Basket of Light

we've had a long boring run of boring britpop, brit-electronica, and now brit-folk. boring & forgettable.

Quite different from The Beach Boys I know otherwise. Makes sense since this is a later album, but still a really enjoyable atmosphere in this. I wish the vocals Overall decent songs, but nothing totally up my alley here.

Trippy. Super folksy, some eastern influence in Once I Had a Sweetheart, but otherwise didn't really enjoy. Hated Lyke-Wake, a lot of them were way too folky, 2/5.

I’d probably give a 2.5 if I could, I quite liked it but not enough to listen again. Sounds like the soundtrack to a Woodstock/summer of love documentary

I had never heard of this album or band until this very moment and after Googling it appears to be another example of the very British creator of this list/project. Digging further, the name Bert Jansch sounds familiar to me but I'm not sure why. Maybe Dylan connections? I figured the only song I might have a chance of recognizing was "Light Flight" and it doesn't sound even slightly familiar. I recognize some of the traditionals but doubt it is from these versions. I don't hate this but it doesn't really do much for me. 2.5 stars.

not good man

Reminds me a lot of Fairport Convention, just not quite as good.

Fun but not my cup of tea. Varied! Some joni mitchell esque numbers too.

I can see how this would be foundational 60s folk. I found it good but not that exciting.

Has its moments but is also quite pretentious

My wife described it as DnD tavern music, and she pretty much hit the nail on the head.

I thought it was cool until I realized it’s just more of the same for the entire album.

Interesting. 70s Zeppelin vibes. Multiple lead vocalists, that's neat. The Dirge song really made me uncomfortable. Very Catholic/religious... nuh uh. 2.5

Great guitar playing on this one. Crisp production and mix, pleasant and feathery. Not my jam though, a little too ye old’e 70s harking back to lords and ladies type shit. Great field frolicking music. Not for me homie 2.85

There's a couple good sounds on here but mostly it's way too choral and the female vocalist is sometimes quite annoying.

510/1001

lord of the rings elf music

I wasn’t high enough for this hippy shit.

For the folk lover out there, I would say that it delivers a great, rounded medieval sound with talented vocalists. For me, this type of music is not to my taste, and I was kind of glad when it was over.

Nothing really stood out. The songs with the male singer are a drag. The woman singer sounds much better. I feel like this would be better without vocals as background music for a BBC period piece.

No private session used for Spotify. I had no idea what I was getting in to. Lot going on here music wise, it seems really folksy and stuff I might listen to wearing a cloak, running around the damp forests of the pacific northwest pretending to be a druid, though thinking about it, I am not sure if I am wearing anything other than a cloak..anyway woodland creatures would be frolicking with me. None of that crap is going to happen, so I won't listen to this again.

At times it feels like you’ve wandered into a Renaissance fair by mistake. Light Flight is a okay, but overall, a bit too “hey nonny nonny” for my taste.

Light Flight-- 4/10 reminds me of lotr music but less whimsical skimmed through the rest of the album. revisit later. not my vibe rn.

I think my Dad tried putting this band under my nose when I was a teenager (or perhaps it was Strawbs). The guitar work was quite clever, there were some well worked little acoustic/lead parts. But the vocals were a bit too preachy, and I didn't really enjoy it. Average folk, really. 2 Stars.

It’s that time of year when the neo-pagan cult that you have joined decide which virgin daughter they sacrifice to ensure a bountiful harvest. The council elders haven’t yet defiled your beloved daughter Gwendolyn, so sadly it looks like she will be the one offered to the gods. It hurts, but the town really needs a good supply of maize.

It’s fine here and there, liked a few songs towards the beginning. Can’t do a whole album of it tbh, 2 stars is good, feels like middle of the road folk

The fist song is pretty great and then kind of devolves into something that straddles a few genres in a way that I don't like.

Renaissance Faire ass type of music.

Cant believe i was shitting on Tim Buckley for the renaissance vibes, this is a lot worse. Just tedious, the vocals are nice and musicianship is impressive but the songs just plod on and theres just something sterile and performative about it. So precious at times, almost feels like a Spinal Tap-level parody of a 60s folk band. Sally Go Round the Roses is probably the best song, but three versions, wtf? Maybe let this material stay in the 1500s unless youre gonna do something interesting with it, like groups like The Fairpoint Convention have done

Some very pretty music but overall this was a little too “happy clappy” for my tastes.

Do people think this music is enjoyable or fun? There's only one decent song on here called Sally Run Round the Roses or something and they are so keenly aware that it's the only decent song that it's on there three times, with little discernible difference between the three.

This was different. British psychedelic folk? Seems so pastiche and niche but whatever.

Twee

I've noted the bias this project has for unknown British bands. I can only assume the author of the 1001 Book liked these guys when he was a wee lil' lad. They're good, but they don't belong in the book. I would rate the 5 out of 10 (decent), but since they don't belong in the book, I'm rounding down.

1.5

Light Flight

Once you've heard one you've heard them all. But that 'one' wasn't awful. Won't listen again.

