaren 60 psych. Ik kan niet beoordelen of het serieus of, of oprecht een grap. Bij A very cellular song kreeg ik toch een glimlach op m’n gezicht omdat het zo absurd is, maar ik moet zeggen dat ik het niet af geluisterd heb

Really nice! Super hippie vibes, with great and different instruments sounds.

Lots of great music came out of the late 60s British psychedelic/folk scene (notably Fairport Convention that gave us Richard Thompson, Sandy Denny and Ian Matthews, as well as Pentangle and others). Sadly, this band doesn't fit into that description. Terrible stuff - just because you're following an older folk tradition doesn't make your music interesting.

Lol, I can't take this band seriously, it just makes me think of Spinal Tap. This was just the first few songs; the album goes downhill after that for me. Very much not by bag, baby.

Weird album, but actually it grew on me over the listen, so I listened again and liked it more. Weird shit, but in a good way. 3.75/5

Apparently this was a big inspiration for Led Zeppelin’s early sound, but we’ve yet to actually have one of their albums on here. Kind of fucked up, right? Solid stuff, though. C

Not really.

Trippy, hippie, all the way. Somewhere between a nice tab of orange sunshine and the brown acid from Woodstock. Some of the songs were pleasantly minstrelesque and others made me think that voracious worms were crawling under my skin. Ultimately, I think the worms won.

Dit is gewoon niet door te komen...

Mijn hemel! Is dit een registratie van een bonte avond in de jaren zeventig?

Wat moeten ze een plezier hebben gehad toen ze dit album opnamen. Lekker gek doen! Hoezeeee!

Jeetje. Dus zo klinkt psychedelische folk.

I loved the first halfish of this album, it lost its groove and felt a little generic after that. But the first half of the album was great and made me want to transport myself to the 60s

I came into this knowing it was one of the worst reviewed albums on the list, but I gave this a legitimate try. I briefly considered the possibility that they were some kind of Ren Faire Tenacious D, doing bits that everybody, including the reviewers, were in on. I'm still not convinced that's not what's happening here, but they seem too earnest for that to be true. Ultimately, it's an album full of out-of-tune singing (and moaning), bad sitar playing, really dumb lyrics that occasional drift into an ill-advised pseudo-intellectual space, and a goddamn jaw harp. I tried. I really, really did. I don't get it. Best track: The Minotaur's Song. This is the one that makes me think it's an elaborate joke

Freak folk. Far out!

I do like folk music and so I didn't hate this, but the songs mostly sounded the same to me, which got boring. Also, can we please not with 12 minute songs?

I thought the first track was really interesting, and I was quite excited to see how this record blended different genres, but my god it meandered after a little while. The overall sound worked and some moments had fantastic group vocals that added so much depth, but it mainly just all felt exactly the same throughout, with the lead vocal lines often being very weak and honestly just annoying to listen to

I feel like I don't understand pure psychedelic folk to get the bit but I understand the Influence

1.5 if I could. Seriously considered a 1.

No.

Did I listen to the same album as everyone else? This sounds completely fine to me.

Oh boy the lyrics are a real wild ride already. wtf is this album? its real weird, like old hippie at a renaissance fair weird. This guy has a weird thing for lemons. Really starting to lose me by the 39 minute mark. That was kinda bullshit but I can see why others would like it. My ranking is from my perspective.

You can definitely tell that some 70s-80s rock and pop drew influence from this record. Sure, the world music aspects lead up to Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel, but the folk aspects and the way the songs are constructed remind me a lot of Led Zeppelin I. Others sound like repurposed drinking songs ala The Pogues (this is not a bad thing). Some of the vocals and harmonies remind me of Belle and Sebastian. Now that all being said, there are still some tracks I had a hard time getting through. "The Minotaur's Song" sounds like they got high and had a laugh or two - I have no idea why it's held up by critics as a highlight of the album.

This album could benefit from some tighter focus. The medieval or renaissance-sounding instrumentation is really cool but there is some folky Dylan-esque guitar as well. The lyrics also switch time and place with references to Christian themes as well as pagan and Hinduism. It's an interesting melange and it kept my interest throughout but nothing stood out as amazing. Other artists have taken influences from early music and done more with it. The Wicker Man album art is 5/5. For the tunes, it's a solid 3/5.

Fantastic album

Interesting and full of ideas but slightly mortal

I struggled to finish this album. It was so bad I looked up the author of the 1001 albums to listen to before your die, and found out he was from the UK so he probably has an affinity for these scottish buffoons.

Very slow, almost all vocals. Not sure I can pay enough attention to keep track of the lyrics.

harpsichord, pan flute, kazoo *chef's kiss*

"Hogwash" - Boomer "Dogwater" - Zoomer

Well, I guess this is the kind of crazy shit I signed up for here. Although it made my beautiful sunny October walk in the park slightly less pleasant, I still feel it has its rightful place in the world. Maybe not in my world, but somewhere. A part of me also feels like I'm not qualified to give this a proper rating, so just going with a good ol' 3 to not mess with the average too much. Kind of hated this, but also kind of want to get drunk and give it another listen.

