Bert Jansch

it’s cool….but after first listen i’m like really first 1001? it feels more like a friend who made N album and i get stoked on it cause they are my friend lol. the guitar picking starts to sound the same each song (da da dada duhh da da da da da dada duh dadad..idk). lyrics were not initially that cool but i would listen agai. while reading…..i feel this one could grow on me especially if i learned how to play these songs

Boring

A bloke A guitar And NO HARMONICA = Very pleasant Lovely guitar work, but didn't care too much for the bluesy tracks, particularly didn't like "Rambling's Gonna Be the Death of Me" much, though I think it's a salutary lesson for anyone thinking of rambling this weekend.

meh 2.75/5

Really good folk album

A pretty pleasant acoustic guitar time. Nothing that really grabbed me to make me want to listen to it again, but was totally fine when it was on

Rating: 2.6 Adequate jangly mostly instrumental British whatever.

Folky album with a nice garden-y feel to it. 5/5

Before Nick Drake or John Martyn turned introspective folk into a mood, Bert Jansch was already there—alone with his guitar, a tape recorder, and a quiet sense of melancholy. His 1965 debut is all fingerpicked reveries and unvarnished truth, the kind of record that feels like it was recorded in a single take on a gray London afternoon. “Strolling Down the Highway” sets the tone: nimble guitar, plainspoken voice, no frills. Jansch’s playing dazzles more than his singing, which remains understated even on more forceful moments like “Do You Hear Me Now.” Six instrumentals, including the sprightly “Finches,” show his fretwork at its finest, though the album’s sameness can wear thin. Still, this is the sound of British folk taking shape—raw, modest, and quietly influential.

solidno, gitarica i pjevušenje

A little sleepy for me, dog.

Meh 2.5

Really interesting listen. Favourite track is Needle of Death 3/5

Decent album. Nothing stood out for me really. I did dig the lofi-ness of it. Felt raw but almost in amateurish or naive way. Songwriting was decent. Reminded me of something Wes Anderson or the Cohen brothers might use in a movie.

This feels like it was recorded in a smoky corner of a London bedsit—which, in many ways, it was. With just voice and guitar, Jansch crafts a mood that’s introspective and quietly intense. Tracks like “Needle of Death” showcase his lyrical depth and emotional weight, tackling heroin addiction with stark honesty. His guitar work is undeniably impressive. There’s beauty here, but it’s not always easy to access. For fans of stripped-back folk and fingerstyle guitar, this is a foundational listen. For me, it felt more like a historical artifact than a fully immersive experience.

nice

The playing is objectively fantastic. I just kept drifting away from it in my head and can't really imagine going back to it.

Competent performance but a total snoozefest

Decent folk ur similar to the other entries we’ve had like this.

Soft and folky. The songs are fine. The best thing about this record is his acoustic guitar playing, which is excellent.

Very nice acoustic guitar work here. I thought the instrumental tracks were the strongest.

Ooh - much better than I was expecting. Lovely guitar work, sits nicely with Nick Drake. Debut album too - clearly Bert had a lot of talent. This was a good vibe for an afternoon in the sun. Lots of variation.

I enjoyed this one and can really hear the influence it had on later players — the Jimmy Page connection in particular stands out. The guitar work is impressive and I’m glad to have listened as part of understanding the broader folk scene of the time. That said, while I like it, I don’t love it. It’s not going to be in regular rotation for me, and I want to reserve higher ratings for albums that feel closer to my own musical core. Important in context, but for me this lands at 3 stars.

He has a lovely, stripped back fingerpicking style and has written some really pretty songs. I listened to it a few times as it was just a really nice vibe but after multiple times I still felt like nothing here really reached out and grabbed me as being a particularly high point. I guess that's ok, but when Nick Drake does something similar, for example, he somehow finds that little bit of magic dust to elevate the simple sounds of the wood and the wire to another level. It's consistently good but never quite great, for me.

Just nothing fun going on here. Sounds like a karaoke night with mediocre acoustic guitar.

Für mich zu wenige Songs, die ich gern mehrfach hören möchte. Ein Singer / Songwriter unter vielen!

Very good at strumming his guitar, but this wasn’t a particularly memorable album for me.

Really excellent. Liked a lot more than the Pentangle group record.

I am really pleased and surprised I liked this album. It is such a good record, coherent and very well developed. The songs are fantastic. It is, more or less, the kind of american folk music I really like. It's really good, for sure.

Folk. Pretty good.

Absolute snooze fest of an album. I couldn't tell where one track started and one track ended because they all sound so similar. This is better suited in a children's nursery to lull them to sleep than on a list of albums that you need to hear before you die.

Was wondering why so many people were complaining about the UK bias of this list when encountering truly outstanding works. Well, I get it now. This is aggressively fine. Sounds more akin to American country music than folk music from a Scot, to be very honest. I'm being charitable with the 3.

Top track: Alice's Wonderland / Angie

Fun folk album and some great guitar work. Highlights: "Strolling Down the Highway" and "Needle of Death"

= the Beatles. Pleasant enough

I can't tell you a single thing about this album aside from I found it very boring.

Gorgeous guitar-playing that outshines his monotonous delivery. High 3

I like him reminds of Denver and Dylan

Just a man and his guitar. I love this kind of setup. You can hear every note; you can even hear his jacket rustling as he moves his fretting hand while he plays. Oh! To be as good at anything as Bert Jansch is at finger style folk guitar! FOUR STARS

A few tracks too long, but truly beautiful playing. 4/5

Great folk album! You can tell he was the inspiration for many folk greats that came afterwards

A classic folk album with some bluesy influence. This is right up my alley. He's clearly a skilled guitar player and singer. There are some really cool guitar melodies on this album, like in Finches, Alice's Wonderland, Casbah, and Angie. The lyrics are a bit less inspired, so I enjoyed the purely instrumental songs a lot more. 7/10.