It's definitely not an album I would go out of my way to listen to in the first place. I'm not big on folk in general, but having some variety outside rock keeps the list interesting. I thought the vocals were fine and the instruments stood out more to me (in a positive way). Despite my willingness to listen to a variety of genres on this list, there is a spiteful side of me that wants to give the album a 1. Mostly for br*tish people praising br*tish people for being br*tish, and including a traditional folk album like this on the list. Like, it's note worthy legacy on wikipedia was that it had some top tracks in the UK. Nice try br*tish people, I caught on. But, I did not hate this as much as Spacemen 3. If I were being objective about rating it as a folk album I'd give it a 3 for being decent. which averages out to a 2 for my contribution to br*tish hate this week.

Overall, this is not for me, although I did enjoy the instrumentation. It sounds like what 'This Is Spinal Tap' was making fun of with "Listen to the Flower People."

Did I enjoy this one? Ehh, not really. But I do think this has a rightful place on this list. There are lots of interesting and experimental sounds in play: masterful acoustic guitar, ye olde folk vocals, sitar on jazz songs. I don’t love the stew that these ingredients made, but I’m glad I tried a bite.

I didn’t think 60s Folk Rock was for me … I was right.

Half of the songs on this thing felt like a cheap anglicised knockoff version of The Girl From Ipanema, and the other half felt like the fucking main menu music of Baldurs Gate 3. Either way this was boring as fuck, uninspired, and the song order was just a mess. This thing is also way too long. It felt like it went for 2 hours. This is a shit album and I'd rather just go listen to Stan Getz than this shit.

There's some genuine beauty here. The arrangements are really elegant and pleasant to listen to. The original songs are more interesting, but also wildly uneven. "Train Song" is an absolute standout; "Hunting Song" is more of a dirge than the actual dirge two tracks before it. I am glad I listened to it, but I don't think I will go back to it, outside of "Train Song"

I couldn’t get into this one. Too folksy for my liking

Typical British 60’s Folk Rock. Pretentious & boring.

Every track is interesting on its own, but when compiled as an album, they become quite boring and lack progression. Mungkin karena gue dengerinnya ga terlalu fokus dan di jam kerja jadi bikin ngantuk banget. Maybe if I listened to it on a random Sunday while unwinding, it would be a beautiful listening moment.

Booooo. Weird.

Not for me

Couldn’t do it. Female vocals

Definitely not my jam.

1.5

I like some of the folkier songs. Too much of it felt like a score for a Robin Hood play. The ‘christ receive our souls’ shit can kick rocks.

I feel like folk rock is either hit or miss. I’ve heard some great folk albums on this list and I’ve heard some fucking terrible ones. This one falls somewhere in the middle for me. I’m not a fan of it in its entirety but I enjoy her voice enough to give it more than 1 star.

Unfortunately I don't take drugs (I even drink my Coke decaf), so couldn't appreciate this album the way it deserves to be appreciated.

I was familiar with Sally Go Round the Roses likely from a television show. This album is not offensive, but didn’t hold my attention. I would reach for others before coming back. 2/5

Could not listen to more than 5 songs. The voice is really annoying.

The first song started and I was digging that cool Jazz then the singer started and I was kind of disappointed. It took two tries for us to get all the way through and my girlfriend hated it every single second.

Eh. Honestly didn’t finish the album. Got bored with it.

this wasn't anything major for me... it had some pretty moments, but nothing that really stuck out. not terrible, but nothing i would really go back to

A little too folky for my folk taste.

Sounded like a medieval Irish folk-fest. Not horrible, but it gets old really fast.

eh, not bad, not my thing

I feel like I should be running through a enchanted forest in The Witcher or something

Medieval folky sound, not really my thing

It sounds pretty bad. Hard to consider this is folk, because the lady sounds like an opera singer most of the time. At the very least, they have very nice voices, but I wouldn’t willingly throw this on for anyone

Not for me

I usually like folk music so I was surprised that I am not crazy about this record. The guitar playing is impressive. The bass playing is also impressive. What drives me nuts about this is the "folk" singing that the lead singer here is doing, reminds me of Joan Baez and her voice makes me want to crawl up a wall. Why? Idk. I won't return to this record but am I better from having listened to it? Idk.

5/10

Well, this 60s psychedelia just doesn't click with me at all. If it weren't for the pleasant female voice and the occasionally interesting guitar parts, it would be just awful. When the guitarist starts singing, or rather, bleating, it makes you want to turn it off, honest to God. 2 out of 5, largely thanks to the female vocals.

No clue what to expect from this album going off the cover. Looks like something orchestral, though this list hasn't been one to promote classical albums. Probably something Rock Opera adjacent, if I'm to guess. Ah, folk. I shoulda known. This isn't bad. Very Nordic and Aryan or something of that nature. Folk is one of the many genres that I have a hard time getting into. That being said, I can tell this is a solid rep. The guitarwork and vocals are varied and commendable, and there appears to be an interesting spread of influences. That being said, none of these songs hold my attention for their full runtimes. I'm just not a fan of this genre, what can I say? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ "Light Flight" is a good opener. I like the acoustic sound, and the folky vocals ain't half-bad either. "Train Song" also has a good instrumental and some nice vocals. "Sally Go Round the Roses" is yet another decent tune. Take a guess as to why. Book time. Oh, Bert Jansch is on this thing. Cool to see him again - I can definitely hear his sound now. The band's most successful album. Had a successful single. I'm favourable to this album being on the list. I think it's a good slice of folk, so I shant squabble over the minutiae of how influential or successful it is.

