Pink Floyd and The Incredible String Band.
The Incredible String Band.
1970 saw this, one of the longest records with the shortest (equal) title (matched only by Jethro Tull’s “A”), and one of the shortest tracks with certainly the longest title, being the “B” side of Fairport Convention’s single “Now Be Thankful”. That short track was a lively folk rock instrumental called “Sir B. McKenzie’s Daughter’s Lament for the 77th Mounted Lancers Retreat from the Straits of Loch Knombe, in the Year of Our lord 1727, on the Occasion of the Announcement of Her Marriage to the Laird of Kinleakie”.
“U” was the third full price album I ever bought, the first being Fairport Convention’s “Liege & Lief” and the second Third Ear Band’s “Alchemy” [for both of which see way above], and the first double LP I ever bought. This purchase occurred between Christmas and New Year at the end of 1970, very nearly a year after I got my first record player. It also occurred about six weeks before the UK converted to a decimal currency; and this leads nicely onto the front cover, and the curious syndrome of dual pricing:
Not visible, but still stuck on, is the price label. In old money, which of course is what I paid, the correct price is shown, 69/10, i.e. £3, nine shillings and tenpence. However, the decimal price is shown as £3.99, which would have been £3 nineteen shillings and tenpence, ten bob more, or in decimal 50 new pence more, than the correct price. I might try and get a close up of the price tag and post it later.