Never heard of this guy before. He made for some nice evening listening.

Some cool folky vibes. I really liked the use of banjo in this album

Actually really vibed with this, Just a guy and his trusty guitar against the world. I took a gander at some of the other reviews on here and the only negative ones were calling this boring. I mean sure, comparing this to a full on band, ya, the energy is gonna be different. This Bert guy is out here making an album with a single instrument and his voice, and was able to keep my attention for 2-3 listen throughs. These ipad babies are out here giving this album 1-2 stars have gotta fix their dopamine systems. (Hopefully no one in the group gives this 1-2 stars, if so, I'm sorry for calling you an Ipad baby (but not really)).

A lovely, peaceful album. I don’t know if I will return to it, but was a very enjoyable listen

I've never heard of Bert Jansch. I enjoyed this - his voice combined with the guitar playing, which is outstanding, really draw you in. Favorites: Oh How Your Love Is Strong, Running From Home, Angie Would I listen to it again: Yes

The guitar work is lovely and overall I quite enjoyed this as an album. And obviously I get why Jansch is Important. And I like folk music in general terms. The problem here is the faux American vocals and writing about Highways and so on. I understand totally why that was necessary back in the 60s – I remember Runrig saying that they felt they needed to do the same in their very early days. But to a modern ear, when it's acceptable to sound as if you're from Glasgow, or Derry, or Portree, or Romford, it just doesn't work in the same way this probably would have worked back in the Revival days. And I find that just a bit frustrating. Which is on me. I only listened once, which is never a great sign. And then I stuck Mànran's latest album on and listened to Kim Carnie and Ewan Henderson sing in their own voices, and, indeed, their own language at times. Which is what I want really. This is pleasant, but not something I'll probably go back to that frequently. I might, though, check out some other albums by Jansch. It's sort of a 3.5, and I shouldn't really give it a 4, but I will. Because I can.

Not really my thing. 2/5

When this was released I was at secondary school and I seem to remember a teacher recommending Bert Jansch to me as he knew I was getting into music. Might even have been this album. Only a vague memory of the teacher concerned He was probably a Geography teacher who wore a checkered blazer with leather elbow patches. That description also describes this album. Typical English folk sang by bearded dudes with a cupped hand over one ear. Anyhow my attention had firmly gone towards loud rock by then and was never going to return to this genre until about 50 years later. I now realise what a tragic mistake this was. Apart from forays listening to the likes of Steeleye Span or Fairport Convention I did miss a lot during that period and I am now in later life trying to make amends. So this album was a welcome selection. Reminds me very much of Nick Drake if not reaching the heights of his triple albums. Not sure if it is an album I would return to but a reminder to finally take my teacher’s advice and sample his back catalogue. 3/5 11/9/25

TIL that I think I'm over early 60s British folk. It's fine. Just incredibly dull.

A mix of lovely and dull writing

C’est sympa mais ça manque de punch je trouve. On se croirait autour du feu avec deux étrangers qu’on vient de rencontrer et un qui sort sa guitare pendant qu’on se fait griller quelques chamallows. Très très fort à la guitare

Mouais, pourquoi pas en phase déprimée par l’hiver mais là j’ai pas ete trop touchée

Bob Dylan, anglais et sans harmonica

A decent listen. Overall samey vibe. 'Angie' slaps tho.

nice background music

Bert Jansch’s debut was pleasant to have on in the background, but it all blended together so much that nothing really stuck with me once it was over.

I've been simplifying some things in my life recently. This album is like the musical version of that. Excellent guitar playing paired with some solid lyricism and good enough singing. I don't think it's particularly special, though. Very good but just isn't elevated enough. The simpleness of it does help avoid anything that would bring the sound down, which is pretty huge. It also does let little things, particularly in the guitar playing, shine even more than they would if there was a full band. Favorite Song(s): Oh How Your Love is Strong

bello 3

Premessa: il folk è un genere che ascolto da sempre e mi piace molto. Recensione: questo album è stato molto spiacevole. Ho desiderato la morte per tutto il tempo. Due stelle solo per Needle of death che ha apparato un po’ la situazione. Male male.

Per quanto mi piaccia il folk, quest’album non mi ha trasmesso le stesse emozioni che di solito associo al genere. L’ho trovato un po’ pesante da ascoltare nella sua interezza, nulla di memorabile.

Non ho fatto un ascolto del tutto attivo, ma mi ha fatto compagnia in macchina di sera mentre rientravo, stato carino. Voto determinato anche dal fatto che: la sua opera ha influenzato artisti come Bernard Butler, Jimmy Page, Ian Anderson, Nick Drake, John Martyn, Roy Harper, Donovan, Johnny Marr (chitarrista degli Smiths) e Neil Young. Quindi acquista quel mezzo punto in più

L'ho trovato rilassante ma molto ripetitivo, sembrava di sentire sempre la stessa canzone

The folk guy at the party that likes to show off his acoustic guitar skills, and drones on and on. It’s not painful but it’s not compelling and it felt much longer than it really is.

I'm a simple man. Get a Scottish guy to play some moody guitar and I'm probably going to enjoy it. Really, the main thing holding this album back is that Bert doesn't have a particularly astounding singing voice, but it gets the job done on the more lyric-focused tracks like "Needle of Death." Needless to say, the purely instrumental cuts were generally my favorites here! Seems to be how other people are feeling too, considering how many streams "Angie" has compared to other tracks. I listened to about half of the album while reading The Electric State and it actually added quite a bit to the already uneasy atmosphere of the book. Would definitely recommend pairing this LP with a road trip through the desert or some post-apocalyptic media! Highlights: Smokey River, Oh How Your Love Is Strong, Veronica, Needle of Death, The Casbah, Angie

Kind of a random inclusion, but not a terrible one. It sounds like Mr. Jansch here was feeling nostalgic in the mid-60's for a time long past, the pre-Jazz era of music, dominated by folksongs. I guess nostalgia cycles have been around as long as humanity itself, uh? Key tracks: Needle of Death

A respectful 4. I hear the talent and can appreciate Jansch’s influence in the folk/rock world. But I may not return much to this “simple folk” album as I, well, I really liked it when Dylan went electric.

