The Incredible String Band — Hard Rope & Silken Twine
This 2013 reissue is the first time the album has been digitally remastered, and through there is no bonus or unreleased tracks here, as reissues go this well put together & nicely presented. The jewel case CD comes in a card slip case, which recreates the albums original front & back cover artwork. The release comes with twelve page inlay booklet, which takes in an interesting write-up about the album, the end of the project & the album place in the projects discography.
As remasterings go this album now sounds nicely balanced, with it’s epic string darted elements feeling more dramatic & moody. Sadly this is were the positive stuff ends….
For me “Hard Rope & Silken Twin” is one of the most unrewarding, uncreative, and passion-less albums this project ever released. You see all the more quirky, off-kilter, and surprising elements had departed from the bands sound by this point, and what we’re left with is an album that embraces fairly sleek & bland mid 70’s studio sound. And song craft which weaved together elements of: string swooned pop folk, clichéd singer-song-writer fare, contrived Celtic folk, hints at the blander side of prog rock, rather uninspired mixers of story telling folk, and the very slight darts of world music elements.
The album takes in six tracks in all, and these last between three to the epic nineteen minute final track "Ithkos”. And really all of the tracks here fall squarely in the middle-of-the- road, and safe box….there’s no edge, soul, or invention present anywhere- the bands once exciting, daring, and often risky elements have been sanded away. And we’re left with a very bland, indistinctive & heart-less mid 1970’s album.
Even when the band attempted to go back to basics with the live recorded “ Cold February”, with it’s wavering organ & vocals- their heart just doesn’t seem in it, and instead of getting earthy ‘n’ passion led folk odd-ness, we get a very bland Celtic tinged folk work-out with really grating flute/whistle solos.
Even the songs that have the odd fleeting moments of inspiration & promise get swept away by competent, but extremely dated 'n' bland instrumental textures, and clichéd song structures.
And even the final /should-be- epic last track "Ithkos”, just feels overblown, pompous, passionless & contrived. The track moves through: wondering clichéd folk tinged lite rock prog , unrewarding strutting rock tripped with clichéd ‘n’ grating electric fiddle elements, unrewarding blends of string swoon & bland world music touchers, unfulfilling stabs at early 70’s heavy metal posturing, twee rising piano & string work-outs,ect- the track just feels like ISB are just throwing together lots of genre elements & song changes in a attempt to recapture their old glories, but in the end the whole thing just falls flat as a ill conceived mess.
So to sum-up- this is another well conceived & put togeather reissue from UK's BOG Records, but unfortunately the original release just lacks any of the elements that made ISB such a original & distinctive band. I guess if you’re a ISB completists this is worth picking up, but other wise if you’re interested in the bands 1970’s work it's much better tracking down more rewarding & consistent albums like This 2013 reissue is the first time the album has been digitally remastered, and through there is no bonus or unreleased tracks here, as reissues go this well put together & nicely presented. The jewel case CD comes in a card slip case, which recreates the albums original front & back cover artwork. The release comes with twelve page inlay booklet, which takes in an interesting write-up about the album, the end of the project & the album place in the projects discography.
As remasterings go this album now sounds nicely balanced, with it’s epic string darted elements feeling more dramatic & moody. Sadly this is were the positive stuff ends….
For me “Hard Rope & Silken Twin” is one of the most unrewarding, uncreative, and passion-less albums this project ever released. You see all the more quirky, off-kilter, and surprising elements had departed from the bands sound by this point, and what we’re left with is an album that embraces fairly sleek & bland mid 70’s studio sound. And song craft which weaved together elements of: string swooned pop folk, clichéd singer-song-writer fare, contrived Celtic folk, hints at the blander side of prog rock, rather uninspired mixers of story telling folk, and the very slight darts of world music elements.
The album takes in six tracks in all, and these last between three to the epic nineteen minute final track "Ithkos”. And really all of the tracks here fall squarely in the middle-of-the- road, and safe box….there’s no edge, soul, or invention present anywhere- the bands once exciting, daring, and often risky elements have been sanded away. And we’re left with a very bland, indistinctive & heart-less mid 1970’s album.
Even when the band attempted to go back to basics with the live recorded “ Cold February”, with it’s wavering organ & vocals- their heart just doesn’t seem in it, and instead of getting earthy ‘n’ passion led folk odd-ness, we get a very bland Celtic tinged folk work-out with really grating flute/whistle solos.
Even the songs that have the odd fleeting moments of inspiration & promise get swept away by competent, but extremely dated 'n' bland instrumental textures, and clichéd song structures.
And even the final /should-be- epic last track "Ithkos”, just feels overblown, pompous, passionless & contrived. The track moves through: wondering clichéd folk tinged lite rock prog , unrewarding strutting rock tripped with clichéd ‘n’ grating electric fiddle elements, unrewarding blends of string swoon & bland world music touchers, unfulfilling stabs at early 70’s heavy metal posturing, twee rising piano & string work-outs,ect- the track just feels like ISB are just throwing together lots of genre elements & song changes in a attempt to recapture their old glories, but in the end the whole thing just falls flat as a ill conceived mess.
So to sum-up- this is another well conceived & put togeather reissue from UK's BOG Records, but unfortunately the original release just lacks any of the elements that made ISB such a original & distinctive band. I guess if you’re a ISB completists this is worth picking up, but other wise if you’re interested in the bands 1970’s work it's much better tracking down more rewarding & consistent albums like Liquid Acrobat As Regards The Air, or EarthSpan which are both also reissued on BGO Records.