The music contained within this four disc box set is a spectacular demonstration of talent of the late, great Bert Jansch. It features his three studio albums from the 1990s, as well as a fourth disc of demos and unreleased tracks.
Over the course of nearly fifty years, the Glasgow-born and Edinburgh raised Jansch carved out a distinctive sound. Both as a member of Pentangle and solo, his legacy for the listening public is something to be treasured. Though it’s right to mention him in the same breath as the likes of Richard Thompson, John Martyn and Roy Harper, they all have unique styles that many may aspire to but are unlikely to be equalled. When he died aged just 67 in 2011, he had made his mark on the music scene, influencing not just those in the folk scene, but also the likes of Johnny Marr, Bernard Butler and Graham Coxon. Whilst he worked primarily within the folk idiom, jazz, blues and early rock’n’roll all made an impression on his sound.
Like a number of musicians who had established themselves in the sixties (see also: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and arguably Lou Reed, amongst others), Bert Jansch didn’t have the best 1980s. This had perhaps started with his stunning album ‘Avocet’ (which was re-issued last year, take the time to get hold of it) sitting unreleased for the best part of a year until it came out in 1979. In 1987 his drinking had reached the extent that the stark choice offered to him was to quit drinking or to die. So it’s fair to say that when the press release talks about the three albums signalling a return to form, that’s a fair assessment. The music matches up to that description. Three studio albums by a master at the top of his game.
The impressive thing is how the three studio albums form a cohesive whole, despite what different records they are (even when the box set is listened to on random). 1990’s ‘The Ornament Tree’ is primarily re-workings of traditional songs, like ‘The Rocky Road To Dublin’ and ‘The Road Tae Dundee.’ This is perhaps the most ‘folk’ sounding of the three albums. 1995’s ‘When The Circus To Town’ is has more hints of jazz and blues, while 1998’s ‘Toy Balloon’ is somewhere between the two previous studio albums.
The impressive thing here is how happy he sounds within himself on these records. His own songs like ‘Carnival’ and ‘Summer Heat’ are amongst the jewels of his own compositions. One of the highlights is his version of the traditional Irish folk tune ‘She Moved Through The Fair.’ This has been covered numerous times and so many versions often seem to put it as funereal, but in Jansch’s hands it becomes more reflective, an acceptance of love lost and looking to move on, rather than ‘oh woe is me (will this do for a TV advert?)’
For Jansch die-hards (and your author is heading there, slowly), the fourth disc is where a number of treats lie. Entitled ‘Picking Up The Leaves’ it contains early demos of a number of tracks that would appear in different forms over the three studio albums. There’s an untitled instrumental with friend, former flatmate and erstwhile Pentangle member John Renbourn, and ‘Little Max’ which never appeared on a studio album – but does appear on the forthcoming DownUnder:Live In Australia which follows in a few weeks time (spoiler: it’s excellent).
While some box sets can be a bit much to take in one sitting, this is a treat for the ears and indeed the soul. Sure, it’s likely to appeal mostly to those with an interest in folk music. But the sheer beauty of the arrangements, the singing and, above all, the guitar playing, mean that people with an interest in music of the last fifty years should be listening.