This is a very good folk album and it should be judged on its own merit, however, if you do, wait a couple of years before you listen to Bob Dylan again. The moment you do Bert fades.

noodly, grafunkly but with a twist. nice

had a beautiful late summer morning with mr jansch

The first notes of Bert Jansch’s self-titled album made me think of a less sad Nick Drake. There’s the aimless plucking, perfect for a lonesome stroll along a riverbank as the autumn leaves die on the branches. There’s the soft voice singing about sorrow. There’s that indefinable sense of time and place you only get from a 60s folk album. Wherever there’s a sad guy with a guitar there’s a potential folk singer, and if he’s Scottish you might as well imagine the music playing over a Celtic funeral scene in a movie about moors and heather and lochs. There’s something about the Scottish (and Irish) that makes for good, sad folk music. Unlike the gloomier English, the Celts give their sadness a sense of the inevitable and therefore something to be lived with as opposed to dying of. We in the US make that mistake as well. There’s not a lot of market today for a man with a guitar to sing about his feelings, but the 60s seemed to be the best time for it. Sometimes the absence of anything else gets stifling, lonely and monotonous, but the lack of background noise really lets the listener feel like they’re sitting next to the artist. That’s what I felt listening to this album, the sense of walking next to the singer on a cold autumn afternoon watching the leaves fall. If that’s not art, I don’t know what is. Best songs: ¨Strolling Down the Highway,¨¨Needle of Death,¨ ¨Angie¨

i really loved this, beautiful and relaxing

Lembrou um pouco Townes Van Zandt.

I'm really sorry but that was quite boring for me

Good quality music, just not what I like to listen to daily.

Needle of Death

Yeah, this was alright. Interesting guitar and a nice voice. Pretty chill but nothing really stood out for me.

Impeccable vibes, loved Angie especially

Couple of nice songs but big highlight is Needle of Death. 2.5

Pretty good album. I enjoyed the instrumental tracks a lot more than the ones with vocals. An entire album of instrumentals would’ve been a sure fire 5 stars Top Track - Smokey River

I find this to be quite boring

This is what I wanted to sound like when I was a kid learning guitar. Maybe I should pick it up again.

Great album, why isn't this guy known more.

Not a fan of most folk songs, but I'll admit to liking [Smokey River] and [Alice's Wonderland]. The rest bored me.

Did not know I was such a fan of British Folk. Between Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, and now this, I have a whole new genre to go explore. So for every Tupac or Ice Cube this list gives me, I get (hopefully) a little antidote to the hate with a Bert Jansch or Richard and Linda Thompson. This was a "delight." Sweet songs and fantastic virtuosic guitar that doesn't overstay its welcome. You can see how someone like Paul Simon would catch this as an influence, especially with him being in England around the time this came out. Happy to discover this!

that was rather nice and definitely a new one for me.

Not quite my thing

Nice...

Liked it more than I thought I would. He’s a very talented and individual guitar player

Belle virtuosité tranquille

A nice and pleasant listen, but it all sounds a lot alike and luckily, it’s only 38 minutes long. If it were longer, I would’ve probably cared less for it, because it gets quite repetitive after a while.

wasn't for me

I loved the guitar!! Wish I could play like that. I like this guy’s voice way more than say, Bob Dylan. It reminded me of him and Jackson C Frank a bit. The album was nice to have on in the background, but none of the songs stood out as anything particularly special. I don’t think I’d listen again, but I had never heard of Bert Jansch and was happy to be introduced to one of his albums.

There's something to be said for one guy and a guitar playing pretty songs.

This is a nice record, with some really intricate guitar playing and interesting vocals. Favourite tracks: Smokey River, I Have No Time, Running from Home, Casbah, Dreams of Love, Angie.

Surprised I have never listened to Bert Jansch before. Really enjoyed this. Going to seek out more of his work

Good folk-classical acoustic guitar. Nothing "catchy" but great passive background listening music. Good guitar to study for learning. Some classic country sounds. Angie is an all guitar track that is good. All short <3.5min songs.

There's a lot of 60's folk music and each artist brings his or her own flavour to the table. Bert Jansch has a pleasant voice, some great John Fahey-esque guitar playing and is from the same country as Donovan, to my surprise. It might not be my favorite album ever, but it was nice enough listening to it. A bit on the short side, but that is to be expected with albums of this era. The fact that this was self-made for peanuts makes it more special to me as well.

The finger style guitar is great on this!

- .... what a player. -

Holy shit the guitar playing on this is fire, I love it. And Nick drake clearly took so much inspiration from Bert so I love it even more

Did not enjoy ts was weird as hell and just not the vibes. I'm sure it's a better listen at night while around a campfire tho so imma be more forgiving

its hard to mess up folk i also think its hard to get it perfect. as far as fold goes this is pretty legit.

Very Dylan-esque but I like Bert's voice 100 times better.

Ok

Good guitar picking

Pleasant folksy background music

Such a nice listen, I really enjoyed this one. Highlights: Running From Home, Needle of Death

Not a fan, but see the appeal

Not the biggest fan of folk but it was an enjoyable listen Fav songs: Needle of Death, Casbah

Genre: Folk Baroque (Singer/Songwriter) This album is about as Bert Jansch as an album called Bert Jansch by Bert Jansch could be. Just feels like this is very of the name. Like Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath. In all seriousness, this is an easy-to-listen-to, mid-60s folk record. Not bad. 3/5

Folk music. Just an acoustic guitar and singing. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I might listen to it again,

Hadn't listened to this before, but I have heard of the artist. His guitar playing is incredible, and I quite like his singing too! Some of the shorter sketch type songs seem a bit unfinished, but apart from that I have no complaints. Can see myself listening to this a good bit in future. 8/10

as an album it kind of sucks. there is some amazing bits of guitar playing on it and some lovely singing. but the songs mostly don't feel like complete bits of work, merely scrapings of ideas and nice melody's. it isn't horrible and at times its quiet beautiful I just think it isnt a very good album

7/31/25. Has to be one of my favorite folk albums, and off a first time listen! Loved Bert's voice and guitar work on this one, will definitely be revisiting again and again.

