A Man I’d Rather Be' (Part II) comprises Jansch’s late ’60s and early ’70s output, an under-rated era, no doubt influenced by the now well-established Pentangle sound. Bandmates Danny Thompson (bass) and Terry Cox (drums) regularly feature among the musicians as well as cameo appearances by Mary Hopkin, Toni Visconti and Dave Mattacks.
In this period we see Jansch’s take on pop (Nicola), blues (Birthday Blues funnily enough), handsome arrangements (Rosemary Lane) and barque folk (Moonshine). All of this being conjured during a time when Pentangle was simultaneously releasing albums and constantly touring; to say that the man had a generous talent is something of an understatement.
The lush orchestration of Nicola was partly recorded by John Wood who would later engineer Nick Drake’s recordings at the same studio. The heart melting cover of Birthday Blues contains a set with some of the stalwarts of Bert’s solo and Pentangle sets, ‘Poison’ and ‘A Woman Like You’ and some of his most arresting work including ‘Come Sing a Happy Song’ which featured on the soundtrack of Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale in 2005. Rosemary Lane is considered by many to be one of Bert’s finest records, a smooth mix of traditional folk such as the title track and ‘Reynardine’, timeless original compositions like ‘Tell Me What Is True Love?’ and in ‘Alman’ and ‘Sarabanda’, examples of early music including the 16th and 17th/18th centuries, all with the sympathetic production of Bill Leader. Moonshine, Bert’s first release after Pentangle split, It was produced by fellow member Danny Thompson and the legendary Tony Visconti, who not only arranged a number of songs but also played on the record. It also features Mary Hopkin duetting with Bert on Ewan MacColl’s ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face’, Aly Bain and Charles Mingus’ drummer Charlie Richmon.
"Simply, I think Bert was a truly unique musician. Somehow he could elegantly bridge differing musical and singing traditions to sing and play in a way that sounded only like Bert Jansch.” - Anne Briggs
“The Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar” - Neil Young
"At one point, I was absolutely obsessed with Bert Jansch. When I first heard that LP, I couldn’t believe it. It was so far ahead of what everyone else was doing. No one in America could touch that.” - Jimmy Page
"I will never stop learning from Bert Jansch. His records have proved to be a great gift to everyone and for me they are also an education and a well of inspiration.” - Graham Coxon
4CD casebound box-set includes:
Nicola
Birthday Blues
Rosemary Lane
Moonshine
Plus new liner notes by MOJO’s Davey Henderson.
Thanks to Sanctuary/BMG for their co-operation.
Edge Of A Dream – Ltd Edition Cream LP
£24 GBP
The Black Swan – Ltd Edition Jade Green LP
£24 GBP
Live In Australia – Bert 2 LP Live Bundle
£20 GBP
The Ornament Tree – LP
£20 GBP
Toy Balloon – Ltd Edition LP
£24 GBP
The Black Swan – Ltd Edition Silver LP (RSD21)
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Edge Of A Dream – Ltd Edition Gold LP
£24 GBP
Avocet (40th Anniversary Edition) – Ltd Art Print Edition
£40 GBP
Live In Italy – LP (RSD2020)
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Crimson Moon – LP
£20 GBP
When Circus Comes To Town – Ltd Edition LP
£24 GBP
Crimson Moon – Ltd Edition Red LP
£20 GBP
Bert At The BBC – Ltd Edition 8XCD Bookback
£99.99 GBP
Bert At The BBC – Ltd Edition 4XLP Boxset
£114.99 GBP
Crimson Moon – CD
£12 GBP
A Man I'd Rather Be (Part 1) – Bert Complete Bookback Collection
£80 GBP
A Man I'd Rather Be (Part 1) – Bert Complete Vinyl Boxset collection
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Living In The Shadows Part One – Vinyl Box Set Bundle - Living In The Shadows Part 1 and 2
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A Man I'd Rather Be (Part 1) – Vinyl Box Set Bundle - A Man I'd Rather Be (Part 1 and 2)
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Avocet (40th Anniversary Edition) – CD
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The Black Swan – 7"
£8 GBP
Black Birds Of Brittany – Limited edition 7inch
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L.A. Turnaround – Standard Black LP
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Avocet (40th Anniversary Edition) – Limited Edition White LP
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L.A. Turnaround - Blue LP
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Santa Barbara Honeymoon - Purple LP
£20 GBP
A Rare Conundrum - Gold LP
£20 GBP
L.A. Turnaround - CD
£12 GBP
Santa Barbara Honeymoon - CD
£12 GBP
A Rare Conundrum - CD
£12 GBP
A Man I'd Rather Be (Part 1) - 4LP Book
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A Man I'd Rather Be (Part 1) - 4CD Book
£31.50 GBP
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