The Incredible String Band - Musical Style

Musical Style

The music of the ISB ranged from conventional folk songs to "art songs" and hybrid forms that were a precursor to World Music. In 1967–68 they were sometimes described as part of pop music's "avant-garde", and were compared to The Beatles. Williamson claimed that, as both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones saw them play before Sgt. Pepper and Their Satanic Majesties Request were recorded, the ISB were an influence on those albums. One of young Bob Dylan's favourite songs was 'October Song' from ISB's debut album (reference to come), and a careful listening to ISB's early (60s) albums will reveal just how much they influenced Bob Dylan's style of singing (especially notable on 'The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion'). In addition, ISB have been declared the first 'world music' band because of their artful use of exotic instruments (collected in Morocco and from India, for example) and their incorporation of a wide variety of musical styles into their own unique musical pastiche. No other band in the 60s equalled them in this endeavour (reference to come). Robert Plant claimed that Led Zeppelin found their way by playing 'The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter' (see above). Following in the footsteps of ISB, Led Zeppelin later also incorporated exotic (north African)instruments to great effect (e.g. on 'No Quarter').

Both Mike Heron and Robin Williamson would insert seemingly unrelated sections in their songs in a way that has been described as "always surprising, laughably inventive, lyrically prodigious".