First Girl I Loved

Performer: The Incredible String Band
Distributor: Ryko Distribution

Notes: Recorded live in Canada in 1972, FIRST GIRL I LOVED represents The Incredible String Band in the group's final creative phase. Clarinet and keyboard player Gerard Dott had just joined the band at the time of this recording, and the band had just finished up work on its NO RUINOUS FEUD album. The set draws from that release, as well as from selections--including the enduring title track--that span The Incredible String Band's career. Included on the disc is Mike Heron's 20-minute-plus "Ithkos," which took up a full side on their final album, HARD ROPE & SILKEN TWINE. The band at this point was employing more drums and electric instruments. They were as engaging as ever playing at a greater volume, which the excellent sound quality of this recording helps make evident. It's a testament to the ongoing allure of this unique ensemble that more than 25 years after they disbanded, FIRST GIRL I LOVED finally saw the light of day.

Active from the mid 1960s, godfathers of the British underground psychedelic-folk movement the Incredible String Band mixed folk, Eastern influences, psychedelia, and a loopy, mythology-laced sense of humor. Long time associates of famed folk-rock producer Joe Boyd, the ISB evolved from a trio down to a duo (Robin Williamson and Mike Heron combining to make what is arguably their most successful incarnation) and later expanded to a full band. They sputtered out in the mid 1970s; however, Heron, Williamson, and assorted backing musicians re-formed to play several scattershot reunion shows in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

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