This experimental Irish psych-folk group was founded in Dublin in 1967 by singer and guitarist Tim Booth and bassist and keyboardist Ivan Pawle under the strange name Dr. Strangely Strange. The trio was completed by keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Tim Goulding, whose girlfriend owned a house where they could live and rehearse from then on. The producer and manager of the Incredible String Band and Nick Drake, the modern folk guru Joe Boyd, showed interest and secured the trio a record deal with the legendary Island label. They recorded their debut LP in 1969 at Sound Techniques in London in just one and a half days, alongside Caroline „Linus“ Greville (percussion, kalimba, vocals) and with Joe Boyd as producer. Jay Myrdal played the glockenspiel as a guest musician.

Kip Of The Serenes was released in July 1969 on Island Records with the „orange and black eye on a pink background“ label. This remarkably mature debut album exudes an eccentric, enthusiastic hippie atmosphere with complex and varied vocal harmonies, supported by a multitude of acoustic folk instruments, including guitars, whistles, violins, harmonium, kalimba and mandolin. As it was withdrawn from the catalogue relatively soon after its release, this acid-folk classic is undoubtedly one of the rarest „Pink Label“ albums ever released by Island Records. Despite its lack of commercial success, they released their follow-up LP, Heavy Petting, in 1970.