The Incredible String Band (sometimes abbreviated as ISB) was a psychedelic… Read Full Bio ↴The Incredible String Band (sometimes abbreviated as ISB) was a psychedelic folk band formed in Scotland in 1966. The band built a considerable following, especially within the British counterculture, before splitting up in 1974. The group's members are musical pioneers in psychedelic folk and, by integrating a wide variety of traditional music forms and instruments, in the development of world music. The group reformed in 1999 and continued to perform until 2006.

The Incredible String Band was formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK by folk musicians Robin Williamson, Mike Heron, and Clive Palmer (1943 - 2014). They recorded their eponymous debut album in 1966, a lighthearted affair which revealed only the merest hint of the psychedelic adventures to come. After that, the band broke up. Palmer decamped for the Trail to Afghanistan and Williamson visited Morocco from where he returned laden with exotic instruments like the famous gimbri, which was, much later, eaten by rats. In 1967 Heron and Williamson recorded 'The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion', an audaciously eclectic mix of bookish folk music, hippy love songs and Eastern modalities. They soon became the-name-to-drop-in-interviews for luminaries such as Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan, and in their annum mirabilis of 1968 they practically defined the hippy counterculture in the extraordinary albums 'The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter' and 'Wee Tam and the Big Huge'. By then the group consisted of Williamson, Heron, Rose Simpson and Licorice McKechnie - the same line up played at Woodstock in 1969 at the wrong time, having refused to play in the pouring rain the previous day (seen by manager Joe Boyd as a great missed opportunity).

In 1970 Robin Williamson attempted to fuse the music with his theatrical fantasies in a quixotic multi-media spectacular at London's Roundhouse called 'U'. It was "a surreal parable in dance and song" and highlighted the fact that they were never destined to make much money out of things. After that they lasted another four years. By 1974 tension between Williamson and Heron, who was pushing the band into prog-rock territory, had become unbearable and they split up.

Williamson soon formed "Robin Williamson and His Merry Band" which toured and released three albums of eclectic music with a Celtic emphasis. Within a few years, he went on to a solo career, moving increasingly into traditional Celtic styles. He also produced several recordings of humorous stories. Heron formed the rock group "Heron" and later released occasional solo albums. Responding to a comment by Joe Boyd in 1997 that they hadn't spoken since the breakup in 1974, the pair got back together for two concerts. This was followed by a full reunion of the original three members plus Williamson's wife Bina and Lawson Dando in 1999. By 2001 both Robin and Bina Williamson had left. Heron, Palmer and Lawson, and new member Fluff toured regularly around the United Kingdom and internationally until an end to the tour was announced in 2006.

The music of the ISB ranges from quite conventional folk songs to innovative “art song” and hybrid forms that were a precursor to World Music. In 1967-8 they were sometimes described as part of pop music's "avant-garde", which had emerged in the wake of the more adventurous work of The Beatles, with whom they were often compared. Although they lacked the Beatles' broad pop appeal, the ISB showed a similar interest in extending the boundaries of their music. Both Mike Heron and Robin Williamson would break apart a traditional song structure, inserting seemingly unrelated sections in a way that has been described as "always surprising, laughably inventive, lyrically prodigious". While at times this resulted in a lack of conventional unity, it also opened up the song musically and thematically to allow greater depth and exploration. This aspect of their music, combined with Williamson’s soaring melismatic vocal ornamentation (perhaps influenced by Islamic chanters heard during his visit to Morocco, as well as by the Scots-Irish traditional singing with which he had grown up) made for music that still sounds fresh forty years later.

Adam and Eve
The Incredible String Band Lyrics

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once before the world began
God was sitting in the sky
he began to get some mud together
o I wonder why

first he made a man
and then he made a woman
mr. Adam and miss Eve

they began to be quite good friends
as I can well believe

o remember that morning
remember that time
take a warning
when you see the sign

Eve was sitting in the garden
when in came a serpent
miss Eve take this apple
give it to your man
give it to your man
I don't want it
o Adam give it a try
o give it a try

friends if you're travelling
never go taking an apple from a snake

if you do I'll tell you true
you make a big mistake

Overall Meaning

The song "Adam and Eve" by The Incredible String Band is a whimsical retelling of the biblical story of the first man and woman. The opening lines describe God gathering mud together before creating Adam and Eve, and the playful tone continues throughout the rest of the song. The lyrics speak of the friendship between Adam and Eve and the temptation Eve faces when she encounters a serpent in the garden. The upbeat melody underscores the lightheartedness of the lyrics, although there is a cautionary note towards the end of the song that serves as a reminder of the dangers of temptation.

The repetition in the song emphasizes the importance of memory and how it can serve as a warning for future actions. The line "remember that morning, remember that time" is repeated multiple times, underscoring the idea that history has a habit of repeating itself. When Eve encounters the serpent and is tempted by the apple, the song warns the listener "if you do I'll tell you true, you make a big mistake." The playful tone of the song belies this cautionary message, showing that sometimes the most important lessons can be conveyed with humor.

Line by Line Meaning

once before the world began
In the time before creation

God was sitting in the sky
The divine being was in the heavens

he began to get some mud together
He started gathering clay

o I wonder why
Curious about the purpose of the mud

first he made a man
Created the first human

and then he made a woman
Followed by the creation of the first woman

mr. Adam and miss Eve
The names of the first human beings

they began to be quite good friends
Developed a close companionship

as I can well believe
This seems plausible and logical

o remember that morning
Recalling a significant event

remember that time
Reflecting on a specific moment