Hard Rope / Silken Twine

Hard Rope & Silken Twine is the bands final album. It's hard to believe it ends like this. You're probably wondering what it sounds like? Read on! "Ithkos" is the 19-minute epic. It begins with Renaissance style strings and classical arrangements. It's incredibly melodic but doesn't capture the band at their best. This feels like a different kind of experiment for the band, the type which they'd start on the Song Has No Ending. The strings creepily end a couple minutes in before the tone of the piece change into congas, acoustic guitar and violin for a little while. So far I'm really liking it actually. Whoa!! Is that an electric guitar solo? Yes it is! And it's dreamy like the kind you'd find on a Pink Floyd album. Now isn't that something. Never thought these guys would go down that route. That's one interesting idea around the 3:40 mark with the guitar, drums and other things. Now the vocals come at the 4:00 mark. Pretty strong vocal melody. Reminds me of Jethro Tull a little. Doesn't sound *anything* like classic Incredible String Band granted, but it's pretty good either way. Now the vocal melody changes into a different, less remarkable one a moment later. As the song makes me think that it might be going nowhere this awesome violin solo comes in. Too bad the less than pleasant vocals return- I was really enjoying that violin! At the 7-minute mark the song gets tender with a variety of vocals now contributing to the piece, but it sort of wanders and feels less interesting than it could've been. However the flute part with the strings is really pretty. Soothingly unique I'd say. The placement of such an idea is really peculiar and fascinating. The vocals afterwards are *really* Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull-like. No big deal- it's really good. Now the clunky vocals that I didn't approve of earlier return, but you know I've definitely heard worse. No this isn't the cream of the crop by Incredible String Band standards, but it's pretty enjoyable all the same. 10 minutes in, we're now treated to a piano solo with more pretty strings. This feels like another Jethro Tull similarity, which is exactly around the time Jethro Tull was implementing the same kind of serious tone into their music using the same arrangements. This stands on its own pretty splendidly though, without the need for me to wrongfully continue beating "Ain't nothin' but a bunch of Jethro Tull wannabes!" into your head every few seconds because it just ain't true, hehe. Around the 12:30 mark, the pace picks up with the piano which almost sounds like the intro to Van Halen's "Right Now". You can tell these guys are trying different ideas to see what sticks. The whole song feels somewhat rushed and unmemorable in spots. The vocals just shy of the 14-minute mark are REALLY bad. This is when the song turns into typical party hard rock the likes of which Mott the Hoople were doing when they started going downhill in the mid 70's. However, as unbelievable as this is for me to say, I'm able to forgive this part of "Ithkos" just because I love 70's rock so darn much. Shame on me I know, because this does *not* by any means capture the classic sound of the Incredible String Band in any way. But wait! The acoustic guitar, strings and pretty vocal melody at the very end is a pleasant recovery. Very Scottish hymn like and highly enjoyable. "Maker of Islands" opens with a pleasant enough piano line, however it leads way to a very normally structured, slow-paced and uncreative vocal melody. Again the strings are pretty, but you know, I think it's obvious the strings are only there to disguise a lackluster vocal melody. The one male vocalist of the group I love so much is singing as prettily as ever, but this isn't written in the style I associate with the Incredible String Band. This is borderline Paul Davis "I Go Crazy"-like! "Need someone to take the wheels at night, someone to navigate till light comes, but most of all I need a maker of islands". Meh. "Cold February" (yup, had plenty of those in the last 15 years!) is one of the high points of the album. The flutes in the beginning, the tender spiritual vocals and the eerie organs elevate the feeling of contentment for yours truly. Really amazing moment on the album. "Dreams of No Return" is another high point. The acoustic guitar, gentle use of strings and softly sung vocals are really memorable. The sitar is used just right too. Perhaps the song wanders a little because I lose interest after a couple minutes, but that's hardly a crime right? You know it! And how about the sitar/acoustic guitar exchange near the end? That's really cool but too brief. It does pick up the pace with the memorable line "In the time I had no friends I held your picture like a tongueless bell, when I really saw I was wrong I wrote this song to seem a fond farewell, I've been in the north west world looking out on an endless view, when you were any reason why was I any use to you". "Glancing Love" opens with a guitar line very similar to the Who's "Behind Blue Eyes" which is funny because I've been comparing the one male vocalist of the group to Pete Townshend for a while now. Really tender and soft vocals once again... but it's not the same guy who resembles good ol' Pete. A normal written song of course (a ballad) because the days of being quirky and psychedelic are done for these guys, but for what it is I'm totally enjoying this. I LOVE that instrumental part in the middle too. "Dumb Kate" is an offensive song title! I don't know who this Kate girl is but I'm sure she's not dumb. A little clueless maybe, but surely not dumb! I only kid. Anyway this is some kind of circus bouncy hoedown drunk thing. Yeah I guess I'm dumb too because I can't find a way to describe this, haha! The violin line is decent, but the vocals? Whoa! Get them out of here! This is a fun danceable mess of a song. I think Hard Rope & Silken Twine deserves 3 stars, but the pleasant side of me wants to give it a 4 just because the album *does* have its decent moments but you know, most of this stuff doesn't resemble the classic sound of the Incredible String Band at all. *sigh*. Alright, 4 stars it is! No way it's a 5 though. Let's get crazy now! Otherwise we'll all be sitting around singing nonsensically to "Dumb Kate".

