Bert Jansch is the debut album by Scottish folk musician Bert Jansch. The album was recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder at engineer Bill Leader's house and sold to Transatlantic Records for £100. Transatlantic released the album, which went on to sell 150,000 copies. The album was included in Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. It was voted number 649 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums (2000).The record includes Jansch's best-known tune - "Needle of Death", which was inspired by the death of his friend, folk singer Buck Polly.
The Guitar work on Smokey river is so good. This albums feels like would I listen to if I was a hobo drifting trains. But on a serious note, I feel like I can feel this albums influence on a lot of my favorite music. Needle of Death is just amazing honestly. I find it absoluely haunting. A proper rambling album.
This is so lovely. It's really understated, just a guy enjoying his guitar and a few songs. There are errors throughout, dud notes, something a bit off key, but that makes it better. It's like using something that's been handmade rather than manufactured. A log cabin in among a bunch of condos. Really relaxing, I like lots.
Love this album considering the time of release and clear influences on musicians that followed. The songwriting is very good and the guitar playing in particular is amazing.
This one is also terrific. I'm surprised Bert has never come up during the Nick Drake renaissance since they are cut from similar cloth. Lots of small instrumental interludes in between longer songs.
The guitar on this album is phenomenal, and songs in short snippets really sells it for me. I think an instrumental version of this elevate it even further, but it is still a fantastic folk work.
Loved this album. Beautiful guitar parts and some dark lyrics to match. Simple and effective songwriting, an album that is never afraid to let the guitar tell the story.
super cool, and kind of interestingly timeless. it certainly doesn't feel like anything i'd think of from an album from 1964. i really like that - and this is gonna sound maybe kinda pretentious, but here goes - it sounds like he's playing on old strings. like, on a lot of albums you can just about smell the new nickel, but these just sound like whatever he had on - no super tinny highs, not ultra-clean or anything, just a great warm sound.
Listened on Thursday when I was in a bad mood and this largely slid off my brain without leaving an impression. Listened again today when I was more receptive, and I had a much more positive experience. There are a few artists I love that have a similar guitar sound, but tend to be instrumental. Fave track " Instrumental Medley 1964" which is possibly a bonus track rather than being on the original album? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The true genius behind this album is Jansch's ability to convey so much of the emotional spectrum with such spartan tools - acoustic guitar and voice, but mostly just guitar. Yet with his fingers he coaxes out joy, melancholy, sadness and mystery. It sounds fresh now; upon release this must've gone off like a depth charge. Highlights include 'I Have No Time', 'Casbah', the ostensibly sweet ode to addiction 'Needle of Death' and superlative closing instrumental 'Angie'.
This is great. His voice is really interesting and emotive, and his guitarwork is phenomenal and super forward-thinking for having come out in 65. I can hear influence from him on a lot of modern stuff I listen to.
Never heard of Bert Jansch before. Very fitting sound for the 60's. Not bad by any means, but not an album I would seek out.
I'm never sure what yo make of undemanding albums like this. One's relationship with them is less about the music itself, and more about the circumstances in which it meets one. I'm in my office on an unexpectedly sweltering November morning, construction work assailing me from the street. I can appreciate Jansch (whom I had heard of, a lot, but never heard) clinically, but there's little chance of a musical epiphany or whatever. I'll try to remember to listen to this at home some evening and reevaluate more closely. For the moment, perfectly fine for what it is.
I’m not a fan of folk so I didn’t have high expectations at all but this is the best folk album I’ve ever heard. Sparse is the word here, it’s only Bert and his guitar, but he fills the room with glorious music. His guitar playing is also exemplary, so good I had to listen to this twice.
The album's production value is intimate, simple, and unpolished which compliments the artist-and-their-guitar format well. The tender musical delivery belies how serious the lyrics are. While the album fits in somewhere on the folk spectrum between Nick Drake and Dylan's earlier work, it doesn't really rise to the greatness of either of those comparisons in my armchair music critic mind.
This was great. Love a guitar picker. I've never heard of Bert Jansch but I'm a fan now. This is how I hear myself when I pick up a guitar, just before I touch the strings...
