Bert Jansch on vinyl

I have a mixture of US and UK versions off all the Pentangle stuff.

Do you like the reunion Pentangle albums?


Noone seems to speak of them, but I think they are pretty good. Obviously the chemistry of the band is different with the various different members, but as long as both Bert and Jacqui are there, something good will happen.

 

Sketches, Avocet, The Ornament Tree and Downunder: Live In Australia are the only titles I have on CD.

Avocet is very good and it sounds like I would enjoy From The Outside with my love of the first self titled.

Any thoughts/comments on Young Man Blues: Live In Glasgow 1962 - 1964?

Those looking for less expensive early material on vinyl might consider keeping an eye out for the Early Bert Volumes on the Transatlantic "budget" label XTRA.
Vol. 1 = It Don't Bother Me, Vol. 2 - Jack Orion, Vol. 3 - Nicola and Vol. 4 - Rosemary Lane.

Re: Pentangle, love all the albums I have which is everything up to and including In The Round on vinyl and So Early In The Spring, Think Of Tomorrow and One More Road on compact disc.

 

If you are ok with CDs, pick up Crimson Moon first and then the others. They are all good, but that's probably the best.

Young Man Blues would be worth getting if you are keen on Bert, which it sounds like you are! Basically it's an official bootleg that Bert approved. Quality isn't perfect, however it's actually far better than you might expect as it's labelled as a 'non-professional recording'. It's like a beautiful time capsule back to before he found fame. He actually sounds just as good as he ever did. I think he must have arrived in music 'fully formed' because the performances are great.

I have the double LP, which might be a bit better than the CD. It was digitally edited and so forth from the original tapes, so I imagine the LP would return or impart a small amount of warmth onto the recordings. Although the prices I've seen for the LPs are quite high. (Only a limited release of 1000) I found mine quite cheaply so I'd grab it quickly before your chance disappears and you'd have to sell your major organs to fund its purchase.

I have one of the XTRA releases (Volume 3) simply because I've never come across an 'original' release. As they were made in 1976, it would still be all analogue and so forth, so I don't think it's much of a compromise really. It sounds just as good when I've compared the track to the Sampler equivalents. I wonder why they renamed and repackaged them(?)

 

I guess it gets to the point you start wondering, if its worth the time and extra money to get the Transatlantic pressings. In the meantime you can always get the CD or a repress for cheap. And in the future when you see a first press, then you upgrade.

 

Would be a nice RSD release!

 

Thanks for the Crimson Moon recommendation ramblin, have not heard that one yet.

As per the Transatlantic subsidiary XTRA, seems it was originally an outlet mostly for roots Americana - folk, blues, jazz then selected traditional music from England and Ireland although Pentangle and Silly Wizard each have a release and they are also from '76 and '77.
http://www.discogs.com/label/45484-XTRA?page=1&genre=All&limit=250&sort=date,asc

This event might have something to do with changes within XTRA affecting future direction, titles, covers, etc.

" Nat Joseph was the first person to create a fully-independent contemporary British record label (in 1961) - followed by Chris Blackwell (Island - 1962), Andrew Loog Oldham (Immediate - 1965), Chris Wright & Terry Ellis (Chrysalis - 1969), Tony Stratton-Smith (Charisma - 1969) and Richard Branson (Virgin - 1972). In 1975 Joseph also became the first to do what all of his successors would eventually do - sell his company to a major entertainment conglomerate. In 1975 Joseph sold a controlling interest in Transatlantic to the Granada Group for a substantial sum. "
http://www.transatlanticrecords.com/biography.html

 

I am happy to report that my post #9 is no longer completely true. A month ago I found a nice copy of L.A. Turnaround
on Reprise. I think I paid around $8 for it. I told the owner who I know fairly well how long I had been looking for this album. I was sooo happy. One of those moments. The fact that it was inexpensive only made it even easier. No angst of "i can't believe I'm going to spend this much for an lp. " I'm not through collecting his music of course but owning his first and now this one on Reprise makes me very happy.

Today I found an album by O.V. Wright on Hi Records. Woohoo! But that's another thread.

