Moyshe McStiff and the Tartan Lancers of the Sacred Heart

C.O.B.'s second album was, like its first, a mighty rare and little-heard item, though its reputation eventually rose a slight amount. It's not much different than the debut, either, and can't fail to remind seasoned British folk-rock listeners of a more normal Incredible String Band, though the connection's legitimate since C.O.B.'s Clive Palmer was a founding member of the ISB. There's a plaintive, almost hymn-like feel to this muted British folk-rock, which is much folkier than rocky. There's also a tinge of acid-folk in the use of some relatively exotic instrumentation for a folk-rock record, including balalaika, dulcitar, tabla, banjo, and harmonium-like organ. "Eleven Willows" gets a little closer to Pentangle-Bert Jansch territory, and Genevieve Baker's nicely haunting background singing on that track makes one wish she'd been given a more prominent role in the band's vocals, which are merely adequate, on the whole. [Some reissues add two bonus tracks from a non-LP 1972 single, "Blue Morning" and "Bones," which are more rock-oriented than the songs on the album, particularly the reggae-fied "Blue Morning."]