C.O.B. (Clive's Own Band)
"Moyshe Mcstiff And The Tartan Lancers Of The Sacred Heart"
(UK Folk 1972)

C.O.B.'s second album was, like its first, a mighty rare and little-heard item, though its rep has risen slightly since then due to its reissue on CD (though that itself is hard to find). 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. The 1999 CD reissue on Lotus adds 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."