1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 51. Bert Jansch – Bert Jansch (1965)

I hadn’t heard of Bert Jansch before, although I’d heard of Pentangle of which he was a founder member. He’s a Scottish folk musician, and this album comprises entirely of Jansch alone on guitar, sometimes just an instrumental track like Angie, Finche, or the Mingus-inspired Alice’s Wonderland. No songs about a-walking one May morning on here though, this is much darker stuff on social commentary, protest, or the grimly beautiful Needle of Death about a friend’s drug abuse problem. 

Jansch’s intricate picking technique is phenomenal, and I immediately thought of Nick Drake – no surprise to learn that Drake cited Jansch as an inspiration. As did Jimmy Page, and it’s hard not to hear Battle of Evermore stylings in this album once you know.  Jansch’s singing voice may not be the best, but the guitar playing is exemplary. 

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