This is a really nice album, some good ole geetar strummin. Somewhere between tim buckley and nick drake in my mind, I really enjoyed listening to him

Pleasant enough, makes me feel like i should be sat in an open boxcar crossing the open land of America.

I had never heard of Bert Jansch before this and, whilst this was inoffensive and easy to listen to, I’m not sure I’d actively seek out his other works.

The guitar work is lovely but everything felt a bit samey over the length of a full album. I really liked Do You Hear Me (including the little voice crack) Alice's Wonderland and Angie. It was interesting that, presumably as it was recorded for £100 in someone's house, you could occasionally hear breathing during the instrumentals. Everything is often so polished and produced now, it can be easy to forget a human was responsible. I think this would have been best experienced sat cross-legged in a field at a folk festival rather than on my commute. 3/5

Now I’ve listened to Bert Jansch.

Bert Jansch is a pretty okay album. This guy was apparently apart of Pentangle and also worked on that band's album on this list but this album most definitely sounds different than that Pentangle album in many ways. Unlike the more fairy tale style of that album, this one seems to just be a typical folk album mainly just relying on guitars and Jansch's vocals in some of the songs. The album does sound fairly nice as it can be pretty relaxing to listen to. The songs here do suffer from same face syndrome though as they all sound overly similar to each other which would have greatly reduced my enjoyment of this album if it wasn't so short. This is an okay album but not one I'm interested in coming back to. Best Song: Dreams Of Love Worst Song: Smokey River

A little bit samey same but very pleasant early morning listen

I'm a sucker for a good singer songwriter album. This is also so stripped down to fingerpicking instrumentals/singing that is really shines out the talent.

I like the chill vibe. I found his voice to be very soothing.

Probably a really good version of that type of music. Just doesn’t float my boat enough.

Decent this. Bit too one paced to be anything above a 3 though.

Made me want to end it all. I am sure it’s musically good for its genre but god it was dull

This is like what Eddie Clein *thinks* he sounds like when he plays guitar and sings. If it is some parallel universe version of Ed then it explains the odd lyrics about "your father will not know" etc.

Pretty good folk album which I feel will grow on me. I think I'll come back to this when the weather starts to get colder.

Nice. Hadn’t heard of or it before. Probably won’t return but glad for the education.

Givin me a hankerin for some mountain time!

I actually love the guitar in this way more than I remembered. Agreed with others around having problems with the vocals being bad often, but mostly really enjoyed the songs. Best for me was finches, that song was valid af

It was, at times, hard to tell whether the person playing the guitar was a genius or a 7 year old. I feel like it was so close to greatness, but didn’t quite achieve it. Bert’s singing didn’t help.

very lovely guitar playing! Not huge on the voice Fav song: Veronica

This really surprised me, stripped back and dark. Needle of death a highlight

I didn't mind this one. It was nice, it didnt grab me.

Solid. Doesn't feel essential though.

Pleasant one.

All good, there's something to be said for an album that is basically one man and a guitar which gets better with each listen. It's also the best part for 60 years old and it feels relevant in any era.

Eh. I mean, it's pleasant enough, but I prefer my folk more folky, my bluegrass more bluesy, and my acoustic tunes more psychedelic.

Hadn't heard Bert Jansch before, but his guitar-playing is instantly classic to me. I like the idea of having a couple songs just be quick little acoustic ditties rather than making songs twelve minutes long to fit in all the noodling. Needle of Death is a really good track too.

Smokey River, Finches, Veronica, Do You Hear Me, Alice's Wonderland, Casbah, Angie. All great songs. Just great guitar, I can't complain.

Jännä kun tämä ja Skip Spencen Oar tuli perätysten, periaatteessa ovat ihan samaa kamaa. Tää on vain paljon parempi, tai tää hiljainen tyyli puree muhun ja tempoa on enemmän, jess.

Good stuff and then Angie comes at the end and your head explodes.

An artist that I had never heard of until now. Would rate it as simultaneously bloody lovely and, equally, unlikely to feel the need to listen to again.

Yeah just ok at best, for me it's a poor mans Nick Drake on this album.

Pretty listenable. Probably better after a few plays.

A lo-fi, minimalist album that feels truly authentic. Has a raw and timeless quality to it. Just a man, his guitar, and his stories. And I'm all about that.

1st

Had the lyrics been written by somebody with some more subtlety, and the songs been performed by someone who can sing, this might have been good.

The guitar work is out of this world while the vocals made my ears bleed. 3.2

Cool guitar-playing I like cool guitar-playing

I had heard of Bert Jansch before, I think mainly Graham Coxon given him his dues, but had tended to dismiss him as a bit too folky for my tastes. Therefore this album was a pleasant surprise with lovely finger picking and thoughtful lyrics. I had heard Angie before, though possibly the Davey Graham version and that's a great end to a simple but strong debut. Several reviews have mentioned the influence of this on Nick Drake but I also heard shades of Elliot Smith here too.

Another folks musician I'm unfamiliar with. Great record.

