What does it sound like?:
Bert Jansch is an icon amongst guitarists, not only for his influence on people like Jimmy Page and Neil Young, but also for his astounding ability to take relatively few notes and make them sound amazing and unique. He’s not a shredder, battering the listener with technique, but rather an artist, making every note count and knowing that the space left between them is probably more important.
This collection gathers representative tracks from Bert’s entire career starting in the early 60s when he seems to have emerged almost fully formed – clearly he’d been listening to American blues finger style players – but quickly shook loose from those standard tropes and took off with a strange amalgam of blues and folk which sounds fantastic today but which must have had a similar effect as that generated by Jimi Hendrix a few years later – WTF is this, they must have wondered. Let’s remember at the time instruments were frowned on in folk clubs, and original compositions were unthinkable. Sitting on top of the guitar is Bert’s voice, definitely of the folk tradition and with not a trace of mid Atlantic phoniness about it. It’s a Marmite voice, perfectly in tune but with an intonation which can lead the casual listener to announce that it is not (Richard Thompson suffers from the same problem).
CD 1 takes us up to 1974 and is mostly guitar based with some instrumentation in support but it’s pretty much guitar / vocal, and wonderful for it, notably on songs such as the harrowing “Needle of Death”. Present too is the famous “Angie”, Bert’s version of the Davy Graham tune to which he added a verse from the old blues “Work Song”. Paul Simon recorded his version on the “Sounds of Silence” album and made a point of crediting Davy, however it’s Bert’s version you’re hearing, “Work Song” interpolation and all. Also present are the deeply modal sounding “Black Water Side” which the aforementioned Jimmy reinterpreted (AKA nicked) though when it was suggested to Bert that he pursue legal action he laughed and said we all steal from each other. Dude.
CD 2 covers the albums up to the end of his career, which generally include more arrangement as various record companies and producers have a go at making him into a mainstream act. They are great and the guitar is always there but to me the stripped down, raw stuff is my favourite Bert. Mind you, disk 2 contains the stunning “Chambertin” from the “LA Turnaround” album featuring American session players which had my hair standing on end. Stunning.
What does it all *mean*?
Bert had his demons and in his dark days often was without a guitar, having sold his for booze money. Once he was past that period he could have had an endorsement from any maker, but always played Yamaha because they had stuck with him through the bad times and he felt a great sense of loyalty. Yamaha are good instruments but not top drawer. It doesn’t matter because it’s all in the fingers. And fingers like these will never be seen again.
Goes well with…
For me it’s a late evening fire, something peaty and a gaze into the far distance.
Release Date:
Might suit people who like…
If you don’t have any Bert this is a great career collection, assembled by admirer Bernard Butler and I’d wholeheartedly recommend it. I won’t be buying it as I have a great double CD comp of the earlier stuff but it prompts me to fill in some of the later albums which contain some wonderful stuff.
Twang says
Here’s a track from the later period…
Mike_H says
Black Water Side wasn’t Bert’s to get upset about and he knew it. A “trad arr.” song, sung unaccompanied. He heard his girlfriend Annie Briggs sing it and figured out how to play it as a guitar tune. Possibly added a bit of embellishment. Jimmy Page heard his version (and probably Annie’s too) then simplified it a bit for Zep’s purposes.
Mind you, at least Bert admitted it was a traditional tune, whereas Led Zep claimed it as an original like they did with everything.
I saw Bert play at some multi-artist thing at either the Festival Hall or the Barbican, a good few years back with Bernard Butler on second guitar. I think Martin and Eliza Carthy and Norma Waterson were on the bill also. Glad to have seen him in action. A special player.
Baron Harkonnen says
Big fan of Bert here, I`ll probably pick this up on CD. I have all his albums on LP, I don`t play guitar but when I listen to Bert I wish I did.
duco01 says
Thanks for the review, Twang. Looks like a nice compilation.
It’s rather sad, though, the the 2LP vinyl version contains 12 fewer tracks than the CD set. They could’ve made it 3 LPs and got the whole lot on. Probably.
SteveT says
I love his guitar playing and this is a good review. I do have a problem with his voice though in the same way that I have a problem with Martin Carthy’s voice.
Still I don’t have to buy if my friend the Baron burns me a copy.
retropath2 says
Cue a penniless Adam Jansch with empty plate and pained expression.
bang em in bingham says
2000’s Dazzling Stranger: The Bert Jansch Anthology is another wonderful collection. They can keep pumping them out as far as I’m concerned just to keep the great man in the listening public’s earhole. LA Turnaround is a bloody marvelous album and remains one of my favourites. Such a caring project organized partly by Mike Nesmith.
Junior Wells says
Excellent review Twang. I liked your comment about voices that are in tune but sound like they aren’t. I have often had this “uneasiness” with a lot of RT’s singing, not all, and never really put my finger on the cause. I think you describe the issue well. I’m wondering whether it is the same issue, for me, with Elvis Costello.
Mike_H says
The timbre of the notes they sing as opposed to the pitch. Yes, there are some voices that are harder, for me, to listen to than others.
Twang says
Cheers Junior. A lot of the folkier guys have this problem. I think it’s because they are trying to sound “folky”. The folk equivalent of fake singers like Bowie or Bryan Ferry. It’s part of the shtick.
deramdaze says
I’ve got a really fondness for “Nicola” which, in having an orchestral backing (like The Pretty Things’ “Emotions,” is often dismissed. Transatlantic optimistically pulled a 45 from it.
“Birthday Blues” too.