Angie (instrumental)
Soy muy fan de Angie, el temazo que cierra este disco pero la verdad nunca me había clavado a escuchar un disco entero del viejo Bert. Qué tonto he sido. Un disco crepuscular, para ver el sol desaparecer y que pinte el cielo como sus arpegios pintan los espacios dentro de mi mente. Es mejor que un calmante psiquiátrico. Muy bonito. Hay varios momentos muy oscuros. Se agradece. Uno de los mejores guitarristas de la historia. Le dio una vida nueva a esa tradición de ambos lados del Atlántico. Country, blues, folk céltico, anglosajón, etc. Tradición que luego veo ecos, no sé si por casualidad, en los corridos actuales.
I loved it. Good melodies and very folky with great guitar playing. This is exactly my kind of jam.
Muy folk, tranqui, melancólico boni. Me gustó
I love love love this. Hauntingly beautiful. Gorgeous Tim Buckley-esque sound.
Great album
Göttlich bodenständig vom ersten Ton - warum kannte ich diesen Namen bislang so gar nicht? Warm, virtuos, tief wurzelnd, wunderschön und lyrisch verfangend. Hierfür lernt man ein Instrument. So good so true. 4.7
Großartige Entdeckung ich ahnungsloser
Sensacional. Vários vocais legais!
Bert Jansch was a fantastic guitarist and is a personal inspiration. This album has that certain ”contained experience” which captures me tremendously
Fantastic!
les chansons instrumentales mais juste un pur bonheur c’était inattendu merci Bert
Really amazing guitar work. So impressive!
That was awesome. Not just good music, but inspiring. It made me want to pick up a guitar and try my hand at this kind of honest simple expression- which I have never done. That's a feat, if you ask me. Wonderfully evocative; I was listening while building spreadsheets in a corporate cubicle but it felt like I was strolling down that London highway right alongside him. What a breath of fresh air. And the range of quality is really quote tight here, not much difference at all between my favorite and least favorite songs here, and I struggle to pick any as a low spot. Maybe Courting Blues is a little half baked for its length? But oh well I was still tapping my foot and nodding along happily. Highlights: I Have No Time, Needle of Death, Do You Hear Me Now, Angie Lowlights: Courting Blues
Incredible talent - was really taken by this. Both influenced by a lot and clearly a huge influence on a lot of other people. Loved it.
Nice guitar! And sad, raspy voice. It reminds me of a person I met in Vietnam, who used to play the guitar in bars around the West Lake. He was blind, but he was the damn best guitar I'd ever heard.
This was a pleasant surprise. Listening to the jangly guitar transformed a foggy afternoon from gloomy to hopeful. Even the song about famine (I Have No Time) was jaunty. The mood turned dark by Needle of Death. Why was this song not in Trainspotting? The tune belies the words in Do You Hear Me Now? The skies darkened as his songs did the same. My enjoyment persisted. Jangly chords and mournful lyrics. A perfect meeting of the right record at the right time for me. Mission accomplished, book. This WAS an album I needed to hear.
Men with acoustic guitars has to be one of my favourite genders
I can't believe I'd never heard of Bert Jansch. This is exactly the sort of thing I love and seek out, and apparently he influenced many of my favorite musicians. This is classic cafe singer-songwriter music, a voice over guitar, but wow, what guitar playing! I can hear the influence on artists like Donovan, Nick Drake, Simon & Garfunkle, and even Elliot Smith. A really lovely album I will definitely be coming back to. A surprising 5/5 for me despite never hearing it before now.
His difficulty with finishing songs cleanly is the big clue to my untutored ear that this was a home recording. This is a lovely album.
Truly beautiful
Enjoyable album, reminded me a lot of Nick Drake's Pink Moon
Amazing acoustic album. Will definitely listen to it again
Folksy and mellow. Very nice.
The album I'm listening to today is called "Bert Jansch" by Bert Jansch. A Scottish folksinger who looks to have influenced quite a long list of favorite artists with his mid 60s folk. It's pretty easy to connect Neil Young directly, which is to say I'm enjoying this. The confessional nature of the lyrics draw you in, and the guitar work is pretty dam spectacular. Reminds me of John Fahey with his guitar. It's a lovely album and I can see it ripple across many of my favorite folk artists.