Her voice. I can't.

Not to my taste.

I love a good dirge but can't say this one will be in my regular rotation. Some of the songs were really lovely. Got repetitive over time.

If I heard this before Liege and Lief I'd like it more, but it doesn't stand as tall next to that album. Decent folk sound. The high strings were sometimes grating.

Psychedelic Renaissance Faire Folk is apparently a sub genre that I didn’t know existed. I wish I still didn’t. Feels like Peter, Paul, and Mary were transported back in time and had to perform for King Arthur’s court.

Not my bag. Maybe it's just not what I'm looking for right now in my life, it was just a bit too hokey-folky for me right now.

Someone tried to get me into these guys a couple decades back, and the result now is the same. Folk that I can leave in the 60s.

answers the question: what if stereolab lived in medieval times?

I love Bert but this is not it

Too ancient

Pentangle actually stopped Houmous & Chutneys attempt to make the longest successive and linked album collection in history. Angle, Biangle, Triangle, Quadangle, Pentangle and Hexangle all got released before the message from their lawyers arrived. 2.1 3/13 Springtime Promises

"Hymns" or "Dirges" or some shit

Great musicianship but not really one that’ll be on repeat for me.

I mean it wasn't all that unpleasant to listen to but it sure was weird. Felt like I was in an enchanted forest being serenaded by wood nymphs.

I don’t hate this but I cannot be arsed with any more than 4 songs 1.5 rounded up

Interesting in some ways, dull in others

60s psychedelic with a little bit of Vashti vocals. I like some of the instrumentals but overall probably wouldn’t seek this out.

It starts off interesting but quickly becomes so boring. They really didn't explore the full potential of their sound. Some songs do show something special, but they are few and far between.

First album I stumbled upon after finding this awesome site – and honestly, not my thing at all. Way too much sing-song, way too much random tinkling, and seriously… why do the lyrics sound like they were written by a German third grader doing their English homework? Anyway, let’s just chalk it up as “contemporary” and “very 60s,” and look forward to what else is out there. Oh, and when this album dropped, my parents were two years old. Wild.

Good background music. Just couldn't get into this album and I really tried.

os avós do Renaissance. 2 estrelas

At first I thought what is this pastoral ass album; then reading Bert Jansch was involved piqued my interest for a second, but ended up thinking what is this pastoral ass album.

2.5

ye olde tavern getting crunk tell the bard to turn that shyt up

Another new listen. The Pentangle is a 60's version of Edward Sharpe & The Magnificent Zeros. I'm much rather listen to ES&TMZ!

“Olden times-ah music” (4/10, 2/5 on this scale)

Straight up hippie shiznit from the year 1969

Medieval diddling in the 20th century does not make for a timeless album. The few sparse moments of nice instrumentation improves a bit but not by much. 1.5/5 - > 2/5

Het album begint wel geinig met een soort prog-folk toestand. Daarna wordt het op een gegeven moment wel heel erg rustig met een soort middeleeuwse sektebijeenkomst en dan voel ik de aanvankelijke interesse ook in rap tempo wegvloeien. Vanaf track 5 had het van mij wel ongeveer afgelopen mogen zijn. Die track 5 ('Train Song') doet me denken aan Joni Mitchell ook en dat moeten we sowieso niet willen natuurlijk. Ik kom echt niet hoger dan 2 sterren, met alle respect voor de muzikaliteit wel. Het is wel geinig voor een keer maar om hier nou heel veel sterren voor te gaan geven is me een stap te ver. De tweede helft was echt uitzitten geblazen.

Mm, not quite. There are a few songs here that aren't that bad, though.

Not for me

Not exactly my cup of tea

Putting "Sally Go Round the Roses" three times in an hour is diabolical. This was so lame

Trasig

Oh it's gothic

The music is a five, the disgustingly sweet singing is a rage inducing 1.

MEGET britisk, lød okay men mindre min stil end jeg lige havde regnet med faktisk

I could imagine that this would be nice to hear in a castle with some mead or a cider.

adri: 7, la musica de la corte, flow medieval. mar: 3, castillos y dragones

60's folk, but slightly different. Lots of sitar on some of the songs. It was okay.

They're clearly talented but the overall effect was to make me feel like I was losing my mind

There's enough interesting stuff in the music to keep this from being one star. Replace/remove the vocals and this goes up a star, maybe two.

Renaissance festival music

Sounds like an album that was prepared for the Earl of Livingstone in 1633. Usually like Medieval stuff but this falls flat.

Want to know why folk jazz never hit it big? It's because it completely ruins both genres. There are some good straight up folk songs on Basket of Light, like The Cuckoo, but most of it is a muddy mess.