Old school folk. Never heard of the guy but was really impressed.

mostly pretty nice, a few songs were a bit boring

Favorite Track: Angie

A great surprise. 60s folk with exceptional guitar work

It’s fine - Not anything special

Ein rohes, einflussreiches Debüt, aufgenommen mit einem einfachen Tonbandgerät. Großartiges Gitarrenspiel und poetischer Tiefgang – manche Songs etwas skizzenhaft.

stale

This was cool in a 60’s bluesy way

The type of music you'd hear at an open mic night. You really wish they'd just play something you know, but they insist on playing original songs that they have written. I'd have to be in the right mood to listen to this album in full. I probably wouldn't turn it off if it was on, but I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it. It's all passable stuff. The chillest of vibes throughout this slightly bluesy folk album, but nothing excited me, there's nothing absolutely amazing here. It's a fairly enjoyable experience overall. There's some nice guitar work which definitely makes up for the not so strong vocals. That's all I have to say about this one really.

It has a real jon Denver feel. I liked it.

generic blues

simon and garfunkel jumpscare

Lovely!

A lot of reviews here are comparing this to the works of Nick Drake, and I can definitely add my name to that list. Never heard of Bert Jansch before, and while I can’t say I’d ever actively seek out his music, it’s not bad. Folk Music in general is not my cup of tea, and yet it’s very rarely going to be something that makes me upset listening to either. Everything here is passable, but none of it is amazing. It’s chill vibes throughout. The best thing I can say about it is that I wouldn’t really skip any of it, which is good, as it makes for an enjoyable experience from top to bottom. I will also add though that his song “Angie” is his best song, so much so that there’s even a live rendition of the same song on this very album. If the rest of the album was even remotely comparable to “Angie”, I’d honestly consider giving this a 5, and that’s no joke.

Ganz gut, ein bisschen langweilig. Gesang nicht überragend aber gutes Gitarrenspiel. 3/5

It was fine.

Very interesting album. Standout songs: I have no time Needle of Death

Boring (1.5*)

As I've mentioned in the notes for a previous album in a similar vein to this one, I don't mind listening to one man and an acoustic guitar in a live setting, if the time and place is right, but as recorded music, it's seldom the type of thing that captures my attention, and this album is no exception to that.

01) Strolling Down the Highway - 6,0 02) Smokey River - 5,5 03) Oh How Your Love Is Strong - 5,5 04) I Have No Time - 5,0 05) Finches - 6,0 06) Veronica - 5,5 07) Needle of Death - 6,5 08) Do You Hear Me Now? - 6,0 09) Rambling's Gonna Be the Death of Me - 5,5 10) Alice's Wonderland - 5,0 11) Running From Home - 5,0 12) Courting Blues - 5,0 13) Casbah - 5,0 14) Dreams of Love - 5,5 15) Angie - 6,0 TOTAL: 5,83 (58/100)

4 for the guitar. I enjoyed the instrumentals more than the singing. 3 for the rest. Folk isn't my favorite genre. It was good, but not anything I would choose to listen to.

Not horrible but in no rush to listen again.

Reminds me somewhat of early Bob Dylan

Would there have been a British Folk revival in the 1960's and 1970's without Bert Jansch - I doubt it. This debut album shows what a talented guitarist and singer-songwriter he was.

For guitar lovers

MIGA

Amazing acoustic guitar lines and execution. Singing isn't super strong but the guitar skills make up for it!

Dude is obviously a gifted songwriter and guitarist, but I wouldn’t say this is what I would normally go for. All of the instrumentals were phenomenal and most of the vocal tunes were okay. I liked the little medley at the end too. 4!

Super clean and impressive guitar work. I previously listened to this album months ago and didn't write my review. Had to skip through it again to refamiliarize myself with it. I think that that's pretty telling. Decent 3

Guitar playing on this was so good. I hear a direct line between these songs and the intro to Heart's crazy for you. That being said, this isn't what I'm seeking out normally. Glad to have heard it, will probably forget it though. solid 3/5

Some pleasant calm folk. Just a guy and his guitar. Like if Dylan could hit the right notes and left his godforsaken harmonica at home. A breath a fresh folk

Lovely album. Super refreshing to hear the stripped back, home made style of music. Great vocals and guitar playing. Needle of Death is perhaps the main highlight, but strong throughout. 7/10

Wow really great guitar work on this, some of these songs like “Angie” I could just listen to on repeat. Pleasant surprise from an artist I was unfamiliar with.

As it started I didn't care much for it, but it kept on growing on me.

This didn’t excite me.

this one was lost on me, failed to resonate - well someone thought it was an important album but I did not :)

I am oddly fond of this album. It’s sweet in a way…chill, background fodder, easy listening.

An amazing player. An influential player. He walked so others could run - with better songs. Two foundational artists for me - Nick Drake and Richard Thompson - owe a debt to old Bert or at least the tradition he represented. But they add to the tradition. This feels a bit like an artifact in a museum.

Solid, raw 4 Star

7/10 British folk - pretty much one man and his guitar. No polish here, just the quality of the playing and the songs. Sometimes it's excellent, others it is a bit too folksy. Maybe music I prefer to play than listen to.

Average 60s folk, but pleasantly surprised to hear Angie at the end, which I had only ever attributed to S&G before now, but sure enough, isn't a Bett Jansch original either.

This album sucked me in. Cool mix of blues and folk. Enjoyed my commute. Would share this alhum

Never heard him before( but feels like it was very far ahead of its time for 1965

Took a minute to get into but ended up enjoying it. “I Have No Time” & “Do You Hear Me Now” are cool tunes

This was nice…and folksy….and nice and folksy . Solid playing

I didn’t like it

Pretty good

At the start, I dreaded the album. A man with a guitar and nothing else sounds like hell. I was pleasantly surprised. I don’t love the album but it has more emotion than I expected. This is not my kind of music but I didn’t struggle to get through it like I did with other albums. I won’t listen to it again but I’m glad I heard it.

Had heard of Bert Jansch, but never had actually listened to any of his work. Didn’t gel with me with a first listen, but sunk in on the next time around. Beautiful finger picking phrases and lyrics.

Incredible guitarist, I really enjoyed this. Some great instrumentals and "The Needle of Death" is a powerful lament. I can see his influence on many others and it makes me want to seek out Pentangle, the group he formed with another guitarist. Very solid folk album.

