Although the Incredible String Band held merely cult status inside the United States, the group nevertheless inspired copyists back in Britain. Forest proved the most loyal among them, issuing two records of medieval-hippie minstrelsy across 1969 and 1970. The trio’s members—Martin Welham, Derek Allenby, and Hadrian Welham—each doubled on numerous instruments, among them harmonium, harpsichord, pipes, whistle, organ, and mandolin in addition to the expected guitars. Lacking the electric guitars and drums typical of rock, the musicians likewise stood outside conventional folk circles, their lyrics proving too eccentric and their methods too wide-ranging.
Endorsed by leading British DJ John Peel, Forest secured a deal with Harvest, the trailblazing U.K. progressive rock imprint. The band’s debut, self-titled LP closely echoed the Incredible String Band, emerging somewhat less abrasive than the ISB at its most extreme while also lacking the source’s strongest moments of originality and imagination. Their second and ultimately last album, Full Circle, arrived in 1970 and represented clear advancement, with songwriting that had grown markedly stronger and arrangements that had turned more varied and distinctive.