How can you not love an honest man and his guitar?
I very much enjoyed the instrumental tracks. Amazing artistry.
Jansch er jo en helt for alle som spilte akustisk gitar på 60-tallet. Nick Drake, Paul Simon, Donovan, og mange andre har så godt som kopiert hele sin sound og spillemåte fra ham, og dette albumet. Bakdelen med dette er at det er utrolig vanskelig å høre dette albumet i et vakuum. Enten vurderer man det for høyt fordi det var en så stor influens på så mye bra musikk, eller så blir dette for kjedelig siden det finnes så mye mer komplekst musikk som kom ut ifra denne. Uansett synes jeg mange av sangene er kule, og det er ingen tvil om at det er bra spilling. Må bli en svak 4.
It sounds like every other singer-songwriter album. 7
L'he escoltat amb presses, queda pendent una escolta amb més profunditat. Folk de la vella escola, delicat i amb missatge. Bona execució amb les guitarres i un grapat de temes interessants.
Muy melancólico. Tampoco es como que sea mucho estilo el folk y tenga mucho que decir, disfruté la guitarra acústica. Mood: día sad en una milpa gringa.
pretty good actually! I liked it more than I expected, and the vibe it gave off really reminded me of the canadian national film bureau movies I was watching
Not bad! Folksy, with some Gordon Lightfoot vibes.
Didn't quite finish. Enjoyed it but didn't love it. 7
Pleasant folk album. Songwriting was good overall and I really liked the guitar work in some parts. However, it got samey and i definitely found myself getting bored towards the end. 7/10
A twangy and catchy album. 0RS
He’s a really good guitar player but not quite as good of a singer. It was still pretty good even if the songwriting didn’t blow my mind. Even the instrumental songs were pretty engaging though and there weren’t any songs I disliked although some of the vocal performances I didn’t love all that much. Overall the album feels very comforting and even on sad songs it feels hopeful to me. Favorite songs: Smokey River, Oh How Your Love Is Strong, Needle of Death, Rambling’s Gonna Be The Death of Me, Running From Home, Angie Decent 8/10
Pretty folk rock, I like his voice, the way it moves and flows from softer moments into more upbeat and rocking. skillful player as well. will come back
Travis picking, great guitar playing. Very Nick Drake like, must have inspired him a lot. Nice album.
Folk
I’m not generally a folk fan, but I enjoyed this album. There was a propulsive quality to it that carries each song into the next, and I very much enjoy that. Nice find
Excellent guitar work, the styling reminds me of Nick Drake and Donovan. Interesting voice too, as it's far from perfect, but seems to produce an image of a rambling guitar player, someone you might see playing your local pub on a Wednesday night.
Usually not a huge folk fan, but I really enjoyed this album!
It was a lot better than I was expecting. Made me wish I was sitting with friends around a campfire.
skillful bluesy folk, inject this shit into my veins. surprised he's British
Disco que se escucha fácil, ideal para un viaje tranquilo en coche o un paseo de desconexion.
- vibrato is controlled but a little trying - strong genre album, variety and atmosphere are good - no standouts but consistent
This was a solid album, lovely to listen to.The guitar work is absolutely gorgeous, like a sunny autumn day in musical form. Jansch has a really interesting voice, like he just teleported in from a distant time. The songwriting is eloquent and surprisingly pointed at times, like on the scathing "I Have No Time" and the mournful "Needle of Death." Fave Songs: Angie, Alice's Wonderland, Smokey River, Needle of Death
Love Burt Like the later things more … Avocet for instance
Well this is great.
4,5
Ingetogen album. Wel leuk
Country, singer songwriter Dylan achtig maar beter verstaanbaar
Echte Entdeckung!
the music is really nice. (•‿•)
Relaxing and soothing; could have been recorded any time between 1965 and now.
