The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion

A trip to Morocco helped Robin Williamson tilt the group’s sound towards more exotic instrumentation. Clive Palmer had departed the group and Williamson and Mike Heron went to work with now legendary producer Joe Boyd to meet the Summer of Love with a diverse collection of songs that perfectly capture ISB’s unusual wit and wisdom. This is loose, raw folk music played by virtuoso musicians. Heron’s “Chinese White” begins with a few Middle-Eastern touches and even a wild, rambling tune like Williamson’s “The Mad Hatter’s Song” adds a spinning sitar to its backwoods flow. Heron’s “Little Cloud” adds additional percussion to the quirky vocal interplay. Williamson’s “The First Girl I Loved” went on to be covered by Judy Collins on her stellar Who Knows Where The Time Goes collection and is performed here closer to a traditional folk song. “The Hedgehog’s Song” is a playful and skillful piece. Each ISB album has its own distinctive flavor.