Some albums just seem primal, somehow, like they're in a perfect space at a perfect time forever. Rosemary Lane is a New Forest root, a crow over a grey sea, a spark in the kindling. Hunker down ... this music will get you through.
Mission Statement: to do very little, for very few, for not very long. Disappointing the easily pleased since 1819. Not as good as it used to be from Day One. History is Bunk - PT Barnum. Artificially Intelligent before it was fashionable. Fat camp for the mind! Nothing lasts, but nothing is lost. The Shock of the Old! Often bettered, never imitated.
Everybody needs this sometime.
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/Ep8Zku5Yx8m
If you say so, boss! .......................................[I have never heard a full Jansch album, never knew where to jump in.... so here I go!]
ReplyDeleteBrian
From an internet:
Delete"... this album is a darn classic ... some of the tracks here possess a classical flavor ... mid-tempo and very quiet, which provides the listener with some room in the musical space to focus on the tone and the melodies (played in various tunings), which are usually the qualities that are emphasized in ambience music. This is, probably, the tenth time I'm bugging the readers about tone and melody, right? Well, it is for the good cause, and my man Bert is here to prove that. Check out 'Alman', for instance. Classical folk has never made such an impact on me until I heard that piece. Also, give a listen to 'A Dream, A Dream, A Dream', and see what happens for you. However, it is 'Peregrinations' that really gripped me as the moodiest and most imaginative of all tracks here ... modern folk at its absolute best. This album is actually in my chart of the 30 most influential (on me as a musician and as a person) and quintessential works of their genre."
"Captivatingly emotional, with an unabashedly romantic bent, there's a certain timelessness to the material here. With impeccable performance and production standards, and a complete independence from fashionable trends ... could have been made at any point in the last four or five decades ... nearly flawless and very consistent, the purest and most intimate of all musical styles that I have ever heard. Plus, there is no filler on the album in terms of texture; there is only the guitar and the voice ..."
" ... laid down over a series of months in 1970/71 on a portable tape recorder by Bill Leader at Jansch's cottage - recording only when Jansch was in the right mood. Pentangle, at this time, had peaked artistically and Jansch had started his slow, unconscious withdrawal from the messy business affairs and artistic compromises of being one member of a group of five talented individuals. The result of these two factors led to a stark and reflective stillness being present in the music which gives the album a timeless quality.
In an album of short songs the "trad. arr" numbers are the longest, with "Rosemary Lane" and "Reynardine" being the stand out tracks. The former is founded on Jansch's empathetic vocal from the point of view of the female seductee and shows his voice, at his very best, to be worthy of his guitar playing. The latter song epitomises Jansch's style of guitar accompaniment and commences with an atypically, flashy, introductory instrumental flourish ... dreamy, but heart-felt."
" ... might be his most gentle and heartbreakingly sad record ever. There's a dreamy, hazy vibe to much of the music -- one of the tracks is even titled "A Dream, A Dream, A Dream" -- that creates a timeless feel; by which I mean not that the music hasn't dated (although it hasn't), but that it actually seems to stop time. I don't think Jansch ever topped his vocal on "Tell Me What is True Love", and it goes without saying that his guitar playing is superb"
"... dewy, mannered calm flexible enough for undertones tragic ("M'Lady Nancy"), smitten ("Tell Me What Is True Love?"), and serene ("Bird Song"). He's had the instrumental skill to pull this off for a while (though "Reynardine"'s fluttering chords, pauses, and bends set a new benchmark); just never its vocal complement. This time, he dazzles with an opening performance nothing short of breathtaking, even earning a wordless coo amid "Silly Woman"'s downy comfort."
(etc. - there are the inevitable curmudgeons flexing their critical independence, but the general tone of the reviews is pretty consistent. A very special album - and I love the cover!)
Great guitarist who needed to be paired with a better vocalist.
ReplyDeleteTechnically, he may be lacking, but on this album especially, his vocals are finely-tuned and emotive. He was in Pentangle for a good few years, with Jacqui McShee, who could sing bang in the middle of the note but left me cold. I'd say we should agree to disagree, as "it's all just opinion, innit", but you're plain wrong, pmac. I *slap* your cheek wiz my kid lezzair glove, like *so* and *so*!
Delete"Don't get saucy with me, Bernaise."
DeleteOh I say, Perfect Ten, I look forward to giving this a listen, I have a few of his albums, but never heard of this one, thanks in anticipation.
ReplyDeleteI have a lot of Jansch albums, including the 2015 remastered version of this, which sounds great, but I have to admit that when I'm in Janschmood I usually pull out "Bert & John" with John Renbourn, which is at least a perfect 11. I'll give this another spin. Thanks.
ReplyDeleted/l'd got it i'll give it a go. never gave pentangle or its members' solo works a listen like i did other brit folk rock bands why ??? i don't know probably my tastes changed.
ReplyDeleteoh yeah i purchased Zealot. so the book and these sides show i'm not too old....
Thanx for sharing. Nothing wrong with it, but not my cup of tea or latte or whatever you choose to pass the time with...
ReplyDeleteAn American puts on a Stetson, sits on somebody's porch with a legacy Martin D25, works through a standard chord progression, sings a cookie-cutter song about one of the Three or Four© themes, and it's "Americana". The absence of any production is respected as "lo fi", and a mark of authenticity. "Americana" is yet another marketing brand from a country which can't seem to exist without them.
ReplyDeleteThere's no such thing as "Englishiana". This is Bert Jansch singing and playing un-branded music that draws from a deeper well, from Blake's Albion.
Here's 'Bert & John', two virtuosi locked together in shared musical delight:
https://workupload.com/file/NWbF23mY52t
pretty harsh comments about "americana" i'm not a fan of current country music much of the music we grew up with is county-ish music the byrds creedence the eagles judy collins etc a lot of punk rockers converted playing it to most folkies played what you call un-branded music ....and what exactly is your point ???
ReplyDeleteTell you what. Tell me your point and I'll tell you mine. Fair?
Deletei believe i made my point. your's is somewhat surprising...but that's okay it's your opinion.
DeleteVery peaceful, thanks Farq, I didn't have this one.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite acoustic guitar player. I'm not claiming he's the "best" but Neil Young compared him to Hendrix for a reason.
ReplyDeleteYeah, best schmest, it's a fairly meaningless term, but what he had in common with Hendrix was a wild individuality, technique as a side effect. Django had that too, of course, using his guitar as direct expression, almost as if it wasn't there. Renbourn was technically as adept, but lacked that uncompromising drive, the sheer quantum force of personality.
DeleteIn my view one of the great originals. For anyone interested heres a video of his 60th birthday bash
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Thanks for this - that was when sixty was "old". He died at 67, which still looks young to me. What a life.
DeleteI've been a fan since his Pentangle days, almost got to see him in 2010, but i couldn't quite find a way. I did get a download of the concert though. Great, great guitatist!
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