I didn't add a single song here from Spotify, yet I'd gladly listen again.

Kind of rough as individual tracks, if they were seperate, they would almost all be 1s. As a unit, the overall experience becomes more enjoyable, closer to 3. So let's meet in the middle.

Like a very very bad Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd. They must’ve been smoking some strong heather in the highlands whilst they record this…!

Woeful waste of time and unworthy of this list

Some parts were enjoyable - some parts completely unlistenable. 'Incredible' might be over-egging it somewhat

I feel very uncool saying this but.... I quite liked it. My favourite genre/era is probably psychedelic/60s so this isn't that far removed from stuff I listen to. And the other qualifier is I put almost no weight into lyrics so the stream-of-consciousness babble doesn't really bother me. It reminded me a bit of listening to Donovan, another Scottish psychedelic folk singer, but if you reconstructed his work by putting it into a blender. It's a bit all over the place but that's obviously the point. Some bits are really good and other parts are really testing. Favourite bit: a music-hall song about a Minotaur who 'can't dream well because of his horns'. Brilliant.

Folksie shite

There's a dog on the album cover. Why did he or she have to get dragged into this? Look at them all. You suspect that, away from the camera, they make The Wicker Man look like a fucking Richard Curtis film. My guess is that the dog is casting a confused and frightened glance to the right following repeated - and failed - attempts to get the photographer to notice that the dog was constantly blinking twice, in a desperate attempt to be free of the clutches of these farm-dwelling lunatics and their weekly ritual sacrifices. Anyway, on to the music. I'd have rather spent 49 minutes listening to the dog playing with a squeaky toy, or maybe munching on some kibble. Prime cut: Nightfall. Yes, the last one. I made it through. It's the one track that suggests that the band don't usually make scarecrows out of human carcasses.

This was awful. I think "Waltz of the New Moon" was the only song that I wasn't actively angry about. It was like they decided to just vocalize whatever uninteresting thought they had in their head and throw a sitar in there as an afterthought. Just terrible.

Is this a joke?

I made it 4 songs in, even that was too much

I think this is the most awful album I’ve ever heard. The singing and music is often off-tone. Songs are uninspiring and bland. I can’t understand why it is on this list. Maybe because it’s from the 60’s and everything from that area is supposed to be worth listening to? 🤢

a mash of random instruments, was very dead

Terrible

1.5/5 weird psychedelic folk. interesting concept but not enjoyable to listen to

Hippie nonsense.

Well this is dreadful self indulgent rubbish. I’m sure may have had some sort of influence at the time for those under the influence. Thank God that’s over.

This wins. By that I mean worst album I’ve ever heard 🥇

Une balade en forêt qui vire au drame après l'apparition de différents elfes et lutins venus nous flûter les oreilles. La situation ne s'arrangera pas d'un poil avec l'arrivée des gnomes et de leurs chants dépourvus d'une quelconque justesse.

J'ai été très déçu par cet album, sa qualité était très loin de mes espérances. En effet, après une écoute qualifiée de cauchemardesque par mon camarade d'écoute robpécunière, je m'attendais à retrouver un véritable cataclysme musical. Il n'en fut rien, j'ai passé un moment tout a fait banal avec ces joueurs de flûte patentés. Une vraie déception.

You can tell that there is some good musicianship here, but this album is basically psychedelic nonsense - and there are other works contemporary to this that are more musical/convincing. I think this has its place, but it is mostly going to be a 60s novelty.

Well fiddle dee dee! This is an album for me! Not really, but I really did enjoy the fancifulness of this one. Nothing I would listen to otherwise, but I felt like I was transported to an old renaissance festival on some of these. Not sure how this album made it on this list, but glad it's here.

I recognized the title, and that's because it's one of the worst reviewed albums on this website. So imagine how much I start sweating when I immediately get lost in and enjoy the first track. Do I have brain damage? Short answer is no. I'll be honest, there's quite a few tracks on here that really work for me, and there's another chunk that ranges from just okay to pretty grating. Like "Swift as the Wind," the moaning on that one earned a skip from me. I can understand someone hearing this album and hating it. But for me, the sitar/jaw harp psychedelics on here is done quite well. I'll take something this weird and inconsistent over a lot of the barely psychedelic '60s rock albums we get. If you're gonna do this, you gotta commit! ISB here seems to have committed, perhaps to a fault (and maybe they should be committed in another sense), but a lot of this scratched an itch for me. I quite like it, this makes three great and unique listens in a row for me! Favorite tracks: Nightfall, Koeeoaddi There, Water Song, Green Crown, Very Cellular Song. Album art: A (Manson-y) family photo, I know we've had at least one album already that looked like this, maybe a Crosby Stills Nash? I wish it were something crazy psychedelic. 4/5

lol

A difficult album to judge. As a pop/rock/dance album it's utter shite. I doubt even folk fans would rate it. But there are moments of sheer originality in the songwriting and performance that makes it a worthwhile listen (if you're into something a bit strange). In particular I enjoyed the opening Koeddi there and the sublime witches hat.

