Customer Reviews

Best of 1966-1970

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This CD covers the ISB's Elektra years as they would have been on the group's European contract with the label. As such, it's a good primer for anyone not entirely familiar with the band; I bought it three years ago when reimmersing myself in the ISB's music (thanks to a contemporary purchase of Robin Williamson's solo album, The Seed-at-Zero; I had bought The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter when it was first released on CD by Hannibal, but at the time found it too freaky, so didn't get much rotation).

But I'd have to agree with the other reviewer here--there's not really enough for a dedicated ISB fan, and it certainly doesn't cover *all* of their Elektra albums (which in the States includes Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air, their second for Island in the UK). And Elektra's US branch has been sorely laggard in releasing an ISB anthology for the band's American fans. This is where Rhino should step up to the plate, if only through their Rhino Handmade limited-edition division. Come on, Rhino! Where's the ISB box set?

The songs on this CD are good, but there are so many essential Incredible String Band tunes left out that it is hard to call this "The Best Of." The price tag, in my opinion, is a tad steep considering how many songs were absent.

If you want to get the best String Band for your buck, I highly recommend buying some of the double-album sets available. The finest are "The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion/The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter" and "Be Glad for the Song Has No Ending/Liquid Acrobat As Regards the Air." Another album that is excellent on its own is "U."

Way too many songs are left out of the mix on this CD. Most noticeably absent are"The Minotaur's Song," "Three Is a Green Crown," "The Hedgehog Song," "Blackjack Davy," "Mercy I Cry City" and "Pictures In a Mirror." The songs on this CD are good, but barely scratch the surface.

I usually hate 'best ofs' because it seems most are used to re-circulate mediocre material interspersed between some good tracks.

This, however, is genuinely a 'best of'. It would always be difficult to do a 'best of' for ISB, which (in my opinion) was one of the best bands in the 60s & 70s; a best of could end up being 4 to 5 discs long, which would defeat the object of the exercise.

So I am dead happy with the selection of the songs, and like this disc so much that, if I could afford it, I would buy numerous copies to give to both old and young people interested in that golden era of hippie music. Indeed, it is shocking and shameful how few people, who were in their prime then, actually know about ISB!

At the very least it is an excellent introduction to ISB, and, for me, at best it is a superb collection of songs when I don't want to listen through entire albums in order to get to these beautiful songs