Had never heard of this guy before. Given the year this came out I wonder if it was overshadowed by Dylan going electric. Just a man and his guitar, a pretty cool acoustic bluesy folk album. Nothing super special lyrically or vocally, but I love this guy's style of fingerpicking, really enjoyed the instrumental tracks especially. Might have to try to learn to play a few of these myself, although most of them are completely beyond me. Crisp and lovely acoustic guitar

Another obscure ‘60s musical soul who I’d like to like (“Angie” was pretty well-played), but who, in the end, seems like a middling guitar player with little singing acumen who would be more at home in a local coffeehouse (which I expect was his selling point in 1965) than in my ears in 2025.

Have always heard his name mentioned as being a guitar virtuoso and influential to so many, jimmy paige included. Have to admit that this album didn’t do much for me. Looked him up and Neil young says he is to the acoustic what Hendrix was to the electric. Maybe time to delve deeper into this guy…

This is basically demo and it’s beautiful in every respect, his guitar work, his songs and his performance. Great stuff. Can’t wait to dig in deeper.

Totally fine folk.

Solid folk with honky think flavor. The guitar can be very droning/repetitious, so the instrumental pieces seem tiring. I like his voice, it has a rich, melodic tone without being too formal. Lyrically, the songs paint beautiful pictures.

Surprised Bert Jansch has never been on my radar - he is a g-damn guitar hero. Astounding guitar work for a 22-year-old in 1965 and I can hear the influence on Jimmy Page and Neil Young and later virtuosos like Michael Hedges. That said the songwriting and vocals leave a bit to be desired, particularly in comparison to Nick Drake from a couple weeks back. .

3.0

This is the typical pre Dylan folk album of the 50s and early 60s. There is no youthful energy. The instrumentation is bare and the production is not the best. There are some okay songs here but these types of albums put me to sleep. I did enjoy Bert’s guitar playing. It is more intricate than most folk singers and especially so on the second side of this album. Overall it was a forgetful album that did not impress me much.

Didn't love it ... Didn't hate it. Highlights: Smokey River, Rambling's Gonna Be the Death of Me, and Angie. Funny note, more of my favorites were the instrumentals.

Cool album - gave me Scottish Dylan vibes. Quite enjoyed

At first I was not particularly impressed because singer/ songwriters are often super good to me and there are many that really fill that head table, and maybe I just didn't see that at first. I think, however, it is not so much the lyrics or the singing that makes Bert Jansch shine, I think it is his guitar work. His instrumental work IS a step above and makes one wonder how much it would have vaulted his career if it had been coupled with (just maybe) a little more extraordinary personality in his spoken word/ vocals/ lyrics? Nevertheless, in the search for the ultimate singer/ songwriter, the quest continues.

Quite good!

Ei tää ny jotenki purassut 2/5

En ihan saanut kiinni tämän taiteellisesta arvosta. Ihan kelpo levy muttei liikauta.

Favorite Track: Angie

We zetten de plaat op, we horen een ouwe, licht valse gitaar een loopje doen, en een verder onbekende stem begint te zingen. Het moest kennelijk op een koopje, want dezelfde stem en gitaar vullen met z'n tweeën de rest van het album op middelmatige geluidskwaliteit. Het is wel aardige minimale folk, er valt voor fans van Nick Drake (zoals ik) wel wat te halen, maar echt goed is het ook niet. Had even een betere gitaar gekocht, man.

Folk zegt wiki. Het is niet ver van de opzet van Dylan. Muzikaal wat eenvoudiger en de zang wat minder wrikkend. Goed dat het in de lijst staat om te laten horen dat Dylan in zijn eigen genre met gemak wordt overtoept. Maar man wat ligt dit ver bij mij vandaan. Ik krijg dit niet in één keer weggeluisterd...

Een wikipedia-pagina die voornamelijk bestaat uit de tracklist en een samenvatting in welke snoblijstje dit album is opgenomen. Dan ook nog een naam waarbij ik denk met de oudere broer van Ernst Jansz van doen te hebben. Dat voorspelt allemaal niet veel goeds. Laten we de boel maar eens afspelen dan. Het is oud, en zo klinkt het ook gelijk. Een man met zijn akoestische gitaar, die zijn zielenroerselen bezingt. En dat zingen doet hij een stuk beter dan tijdsgenoot Bob, aan wie sommige nummers doen denken. Er staan ook stukken instrumentaal op, waarop hij lekker gaat pielen op zijn gitaar. Spelen kan Bert wel, niks mis mee. Ondanks het Dylanesque van met name het eerste nummer, doet het me verder vooral denken aan een combi van Nick Drake en James Taylor. Je verwacht eigenlijk dat de beste Bert niet ouder dan een jaar of 27 is geworden en aan het genot van iets teveel psychedelische of andersoortige harddrugs ten onder is gegaan. Maar de beste man is zowaar 67 geworden, een prestatie. Ik vond dit best prima om een keer te luisteren. Betwijfel of ik het vaker op ga zetten. Ik zit de laatste tijd een beetje in de hoek van de al dan niet vergeetbare 3. Ben bang dat ook dit er toch in gaat belanden. Het is simpelweg niet genoeg voor een 4.

Thoughts before listening: I think Bert is a 60s Greenwich Village folk scenester who would have been a contemporary of Dylan, Joan Baez, etc. I don't know his music. Review: Well I had the folk part right, but Jansch was actually British. Seems London had their own folk scene similar to New York's in the 60s and Bert was a leader of this group. He was also known as a great acoustic guitar player which is evidenced on this album. Overall this album is full of well played and sung folk originals, although the sound is a bit more dark than I prefer. 3-stars

Excellent acoustic guitar rambling

Absolutely fantastic album! Bert Jansch's soulful vocals along with his masterful guitar work made for a really wonderful listening experience.