A bit of a messy album - two nice ballads (One from Heron, one from LeMaistre), two muggy sounding live songs, a wonderful Williamson song & a prog rock epic. The ballads are both nice. Williamson's "Dreams of No return" features the sitar and sounds like something circa "Liquid Acrobat." Someone once said that the ISBs songs go from A to B to C through to Z, rather than following a typical song structure. This is evident on Ithkos, a 20 minute long Epic that begins with twanging Greek sounding instruments, rolls around in acoustic mode for a bit, zips through a bit of heavy Wishbone Ash rock, dips into some orchestral bits, then ends with a Synth workout. Never boring. I can see why some fans dislike this album, but I loved it, even if they were recycling themselves a bit.

`Hard Rope and Silken Twine' is a very atypical album by The Incredible String Band on Island rather than their original home, Elektra and produced by Mike Heron rather than their long time handler, Joe Boyd. I just got finished reviewing a Donovan Leitch collection and commented that he often changed his style to fit the times and his perceived audience. And, until I came to review this album, I thought how constant and true to their basic style Heron and Williamson has been. That is, up until this album. There are six tracks on this album on which they seem to be aping styles from Procol Harum to Yes to the Blues Brothers take on country and western music. On top of that, the sound quality on some cuts is very uneven. Either some cuts were recorded in the studio and some were recorded live, or they were recorded at two or more different live venues. My primary interest in this review is to warn you off if you really like albums such as `The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter' or `The Big Huge Wee Tam'. I temper that warning with the observation that if you also happen, like me, to really like Procol Harum, then you may want to take a chance with this one. Only two out of the six tracks are by Williamson, so if it is Robin's peculiar way with lyrics which entrances you about The Incredible String Band, then I suggest you look to some of their earlier albums or Williamson's solo efforts (but be choosy here, the quality is uneven. My best recommendation would be the album he did together with John Renbourn). On the other hand, the cover art is delightful.

The last ISB album, and while it has its moments of genius they are much more thinly scattered than on earlier records and the whole thing is a little cumbersome....from a band who wove such filigree masterpieces as "Hangman's" and "Wee Tam" this was really quite sad. Most of the music here actully worked a whole lot better in a live setting: the epic "Ithkos" was a total blast on their final tour. Perhaps though, considering the prog-rock excesses that were going on at the time, it was just as well ISB decided to throw in the towel after this album. Still worth getting to complete the collection and for "Dreams of no Return" (a major return to form from Robin), but a long way from their best. Nice cover art.

Ein Spätwerk der höchst originellen Stringband. Die Platte setzte sich offenbar aus Studio- und Liveaufnahmen zusammen. Daraus ergibt sich eine etwas störende Soundqualität, die wohl nichts mit der CD-Herstellung zu tun hat. Ein Spätwerk: nicht unbedingt für Einsteiger in die Klangwelt der Stringband szu empfehlen.

Waited a long time for a decent cd release of this album I bought on vinyl in 1974. This remastered edition is slip cased with reasonable booklet and has good sound quality but no bonus tracks. The opening 6 minute track is one of the most beautiful written by Mike and in contrast is followed by a typically haunting live track by Robin. The next is also an excellent track in the 'Earthspan' style by Malcolm. For those yearning for a return to earlier days we are treated to a sitar driven track written by Robin. What was the final track of side two is another live track in the lighthearted vein of 'Hirem Pawnitof'. Which brings us to the 20 minute 'Ithkos'. I liked this song when I first heard it in 1974 and now nearly 40 years later I like it even more. It embraces many styles including rock and I actually enjoy it more than some of their earlier lengthy pieces. Like most ISB fans I would direct newcomers to the essential first four albums which peaked with Wee Tam and the Big Huge yet ironically many may prefer the sound of this album and so may be a good place to start before tracing them back to their roots. Whatever direction you take it will be like this album - an interesting and rewarding journey.

Carrying on the eclectic nature of previous album “No Ruinous Feud”, mixing polished folk, Indian & Prog-Rock, but my favorite song is “Cold February”, which has a simple folk arrangement, I think it’s what ISB do best. Not as strong as the albums ISB were releasing in the 60’s, but still enough interesting tracks to make it worthwhile.

CD, copy of original vinyl.

At last a remastered CD copy of an under rated album by ISB. Sonically cannot match the vinyl, but worth having to save wear everyday