Jack Orion (2015 Remaster) Bert Jansch

• 1 The Waggoner's Lad (2015 Remaster) 03:31
• 2 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (2015 Remaster) 01:45
• 3 Jack Orion (2015 Remaster) 09:50
• 4 The Gardener (2015 Remaster) 01:48
• 5 Nottamun Town (2015 Remaster) 04:38
• 6 Henry Martin (2015 Remaster) 03:14
• 7 Black Water Side (2015 Remaster) 03:49
• 8 Pretty Polly (2015 Remaster) 04:01
• Total Runtime 32:36

Info for Jack Orion (2015 Remaster)

Jack Orion, Bert Jansch's third album, may have surprised some fans upon its 1966 release, as it features no original compositions by Jansch. While nearly all of the eight tracks (four of which include guitarist John Renbourn) are interpretations of traditional folk songs, Jansch's experimental approach breathes new life into this repertoire through his exploratory use of open tunings and passionate, gritty vocals.

According to Melody Maker, "his interpretations illuminate the songs from a completely new angle. As sung by him, with brilliant accompaniments, the brutal world that created the old ballads doesn't seem so very far off."

The ten-minute title song foreshadows the future through the past: with his sublime retelling of this dark tale of desire and revenge, Jansch embarks on a musical trajectory he would further develop with his group Pentangle. In "Black Water Slide," a haunting ballad he first heard from Anne Briggs, Jansch plants the seeds for future versions by Led Zeppelin and Sandy Denny. Jack Orion's unique combination of medieval themes and progressive arrangements would pave the way for the next wave of the British folk revival and beyond.

"After presenting almost all-original sets on his first two albums (albeit originals that sometimes borrowed heavily from traditional folk themes), Jansch opted to devote all of his third LP to traditional folk numbers. His future Pentangle partner John Renbourn joins him on four of the eight songs. Highlights include the ten-minute title track (whose length was a real oddity on contemporary folk albums of the time) and a cover of "Nottamun Town" (whose melody Dylan lifted for "Masters of War"). Not as original as the artist's first two LPs, the guitar and vocal work on these adaptations were still as influential to the '60s folk world as anything else in Jansch's catalog." (Richie Unterberger, AMG)

Bert Jansch, guitar

Digitally remastered

No biography found.

This album contains no booklet.