This is exactly the kind of stuff I came here for. Music made for the sake of making music. Zero expectation of success. Full of authentic, genuine soul, and raw talent. A revelation.

Legit folk, loved it

Great folk guitar album. Love this, mainly because his playing is so great but the singing is good too.

This one turned out to be more interesting than I initially thought. It was not at all what I expected when I read "Scottish folk singer" before listening and I was a bit disappointed before I eventually started enjoying some of the more jazzy bits Standouts Oh How Your Love Is Strong Casbah Angie 4/5

Solid home brewed folk album. Needle of Death is the best song.

Nah

Bert Jansch - the technical guitarist for real guitarists. Len Houmous - the technical lover for real lovers! 4.7

4.5 again!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1001 ALBUMS- # 37 Bert Jansch the minimalist man! A self-titled easy listening little ditty of an album, from an understated musician poetically strumming acoustic folksy with his heart indelibly on his sleeve. I had never heard of Mr. Jansch, rather surprisingly as there are clear echoes of Dylan and Drake, quite a delightful discovery that I really enjoyed listening through this evening. No production tricks here, just a simplistic analogue recording of an artist conveying his authentic thoughts and feelings vulnerably through his guitar. 🎧 Classic Track: Needle of Death 🎧 Deep Cut Gem: Running From Home 🎧 personal Favorite: Strolling Down The Highway This album would make for a wonderful companion piece to sitting by a campfire, driving through the countryside on a crisp autumn day or just unwinding at the end of the week with your beverage if choice. 🖼️ Album Artwork: Perfectly suits the aesthetic of these tunes 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Bonus marks for Bert hailing from Scotland, however it is his subtle vocals that really allow the songwriting to shine. It is rather curious that he is not more well known, especially with a prolific catalogue of 26 albums! Hit the Thumbs Up icon below if you enjoyed my take on the album :)

love the soulful picking. Soothing

This was fine. Not something I would normally go for. The guitar playing was good but I feel like the songs never really went anywhere. His voice at times got on my nerves but other times were good. I think like the instrumentals all sounded solid and then it was like...okay now what. Liked Songs: "Strolling Down the Highway" , "Smokey River" , "Oh How Your Love Is Strong" , "Needle of Death" , "Running from Home"

liked songs: Smokey River, I Have No Time, Do You Hear Me Now, Casbah Really cool guitar work. For folk music, this was very good. 3.75

I liked the minimalistic sound, but that is about it.

Ugh. No thanks. It was too low tone depressing for me to enjoy. I feel like there isn't even much to comment on because it was just lacking interesting aspects.

Feels like this would be a great personal soundtrack for a long quiet solo bus ride through a/the countryside. With just solo acoustic and vocals it's not dynamic or exciting, but I still kind of like it. Almost could pass as a slightly more direct Nick Drake? Outstanding guitar playing that I almost didn't even notice until a few songs in and then realizes this is some serious talent. I'm not that knowledgeable on folk which might be why I'm not familiar with him, and it's not a party album :) but I'd put this on again, this is nice. 7/10 4 stars

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Boring acoustic folk garbage where every mumbly song sounds the same. Not aggressively terrible, but profoundly uninteresting.

P funk

To truly stand out as a acoustic folk artist, you need a standout voice and top tier plucking skills. Bert displayed both o. His self-titled debut. Remarkable guitar strumming on this record. I enjoyed the lyrics Bert gave us here but I caught my arm hair rising to his beautiful instrumental tracks. Dude plucks hard and I’m here for it. 5 stars

Well look at Gordie McLightfoot over here... I have not had a lot of exposure to folk but I listened to this while working in my studio on a rainy afternoon and it couldn't have been more perfect.

Surprisingly pleasant. Bob Dylan if he was good. I'm kidding

Quite enjoyable and calming music

Banger

Har pendlat mellan 3 och 4. Gillar ändå denna genre, men till slut landar jag nog i att låtarna totalt inte lever upp till fyra. Det är bitvis stämningsfullt, som det kan bli med gitarr och sång (om gjort rätt). Bra iaf.

Trevlig skiva som puttrar på på en jämn nivå utan att lyfta till några högre höjder. Noterar att bästa låten Angie är en cover, vilket förmodligen illustrerar att Bert är duktig men inte riktigt har förmågan att skapa magi på egen hand. Urtypen av en trea.

Zzzz

Was hopeful when I heard this was a Scottish folk musician. Only occasionally could I hear his brogue! Disappointing. Especially because this album is so boring. 2/5

Simple, subtle singer songwriter folk music. Pleasant.

Some really great folk. His guitar playing is fantastic, especially on the instrumental songs which are gorgeous.

wie viel folk muss i no ertragen...

23/04/2025 It wasn't the best, it was harmless though.

This is nice. It makes sense why it's still loved. It's not really my thing. But I know it's good. That's kinda all

Lovely twangy goodness ayup

Not familiar with him before but very impressed.

Another odd (Scottish) selection from the murky backwaters of this project, further clouded by the nearly absent Wikipedia entry for this album (thankfully the "1001 Albums" entry was a little more verbose, and I appreciated learning that artists as wide ranging as Donovan and Maryanne Faithfull did covers of his songs). I was reminded of another mainly-acoustic artist, Leo Kottke, as I listened to the album (especially "Angie"). I particularly enjoyed "I have no time", "Do you hear me now" and "Courting blues"; I really wanted to enjoy "The needle of death", but it felt like the folk style got in the way of a very modern and sad story. I wanted to rate this album higher than three stars, especially because a number of the lyrics are really nicely done, but it's a high bar for me when it's just a solo artist with an instrument and his or her voice.

I enjoyed this low-key Willie Nelson sounding album.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this album.

its good but not really my thing. nothing here really caught my attention, kinda boring

Just a pretty average folk album with better than average guitar work. 3 stars or C+.