Niet voor mij

Not my thing, couldn't get through it.

quando falam que eh FOLK eh isso que eu espero música para viver como um camponês fudido esperando a peste negra chegar! pelo menos tem uns instrumentos interessantes né

i have no patience for this today

It alternated between sounding like church music and like something more annoying than church music

Very folky, very medieval sounding as others have commented. I enjoyed it and can see it's place in history as folk did have a resurgence in the 60s. I don't know how to rate it.

Top 3 least favorite genres. There is some pretty impressive musicianship and the song writing is good as well. But the vocals and vocal melodies are unpalatable to me.

Just too precious for me. I don't think I would have enjoyed the mystical lyrics of this era.

The best things I have to say about this album was what I was remined of or what I was thinking about when I heard or saw the title. Once I had a Sweetheart, I thought of Shankar when I heard the sitar. Train song = Train in Vain. Sally Go Round Them Dirty Roses. Not just once, but 3 times! If you bet the chance to see Them Dirty Roses, you won't regret it. Love them boys. As for the album, yea, kinda a tough listen. Not my thing and didn't enjoy, but it had a nice peaceful sound. 2

2.5 I like a lot of UK music, and generally speaking, I try to keep an open mind to anything I hear, but this feels very much like the kind of thing that the Brits would hail as “brilliant” while us Americans squint our eyes and try to make sense of it. I suppose it’s basically the album equivalent of Better Man in that regard. That’s not to say I thought this was bad. In many ways, it reminded a lot of Fairport Convention, but if they had more of a “psychedelic ren faire” sort of vibe to them. Appropriately, I had pretty much the same reaction to this that I did to the actual ren faire I went to about a month ago, being, I’m glad that I experienced it, but I don’t think I need to again. I have mixed feelings about the sound overall, but ultimately I would call this an inferior version of what Fairport Convention was also currently doing, with Unhalfbricking even coming out the very same year. Hell, both groups even have similarly sounding female vocalists, and while I didn’t mind Jacqui McShee, she never really captivated me like Sandy Denny does on the aforementioned FC record. (Also, she was never featured on a Led Zeppelin song to my knowledge, so she has that going against her too.) What Pentangle DOES have is Bert Jansch, a dude whose solo album I rated somewhat highly, but what I heard there didn’t seem to translate through on this album to me in any meaningful way. Ultimately, this is one of those albums I wouldn’t say that I disliked, but I found to be most of a non-presence while listening, and any good aspect that’s to be found here is something I feel like you could find a better version of elsewhere. At some point I’ve heard it mentioned that the curator of this list is British, and I can’t help but wonder if that bias is showing through here.

Saving this for the Renn fest.

If this was all the music British people had to work with then it’s no wonder they invaded so many countries.

Okay, the first song cracked me up. Dah bah bah dooh dah! I also thought they were saying “horse carpenter” instead of house carpenter. I think I just have very little patience for hippie bullshit. Especially living in Ojai. I’ve heard worse hippie bullshit. & I’ve heard much better hippie bullshit. Basketball of shite 1 liked song

Uk dog shit

I was not in the mood to hear folk today. I was counting down the minutes on this album - too “ye olde music” sounding for me.

Oh boy…glad I never got tangled up in this music

если когда-то таверну захочется открыть

Sometimes I wonder “How have I never heard of this band?? They’re incredible!” This is not one of those bands. It was fine to have never heard of Pentangle. British Renn Faire folk is not my genre.

Haven't heard of them before. The album was really pretty but sadly just not something I'm usually into 2/5

stressig, geklimper, einlullender Frauengesang, ich werde kein Folk Fan in diesem Leben

Aika kädenlämpöistä folkkia. Ehkä tätä on kuultu jo riittävästi listalla. 2.5/5

A couple of potentially good songs but not by these singers. 2 stars or D+.

Hmm.

It’s strange, this hippy stuff from the late 60s, I find quite endearing for a track. Maybe two. But after that it really starts to grate. A lovely little museum piece but can it just stay there!?

Hmm

Struggled to listen to it all

Pants

I bet this was cool in late-60s coffee houses. The beginnings of psychedelia was a renaissance throwback. There were a couple songs that pulled my attention enough to stop what I was doing an really listen. But for the most part it was just people jamming on lutes and glockenspiel…

1.7

I wasn't sure if I needed to talk a hike through the British countryside or get incredibly high. I think they did both.

Mediocre medieval tavern fare

Something strange and slightly listenable

Sometimes I really enjoyed the weirdness, other times I found it a bit annoying and hard to listen to... Not music I would have listened to without the list which is fun- but also not music I'll be back to listen to again. Favourite: Train Song Least: House Carpenter

Hard pass on this style of folk.

Standard British Folk album of the late 60s. Sounds very medieval! high 2/5

I wasn't too impressed with this one. The musicians are certainly tanlented, but none of these songs are going to stay with me.

Interesting change from the recent albums but the female vocals sometimes can be annoying. Not exactly my jam.

bands that classify themselves as “folk” tend to fall into one of two categories: more country adjacent or the type of music you might stereotypically hear at a renaissance festival. for the most part, this was the latter… and it was kind of a beating to get through, to be honest.

