The Incredible String Band — Be Glad For The Song Has No Ending / Liquid Acroba
It’s fair to say that between 1967 & 1968 The Incredible String Band released three of their most celebrated & near perfect sonic masterpieces- The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, & Wee Tam and the Big Hug. After this point, leading up into the 70’s, sadly the bands out-put became rather more mixed - we had 1969’s “Changing Horses” & 1970’s “ I Looked Up”, which both had their moments, but neither were wholly rewarding. Then we had 1970’s double album “U”, which saw the band recreating the soundtrack from their creative if some what ill fated live mixed-media stage show of the same name, and again there were moments of great-ness here, but sadly there were also less consistent moments too.
By the early 1970’s the band had signed to Island records, it’s line-up had changed( though key songwriters & main vocalist Mike Heron & Robin Williamson still remained firmly in place), and the bands exotic, mostly drum-less & acoustic, often haphazard yet creative sound had become more conventional with a mostly electric focus & a more prevalent use of formal rhythmic backing, & a more straight & sleek 70’s studio sound. Though that’s not to say the band had total lost their way, they had just evolved into something different.
The first release on disc one is “Be Glad The song Has No End”, and this really saw the band half way between their original sound and their more electric based sound of the 1970’s. The album was original released in March 1971, and was some what of an odd ‘n’ sods release, bringing together tracks from between 1968 & 1969. The album was the soundtrack to the bands 1970 fifty minute movie of the same name, which mixed together live footage, interviews, and rather bizarre band ‘n’ friends acted fable. The original album featured one vinyl side of songs, and another side of incidental music created by the band for the movie. The song side took in five tracks in all, and these for the most part were rewarding- the tracks went from “All Writ Down” with it’s mix of memorable folk strum & more noodling 70’s blues rock guitar playing. Onto the wondering & pleasant folky hippy-dom of “See All The People” with it’s mix of strummed, pick & solo trailed acoustic guitars. Through to the wonderfully joyful & playful “Waiting For You” which mixed together jaunting organ, stripped quirky percussion, mandolin, acoustic guitar, bass, & the truly splendid, quirky & wordy Robin Williamson vocals which go from playful, to bizarre & cryptic.
Moving onto the second side of original vinyl, and track number seven here on the first cd- we have the collection of incidental music. Here it’s presented as one long twenty six minute track, that takes in various musical cues- and sadly that is part of the problem with this CD release. It’s all bunched together into one track, and sadly it’s a very much mixed bag, going from the overly twee & almost painfully wonky folk driven sound-tracking. Onto the more effective & moody mixers of earthy folk droning, weaves of sitar play, and darting ethnic drum work. Through to rather lacklustre & bland mixers of wondering piano & acoustic playing, that seem to have little shape, melody or theme. Yes, they are effective moments hidden here, but you really have to search for them, and much of this twenty six minute track is drab & at times painful instrumental noodling.
Disc two is taken up by the band’s proper new material debut on Island, and this came in the form of October 1970’s “Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air”. The album offered up twelve tracks, and from it’s outset it’s clear the bands sound has become more focused, less wondering, more polished with more use of set rhythmic elements & electric guitar elements- yet the band still weaved in their quirky mix of time changes & moods, ethic instruments & clever mix of different genres & world music traits. The album opens with “Talking To The End”, which starts out with sensual eastern percussion & passion gypsies violin sawing, before move into a mix of more up-beat & detailed world percussion, then it ends in a wonderfully memorable brew of eastern & American flavours with a mix of twanging sitar, steel guitar drift & ethic percussive matter & handclaps. Pretty much all of the rest of the album is great, and highlights come in the form of the cute almost 1920’s singer song writer type vibe of “Cosmic Boy” which is just rolling to aunting piano playing & female sing-song theatrical vocals. To the memorable & moody 1970’s rock chime & drive of “Only Painted Chariot”, which has great darts into slight more shrill folky passages & hints of country rock blends. Through to instrumental Irish folk meets old country jig of “Jigs: Eyes Like Leaves / Sunday Is My Wedding Day / Drops Of Whiskey / Grumbling Old Men". Onto the truly breath-taking, multi part & wordy “Darling Belle" which finds the band crafting a just shy of eleven minute masterpiece that finds all four of the bands voices coming into play separately for each part of the song. And the track masterfully slipping from bass backed moody acoustic guitar strumming, onto shimmering sinister mix of sawing violin & glockenspiel, onto more quirky & wonky banjo ‘n’ flute jaunts, through to more ornate piano marchers & mixes of male & female dramatics, onto a rising church organ drift that's layered with a mix male & female texts.
The reissue comes in a double jewel case disc, with no sonic extras- but really I think any out takes might have ruined or cheapened these albums( especially in the case of the Liquid Acrobat… album). You do get a 16 page inlay booklet which takes in a six page new write-up about both albums. Along with full instrumental credits for both albums, and full lyrics for both albums too. And the jewel case comes in a cardboard colour slip sleeve.
So on the whole this is a worthy reissue of these two early 1970’s albums from The Incredible String Band. With “Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air” been the most focused & consistent of the two albums, but “Be Glad The song Has No End” has it moments, and is only let down by the suite of incidental instrumental music.