Absolutely bonkers, sounds a bit like when kids make up words to annoying songs they have to sing. But it is so gloriously ridiculous I'm glad it exists

Is this genius? or utter shite? (both?) It's brilliantly bonkers, without doubt one of the highlights of this list so far.

Possibly the worst thing I've heard so far (in my life).

More like... The Incredible Shit Band!

This is what happens when you give a bunch of hippies a load of instruments and some acid. This album is a really good snapshot of time. I wish I knew about this when I used to take acid. So, get high, take off all your clothes, put this on, and dance like a butterfly in a sunny meadow

Parece fortemente ser importante e bem desenvolvido.

Beyond wild. Fantastically dreamy. One of the best psychedelic albums I have EVER heard. I must must must hear the rest of The Incredible String Bands discography. Wow. This artist may have made the whole album generator invaluable for me. I am blown away. This style of music is just amazing!

Odd, in a wonderful way. Sounds like at least three different bands playing at the same time - sometimes many more! LSD infused folk music, with a bonus point for being Scottish.

This album’s being on this list and lauded by so many people I respect makes me feel like it’s a big joke and I’m not in on it. I wish there are a 0/5, because 1 feels too generous.

Pretty weird but has its place. Reminds me of Ege

I hate folk music

Sorry. I'm sure that the Incredible String Band thought they were creating something beautiful and groundbreaking. But this is fucking horrible.

4/10. This is like alternate universe Bob Dylan where he kinda sucks

Hahaha fuck this. 3/10

The birth of psych folk? I'm here for it. Fave: A Very Cellular Song, and maybe Mercy I Cry City

Maaaan, all the one star reviews this got I was expecting some Comus-level weirdness, but it's actually a pretty straight forward listen? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Comus should really be on the list, teach these weeners a lesson in just how far psych folk can twist your melon! Fave track - "A Very Cellular Song", I reckon. "Swift As The Wind" was another highlight...

Just nice folk

Ot gave me a headache

Did not age well

Not incredible. I don’t recall hearing a many strings, either.

Folk at it's most freakishly psychedelic, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter sees The Incredible String Band beginning to assemble the pieces of what would be intriguing and enticing puzzle, taking the once barren soundscapes of a tired sound and dousing it in mythology and spiritualism. An important part of the story of what would become "freak folk" in the years to come. Favorites: Koeeoaddi There, The Minotaur's Song, A Very Cellular Song, Waltz of the New Moon, The Water Song, There is a Green Crown.

Psychedelique Folk, c'est surprenant mais j'ai toujours aimé la flutte et la production de cet album est très bon pour ce genre. C'est psychédelique ca il n'y a aucun doute. De la a mettre un 1 comme certain, je crois que c'est exagéré car il y beaucoup d'album coté très haut qui son influencé par ce type de musique. On donne crédit ou le crédit est dût. 3.90

Peace, love, communal living, esoteric mysticism, sitar, gimbri, shenai, oud, harpsichord, panpipes, penny whistles, and 13-minute suites about molecular biology. (7/10) FT: Koeeoaddi There, A Very Cellular Song

I’ve seen too many horror cult movies where someone ends up as the sacrifice, burnt or slaughtered with this type of folk music gently playing over the top…..so as you can imagine not an easy listen for me.

6/20/2022 - ALBUM #144 https://open.spotify.com/album/168tPkaBJZKYxSrWDo4n1h?si=kUR1gj6pSEyS-6XqmlrZNg&utm_source=copy-link Today's Album: "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" by The Incredible String Band - At first, this album seems very bad. The way each idea is presented makes it have this really disjointed feel to it, despite the pretty consistent medieval tone the whole project has. I think however, there are a few things to like about this album. The vocals to start, have a really nice and down-to-earth tone to them that give the whole thing a really solid folky foundation. The strings, like I said, usually stick to this sound that makes me feel like I'm in some sort of Renaissance stage show and although it can be pretty obnoxious at times with a twangy sitar and deep chorus vocals, there are a lot of moments per track that start to sound fairly decent before things are switched up. These kinds of switch up are very abrupt, with not only the instrumentals, but also the vocasl taking almost 180 degree turns from one tempo or feel to another and it has to be one of the weakest aspect to this record. The tracks that have a decent tune at first are usually ruined pretty quickly by a burst of random experimentation and it just makes this very difficult to have as a casual listen. However, this album isn't much better on a closer inspection as it is very difficult to follow to overall flow of each song. I think this album can kind of be summed up as a collection of string-oriented tracks that were constructed and most likely performed under a heavy dose of psychedelics. I'm all for acts that take inspiration from drug usage, but wow this really just gets too in the weeds and masturbatory for me to ever really find it enjoyable for more than a few minutes. Overall, this is a pretty impressive psychedelic renaissance-folk album, but it's flaws make it pretty difficult to enjoy in any capacity. Give this one a listen if you want to hear something unlike anything you've heard before and I'm sure you'll come out of the experience either hating this album or loving it. Highlights: A Very Cellular Song Score: 5/10 Very compelling, but pretty unlistenable, psychedelic-folk

Shite

Psychedelic ... folk?!? I gues this must have been quite the rage in the late 60s, and I have to admit I was strangely fascinated upon hearing it. Still, I'm probably not going to listen to this again, it doesn't speak to me as much as to the generation it was intended for. 2/5

It's a cross between traditional Irish folk music and psychedelic rock. You'd think it would be an interesting combination that might sound pretty good. But boy, would you be wrong. This is awful.