I had never heard of Bert Jansch before but this was a lovely album to listen to on a quiet morning. Lovely voice and guitar work. 4/5 stars
I've heard this name before but can't remember any songs. This is a fantastic singer-songwriter album, like a folksy-er version of Nick Drake or John Martyn. Not quite Bob Dylan folksy but close. Really love how intricate the guitar work is on here. I'm a huge fan of albums like these, this was excellent. Favorite tracks: I Have No Time, Veronica, Needle of Death, Alice's Wonderland, Courting Blues. Album art: Pretty simple, black and white portrait, the likes of which we've seen a hundred times now. It's a good reminder here though that this is an old album, mid-'60s. I guess the budget was probably low for a debut too. 4.5/5
This kind of album really is not my thing normally, but I'll gladly make an exception for this one from here on out. This might be one of the best folk albums ever written. What a stunning and heartfelt album.
Just some good old folk
Liked it
Very simple but beautiful folk album. Lovely. Impressive how much a guitar and a voice can do! Enjoyed sitting back and relaxing to this.
Spare and simple. Warm and mellow. Pretty. Very nice!
Great guitar and very chill.
Wha-
Get getsch
Never heard of this guy, but I'll listen again. It was simple and sad. I really enjoyed his guitar playing - something about it was just really beautiful. Plus, I like the story of this album - recorded it in his friends living room, sold it to the label for $100, and then sold 150,000 copies. That's bad ass (and bad business).
He has a very calm soothing voice and a very good story teller. I enjoyed this album very much.
Fuck yeah! This dude can plaaaaaay.
Yeah Ok, so i have to say most of it washed over me somewhat as nice enough folk noodlings at first, until Do You Hear me jumped out, and enjoyed "Ramblings..." The guitar playing is obviously excellent throughout. Casbah is superb. Went back to relisten to Needle of Death. Am getting it now, need to settle into it, it's not a one listen wonder. Can see how influential this would be, as a big Robyn Hitchcock fan I knew the name, but had never heard before.
Fantastic, masterful guitar playing, recording in a way that's crisp and clean. A breath of fresh air.
This is one of those albums that you didn't realise had such an influence. I can hear Simon and Garfunkel and Nick Drake getting better just from hearing it. It's sad, and beautiful, and a bit angry. I'd heard the name, but never discovered him. A glad win from this endeavour.
reminded me of Nick Drake. Fit my mood when i was listening to it.
Would like to revisit, cool vibe
This is like Leonard Cohen by way better. It's very acoustic and simple.
Jansch's work is new to me, which surprises me as I just learned he was a big influence on Jimmy Page. His influence on this album is easily seen on Page and other familiar names in rock and roll. Pleasant listen. 4/5.
I can see hear where Jimmy Page got alot of acoustic playing from. this was a nice listen.
First thought: Darn! Not another Folk music album I'll have to give a one star rating. However, turns out to be a pleasant surprise, great guitar works, nice singing, really great album. Best "folk" album so far.
Nick Drake was apparently a big fan of Bert which is clear to see listening to this album. Technically a brilliant guitar player whom Neil Young dubbed the Jimi Hendrix of acoustic guitar. I really enjoyed this. Needle of Death might be one of my favourite songs ever. Sad, morose and beautiful. Highlights: Needle Of Death, I Have No Time, Do You Hear Me Now, Rambling’s Gonna Be The Death Of Me, Alice’s Wonderland, Running From Home, Angie
Good job Bert
Yeah I dig it mellow chill
Quite enjoyable, although a little mellow. I tend to favour higher bpm's but this was a good listen that I would most likely not have had otherwise. A 3.5 for me, but I enjoyed it more than dislike so its a 4!
This was just a perfect pleasant discovery. I love my some singer-songwriter with fantastic finger-picking. It hits right in that sweet spot of relaxing music. A great discovery and what this list is great since I'd never have heard of this guy otherwise.
Enjoyed this one! It's a cross between folk and classical guitar. Easy listening - reminds me of a guy we once saw playing a guitar in the park in San Francisco. Great for working to!
There's so much dynamics and expression in the playing. It's so nuanced, in terms of inflections and rhythms, and you can feel the love of the instrument in the tunes. His singing isn't great, but it's fine, and again, his enjoyment and conviction comes through. He also takes a number of the songs in harmonic and tonal directions which are completely beyond the call of duty for the genre that's in it. I had a feeling listening to it that he might have been a musical godfather I hadn't been aware of before, and a quick Google search showed up Neil Young, Nick Drake, Jimmy Page and others as having been influenced by him - I'm not surprised