Quelques morceaux bien sympas mais l’album manque un peu de punch, ce petit manque lui fait rater la 3ème étoile de peu

no clue how to judge this. the first minute started very hopeful, but that more or less was the best part

Another British album on this list that seems to have reach success only in Great Britain. I was completely unfamiliar with them, but this is finally an interesting discovery. Once you get past the surprise of the vocals, the music sounds mostly pleasant, and the patterns are well-constructed and relatively rich. Listening with headphones, one can discern the folk-jazz mix, the medieval influence, as well as occasional Indian and Oriental touches. At first, I could hear some Cranberries, Alan Stivell, or Dead Can Dance in it, but it progressively switched to more uninteresting folky stuff. Whatever, I understand that the drummer has performed with Bowie or Aznavour, and It’s likely I’ll give The Pentangle another try.

Folk music from the 60s with a sprinkle of psychedelics - not horrible, but nothing to write home about. 2/5

Interesting folk album. I appreciated the technical guitar skills, but this has a bit too heavy of a hippie vibe for me.

British folk rock just isn’t my thing. I don’t want to give it a one star review because it isn’t terrible or unlistenable. I’m sure lots of people like it, I just really don’t.

Not really my thing. Reminds me of medieval woods. Low two, but I’m sure they are all wonderfully talented musicians, so sorry it’s not my bag, guys; faves: cold mountain (which I’m not even sure was on the original release?)

Some of this is ok, but a lot borders on unlistenable. Not my jam.

To paraphrase a famous libretto from Jerry Springer the Opera: What the folk? What the folk? What the folkin’, folkin’ folk?

I have this on vinyl. It is not one of my favorites, but admittedly interesting. I like all the elements, but it gives me an anxiety like being harrassed by over zealous mistrels at a renaissance fair. It probably stems from Monty Python and the Holy Grail Tales of Brave Sir Robin.... as he bravely runs away. There is some classic late 60s CS&N folk vibes and harmonies that I love but I could do without the "Laa laa la la laa la la la la laa la"s. Funny, I think the "Hunting Song" is great musically sans vocals.

I listened to half of one track and decided it wasn't for me. Not bad or good, just not for me.

Some weird ren faire shit. But its interesting. I'll give it that. 2.5... rounding down.

A bit too medieval on my ears.

Not my cup of tea

Ugh, more weird random music that I bet no one, even in the UK, remembers.

Sounded like hari Krishna

Easy going, not bad. Not a big fan of folk music.

Not for me

Oddly whimsical. Floaty falsetto. Makes me want to gather round a campfire with friends and chant and prance around.

Meh.

This maypole shit is fine for a song or two, but quickly wore out it’s welcome with me.

Nicht so mein Fall aber ganz nett. 2 Sterne.

I get why it’s influential, I get why it’s noteworthy, I just think it sucks.

This is so weird it's like kinda cool but it definitely as someone else described it seems like medieval music haha this wasn't the worst folk rock album I've ever heard but man it was a other random album for the list haha

Ugh folk tunes.

On par with some of the Beatles.

2 stars for novelty.

This album sacrifices any sense of identity or charm to create music that no one asks for. This a renaissance fair of an album. It is a simulacra of a time that has only existed in Dungeons and Dragons. I give it 2 stars because I think it would be funny to play during DnD or while tripping. Favorite song is Hunter Song.

I didn’t realize there were so many of these British folk revival acts in the 60s and 70s. I also didn’t realize that this is supposed to be important music in some way. This one was worse than Fairport Convention and the other one we had of this genre. I couldn’t get in to any of it despite kind of enjoying that faux medieval sound. There’s a dirge in the middle of it that is just the worst choice out of every interesting traditional song there is. Points for the talent it takes to play and arrange all this stuff, but man this was not engaging.

This is dumb.

I would've been happier if this album was an instrumental one. The vocals aren't bad but I just feel like they don't fit.

What in the Skyrim

Not my thing.

The music had some interesting parts, but the vocals are just not my bag.

Part Renaissance Faire, part church service. No thanks.

Really weird and not my style. Also why is the same song on there 3 times? 3/10

• 2/5 • Not a fan of folk or ancient music and this seems a blend of both • Admirable musicianship though, especially the percussion

Not bad but only listenable for a couple songs before it started to grate on my nerves

Not for me

yeah not a fan

A painfully uneventful folk album

I wanted to like this album a lot more than I did. I really didn't connect with the traditional covers or the original songs. I appreciate the performances and could certainly hear this playing in a pub somewhere, but just not for me

Today, this feels like a weird mix. It's mostly traditional British folk songs, but they had an interesting jazz feel occasionally on the first side. The second seems to trade that out entirely for either a straightforward interpretation, or what feels like making them "churchy," and I mean European churchy, with sustained tones, drones, and any fun beaten out of it by nuns, despite the fact that it's Protestant. I didn't hate it, but I think I only had a slight moment of interest once early on. I very much appreciate music history and preservation, but I rarely got the impression that this was adding to the work, as opposed to merely performing it. That doesn't make it bad, it just means I don't really care about it, especially in relation to this project.