4.6 - To describe a work of art as "original" sets it on an impossibly teetering pedestal that can fall at the scoff of someone with deeper music knowledge. But to my ears, this record is an original. First, it captures and integrates so many seemingly disparate sounds - from sea shanties to troubadour ballads of the middle ages to Indian folk chanting... Second, there's an organic feel to this record, performed by not so much a band as an artistic collective, or a commune of misfits supporting some larger spiritual endeavor. The strange echos on "The Minotaur's Song" make me picture a large, rickety parlor room outfitted with a few tape recorders, where a group of music students has gathered to share joints and jugs of wine and sing in rough choral harmony. Most songs on this record don't simply unfold, they seem to sprout - twisting and gnarling and blooming in different, unexpected directions (see "A Very Cellular Song"). Third, the lyrics read like poetry with strange imagery, dredging up childhood memories, with the odd reference to transcendentalist philosophy. ("Setting your foot where the sand is untrodden, The ocean that only begins. Listen, a woman with a bulldozer built this house now. Carving away the mountain whose name is your childhood home.") It's a work of audacious ambition - by all rights it should never have been created: the recordings too unrehearsed, the lyrics too obscure, the singers and players not quite up to snuff. And there are definitely parts of the record where you can hear everything unravel ("Swift as the Wind"). But, taken together, the record glows with childlike wonder and a sense of vast creative possibility.

First listen made me want to tear my ears off. Folk is not my favorite genre of music from the 60s. Second listen... Didn't get any better. It isnt' bad, but not anything I'd probably ever enjoy. 2/5

the album as a whole minus A very cellular song isn't very good 2.5

Классный альбом. Я их с 1-ого курса университета знаю по песне Water Song, когда услышал её на радио "Аэростат". Альбом цельный, музыка хорошая.

Another wild one. I feel like I’m at a medieval musical theater show. Some of the songs were alright, some were barely listenable due to the vocals being kind of awful. Interrelating to say the least, but overall wasn’t really feeling it. 4/10

Didn't enjoy it that much

well boring

One of the few albums that compelled me to check the Wikipedia entry. Who was responsible for this travesty? There was a surface resemblance to traffic and john barley corn. But scratch the surface and it was quite unattractive underneath. Yikes

That was a tough listen. Seems like they went out of their way trying to incorporate new instruments and timing throughout each of the songs.

I did not like this album. Not. At. All.

bullshit

I used to think our cultural distaste for the hippie movement was an overreaction. Then I listened to this album.

Probably good back in the day but seems outdated now (2022)

Haha this was 100p not for me. Kinda had a funny moment when I realized how common it is for white artists just to borrow music from other cultures. This album definitely sounds like them trying to do that

I have no clue here… Koeeoaddi theme was alright at the start fine the singing was bad but instrumentally it was alright then all of these extra sounds render it unlistenable. The minotaurs song somehow sounds worse there’s theres these really annoying backing singers who start all making what I think was Minotaur noises it’s still listenable though. Witches hat would be alright filler but just little bits like putting in the flute ruin this track . And now for 13 minutes of this band from hell in a very cellular song, we’ll it’s really a multi parter, maybe I’am numbed to the sound of this band but I felt this song was still overdone but it was better done than the previous songs ( especially the first few parts) it does drop back in the normal weirdness of this band but to have 6 minutes of sanity was nice. Mercy I cry city is okay in terms if this album but there are just too many sounds pasted on. Waltz of the new moon isn’t that good but it’s still the problem of this band adding way too many elements to their songs. But it flows nicely into water song at the start a nice pace breaker then it adds in all the weird jangly noises. Three is a green crown is up next, at the start the extra bits were lower in the mix so I was actually gonna complement this one but it got real poor as it progressed, still the album’s best! I would like the intro to swift as the wind but the ah’s made it annoying; actually this probably applies to the whole first bit, then it goes into a slower near unlistenable bit which doesn’t work well for the song, the first bit gets repeated and song done. Nightfall makes sense as the closer a much slower/ shorter piece it’s very meh. Overall I hated it there’s only one album I’ve herd that’s worse and I given that a 2 but this album just feels like a 1 y know.

I was ready to write this off as an album that shouldn’t be included until I heard a lick popularized by the Grateful Dead. If you’re good enough to share source material and interests with the dead, you’re good enough for a patient listen from me. Very nice album. The conceptual songs are tedious but the melodies are pleasant and I’m always game for some sitar.

Not for me.

