Comus, First Utterance (bonus 12" EP)

1970's First Utterance is somewhat legendary among folk-psych collectors for its strangeness. The album title, cover art, and most of all lyrics (which are printed on the liner notes of my reissue copy) all rate high in absurdity. What's remarkable, when going back and listening, is that the music is no weirder than any of their contemporaries'. It's a fun, unusual album, and its many quirks will always stand out, but the songs and playing are more competent and perhaps even conventional than they seem.