Not super interesint to me. Was feeling a little tough so I am going to bput it on the 2 side of a 2.5 but it was probably close,

I like more folk in my folk than this. It seems to mix folk, jazz, blues, country and the Swingle Singers. Not something I’d listen to twice.

All in all, it all smacks of over-serious look-how-wonderful-we-are folky nonsense that is good in small doses, but grates massively after a while. Also, why are there three basically identical versions of one song on here?

Meh

This was a weird one. Kind of felt like music that plays at the end of a Nordic murder mystery episode.

ui zu dem sound würdi eu im age of empires schlimm usenand näh wär sicher no glatt zum amne mittelalter märt hand in hand im chreis tanze und dezue es paar wildschweinwings verdrucke, da ich das hüt aber usnahmswiis nöd gmacht han bini nöd in stimmig cho scho woni's album cover gseh han, hani schlimms befürchtet… musikalisch isch's eigentli ja scho no qualitativ gsi aber das isch ez en klassische fall vomene album woni wahrschinli nümm wird drilose (ussert am nächste mittelalter märt weni hand in hand im chreis tanze und dezue es paar wildscheinwings verdrucke)

More British folk. Unfortunately, back to back with Leige and Leif.

Not my kind of thing at all. I powered through, thinking it would pick up, but no such luck. Still better than plenty of other albums on this list though.

This is actually another album I didn't listen to in full — fun fact! Like, I tried to give this thing a fair, full shot, I really did. Honestly. I don't **want** to only listen to half an album and act like I know everything about it. That's just bad practice right there, 'coz for all I know, there could be something in the second half that redeems the first half, and it's my due diligence to see if it's there or not. At the very least, it's only fair to the artist. But, like, I started listening to the second half of the album, "Hunting Song", and, jus'... Oh, goodness, I was so interminably bored. I legitimately could not stand how boring I found this music. I mean, seriously, you hafta understand: most music I find boring just kinda fades into the background. Y'know, it's wallpaper, whatever. Not interesting in the slightest, but I guess it keeps the ears occupied. But this was a weird kind of boring, where... Y'know, I swear it was on the verge of something. This light renaissance faire thing, I could be down with it — if it ever went anywhere! Like, if they went whole hog with it, that'd be one thing, but note: "LIGHT renaissance faire thing." They found one, soft, turgid pace and are determined to stay there the whole time. With these vocals that're, like... OK, in parts they remind of Church Of The Cosmic Skull, and if the music behind them was more exciting, I'd be really into that. But again: it's not! And from the moment the lady on the first track went "la-da-dee-da" or whatever, I was already annoyed by them. Maybe the problem is they're taking themselves too seriously? Maybe if they loosened up a little and picked up the damn tempo or volume sometimes, they could have something. Like, I'm just frustrated, mostly, honestly. I can hear potential in this! I can hear something where, y'know, I'm not in **love** with it, but goodness, it's something I could stand to listen to for its entire runtime! Frustration and disappointment. Maybe the worst two feelings you can have with an album. Goodness. Like, I'm giving this thing a 2 'coz I didn't **hate it** like, say, DEVIL WITHOUT A CAUSE, but understand how much worse this 2 is than that album's 1. 'Coz I never had any expectations for Kid Rock. At most, I figured he'd suck, and what a surprise, he did. Now, I didn't have any expectations for this album either — in fact, Wikipedia giving it the label "folk jazz" had me already feeling predisposed to not liking it — but... It teased me with an idea of what it could do. And it never did. Jus'... Urgh. It's boring and it sucks. Another day, another 60's folk album. Who cares?

I am no stranger to English folk music, as I dabble now and then. I always enjoy the proper old folk music that is centuries old. This album is obviously not part of that. The 1960s English folk revival brought a lot of bands who essentially made their own folk songs, which is fine. The thing is, more feel like they never end. I have come across Pentangle before, particularly 'Once I Had a Sweetheart' from this album. It is a song that is fine for about 30 seconds, which is what I think about a lot of this genre and album. It becomes a struggle to listen to.

It says they are classified as folk, but for me its a little closer to celtic hippy, with an Alice and Wonderland playfulness and Indigenous undertones. I imagine this group sitting around a bonfire with a large group of people dancing around with long hair, flowers, limited clothing, and a lot of mind altering substances. It is really its own kind of thing, that I could really see was new at the time. Lyke-Wake Dirge felt a little cultish. I liked Training Song and Hunting Song (but it got long). I don't hate it, but I don't think I would seek them out again. Sally Go Round the Roses was good but felt really out of place.

Not sure how I'd feel about this album on any other day, but today sucks. And this album wasn’t my vibe. It wasn’t horrible though.

inoffensive ren faire music - a bone-headed take of mine is that everything that sounds like this sounds the same to me. 2.5/5

A trip to the Ren Faire was not what I was expecting today…

Lackluster. I'm not a huge folk fan as it is, but there wasn't any excitement behind their songs. Does Pentangle even enjoy making music? For what it's worth, Basket of Light contained an unusual sound. Folk and jazz aren't often combined, so at least they created unexpected music. Some songs even had an Asian influence. Anyway, I'll give this a 2 because it was indeed music--just not my thing.

