Robin Williamson - Guitar, Chinese Flute, Vocals, Oboe, Jew's-Harp, Gong, Bazouki, Cello, Violin, Piano, Bass, Flute, Guitar, Mandolin
Janet Williamson - Organ, Piano
Stan Lee Buttons - Organ, Pedal Steel, Bass
Suzie W.T. - Flute, Soloist
David Campbell - Viola
Gerry Conway - Drums
Jack Miller - Art Direction
Mitch Walker - Design, Photography
Mike Blore - Art Direction
Tracks:
1. Strings in the Earth and Air
2. Rends-Moi Demain
3. The Dancing of the Lord of Weir
4. Will We Open the Heavens
5. Through the Horned Clouds
6. Sandy Land
7. Cold Harbour
8. Dark Eyed Lady
9. Dark Dance
10. I See Us All Get Home
Listen to Robins wonderful version of "The Parting Glass"
Biography;
By 1965 he had returned to Edinburgh and formed a duo with Clive Palmer, specialising in fiddle and banjo arrangements of traditional Scots and Irish songs. Joe Boyd signed them to Elektra Records in 1966, by which time they had recruited third member Mike Heron. As resident band at Clive’s Incredible Folk Club in Glasgow, they called themselves the Incredible String Band.
Between 1966 and 1974 the Incredible String Band, based around the duo of Williamson and Heron, released some 13 albums, becoming in the UK one of the most popular, best-loved and influential groups of the era. The group also included Williamson's sometime girlfriend Licorice McKechnie.
Williamson released his first solo LP, "Myrrh", in 1971 when still a member of the Incredible String Band. After the band split up in 1974, he began living in Los Angeles and, for a while, turned his attention to writing, co-writing an espionage novel, "The Glory Trap".
By 1976 he had returned to music, forming The Merry Band with Sylvia Woods (Celtic harp), Jerry McMillan (fiddle), and Chris Caswell (flutes, and wire-strung harp). They toured extensively for three years throughout the US, Canada, and Europe, and released three albums "Journey’s Edge", "American Stonehenge", and "A Glint At The Kindling".
After the breakup of the Merry Band, Williamson returned to the UK and started to tour solo, offering sets dominated by traditional stories set to song. Releases of this period include "Songs of Love and Parting" and "Legacy of the Scottish Harpers". Williamson's concern with the British bardic tradition also manifested itself in several books and tapes containing spoken renditions of traditional tales. He has also written a tutorial book of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes (ISBN 0-8256-0165-7) as well as one for the penny whistle (ISBN 0-8256-0190-8).
Williamson's live album with John Renbourn, 'Wheel Of Fortune' (1995), was nominated for a Grammy, (as was the ISB album 'Hangman's Beautiful Daughter', in 1968).
In the late 1990s he took part, with Palmer and Heron, in a reformed ISB. Williamson left the band some time around the start of 2003 - some rumours had it that he was forced out in acrimonious circumstances. The reformed band disbanded once again in 2006.
Meanwhile Williamson resumed his solo career, notably on record with a series of albums for the ECM label. "Seed-at-zero' (2000), 'Skirting The River Road' (2002) and 'The Iron Stone' (2006) featured him combining his own words with those of the likes of Dylan Thomas, William Blake, and Walt Whitman. Musically these records show him increasingly working in a fusion style (similar in some ways to the avant-garde work of the Incredible String Band in the 60's) which incorporates folk, jazz, Renaissance, Classical and Eastern influences. A group of distinguished jazz musicians accompany Williamson on the two most recent ECM records, notably violist Mat Maneri, bassist Barre Phillips, Swedish multi-instrumentalist Ale Moller, and English sax player Paul Dunmall.