Absolute solid gold guff

Strewth. Kill me now.

I actually listened to this a week ago, having seen it among the lowest rated albums on the list for a while and been curious. It feels like a precursor to Richard Dawson's weird explorations of medieval music. Not as good, but not terrible. It's definitely a difficult listen, akin to Trout Mask Replica, but challenging isn't the same as bad. It is nowhere near as good as Trout Mask Replica (which I have a lot of thoughts on whenever we get around to that album), but it doesn't deserve to be rated lower than Kid Rock. I wouldn't put it on the list at all, but there's at least 500 albums on here that I wouldn't put on the list. I'd call this album a 3, but it's also a litmus test. If you gave this album a 1 but Appetite for Destruction anything higher than a 2, we probably won't get along.

A bit downtempo and acoustic for my tastes - there are several interesting vocal touches on choruses, but not enough to keep things from getting stale across the 40-minute runtime. That being said, this hardly deserves to be one of the lowest globally rated albums in the project given some other LPs I’ve heard…

Holy mary mother of God. Pyschedelic folk. Flutes, hurdy gurdies and lyrics about wizards and green crowns. Not incredible and surely indigestible without smoking a load of weed.

I wasn't initially sold, but it definitely grew on me. Very cool early psychedelic album. I was hooked by the end. Not a perfect album, but a cool piece of 60s rock pioneering.

Tough listen. Like felt almost like a cruel joke to me... I couldn't listen to this and not think of the movie the Mighty Wind (which may have better music!)

The individual components of vocals and instruments I enjoy, but the collective was so unorganized and sounded very annoying. It was hard to listen to despite being in its components all the things I enjoy.

Very odd album, typical late 60s and Britain. Not bad but can definitely get annoying

Unique, I enjoyed the vocal harmonies on this album. I didn't love all the instrumentation but it was certainly an interesting listen. Overall I didn't mind it but probably wouldn't listen to it again.

This album should be in the other book: 1001 albums you should avoid at all costs. I've never listened to an album so quickly. It went like this - Track 1: Listen for 20 seconds, scream in horror, skip to Track 2: listen for 15 seconds, vomit, skip to Track 3: listen for 10 seconds, feel a part of my soul die, no more skipping. This is worse than Crazy Frog, Brotherhood of Man, and Nyaan Cat, all on permanent loop. No amount of drugs accounts for this abomination being written, let alone recorded, let alone getting released!

Terrible

This was fine. It was more weird than good.

Not for me

What in the name of Timothy Leary is this? This is the kind of stuff that Monty Python would mock incessantly. Not a big fan.

I’m starting to question the individual who has decided so many albums must’ve heard before I die 😂

This felt like being at a Renaissance fair. We need better albums.

Meh. Felt like I was at a renaissance fair and ate too many stewed mushrooms.

Það tók mig viku að klára að hlusta á þessa plötu. Fer fram og til baka. Söngurinn stundum hvimleiður og falskur, svaka tilgerð á köflum og tilviljunarkennd lagauppbygging. - En samt heillandi hugmyndir og flutningur inn á milli. Má hlusta á.

The album cover looks like some Robin Hood themed larpers? Yesterday I had Jimi Hendrix and I'm thinking this will be similarly trippy though much less familiar and probably not as good but this list has surprised me before. Oof. These songs are simply pretentious foolishness. Three Is a Green Crown almost broke me. Maybe the album was groundbreaking in its day, I don't know, but not for me, no thank you.

Psychedelic folk from 1968 that makes Syd Barrett's life-altering solo work look restrained and coherent. Gentle and mental. Why did nobody play this to me at uni? I demand a refund!

The Incredible String Band are a new band for me, and The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter was all new music for me too. The musis matches the album cover, with som psychodelia mixed with an odd bit of folk. The jaw harp came in early enough to let me know I was going to hear something different. Some of the vocals relied on 'la la la's and 'ah ahaaaah uh ah-ah' kinds of arrangements that wore out their welcome. There were a couple of songs that were quite weird, but in an endearing way ("A Very Cellular Song", and "Mercy I Cry City"). I did not know how to deal with the weirdness of "The Minotaur's Song". I definitely did not like "Witches Hat". I don't think that I LIKE this album, but the album was enjoyable enough to make listening to the album as a whole worth that much time.

02/23/2022 Truly one of the worst things I've ever listened to. Both horrible and annoying from start to finish. Absolutely terrible. I'm angry!!!

0/5 Ahh now. Up there with the worst. Whoever put this on the list needs to get out more. This kind of rubbish undermines the entire list. It doesn't even deserve a 1. Folk is far from my favourite genre, but this would not rank in any list of important folk albums. "I cant dream well because of my horns." Cover art 1/5 hippy commune family photo

Amazingly trippy psych folk. It just scratches a certain inch on my brain. 3.5

This album came out right around when Genesis was forming. You can tell there are storytelling elements in here shared by both bands, but this band is a little more eclectic. Did I think there'd be an album in here with jawbone? Nope.

all i'm going to say is that if u feel the need to include the word 'incredible' in your band name, you should think twice. definitely of the time period, considering all of the instruments (i do love hearing a sitar!). a lot of yikes going on here.

