The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion (studio album)
by The Incredible String Band

The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion by The Incredible String Band
Year: 1967
Overall rank: 3,143rd   
Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 122 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1967 (42nd)
Award Top albums of the 1960s (279th)
Award Best albums of all time (3,143rd)

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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 1487 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 1,144.

The Incredible String Band album bestography « Higher ranked (1,487th)
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
This album (3,143rd)
The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion
Lower ranked (17,951st) »
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 track list

   The tracks on this album have an average rating of 80 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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1.
Average Rating: 81 (22 votes)Comments: View 0
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2.
Average Rating: 82 (24 votes)Comments: View 0
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3.
Average Rating: 82 (23 votes)Comments: View 0
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Average Rating: 82 (23 votes)Comments: View 0
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5.
Average Rating: 79 (18 votes)Comments: View 0
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6.
Average Rating: 78 (17 votes)Comments: View 0
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7.
Average Rating: 78 (17 votes)Comments: View 0
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8.
Average Rating: 81 (22 votes)Comments: View 0
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9.
Average Rating: 83 (22 votes)Comments: View 0
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10.
Average Rating: 78 (17 votes)Comments: View 0
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11.
Average Rating: 80 (20 votes)Comments: View 0
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12.
Average Rating: 79 (18 votes)Comments: View 0
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13.
Average Rating: 78 (19 votes)Comments: View 0
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The 5000 Spirits Or The Layers Of The Onion rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 3,143rd | 1960s rank: 279th | 1967 rank: 42nd

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)
   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.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
30/100
 !
11/20/2025 07:15 plasmicmist   1,98376/100
 
65/100
 !
08/24/2025 11:22 cicadelic   11,43773/100
 
75/100
 !
06/18/2025 23:59 stangetzaway   2,15285/100
 
10/100
 !
03/10/2025 19:58 Proto   3,83333/100
 
85/100
 !
12/30/2024 18:09 RockyRaccoon   6,72984/100

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
11. Disraeli Gears by Cream
12. Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane
13. Days Of Future Passed by The Moody Blues
14. I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You by Aretha Franklin
15. Something Else By The Kinks by The Kinks
16. Safe As Milk by Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
17. The Who Sell Out by The Who
18. Chelsea Girl by Nico
19. John Wesley Harding by Bob Dylan
20. Younger Than Yesterday by The Byrds
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