Wikipedia
Discography;
Solo Albums
* - Myrrh (1972)
* - Journey's Edge (1977) (with The Merry Band)
* - American Stonehenge (1978) (with The Merry Band)
* - A Glint At The Kindling (1979) (with The Merry Band)
* - Songs of Love & Parting (1981)
* - The Fisherman's Son And The Gruagach of Tricks (1981)
* - Prince Dougie And The Swan Maiden (1982)
* - Rory Mor And The Gruagach Gaire (1982)
* - Music for the Mabinogi (1983)
* - Selected Writings (1984)
* - Five Humorous Tales of Scotland and Ireland (1984)
* - The Dragon Has Two Tongues (1985)
* - Five Celtic Tales of Enchantment (1985)
* - Five Legendary Histories Of Britain (1985)
* - Five Bardic Mysteries (1985)
* - Five Tales of Prodigies and Marvels (1985)
* - Legacy of the Scottish Harpers (1986)
* - Legacy of the Scottish Harpers Volume Two (1986)
* - Winter's Turning (1986)
* - Songs For Children of All Ages (1987)
* - Ten of Songs (1988)
* - Music For The Newly Born (1990)
* - Wheel Of Fortune (1995, with John Renbourn)
* - The Island Of The Strong Door (1996)
* - Songs For The Calendarium (1996)
* - Farewell Concert At McCabe's (1997, with The Merry Band)
* - Mirrorman's Sequences (1997)
* - Celtic Harp Airs And Dance Tunes (1997)
* - Memories/Erinnerungen (1997)
* - Dream Journals (1997)
* - Bloomsbury 1997 (1998, with Mike Heron)
* - Gems Of Celtic Story 1 (1998)
* - Ring Dance (1998)
* - Gems Of Celtic Story 2 (1998)
* - A Job Of Journey Work (1998)
* - The Old Fangled Tone (1999)
* - Music For Macbeth (1999)
* - At The Pure Fountain (1999, with Clive Palmer)
* - The Seed-at-Zero (2000)
* - Just Like The Ivy (2000, with Clive Palmer)
* - Bloomsbury 2000 (2001, with reformed ISB)
* - Carmina (2001)
* - Skirting The River Road (2002)
* - Gems Of Celtic Story 3 (2002)
* - The Iron Stone (2006)
* - The Celtic Bard (2008)
* - Just Like The River And Other Songs For Guitar (2008)
With Incredible String Band
* The Incredible String Band (Elektra, June 1966)
* The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion (Elektra, July 1967)
* The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter (Elektra, March 1968)
* Wee Tam and the Big Huge (Elektra, November 1968)
* Changing Horses (Elektra, November 1969)
* I Looked Up (Elektra, April 1970)
* U (Elektra, October 1970)
* Be Glad for the Song Has No Ending (Island, March 1971)
* Relics (Elektra compilation)
* Liquid Acrobat as Regards the Air (Island, October 1971)
* Earthspan (Island, November 1972)
* No Ruinous Feud (Island, March 1973)
* Hard Rope and Silken Twine (Island, March 1974)
* Seasons They Change (Island compilation, 1976)
* BBC Radio 1 Live on air (1990, CD)
* BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert (1992)
* The Chelsea Sessions 1967 (1997, CD)
* First Girl I Loved: Live in Canada 1972 (Trojan Records, 2001, CD)
* nebulous nearnesses (2004, CD)
* Across The Airwaves: BBC Radio Recordings 1969-74 (2007, CD)
For solo releases, see under Robin Williamson and Mike Heron.
[edit] Singles (UK only)
* "Way Back In The 1960s" / "Chinese White" (Elektra, 1967)
* "Painting Box" / "No Sleep Blues" (Elektra, 1967)
* "Big Ted" / "All Writ Down" (Elektra, 1969)
* "This Moment" / "Black Jack Davy" (Elektra, 1970)
* "Black Jack David" / "Moon Hang Low" (Island WIP 6145, 11/1972)
* "At The Lighthouse Dance" / "Jigs" (Island WIP 6158, 2/1973)
Bibliography;
Robin Williamson
* - English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish Fiddle Tunes (1976)
Robin Williamson
* - Penny Whistle Book (1977)
Robin Williamson
* - Five Denials on Merlin's Grave: A Poem With Annotations
(1979)Dan Sherman and Robin Williamson
* - The Glory Trap
(1981) (novel)Robin Williamson
* - Holy Howlers (
1987)* - The Craneskin Bag: Celtic Stories and Poems (1989)
* - Wise and Foolish Tongue: Celtic Stories and Poems
(1991)
* - From the Isles of Dream: Visionary Stories and Poems of the Celtic Renaissance (1993)
R.J. Stewart and Robin Williamson
* - Celtic Bards, Celtic Druids
(1996)
Robin Williamson and John Matthews* - The Bardic Source Book: Inspirational Legacy and Teachings of the Ancient Celts (1998)
