Prior to co-founding the Incredible String Band, Clive Palmer had already made a name for himself as a versatile instrumentalist busking around London. Just after the first ISB album was released he quit the band and vanished from the scene, traveling around Europe, India and Afghanistan. He resurfaced with his banjo a few years later under the guise of COB, Clive's Original Band, with instrumentalists and songwriting partners Mick Bennett and John Bidwell.