Incredible String Band - Liquid Acrobat As Regards The Air CD

 Under-rated flawed gem
This generally is regarded as one of the ISB's 'decline' records, but has some of the best examples of their brilliance (and their weaknesses) 'Talking of the End', 'Here Till Here is There', 'Red Hair' and 'Darling Belle' are some of the strongest pieces they ever did and, to my ears are as important and groundbreaking as anything on 'Hangman' .Whilst showing their whimsical side as well, on' Cosmic Boy' and 'Evoloution Rag', I am convinced that every note on their albums is more meticulously planned than most people would have you believe. Take the cod-reggae 'Adam and Eve' and try getting your mates pub band to play it, simple as it first sounded? Just like 'Hangman' this is a real lesson in musicianship; don't be fooled by the 'out of tune' vocals or the seemingly sloppy tempo and structural changes, this is stream of consciousness music played by people on top of their game.
Submitted by Adam G (London, UK)
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 Incredibles follow U
This was the first ISB album after Rose left the band, though Likky was still there to add the loved feminine touch. While some ISB fans think this LP was the beginning of a sorry downward path for the band after the marvellous and more acoustic records of the 1960s, this is really not doing justice to it. Certainly, tracks such as "Talking of the End" and "Here till here is there" have every bit as much magic as any of the older material. In my view, there is no bad track on the album, though for example this involves ensuring to hear "Cosmic Boy" in the context of comparable pieces on the band's 1970 double "U"; indeed, it seems to me that in many ways the album can be seen as a "Son of U". While undoubtedly the beginnings of the ISB's drifting into rock can be detected here, that is no bad thing. This is an excellent record, and easier to listen to than the band's classic 1970 album "I Looked Up". On the whole, this would make a splendid introduction to the group for anyone unfamiliar with the music at present.
Submitted by a reviewer (Sheffield, UK) 
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