This kind of gave me somewhere between medieval folk and psychedelic folk vibes. In any case, I wasn't much of a fan. They sang and played like their hearts weren't in it and that helped contribute to what I saw as a pretty overwhelming performance and album.

Largely forgettable. 2/5

Hard to believe this was ever cool

Interesting, the first song sounds familiar... Am I listening to church music?

Pretty boring.

It was kind of interesting at first but it lost me over time. I ended up just not really liking it without being able to put my finger on why. 1969 must have been a crazy time! 2⭐️

This was actually not as bad as I thought it would be, had some interesting sounds here and there, but I just don't see myself ever listening to it again. This is a perfect example of an album that I'd check out once out of curiosity, then forget it ever existed. 2.5 stars

Good Irish band. Nice sound.

OH this sounds very dated and a bit annoying.

Yeh

Unfortunately I have a horrific memory and should have reviewed this earlier HOWEVER I remember by the time I got to the roses song I was in the verge of just stopping altogether. I think slowly but surely it got intolerable and it just got blah. I wish that these albums were more obvious with their influence.

Começa interessante pela emanação com toques medievais e segue apenas nisso.

2/5. Psychedelia taken to the edge I think, just a complete reversal going to back to traditional songs and songwriting mixed with diverse instrumentation and choral arrangements. Mix that with a lot of psychedelics and you got this album. Were they fully present when signing these songs? Most likely not. It wasn't necessarily bad but I don't think I would ever go out of my way to listen to it again or share it with anyone. Maybe it will grow on me (or get worse) over time so for now it stays at 2. Best Song: House Carpenter, Hunting Song, Light Flight

It's like medieval kinda folk music...the more I listened to it the more I hated it.

hmm, kann ich irgendwie nix zu sagen, ist so dahin geplätschert

The Singing: 1 The Music: 4 Seems ahead of it's time. Lol.

I always enjoy a folk rock group, and this album started off strong, but lost me by the end. I don’t know exactly what didn’t work for me, but I thought it was just kind of average overall by the end.

Was hoping for a cool psychedelic experience, not folky church hymns. We going to get some Gregorian Chants on here too? Jesus...

Could be nice in the right circumstances?

Various folksy sounds

good but not for me

I really don't like this at all. It's way too twee, earnest and, frankly, boring.

Last 2 tracks were great, but the turgid folk/prog from the rest of the album was not for me.

Nope. Hippy dippy silly prancing merrymakers.

That's a firm 'meh' from me

Basket of pentarse

I enjoyed the couple of more folk-oriented tracks but the prog-medieval stuff is a bit too niche for my taste. And why three versions of the same song? Pentarse.

What is this folk baroque rock? Take these magic mushrooms, and offer a tribute to the Wicker Man.

Not as god awful as the Incredible String Band which I had a few months ago but still a similar level of hippie bullshit

A bit to folky for me. Don't get why the became song is in the album 3 times, weird. Not terrible tho

I like folk music. I like 60s/70s folk music. This, though, is just uninteresting. There is nothing different or distinct happening here.

Voice was a bit grating and not a lot of moments that stuck out. Probably won't revisit

I dislike Jacqui McShee's voice, to the point where listening to some of these songs was painful. Otherwise, the music is good.

Bland album.

First listen Saved 2/9 Top track: Springtime Promises

Folk rarely manages to get me going, and this was no exception to that generality. Fine enough music, but ultimately boring and forgettable in my opinion. Production was pretty solid, but I was not ultimately into this. 2 / 5.

Not very exciting. Not bad though. Not sure why there's 3 copies of Sally Go Round on the album. Was ready for this one to wrap up after about 15 minutes. 2.5 here that I definitely want to round down.

I bet the people in this band are really smelly. Not terrible but definitely way too crunchy for me.

whatever 2/5

Too much "soulful rich white girl" vibe

Very 60’s RenFaire. Would’ve been a higher grade if I was at an actual renfest

B tier lou reed/velvet underground/nico. Its aight

Levyllinen tätä on aivan liikaa kerta-annoksena. Huh, muuttuu turhankin raskaaksi biisi biisiltä, vaikka ei ole "raskasta" musiikkia.

Kuunneltava, mutta snadisti joutava

VERY tradish' folk. Lots of songs about weather and seasons. My Mum would enjoy it (she loves weather), but it wares a little thin and by the end I was longing for it to finish. Rating: 2.5/5 Playlist track: Light Flight Date listened: 17/06/24

Typical of late 60s folk rock for me, there is some cool instrumentation but I don’t care for the singing. Bert Jansch solo was a little bit better in that respect.

The music isn’t terribly interesting even though it’s the best part of the album. The vocals are bad. The affects and strange phrasings off putting.

This would have been better if Monty Python spoofed it.

