Incredible String Band

They really don't write them like this any more. "Big Ted's dead / He was a great old pig," sings Robin Williamson. "He'd eat most anything / Never wore a wig." Although the Incredible String Band had always been delightfully ramshackle, 1969's Changing Horses found the innovative folk-rock duo of Williamson and his mate Mike Heron becoming almost a slipshod stoned parody of themselves--with assistance from their girlfriends Rose and Licorice. Of the six tracks, two ramble on at such length (over 14 minutes) that even such exotic instruments as sarang, gimbiri, Chinese banjo, and the inevitable sitar fail to maintain much interest. Bob Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" had, no doubt, convinced them that quarter of an hour wasn't too long to go on about "messengers with sharpened heels" and an "amethyst galleon out on the rolling sea." But it is! Committed Incredible fans will hug this to their bosoms, but the casual listener is advised to check out the 1967 classic The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter.