From his 1965 iconic debut album, Bert’s peerless musicality,
songwriting and interpretation of traditional song has held generation after
generation spellbound and inspired musicians in all genres. Just A Simple Soul –
named after the closing track on his 1998 album Toy Balloon - is the first collection of
Jansch’s entire solo career, with insightful liner notes by Bernard Butler
(Suede) who compiled this selection with the Bert Jansch Estate. As a writer
and player, Jansch has inspired countless other music icons including Jimmy
Page, Paul Simon, Johnny Marr, Laura Marling, Graham Coxon, Fleet Foxes and
Neil Young.
Pre-order the
collection HERE
Presented chronologically the collection begins by drawing from his prolific
1960s period, during which he released six albums between 1965 and 1969. His
self-titled debut, sometimes referred to as The Blue Album, is listed at #3
in NME’s Best Folk Albums Of
All Time, and this collection plucks three tracks including the
harrowing ‘Needle Of Death’; about the tragic passing of Bert’s friend, folk
singer Buck Polly. The influence of young singer Anne Briggs began to show in
this period, and the traditional folk songs she taught him, plus his bluesy,
improvised guitar accompaniment which dominated his third solo album, Jack Orion (1966),
featuring John Renbourn on guitar. That same year, the collaborative album Bert & John laid the
foundations of the trad folk supergroup Pentangle. Jack Orion included
‘Blackwaterside’ (featured in this collection), a traditional song Jansch
learned from Briggs. Elsewhere, eco-warning ‘Poison’ and ‘The Bright New
Year’ are included from Bert’s fifth solo album Birthday Blues (1969), with Pentangle
colleagues Danny Thompson and Terry Cox.
Jansch recorded three solo albums while part of Pentangle, notably Rosemary Lane (1971), an
album described by The Guardian as “a
stark, reflective work”, which again included a traditional song
learned from Briggs (‘Reynardine’, included here) alongside his own
compositions. Also featured here is ‘The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face’
(originally written by Ewan MacColl for Peggy Seeger) as a duet with Mary
Hopkin. ‘Fresh As A Sweet Sunday Morning’ and ‘Chambertin’, lifted from 1974’s L.A. Turnaround,
highlight a significant passage, being recorded after Pentangle’s demise,
featuring erstwhile Monkee Mike Nesmith on production. Jansch’s 70s’ output
is drawn to a close with the inclusion of Kittiwake
from his 1979 album Avocet,
on which he teamed up with the multi-instrumentalist Martin
Jenkins and Danny Thompson for a concept album inspired by birds.
Pentangle reunions and illness limited Jansch’s 80s’ solo output. It’s
represented by ‘Sweet Rose’ from From
The Outside (1985) which was described by Irish author and
composer Colin Harper as “Bert’s
rawest and most cathartic work since Bert Jansch twenty years earlier.”
When The Circus Comes To
Town (1995) was the start of a renaissance for Bert with the
title track featured here, as well as ‘Morning Brings Peace of Mind’. This
collection takes its name from ‘Just A Simple Soul’, on 1998’s follow-up Toy Balloon, which also
included Bert’s take on Jackson C. Frank’s ‘Carnival’ which was a perennial
in his live sets.
Jansch’s 21st century output is represented by ‘Crimson Moon’ (Crimson Moon, 2000) and
‘On The Edge Of A Dream’ (Edge
Of A Dream, 2002), two records that bookend his 2001 Lifetime
Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Edge Of A Dream featured Bernard Butler on
electric guitar, Bert’s son, Adam, on bass and vocals of Hope Sandoval of
Mazzy Star. This collection is concluded with ‘High Days’, taken from Bert’s
23rd and, tragically, final studio album The
Black Swan. Released through Sanctuary and Drag City, it featured
prominent admirers including Beth Orton, Devendra Banhart and Helena Epsvall.
It was dubbed an instant classic, described by Pitchfork as “immaculate but natural”,
and named one of the best albums of 2006 by MOJO, who described it as “a beautiful, evocative piece of
music… his strongest album in years.”
Just A Simple Soul
reminds us of Bert Jansch’s enduring legacy and his influence across the
musical spectrum. As Bernard Butler eloquently puts it; “Bert lived and breathed the sound
of the guitar and its endless possibilities for communication, storytelling,
conversation, emotional dialogue. We have a life’s work here, and what a life
Bert Jansch has given us.”
Pre-order the
collection HERE
