The Incredible String Band

My Incredible Spiritual Heroes

Image by Author

One sunny fall afternoon in 1968, Mike Heron changed my life and gave it a new, spiritual direction.

I have not looked back since.

I know, this is quite a statement (and yes, it’s flirting with clichédom, I know that, too), but I have no doubt: had not Mike Heron — as part of The Incredible String Band (ISB) — recorded “A Very Cellular Song” on their amazing “The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter” album, my life would surely have turned out quite differently. How differently, well I don’t know, who can tell, but differently for sure. (You can find more details of my first magical encounter with Mike Heron in my “Jerusalem” fragment).

And once Heron, with “I was walking in Jerusalem just like John”, had gently shaken my shoulder to bid me awake, I literally could not get enough of them, of The Incredible String Band’s incredible (I’ve always found their name fantastically apt) songs. He opened a door, held it open for me, and I stepped through.

Originally, they were three members. Their first, eponymous album featured Clive Palmer (mainly on banjo) as well as Mike Heron and Robin Williamson (both multi-instrumentalists).

By their second album, “The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion” Clive Palmer had wandered off to India…