Long term readers of this site will be familiar with my fascination with the Incredible String Band. The first band I truly loved as a teenager, I keep coming back to them, thinking I’ve left them behind then having something trigger another wave of affection. This year it was when my friend Rossco played a … Read more
Here are some updates on a couple of the ‘Inspirations’ I’ve written about – Kevin Ayers and Dr Strangely Strange. Kevin Ayers I was contacted by a Rich Weinstein who is a massive Kevin Ayers fan. He’s put together a feature-length YouTube piece on Kevin Ayers called The Kevin Ayers Story: It Begins With a … Read more
In the early 1970s, inspired by the success of CBS’s The Rock Machine and The Rock Machine Turns You On, many record companies started putting out budget-price samplers. Island Records made some of the most popular samplers, and the Island samplers are still regarded with affection and listened to today. Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull, Traffic, … Read more
I’ve written a lot here about the Incredible String Band, including fairly detailed posts about Robin Williamson and about Mike Heron’s Smiling Men album. Here I’ll take a look at a few Mike Heron destinations to which you might choose to trust me to guide you. Like his bandmate Robin Williamson, his unpolished voice can … Read more
This little logo appeared on the sleeve of so many of the albums I listened to from the end of the sixties and the early 70s that it was a kind of quality assurance stamp. Mostly on Island but some on Elektra. This was the symbol of Witchseason Productions, and of Joe Boyd and it … Read more
In which we decide not only to do a cover version but to write an extra verse and get the original artist to approve it. Something to Be Glad about In 1994 the editors of the tentatively launched Incredible String Band fanzine Be Glad realised they had tapped into an expectant and enthusiastic audience. Articles … Read more