148. Pentagle - Basket of Light

Release Date: 1969
Label: Translatlantic

Following on from the horror that was Odessa, I approached this record with trepidation. Not because I thought it would be terrible - I'm partial to a little English Folk-revival (Fairport Convention) now and then. My doubts were soon banished though as I heard what was in fact a rather lovely collection of songs. Nothing spectacular, but something defenitely worth persuing. I did smile at the absurdity of having an extra track tagged on the end, followed by the same track (extended version) which was two seconds longer straight afterwards.

Rating: 8/10
Favourite Track: The Hunting Song

56. Bert Jansch - Bert Jansch

Release Date: 1965
Label: Transatlantic

I listened to this album not knowing what to expect, except thinking it would probably be a bit like Nick Drake. Of course, whilst that is true to some extent, it does Jansch a disservice to suggest he's just a watered-down comparison to Drake. Vocally, Jansch is far from perfect and the lyrics aren't much to shout about, but his guitar playing (all acoustic) and instrumentals are lovely. Unforunately whilst I can hear the merits of the album, the songs generally did nothing for me.

Rating: 6/10
Favourite Track: Angie