Wasn’t expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Very soothing.

a HUGE missing link in my knowledge...mystical, starry, fingerpicky folk thats got some blues and jazz in the pot. a clear point of reference to so many future musicians its kinda crazy i didnt rly know anything ab him other than the name until just today ghjsdghjsd...theres deffo no nick drake without this guy and thats extremely Personally Vital. the strange and emotive lyrics are a highlight, but theres a reason why theres so many instrumentals...hearing him play rly is just that mesmerizing, and he's got a deep bag of technical and melodic tricks that make it feel like he's never repeating himself. honestly a little bit the best music ever made ghsjdshdj it just feels culturally rich and entirely personal and magical and earthy and calming and exhilarating and just ghjsdghjsd man. moments like this are why ive never even once felt the desire to stop doing this project thus far lol,

Nice easy listening. Just no humdingers or knee slappers. 2.5 goin down.

I love the spooky medieval stuff. Also gateway drug to Roy Harper if one is so inclined.

Fantastic guitarist although I found the vocal parts and lyrics a bit bland. Definitely looks like he influenced many many other artists.

This is very lovely and clearly influential--I hear echoes of many British guitar dudes. It's interesting to me that guitar-picking tunes that hearken back to the agrarian past in the UK are called folk and in the US are called country, but someone else can figure that out.

Some cool moments here from Bert Jansch. Very folksy and easy to get into for a quick listen. Completely cooked me that he’s Scottish, this sounds like any other American folk record of it’s time to my novice ears. It’s so interesting to me that yesterdays record was Zeppelin 3, a project (or group of projects) that often employed the same rolling, plucky folk guitars that get played all the same on this Bert Jansch album - “The Casbah” is a good example of these similarities. “Needle Of Death” is the obvious pick to listen to, this is a super harrowing story and it’s told with such blunt sorrow. Really, really good song. Listening to that one over and over again. 3/5 straight up

Meget chill, det trækker op at sangene har en passende længde og at albummet ikke er længere. Jeg troede, at det var fra 70'erne, så det lyder vel lidt forud for sin tid. Lille 4

Lød godt men også lidt kedeligt. Fedt nok med de der instrumentale numre!

Some fine folk, but just very generic

Boring, but not bad. 3/5

inoffensive and mostly pleasant. just wasn't anything special to me!

this album sure was fine. i liked the parts that felt like i was ramblin' down an old dirt road with a british hippie with an acoustic guitar slung over his shoulder. but then after a couple songs i start to realize he doesn't know where we're going, he's talkin' nonsense, and he smells terrible. anyway that's the album. favorites: strolling down the highway, smokey river, needle of death, angie

a little too slow for my liking

Jert Bansch

Bart Jensch

very peaceful if a little repetitive

I don't have anything terrible to say, but I also don't have anything nice to say.

Delightful old folk

i remember being blown away the first time i listened to this and not so much the second time. but there is a stroke of genius here i will say

Arguably more enjoyable than Nick Drake. Wonderfully complex playing and beautiful singing.

The Good: You guessed it; an album named after the artist! The Bad: Nobody knows how to properly pronounce the name… The Ugly: Nobody cares… With all the lists that are floating around in the world, I still need to fully understand why this album needs listening to? It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. The style has been done by others, and much better. Chalk the experience up to one which, though definitely preferred over rap, can be skipped with ease… 2*

Pretty incredible guitar work, bluesy folky vibe. Really raw and evocative. How is this guy not a household name

Scottish Dylan. Enjoyable.

Decent enough folk album. Easy listen, nothing too remarkable or noteworthy. I appreciate the ultra stripped-down sound of just vocals and guitar, has a nice chamber performance feel to it. Top tracks: I Have No Time, Needle of Death, Alice's Wonderland

Fantastic guitar.

Better than average 60s folk, mainly because of the guitar playing

angie is a banger. 3.5

I humbly propose a new category of album to myself and anyone reading this, that of the "nowhere" album - any album that makes me check my fully legal, authorised, signed PDF copy of the 1001 albums book. I have no idea how this album made it onto the list or what I'm doing here, but where to go but with the flow? It's a good time. The guitar performances are distinctive and there's a strong case that can be made for the inclusion of lo-fi acoustic albums on this list. It's much easier for me to fall into the atmosphere of these albums, as they almost demand that you imagine yourself listening to them in-person. I can perceive the cozy, fire-lit room I am sitting in while listening to this music with a group of barely-illuminated strangers. Bert sits in front of the fireplace, the dim light bouncing off his dark silhouette and the sounds of his voice reverberating throughout the house during the louder parts. What a wonderful memory I will never have. My chief complaint with this album is how mentally exhausting it is. This album felt way longer than 38 minutes, which I chalk up with to having to engage with 15 different tracks - many of which sound identical to one another. Okay, let's have a lookee at what the book says. A mix of folk, blues and jazz. Lo-fi, amateurish production. Sold for cheap to a fledgling record company and managed to become a surprise success. Influential among other artists of the time. Certainly a bigger rap sheet than some of the other albums on this list, though I, an individual of esteemed taste, must object to the induction of such an album into the list. There are surely more pleasing acoustic/folk albums out there than this one.

Excellent

I think I listened to this once but forgot to rate it right away. When I listened to a bit of it, I didn't recognize it, so it went back on the list. Listened again yesterday, and at one point I was called away from my desk. I didn't note where I left off, and when I came back to it still playing, I went back to find where I left off and again, didn't recognize any of it. So I think this gets a rating of 1.5: the number of times I heard it without it making an impression on me.

comforting in a curious way

Really didn't know what to expect here. The cover feels jazzy, my app said pop, and at times it actually sounded like folk and blues. I enjoyed it, I hope to poke around into the artist's other work.

Pretty dang good stuff here!

And some people think Lulu was the only thing coming out of Scotland in the 60s. A lot of jangly indie guitarists in the 80s only had Roger McGuinn to fall back on. Johnny Marr also had Bert Jansch.