This album was...distracting. There was a point where I literally had to pause this so I could concentrate on something I was trying to do. "Acid folk" is the perfect genre description for this, because this bunch was definitely taking lots of hits in order to develop this messy album. At its best, I would find some songs on this album tolerable, if only the vocals were not present. At worst, the album was a cacophony of dissonant, competing sounds among the instruments and vocals, and the cadence of the song. Honestly, they probably had to try really hard in order to make all of their music sound THIS noisy and THIS busy. I like folk music, and wanted to like this, but all of the dissonance honestly just ended up stressing me out. Overall, a big miss for me.

This was… a lot

Not sure about this at all. Not quite awful but pretty fucking close. Mad as a bag of fridges.

Sorry I'm not an addicted

The Manson Family were definitely listening to this. Giving it an extra star for its presumed influence on psych and also the theatrical rock stylings of Led Zep et al

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 is what I come to this site for. Weird and wonderful things that I might not otherwise have stumbled across. It deserves more of a listen than I was really able to give it. I'm not sure when I'm going to be in the very specific mood that will require but I am looking forward to it.

Eclectic mix of folk and various instruments. Syncopated rhythms. Not bad. Weird lyrics.

This album made me feel like a little lad.

As much as I appreciate how experimental and influential this album is. For me it didn’t click. I enjoy all of the elements that make up this album, however they did not mesh together well. While some transitions were interesting, others were quite jarring. I appreciate the incorporation of a diverse set of instruments, however, it did come across as a bit amateurish.

From reading through the reviews, I can tell this is either a love or hate album and I kinda get it. A lot of psychedelic music that was coming out in the 60’s was just… terrible and I think this album treads the line between atrocious and genius a bit too well. You can tell they were high af making this. A lot of the lyrics and sounds feel like they could have come from a child’s imagination. Which, to me, is not a bad thing, it brings a more wholesome and almost innocent tone to the tracks. Another thing that I’ve found with 60’s psychedelic music is the pretentiousness and seriousness of it all. This album doesn’t take itself seriously which I think helps make a more positive listening experience. In all of the weirdness and experimentation, you can tell the band members are all very talented at what they do. The backing instrumentals never feel messy (although I think the variety and layers of instrumentals would put some people off) and the lead singer actually has a lovely voice. I liked the use of harmonies with the backing vocals. I actually really liked it and it was an enjoyable listening experience. Fave track: The Minotaur’s Song Least fave track: Three is a Green Clown (Bonus points for being a homegrown Scottish band)

I really enjoyed this.

This was cool. I clearly dig anything that involves tons of strings and this did it for me. Not one I’d go back to all the time, but decent.

Not offensive sonically, but without value for me. At times I couldn't tell if it was a theme/comedy/genre album. Commune vibes.

Worst album on this list so far. I listened through once, never again. I didn't enjoy the parts where they sang gibberish and played a tin whistle out of tune in the background. So all of it. Interestingly, I listened to the first album by ISB and they CAN sing and play so presumably this album was a conscious decision to be microtonal. However, on this one, I'm sure I could hear the singer getting surprised by how out of tune he was. Strange.

Absolutely horrific. Just a bunch of discordant sounds and strange instruments. Awful, just awful. Totally ruined my dinner cooking experience.

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.

Based on the makeup of the band and the unique folk sound that they have I should like this a lot more than I do but this album doesn't really hit me. I tried to give it a few listens and although I can really appreciate the musicianship and the complex writing I find that I can't connect with the songs on any emotional level. There were a few moments on side 2 that really impressed me. That instrument that sounds like a cartoon spring is annoying as hell though and made side 1 more challenging than it should have been. I would give this 2 and a 1/2 stars but the playing is quite good even if the vocals are not so I'll round this up to a 3.

Ja gilla de!

Not sure what it is about this album that seems to inspire such vitriol in people. I think it’s cool and unique:)

Ganska swag i musikhörnan... vocals drar ner på det dock

I'm glad these guys are doing their thing, but jesus christ

The second "psychedelic folk" album in a row, a genre I didn't know existed until I got Devendra Banhart's album yesterday. In any case, I'm not sure what to make of this album. At first I thought it sounded like a Monty Python-like parody, but the further I got into it the more I started digging it. I can definitely see how influential it was on Led Zeppelin, and I even hear shades of Syd Barrett in some of these songs. I feel like I need to listen to this 3 or 4 more times to fairly judge it, but for now I'll give it 3 stars.

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.

I liked it.

Liked much of the instrumentation, heavily put off by the vocals. Songs meandered and stretched on and on at times

I’ve yet to describe an album as irritating. But here we go...... Fave tracks: The Michael Jackson song that came up on shuffle at the end of this travesty.

