The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion
by The Incredible String Band

The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion by The Incredible String Band
Year: 1967
Release date: 1967-07-00
Overall rank: 3,216th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 122 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1967 (42nd)
Award Top albums of the 1960s (277th)
Award Best albums of all time (3,216th)

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The Incredible String Band bestography

The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion is ranked 2nd best out of 20 albums by The Incredible String Band on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by The Incredible String Band is The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter which is ranked number 1545 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 1,112.

The Incredible String Band album bestography « Higher ranked (1,545th)
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
This album (3,216th)
The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion
Lower ranked (18,153rd) »
The Incredible String Band

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 3,216th | 1960s rank: 277th | 1967 rank: 42nd
Filter Filter
Sort Sort by
YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 RockyRaccoonEarly Psychedelic Rock Pt. 287/100 -
2026 AleJohnMariTop 100 Greatest Music Albums30/10070
2026pjerskeTop 100 Greatest Music Albums54/10047
2026pjerskeTop 100 Music Albums of the 1960s11/10018
2026HyggevinylTop 51 Music Albums of 196742/511
2026amirmishaliTop 100 Music Albums of the 1960s39/10012
2026Steppenwolf666Top 99 Music Albums of 196713/994
2026 baystateoftheartTop 78 Music Albums of 196752/782
2026 RockyRaccoonTop 92 Music Albums of 196741/923
2026 Jimmy DreadFolk Off! Pastoral Perfection for Pixie People43/100 -
2026Rm12398Top 74 Music Albums of 196743/742
2026 AAL2014Top 68 Music Albums of 196720/684
2026amirmishaliTop 79 Music Albums of 19677/795
2026stangetzawayTop 29 Music Albums of 196727/291
2026 Patman360Top 71 Music Albums of 196716/714
2025 sssvnnnTop 60 Music Albums of 196729/603
2025JohnnyoGreatest albums of 1967 by U R C26/86 -
2025 travelfulTop 100 Music Albums of 196796/1000
2025 covecoveTop 30 Music Albums of 196713/303
2025JohnnyoAlbums of the year 1967 by Acclaimed Music52/58 -
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 108
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 474
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion collection

The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion ratings

Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 122 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 122 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
65/100
 
04/27/2026 20:42 Hyggevinyl  Ratings distribution  4,40472/100
 
30/100
 
11/20/2025 07:15 plasmicmist  Ratings distribution  1,98876/100
 
65/100
 
08/24/2025 11:22 cicadelic  Ratings distribution  12,99873/100
 
75/100
 
06/18/2025 23:59 stangetzaway  Ratings distribution  2,28684/100
 
10/100
 
03/10/2025 19:58 Proto  Ratings distribution  4,16133/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 5% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 76.1/100, a mean average of 75.0/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 76.5/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.8.

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The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion favourites

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The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion comments

Showing all 8 comments |
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Rating:  
85/100
From 11/06/2021 19:39 | #275931
The name of the band checks out. This is such a whimsical, colorful psychedelic folk record. So much going on, but it's never distracting. I don't feel overwhelmed at all. This album is a must-listen for anyone interested in the 60s psychedelic scene.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 10/04/2020 07:55 | #258983
Excellent folk/psychedelic album which I find has an almost soperiphic effect, well that may have been the three or four beers I consumed the first evening I played it from end to end but I have a sense this is one of those albums which will open up more with each listen. The first three tracks are particularly noteworthy. I like the fact that so many instruments are used, particularly Sitar.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 08/19/2020 16:14 | #257211
Very interesting and impressive. Much different than what most other people were doing at the time simply in the fact that they didn't employ a regular percussionist. The guitar playing is superb on the part of both leads. The album contains influences from all over the world and because of that the songs jump around at times and lack focus. I enjoy Williamson's compositions compared to Heron's partly because of the lack of focus previously mentioned, particularly "First Girl I Loved".
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
35/100
From 11/08/2016 19:30 | #178128
I think they are trying so hard to sound like Bob Dylan.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 06/23/2016 11:15 | #169546
Not as epic or ambitious as, hangman's beautiful daughter, but it's still a fine record full of brilliantly unique songs from one of Britain's greatest ever folk bands. Still sounds like nobody else. Genius.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
45/100
From 07/12/2015 20:07 | #145602
Not bad
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (0 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 01/21/2014 13:18 | #101125
Bom album, porém muito inferior ao The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 01/15/2014 19:25 | #100718
Truly fantastic folk music true to its time! Would have loved to see these guys at good ol' woodstock
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1967
1. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles
2. The Velvet Underground & Nico by The Velvet Underground & Nico
3. The Doors by The Doors
4. Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
5. Forever Changes by Love
6. Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles
7. Songs Of Leonard Cohen by Leonard Cohen
8. The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn by Pink Floyd
9. Axis: Bold As Love by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
10. Strange Days by The Doors