The Incredible String Band

• Genre: British Folk
• The Incredible String Band Website

About

In the mid '60s, Incredible String Band were among the first hippies to take Scottish, Celtic and British folk and fold in a heady mixture of Indian music and psychedelia. With rough musicianship and a sense of the absurd, ISB created some of the most unique music of their time, winning the praise of critics and a fervent following. Mike Heron, Robin Williamson and Clive Palmer formed the ISB in 1965. They recorded a self-titled album for Elektra in 1966, but it was their 1967 alum, The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion (now minus Palmer), with its far out cover art and colorful take on folk music, that introduced them to the LSD-gobbling public at large. 1968's The Farmer's Beautiful Daughter, with even stronger psychedelic elements, went to No. 5 on the UK charts. Their star continued to rise until 1970, followed by a steady decline until they called it quits in 1974. Palmer returned for a 1999 reunion, and the band has continued to perform here and there, touring the UK in 2006.

- Mike McGuirk