Recorded in 1968, as the Incredible String Band popularity was peaking, the band by this point had more or less stabilized to quartet form with Williamson, Heron and Licorice being joined by Heron’s then-girlfriend, Rose Simpson, on violin and percussion. They were touring a lot at this point throughout Europe and the U.S., which I assume is how they fell in with the Scientologists, but that particular tragedy doesn’t have any noticeable effect on this album (!)Along with having very developed and poetic lyrics, the album is rich with eclectic and adept instrumentation and arrangement, with around 15 instruments being played consistently throughout the album, mainly by the two band members Robin Williamson and Mike Heron but also supported on a few tracks by Rose Simpson and Licorice McKechnie.
Williamson explained the title as follows:- "I saw a man with a huge big dog, we knew somebody called Wee Tam, in Edinburgh. It seemed like it was a good idea in terms of one person looking up at the stars - Wee Tam and the Big Huge, just like the vastness of the universe."