Above the lake, the wind blows and moves the surface of the water. Thus are manifested the visible effects of the invisible.

(I Ching, hexagram 61, “Inner Truth”)

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A fairground banjo, the sea's undertow...

A soft hypnosis that accompanies the sweetest of melancholies

Suspended distant tinkling. Mad choruses of ritual absurdity...

Silvery sounds...moments of absolute folk...

(From the music therapy notebooks of Professor Luludia De Luludis)

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C.O.B stands for Clive Original Band...and Clive is Clive Palmer...

The name, however, is misleading. The group had no leader, and all tracks are co-credited. Among the numerous guests appears Ursula Smith of the Third Ear Band...

“Spirit of love,” released in 1971, is their first album...

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Ah, Clive Palmer was one of the founding members of the Incredible String Band, a legendary psychedelic folk group.

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And this album...

Despite (one) the abundant use of instruments with mysterious names, (two) the medieval/esoteric paraphernalia, (three) the almost comical hippie style...

Yes, despite points one, two, and three, this album is a miracle of balance where nothing is excessive and the purity of the sound truly touches the heart

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Compared to the Incredible String Band, which was a rather peppery and spicy group, here the flavors are milder.

Less strangeness (though there is still plenty of it) and more light, even if, as the bibles say, there are no lacking “darker and messianic” moments.

But whether it’s a choir, where you wouldn’t know if they were drunken sailors or enlightened and timeless beings, or whether it’s the most crystalline and refractive sounds, everything is moved by a kind of spontaneity, or inner truth.

And the inner truth is the invisible manifesting in the visible.

Maybe that’s why the album is mentioned in the music therapy notebooks of Professor Luludia De Luludis...

Aloha...

Tracklist

01   Spirit of Love (04:03)

02   Music of the Ages (03:53)

03   Soft Touches of Love (04:51)

04   Banjo Land (03:35)

05   Scranky Black Farmer (04:37)

06   Evening Air (03:27)

07   Serpent's Kiss (04:00)

08   Sweet Slavery (05:11)

09   When He Came Home (03:58)

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