Customer Reviews

Looked Up

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

 

 

Originally issued in 1970, I LOOKED UP represents the end of the Robin/Mike/Likky/Rose period of the Incredible String Band. Later that same year would see te release of the 2-lp set U, which would introduce new faces and influences into the melting pot that was the 'sound' of the ISB.

Other than being the last album by this line-up, I LOOKED UP is notable for several other reasons -- for one thing, it was the last album they recorded that was mostly acoustic (I don't consider the occasional presence of a quiet electric guitar to be as poisonous as some might). It also contains two of Robin Williamson's most memorable compositions: 'When you find out who you are' is an insightful treatise on growing older and 'finding' onself -- something we all go through, whether we pay attention to it or not; and the simply amazing 'Pictures in a mirror', which takes Lord Randall through imprisonment, execution, death, darkness and ultimate rebirth, all in less than 11 minutes. Robin's works always tended more toward the mystical than Mike's (with some exceptions on both sides -- neither writer's scope was so narrow as to never wander...), and this song is a sterling example of his mind-stretching perceptions.

Mike Heron contributes some nice tunes as well, although not quite as 'deep', at least in this outing. 'Black Jack David' begins the album, a rousing fiddle tune -- it quickly became a concert favorite. 'The letter' is my least favorite track here, Heron's attempt at a pop song -- but his other two offerings in this set are excellent: 'This moment' is almost Zen-like in its view of reality-as-now; and 'Fair as you' is simply a touchingly beautiful love song, sung as a call-and-response duet with Likky McKechnie. Her child-like voice was one of the ISB's sweetest 'trademark' sounds during the period during which she was associated with the band.

Not their greatest effort, but certainly a fine collection of well-written tunes. With the advent of U, Malcom LeMaistre would come on board, and beginning with LIQUID ACROBAT AS REGARDS THE AIR a couple of years down the road, their sound would turn increasingly electric and (if you can believe it from their early work) 'pop', undoubtedly, to some extent, brought on by pressure from their record companies to become more 'marketable'.

They're back together now, in 2001: Robin Williamson, Mike Heron, and Clive Palmer -- the three original members, from the very first album -- along with Bina Williamson and Dawson Lando (I hope I've gotten his name right! If not, sorry...) from Robin's latest band. We'll see how well they can revive the old magic..!

It is hard to imagine that this album was written after the clunkiness of changing horses (though a must have if for "Creation" alone); in this Robin Williamson and Mike Heron managed to sustain the creative spirit that made their first five albums so good. Every song on here is a must have, my favorites being "Pictures in a Mirror" (got to love Robin's gypsy shriek) and "When you find out who you are". This album is an essential for any ISB fan, full of the classic ISB flavor you know and love. If you loved the imagery and magical quality of "The Hangman's Beautiful daughter" you will love this album. Mike Heron was also in fine form when he wrote "This Moment", each chord change is like waves washing over your ears. Every song on here is a trip to another world.

The Incredible String Band released I Looked Up - their seventh studio album - in 1970. Produced once again by the ever reliable Joe Boyd, this is a joy to listen to. The various instruments sound clear and loud in rich textures and the voices are just pure fun! Mike Heron contributes four songs and Robin Williamson two. Mike's tunes are shorter and a bit more to the point whereas Robin's are basically the opposite running over ten minutes long. This - as on their other albums - creates great chemistry and it is still very much alive on I Looked Up which is clearly an inspired follow-up to Changing Horses.

Mike actually writes the sleeve notes which offers interesting details of their time around the writing process of the album and provides lyrics for two songs - Pictures In A Mirror and Fair As You. Mike himself writes: "There is no doubt that I Looked Up is a transitional album - wandering rather than driven - but maybe the best String Band moments were when the compass was mislaid".

While I wouldn't say this was their highest achievement, it should still manage to fascinate anyone who's into them. So I'm basically saying that if you got some of their other albums, there is plenty of stuff here that should easily please you. Music as daring and inventive as this is long gone. Don't overlook it!

This is often referred to as one of ISB's "lesser albums." I disagree with this; the songs on this album are as complex and enjoyable as their previous albums.

Heron's four songs on this album stand out the most, with "This Moment" as the gem. His work gets a 5/5. Williamson's two 10ish minute tracks, on the other hand, are not his best. I'd give them both 3/5, and I'm glad to see that this was just a temporary setback for him (his tunes on "U" are wonderful).

I keep coming back to this album, and no part of it is unlistenable at all.

`I Looked Up' by the four member The Incredible String Band lead by Robin Williamson and Mike Heron is just a little different from all previous TISB albums, signaled by the change in cover art. The next most obvious sigh that this album is different is the fact that this may be the only TISB album where the majority of songs are by Mike Heron. The third distinction, flowing from the second, is that there is much less fantastical content.

And, if that is what you always liked about TISB, then you may, as I do, feel just a bit let down by this album. That is not to say that when I start a TISB listening jag, as I do about once a year, that I skip this album, the way I often do with `The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion' or `Hard Rope & Silken Twine'. This may be because I am especially fond of the sweet voices from Rose and Licorice which seem to show up a bit more strongly on this album than on earlier releases, but then that may just be that in the absence of other strong qualities, this virtue stands out.

With only six numbers and four out of six being written by the less interesting Heron, this is an album you will probably want to get eventually to fill out a `complete set' of TISB recordings, but you can leave it until you have all the albums which come before it in time.