Even if you're not a big fan of the kazoo, these fuckers have you covered with panpipes and harpsichords. The big rumor is apparently Robert Plant once went on record suggesting Zeppelin wanted their first album to sound like this. Thankfully, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham didn't agree. Two hundred albums in, and already I have an easy candidate for the worst album on the list. And frankly, it's not even close. To paraphrase the late Roger Ebert, I HATED this album. Hated, hated, hated, hated, hated the this album.

two tracks in: this is hilarious! were they *trying* to be funny, or did it just happen? four tracks in: nnooo....i don't think they were joking... eight tracks in: christ, how was there enough acid in the world back then to let them write this?? end of the album: jeebus, glad that's over. i assume, for the right audience, this was some kind of mind-blowing experience - for me, it just felt like listening to a caricature. i suspect this is one of those times when, not having been there for it, i just can't understand it in the context of its time.

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 🌟

Is this a joke? Absolute shite, a real chore to get to the end.

Track 01 - 1.25/5 Track 02 - 1.5/5 Track 03 - 1.25/5 Track 04 - 1.5/5 Track 05 - 1.25/5 Track 06 - 1.25/5 Track 07 - 1.25/5 Track 08 - 1.25/5 Track 09 - 1.25/5 Track 10 - 1.25/5 Overall - 1.25/5 Album Art - 2.25/5

Boring acoustic

I should imagine if this is your thing then this album is good… it’s a bit too medieval for me, but can appreciate it may be liked!

Makes you want to kill hippies. 1

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.

Did not enjoy.

Psychedelic folk invariably leaves me wishing it were either more psychedelic and less folk or more folk and less psychedelic. Rarely a combination that works.

Ааааааа

Rubbish

"I think drugs have done some good things for us, I really do. And if you don't believe drugs have done good things for us, do me a favor. Go home tonight and take all your albums, all your tapes and all your CD's and burn them. Because, you know what? The musicians who made all that great music that's enhanced your lives throughout the years... rrrrrrrreal fucking high on drugs. Man, the Beatles were so high, they let Ringo sing a couple of tunes. Tell me they weren't partying. (singing) "We all live in a yellow submarine, yellow submarine." We all live in a-do you know how fucking high they were when they wrote that? They had to pull Ringo off the ceiling with a rake to sing that fucking song. (Beatle voices) John, get Ringo, he's in the corner. Ooh, look at him scoot, grab him! Hook his bellbottom, hook his bellbottom! He's got a song he wants to sing us. Something about living in a yellow tambourine or something. Ringo, Yoko's gone, come down, we can party again! They were real high, they wrote great music, drugs did have a positive effect." -- Bill Hicks

I feel like this is not going to help with my headache. This is so fucked. A lot of effort for a lot of shitty music. Laughably bad, but in a way that makes it really funny. If this is just a stupid parody, it's the most genius thing I have ever heard. Ok, It's like everyone, even Wikipedia, is agreeing that the album is a masterpiece and a soulful vision of the future of world-music, but for gods sake they play the kazoo! I could give this album a 5 or a 1 and nothing in between. Goddamn, what a listen. But definitely worth the listen. If you ever want to listen to something different. Listen to this. Perfect album 5/7 Ok I was joking and was going to give the album a 1 for it's obvious and inherent BADness, but after seeing one of the most popular reviews of it on this site, stating that it's a : "soul-shaking" and "a once in a life-time album", as the only actual review of an album on the profile, and thinking of the fact that he might've had the dedication to make new accounts again and again, just so he could get this album and give it a five and an over-the-top good review, makes me feel so warm inside. Maybe they had the exact same ironic humor as we do today, and chose to make something really beauti'fæl, but the lyrics and messages are so sincere and good that they make me think that maybe they were all just tone-deaf, or unimaginably high when making these tunes, but no matter what I love this. And I admire this. But holy shit is it bad. "A Very Cellular Song" Is very silly. Thinking of myself as a very small amobea, wiggling and seeing another one of myself being created from myself as well as riding backwards on a giraffe and laughing is great. This is very cute, but its still so silly and weird, like why wouldn't they conform to the norms and divide this piece up in multiple songs instead of having these akward endings multiple times in the middle of the song. This is quite a weird listen. I feel like I've really spent some quality time with these guys, and if I'd been high I don't think I'd ever be able to go down again. I arrive at "The Water Song" and realize, again, how crazy bad these sounds are. How did they manage to make water flowing sound bad? This is so fucked, why do I genuinely like this? I'm at "Three Is a Green Crown" and it's actually so good, what the fuck is going on. I feel all my worries and daily struggles slowly resolve and vanish in a misty nothingness. "Swift as the Wind" has arrived and I feel how the mysteries of the world hath entered me and begun their everlasting gnawing of my down-beaten and cold heart, and finally a beginning of an understanding life has come its way. "Nightfall" has come, and I am ready to go to sleep. Conquer my mind in it's real place of stay; my dreams. I have listened to the whole album again. This has truly been a sight-gaining experience for me, and I am not going to forget it, "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" has landed itself a spot on my 1001 list, and it's there to stay. If music is art, and the purpose of art is to make you think, and not least /feel/, this album can easily be called some of the best music.