 

I guess my luck must be pretty good then, just scored 2 BJ LP's, Rosemary Lane on Reprise for $18 and s/t on Japanese Wax Transatlantic label for $17. Don't have either of these on wax so should be interesting to spin. Any one heard the Japanese pressing of s/t?

 

I have the Japanese pressing of 'Bert and John' and it is beautiful. Matches the UK releases I have. Sadly I haven't found the reprise versions to be quite as good, but they are still excellent. (The Reprise version cover art of 'Jack Orion' has always baffled me!)

 

Birthday Blues is quite good too!

 

It's nice to see that people are still finding copies of his lps out there. I always look for his when I go to a store. Perseverance is the key!

 

I did buy all of them, from his first to the last as they were released. Some might dream about the days when nearly every cutout bin in USA stores had the three Reprise albums for $1.99 each. That was circa 1974 or 1975.

 

I feel for you. When I discovered Pentangle/Bert Jansch in the late 80s I went ape trying to find them (pre-internet) and it took about five years before I was able to get it all. I remember using a discography from Record Collector as a guide to what was out there. So, in addition to vacuuming up any CD I could find I was dogged in finding the vinyl only because there were so many records that hadn't made it to CD yet. I'm not sure that's the case anymore. I seem to remember either Avocet or Santa Barbara Honeymoon being the last to make the jump to CD.

I also remember scouring flea markets for Bert Jansch and Pentangle during this time and sellers who would look at me and say stuff like "You're a bit young to be into this stuff".

I must say, it was a fun but frustrating quest. I'm sorry to hear that now lots of folks are hip to him (like with Nick Drake), the vinyl prices have gone crazy.

 

Luckily for those interested in the music but without extra money for original vinyl, the CDs of both those albums sound very good!

 

I don't think Leather Launderette is available on CD either. The LP sounds good however

 

A friend messaged me a while back letting me know that Jerry (of Jerry's) had a copy of Rosemary Lane in his last auction, and that I should go for it.

It's like...I want that record. Badly. But having to get it thru auction kind of sucks. I'd rather just wait until the stars align and find it somewhere on my own. Or even just track down a copy on Discogs. Does that make sense?

Having that record on auction seems like a taunt. "You want it? Pfft. Good luck, everyone else does too."

And I love Jerry's, I don't have a bad word to say about him or the fact that he does auctions. But I want that record bad enough that I don't want to have to resort to that, and then be really bummed if I don't win it.

 

Just buy it! It's one of his best.

 

Supposedly it was released on CD at the time, according to a friend of mine who is in the know. However, neither of us has ever seen the CD, so it may be a rumor.

You're right, the LP sounds good.

 

Does anybody have an idea when Transatlantic changed their labels? I've seen copies with the "t" and a sphere in the middle of the label, and others with the sphere and "transatlantic" on the top of the label (both labels being purple and white)

Does anyone know which one was first?

 

The sphere around the spindle hole was the last of the purple/white labels. I believe there were at least two earlier labels with purple globe and white globe respectively. The spindle hole globe I think came in 66 0r 67.

 

I've seen his self-titled album with the sphere around the spindle hole, and that came out in 1965. Then I've seen "It don't bother me" with a different label even though it was his next album. Maybe they had leftover labels for that one, I don't know.

 

The first labels had the purple globe with the "Transatlantic Records " banner at the top of the label. This was changed to labels with a white globe in a purple square with just a "t" next to it. These labels were introduced in 1966, but were very quickly followed by labels with the globe around the spindle hole.

The self-titled album that you saw was a second pressing.

 

I have some LPs with the banner (in Bert's case it suggests they are first pressings).
Is the second one you are talking about like this one below? Or is this the third type? Can you share a picture of the other one if so?

 

I can't believe I don't have Rosemary Lane on vinyl yet. Sigh. Embarrassing.

 

Apologies, my description may not have been very clear, and I am at work so unable to upload pictures. Yes, the pictures that you have attached are of the second type of labels. I am not exactly sure which year the third type of labels were introduced. An example of the third type can be found here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JAN-DUKES...414?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item5b0ce6dd1e

I should add, this is not my auction!