The Discovery of Bert Jansch

This is kind of a reminder to me: Remember to do a full post on music found via British music magazines' supplementary cd's.

Okay. So as to avoid being the worst post ever, here's a prime example!


"Blackwaterside" from Jack Orion (1966)

The August 2004 issue of Mojo Magazine came with a complimentary mix cd, The Roots of Led Zeppelin. I certainly knew a bunch about the "roots" (appropriation) of blues songs like "Whole Lotta Love" (Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon) and "The Lemon Song" (Howlin' Wolf). So... no surprise to find bluesmen like them, Robert Johnson, even Blind Willie Johnson and Bukka White.

What is great, beyond the opening "Long Tall Sally," was the acoustic folk stuff. I didn't really that "Black Mountain Side" was basically a cover. And that the original is so spine-tinglingly awesome! Same with Joan Baez's "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You." And it's always nice to have an extra John Fahey tune on hand!

Anyway, Bert Jansch was a guitarist in British folk stalwarts Pentangle. Wait... maybe this should be titled "The Discovery of Blackwaterside" instead. Still, no less a man than Johnny Marr said: "He completely re-invented guitar playing and set a standard that is still unequalled today... without Bert Jansch, rock music as it developed in the '60s and '70s would have been very different. You hear him in Nick Drake, Pete Townshend, Donovan, The Beatles, Jimmy Page and Neil Young. There are people playing guitar who don’t even realise they’ve been influenced by him one step removed" (according to Bert's official website).


"White Summer/Black Mountain Side" - live 1970