About this item

While it's true to say that when they came together in 1965 The Incredible String Band were, ostensibly, an acoustic folk group, even in these early days they mixed in elements of folk, blues, bluegrass and jazz, akin to an American style jug band, and very different from any other performers or groups on the folk scene in England and Scotland. By the time they released their two most rightly celebrated albums, "The 5000 Spirits" and "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" in 1967 and 1968 respectively, The Incredible String Band had come to embody the notion of the hippie ideal. They were extraordinary records, incorporating Indian and African traditions and effectively presenting 'World music' for the first time, some 25 years before the term was coined. Right now, as folk music goes through one of its regular revivals and has become hip once again under the umbrella of nu-folk, alt-folk or twisted folk, call it what you will, The Incredible String Band, now find themselves revered gurus of this new scene. Since the ISP began performing together again in 1999, they have been embraced by these younger musicians both here and in America and just last year flew the flag for the old guard at the Green Man Festival along side the likes of Bonnie Prince Billy, Espers and Joanna Newsom. It's a fitting time to present a new introduction to the Incredible String Band, here drawn from "The Elektra Years", a groundbreaking and exhilarating five year period from 66-71. The collection is a convenient starter pack. You'll hear nothing in the music of today to compare with the unique sound of the Incredible String Band.