Search - Bert Jansch :: Crimson Moon

The master in top form

Jerome Clark | Canby, Minnesota | 08/25/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This lovely disc sees one of the major forces of the British folk revival in top form. Bert Jansch has been recording since the 1960s. Though still little known to any but a cult audience in America, his role in the creation of a uniquely British guitar style matches those of John Renbourn, Davy Graham, and Martin Carthy, even if he sounds like none of them (not that any of them sound like each other either, as far as that goes). Beyond his roots in his native Scotland's traditional music, Jansch was drawn early on to blues and jazz, which he incorporated seamlessly into a fluid, melodic singing and playing style. He was an early influence on Paul Simon, Donovan, and Neil Young (who freely acknowledges that his "The Needle and the Damage Done" was inspired by Jansch's classic "Needle of Death," which reappears on a companion "Best of" disc with this new CD along with such Jansch standards as "It Don't Bother Me," "Lucky Thirteen," and "Blackwater Side"). Crimson Moon is an eminently satisfying excursion through Jansch country: a few originals, some covers (including Robin Williamson's beautiful "October Song" and, startlingly, the old Guy Mitchell tune "Singing the Blues"), an instrumental, and a traditional ballad. Acoustic and electric guitar sounds interweave in stark and shimmering arrangements, and Jansch brings his patented languorous vocals to the songs. Though hardly pretty in any conventional sense, his voice is, as always, weirdly hypnotic and affecting. Everything is working here, and the result is a nearly perfect recording. Anyone who loves Jansch's music will love this CD, and those who haven't heard him before could do a whole lot worse than to start here."

His Best Work Since The Pentangle

Jerome Clark | 08/24/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bert Jansch. Crimson Moon. ©2000 Castle Music, Ltd.On the inside cover of The Pentangle's classic 1972 double album Sweet Child, guitarist/vocalist Bert Jansch is quoted as saying, "I'm only in it for the beer." In the intervening years, which saw The Pentangle's dissolution and then tepid reformation without primary guitarist John Renbourn, who embarked on a successful solo career, and after a sequence of bland solo offerings from Jansch which only occasionally contained a song that even hinted at the almost primordial greatness of his musical sensibilities, one had almost come to the conclusion that he was, indeed only in it for the beer, which (combined with depression and arthritis) was no longer doing him right. But from the first chords and vocals of Crimson Moon's opening track, "Caledonia," with its tasteful phrasing and timeless folk mood, one who loved and idolized the early work once again got the old familiar chills: Bert Jansch, the greatest singer-songwriter-interpreter of his generation, is back, and at 60, the playing tight and the voice virtually indistinguishable from his work with the Pentangle or from his solo classics Jack Orion and Lucky Thirteen, previously out-of-print selections of which are collected on the album's second CD The Best of Bert Jansch for your comparison, enjoyment and befuddlement: How the hell had I not heard of this guy, I can hear some say (and indeed I have). An element of youth pervades the album, as Jansch is joined by both his son on bass and his daughter on vocals ("My Donald"), sounding much like Jacqui McShee did with The Pentangle--and by noted UK guitarists Bernard Butler and Johnny Marr, who fill in the Renbourn electric leads perfectly within Jansch's aesthetic, which never slips or compromises on any of the new album's 12 tracks, ten of them originals. On "October Song" Jansch's voice and acoustic guitar accompaniment in the classic minor scales of the Scottish folk tradition shine forth almost eerily, which was always a word that could be applied to Jansch at his haunting Celtic best: this is, quite simply, Jansch's best work since the early 70s, and better indeed than much of that. A single listen to "Neptune's Daughter" holds the same spell on the listener. Taken as a whole, this reasonably priced double-album stands as a five-star classic of Jansch at his past-and-present best. And you won't hear about it in Rolling Stone along with the reviews of lesser artists who owe their artistic livelihoods to the foundation of Jansch's achievement: I doubt even a specialized magazine like Dirty Linen will give it its due. Still, for those not familiar with Jansch, this album could be favorably compared to Johnny Cash's classic 1994 American Recordings: a return to true form and spirit after an extended creative drought, with slight differences which make the work both more authentic and in fact superior to the monumental spirit of the earlier classic works themselves. Kevin McGowin Raleigh, NC"

Best of Bert: New and Old

S. GODFREY | Risca, South Wales | 08/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the finest album from true original Bert Jansch for many a year: as a bonus it includes some of his classic tracks which fully justify his near-legendary status. On some of the new songs he is ably (if a little reverentially) assisted by guitar heroes Johnny Marr and Bernard Butler, whose contributions complement Bert's wonderfully distinctive guitar style beautifully. If you haven't heard Bert play electric before, prepare to be impressed. The choice of material is excellent; thought-provoking and mature songs from a master of his craft. Standouts are the gentle "Caledonia" and the anti-war "Fools Mate", along with a lovely reading of "October Song", written by his old friend Robin Williamson. A thouroughly rewarding album."