Schulaufführung in der Aula zieht sich in die Länge; pfeiff mir aufm Klo lieber den dritten ‚Kleinen Feigling‘ rein, ehe ich wieder zu den Mittelaltermarkt Pfeifen reingehe. Vonnöten mindesten 1.1 Promille

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

Weird. Twangy. Eh.

This is closer to a high 2 just based on enjoyability. However, the group really tried to use exotic instruments and maintain their folk roots, which I have to appreciate. I remember it took me AGES to get into some of the Beatles' psychedelic offerings, and I figure this is similar, albeit a bit worse in its execution.

I usually get some satisfaction out of guessing an album by its cover, but today there was none. It was never going to be anything but psychedelic folk rock crud. To be honest, it was even worse than I expected: some ultra-stoned combo of renaissance fair-type ditties and sitars. spaaaare me. There's a part of me that hopes the, uh, "over-representation" of albums from this time period is mostly just to fill the 1001 total goal and serve as placeholders for future editions, but I know that's not true. This crap will stay in every edition of the book ever, and albums like Arise and Rust in Peace will be cut to make room for future Drake albums or some shit. 1/5.

The hangman should of hung his beautiful daughter before she released this fucking garbage. Album cover looks darker than an episode of jim’ll fix it too. Would not recommend even to a deaf person.

i like the dark as dark as can be. metal lyrics on the least metal music ever. that said listening this was so much more stressful than listening to metal music. so much out of tune singing.

The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter. What the shittin' fuck is that? She is such an ugly little, fat cunt. I'd have a right good go on her tits though. Fuckin' sign me right up for that, just not for this dogshit music.

Really enjoyed this. Of course by enjoyed, I mean I tolerated it. By tolerated it, I mean I'd rather smother by body in chilli and get fucked by all members of The Incredible String Band wearing condoms laced with razor blades, whilst my Internet search history is read to everyone I've ever met, than ever listen to this ever again.

Bad. Comically bad.

bem experimental, por vezes tem sons da natureza, é meio psicodélico, um pouco tribal em alguns momentos o álbum começa bem hipnótico, canto leve quase falado, instrumentos árabes. Muito gostoso de ouvir, me lembra lendas cantadas, bem folk. Tem palmas, muito folk! segunda música completamente diferente, piano, violão, coro de bar, parece canção de marinheiro as músicas são completamente cheias de camadas

Madre mía, que disco más insufrible. Mira que me gusta la psicodelia, el folk y muchas parecidas. Al ver el disco y leer quienes son en wikipedia y la época del disco pensé que me gustaría. No os molestéis en escucharlo, de verdad.

OK at first I didn’t think it was absolutely terrible but as it went on I wanted to barf he started awkwardly making all these not yelling noises but just a voice raises and I very much did not like it

Perhaps the right music if I were in a forest visiting Tom Bombadil for a weekend pipe-weed smoking getaway while hiding the One Ring. As I'm listening it's impossible to not imagine a number of hilariously-dressed flautists prancing around a stage while singers are skipping in different directions while gently tossing flower petals into the audience. Very much of the era (late 60s) and I had to try to dial in a wider acceptance rather than judge this in a standard pop/rock vein. Points for usage of many non-traditional (in a pop sense) instruments which is what I ended up trying to focus on. I really tried. But wow - this one is tough to get through. Very tough. Completely unfamiliar with the band before today, I had no expectations. After a few minutes I was hoping and wanted it to go off in a truly weird/fun/trippy direction (ala Gong) but instead just stayed odd in a tiresome way for me and went south from there. The vocals carry a nearly extreme cringe factor for me which makes this unrecoverable overall. I can't definitively say that "Three Is A Green Crown" is the worst song I've ever heard but I'm not going to argue with anyone who claims it. holy hell..... somebody put the wounded animal singing it out of its misery already. ...which only leads into "Swift As The Wind" ... oh. oh my. I've just come across their previously-hidden pre-production notes: "how can we make a song worse than having one wailing vocalist?" "......TWO wailing vocalists??" "genius." I'm resisting a reflexive "I really don't like this" because I was hoping upon a second listen I get it a little more but .... there's no way I can get through it again as it just kept getting worse and worse and yes: *I really don't like this.* 2/10 1 star.

Literally ruined my morning

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.

God, what is this. So out there 😂 weird as hell. Don't know if it's so weird it's good, or if it's just too weird 😂. Psychedelic, a bit medieval and then also a bit Eastern sounding. bless them, not good. I think maybe a solid 1/5 😂

So random! Holds up spork! Do drugs, kids!

Complete trash, I didn't enjoy any of this, it was unbelievably obnoxious

Started off strong but became pretty annoying as it went on. Neat concepts but not executed well.

Not my thing

Wilfully obtuse, I found it hard going.

Very unexpected, kind of folk-esque psychedelic but with heavy African and Asian influence. This probably would have worked better as an instrumental album, but overall very nice.

I can not imagine how much acid was consumed to make this horrible piece of shit.

if this were to be released today it would fail miserably