root salad Bert Jansch
There are still some rather good re-issues being created. Steve Hunt talks to several of the culprits.
L
ike many a Johnny-come-lately Janschophile, the first Bert Jansch record I bought was a compilation. Renbourn & Jansch was a 1982
double LP release on the budget Cambra label that comprised tracks culled from both artists’ early records, with no sleeve information – apart from track titles, which don’t always correspond to the actual music. Subsequent decades saw the same tracks repeatedly repackaged and regurgi- tated, while later entire albums went out of print or were cobbled together on more (often misleadingly titled) ‘best of’ CDs.
The whole process of discovering and exploring Bert Jansch’s extraordinary recorded legacy has recently become much easier and more rewarding thanks to The Bert Jansch Foundation and the Earth Recordings label. Both were established in 2013, two years after Bert’s death. Guitarist and producer Bernard Butler played on Bert’s Crimson Moon and Edge Of A Dream albums and performed on stage with him. A Patron of The Bert Jansch Foundation, he’s also compiled Just A Simple Soul – a new, career-spanning double LP/CD via BMG (reviewed this issue).
“There have been so many compila- tions that bounce all over the place,” muses Bernard, “and maybe a few too many head- ed in the wrong direction, that weren’t real- ly curated – I think that’s the modern term for it, isn’t it? The key thing about this one is that it reflects his whole lifetime. Yes, it misses out some recordings here and there, but I didn’t want it to just focus on the early albums. When I was around Bert, he would never refer to anything like this. He was never interested in whatever people’s favourite songs were, or making sure that he played all the hits – not that he ever had any hits as such. He didn’t really care about that and that’s both a good thing and a bad thing, I think. In some ways you’re sacrific- ing your popularity, but the gain is your cre- ativity and your life’s work.”
“He could probably have benefitted if he’d been a bit more full of it, but I think Loren [Auerbach – Bert’s late wife] played that role for him and put him out there in positions where he could be himself and just go and do what he did. He didn’t need to play shows where his guitar flew through the air or go out with a big band or any- thing. We played Somerset House together – a huge outdoor show – and Bert broke a string, which he never did. We never had guitar techs or a roadie or even a spare gui- tar, so I had to go off with his guitar and find a spare string in his case, while he car-
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ried on with my instrument for a couple of songs. It didn’t flummox him at all – that’s just how Bert always was. I was so lucky to get an intimate glimpse into his life. I think he was really interested in young people. What he really didn’t like particularly was the Arran jumper brigade – the folk fascists who’d sit stroking their chins when he played. He liked a bit of a wind-up of that thing and I think that’s part of why he got me involved! He liked that whole aspect of it and it’s important that this new compila- tion looks like a cool, modern record. It’s a beautiful thing, I think.”
arth Recordings started reissuing Bert Jansch records as beautiful things in 2015, with Live At The 12 Bar, before setting new standards with their sumptuous LP/CD repackaging of Avocet the following year. Since then, they’ve re-released rare albums and anthol- ogised Bert’s catalogue by decade, enjoying particular success with their vinyl releases.
E “The reasons a vinyl record appeals
haven’t changed,’ Earth label manager Kyle Lonsdale tells me. ’It’s still about the tangi- bility, the artwork, the perception. One
thing that I think Earth does really well is offer archival releases in a way that appeals to new audiences. Avocet would be a good example of that – as anyone who has the original sleeve will tell you! The antholo- gies, too, are presented as artefacts – almost ‘coffee-table books’ in their design. The so-called vinyl revival is a big part of that. It’s a step away from throwaway cul- ture, towards embracing something that has lasting value.”
When I ask Kyle what she considers to be the reason for Bert Jansch’s enduring appeal, her immediate answer is simple and succinct: “The man was supernaturally tal- ented and cool as fuck! Bert seemed to arrive on the folk scene fully formed – a reluctant poster boy for the changing per- ception of a genre that was still seen by many as fusty and old-fashioned. And he went on. That talent – so natural, so extraordinary – carried him through his entire life. He was never anything other than a musician.”
bertjanschfoundation.org earthrecordlabel.com
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Photo: Dave Peabody
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