The Incredible String Band is relatively forgotten on this side of the planet, but is remembered in Europe as a prime example of 60s folk music. This particular record is called their post-transition "cohesive" record, but hardly represents a cogent, new and consistent sound. It's all over the place- bluegrass, 70s pop, Gypsy folk, Celtic music, Victorian parlor suites, medieval dungeon music, etc... at least their previous records had very set-in-stone themes, even if they did get stagnant and boring at times. Heron and Williamson are incredibly talented writers- in their golden age, writing thick, intricate and effective songs encompassing modern American techniques and age old Celtic melodies and methods. As for the songs on this album- they are... sort of all over the place. Overly-intricate melodies turn indiscernible, guitars weaving in and out of the speakers, shrill flutes screaming out at the most inappropriate moments. "The Letter" is sort of a victorian-sounding pop song, with Heron seemingly having contracted some sort of goofy inflection to his voice. Hmm. 70's pop stuff, I suppose. "This Moment" is probably the most classic-ISB-sound sounding track on the album- intricate yet subtle guitar melodies, and sweet harmonies. Judging by these two tracks, you'd have thought that the ISB had decided to ditch the lengthy medieval-LSD suites, but you'd be dead wrong; not only does the album have two 10 minute medieval-LSD suites, but one is actually a Mediterranean inspired LSD suite, and the other is a Greek inspired LSD suite. Uhh... both are much less cohesive than the other 10 minute ISB suites, that ramble with no climax of any sort. They're not all too bad, by all means though- "Pictures in a Mirror"'s extremely weak and spotty instrumentation is made up for by interesting and kick-ass vocal harmonies. The lyrics are absolutely abysmal, though, - "Her nipple is like a berry" (?!). The main problem with this whole album is not the music itself- it's how it's all carried out. There's strong melodies all over the place, but they're all offset by a large amounts of excess production- too many instruments, etc. Indeed, the best songs on this album are the two most stripped down and bare- "Fair as You" (guitar, vocals and flute) and "This Moment" (guitars and vox). A listen to live recordings of the horrendous tracks such as "When You Find Out Who You Are" (vocals, bass and guitars being the only instruments used on stage at Woodstock) show that the melodies and chords and all are strong. They lose their shine when over-adorned with harpsichords and the like. In "The Letter", the band makes use of a drum set- which, to my knowledge, was a first for the band; everything percussion-oriented on the previous records was djembes, tambourines, doumbeks, and stuff like that. Overall, it's a sincere and interesting effort, but mostly inconsistent.

"I Looked Up" is another one of the Incredible String Band's transitional albums, no less a figure than Robin Williamson has described this album as a tentative step towards the more polished electric style of "Liquid Acrobat". The album has a rushed feel, as if it had been recorded as quickly as possible. All in all, with 4 Mike Heron songs and two epics from Williamson, this is an unusual ISB album to say the least. From Heron, we get the first, rather faltering version of his "Black Jack Davy/David", personally I prefer the version on "Earthspan". "The Letter" maps out the future for ISB, with Rose Simpson on bass, and (gulp) Dave Mattacks on drums, Heron fills up the rest of the track with electric guitars, the result being an odd elliptical take on a "rock song" - the lyrics are banal in the extreme, demonstrating the band's [..] move away from mysticism to openness and simplicity. "This Moment" is a favourite song of many ISB fans, melodically related to Leonard Cohen's "Bird On A Wire", it's a nice but somewhat cloying song, Likky's vocals are, as ever, an acquired case and the song is simply too long. Heron's last song is "Fair As You", a lovely underrated song which features a nice duet vocal from Likky and Rose (why didn't Rose sing more?), pure hippy idyll but none the worse for it. Which brings us to the problematic side of album, the songs of Robin Williamson - it seems as if Robin was going through a period of gigantism, following on from the 16 minute "Creation" on "Changing Horses", both of his contributions here sail way beyond the ten minute mark, though thankfully neither are a cringingly pretentious and self-indulgent as "Creation". "When You Find Out Who You Are" is lyrically a curiously didactic piece [...] and musically rather laborious. The old Williamson method of welding together various disparate musical elements leads to a bit of a Frankenstein's monster of a track with lumbering and inexact drumming from Likky, out-of-tune bass from Rose and Mike Heron apparently making it up as he goes along on piano - Robin's on good form though. "Pictures In A Mirror" is simply one of the most extraordinary pieces of music you are likely to hear, I still can't make my mind up about it, at times I think it's an unlistenable, self-indulgent piece of trash, at others that it's an incredibly brave and innovative attempt a new musical form. The track has a dark, Eastern European feel to it, thanks to Robin's gypsy violin and Likky's hammered dulcimer, once again Mike Heron has trouble following things on piano (and who can blame him!) - as for, Robin's vocals, well, they are unique to say the least! Lyrically, the song is a fascinating birth/ life/ death reincarnation epic, the Lord Randall of the songs appears to have no relation to the eponymous hero of the well-known folk song. [....] Overall, an interesting album but not an essential one.

At the time of "Changing horses" the ISB unfortunately began to exchange originality for decadence, and increasingly so. This record is an example of this - great songs combined with songs that never seem to end - making it difficult even for a seasoned ISB-fan like me. In fact, only two songs seem to lift themselves out of this pool of sound, and the record starts off with them. Heron's songs "Black Jack Davy" and "The Letter" are among his finest songs, but in the songs that follow even Williamson must have lost track of what he was doing. "This Moment" sounds alright, but the album as a whole suffers greatly from a lack of direction and a tendency to hold on to a format which was so gracefully introduced on "Wee Tam & the Big Huge". In contrast, I must admit that this album seems to have a lot of the original and hard-to-define spirit left. For true fans only.

Hans Wigman