Acabando la década de los 60, el folk británico alcanzó con este disco una de sus cumbres. Su encuentro con la música progresiva y el rock produce canciones tan emocionantes como "Light Flight". Destacaría el recurso a instrumentos orientales en la interpretación de la canción folk tradicional "Once I Had a Sweetheart", así como dos grandes temas: "Sally Go Round the Roses", una magnífica versión folk del clásico R&B del grupo de chicas neoyorquino The Jaynetts, y "Springtime Promises".

i don't know what that was

Another strange kind of renaissance album. A couple songs saved it from being absolutely terrible. 2/5 Won’t listen again

I’m not familiar with this artist or album, and folk music can be pretty hit or miss with me, so I knew this album would be a roll of the dice. I didn’t really enjoy this album that much. There were some pleasant arrangements and nice harmonies throughout this, but it was somewhat boring at times, and there wasn’t a lot of variation musically. There were a few songs that had some different sounds, like “Lyke-Wake Dirge” and “Hunting Song,” but even as the high points of the album, I think they were only slightly above average. This album was better than The Incredible String Band, but not by much. My favorite thing about this album was that I could hear how it influenced Nick Drake’s music. This album might have some cultural significance, but it’s not something I’d return to.

Voices are nice, not really my thing

As a rule of thumb, I don't have time for English folk rock. I find it tends to be overly mannered, uptight and a bit bloodless. Several albums on this list that have challenged my prejudices on English folkies (Fairport Convention, Richard & Linda Thompson, John Martyn), which gave me some optimism that Pentangle too would be more to my taste. But sadly, my hopes are dashed. I admire the technique of the various legendary players here, but I just find this lacking in soul. There just isn't any real life in it to my hearing. The only time my ears pricked up was during 'Sally Go Round The Roses', but only to wish it was the far superior 1963 version by the Jaynetts. Bored.

Not good

lol

I was surprised by this. I like Bert Jansch a lot, I know I've heard Pentangle that I quite like, and hadn't heard much of Pentangle that I don't like. There's a lot of Pentangle I don't like here. Nearly every time Jacqui McShee sings on this record it brings in a renaissance faire thing that I can't stand. Usually there's another instrument contributing to that too, but not enough to ruin it on its own. Hunting Song sounds passable when Jansch is singing, terrible when McShee is on. When it gets to the blues of Sally Go Round the Roses she sounds fine, like a normal person singing. Then on the two more traditional tunes that could go either way it just has to go ren fair. The jazz-inflected folk thing has been done to death since, music for half-interested folk festival crowds and for musicians to feel like they can put their degree to use. I can see not having time for any of it. I think when Pentangle is good they're way better than what they influenced. I bet Pentangle has an album worth of stuff I'd like. As a result of this one I'm far less likely to try finding it. music: hated. (⌐■_■)

Is this my type of music? No. Is this good music? Also, no. Am I glad I listened to it once in my life? Yes.

Nun ja. Nicht mein Stil.

This must have been England's response to Genesis

I could not get through this one. Just to baroque and I was not a fan of the vocal stylings.

Correcto musicalmente pero no vá.

Lieblicher Gesang und Gitarre, alles etwas zu pfadiartig.

This is just kind of drab folky nonsense. It's pretty nice until the lyrics kick in.

Of all the 60s folk rock albums packed to the gills with sitar this was one of the more bearable ones I suppose. Instead I listened to Paul’s boutique by the beastie boys and I think I appreciated it quite a bit more than when I was listening to it for the list. Really great production and genius use of sampling.

This was an odd one. Didn't mind some songs, hated some others.

Pretty good sounding late 60's music but again, did not stand out

Just not anything special is it really

Yeah, as per what you both have said. This is twee, dull, and utterly unremarkable. 2/5, it's not actively unpleasant but is no good.

Hailing from the early days of what would become the Folk influence, Pentangle start at the far extremes with something that can be classified as folk, but really sounds like the background music of a Renaissance Fair. 2.5/5

I can appreciate the musicianship and the lead singer’s voice was angelic and pretty but damn, I felt like I was at a Renaissance Fair surrounded by elves, dwarves and fairies and badly wanted to escape.

Some songs I liked, but some were a little too medieval or something.

Hellish piece of media. You will be hearing from my lawyers.

Not a fan of the medieval folk sound.

Hippie bullshit.

It turns out I have an allergic reaction to holy jazz folk.

Listened Before? N Interesting album. Eclectic and unclassifiable. If I were still a stoner I'd probably get way into it. As it is, I didn't mind it at all but probably won't revisit it. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Light Flight

It consistently may sound nice but this is just very standard ‘60s spiritual folk

„Normally“ I like these folk stuff - and also Pentangle. But this album was annoying to listen. No fun at all - only 2 stars and waiting for Clanned

Folk music album from the UK? What a surprise to find more UK artists on this list! /s Slow start to this album, started out thinking maybe its just not for me. It picked up a little towards the middle of the album but not enough to make it good. Best I can do is 2 stars for good vocals. 2/5

Very medieval, very boring.

I feel as though I should have been eating gruel in a medieval army camp. Favorite song was Train Song.

I like music from this era. I like music like this music from this era (Dylan, Mamas and the Papas, Simon and Garfunkel, etc.). This was boring. Beautiful, but boring. Definitely see the merit of it as a folk album. But it really wasn’t at all my jam. Too bad too because I had high hopes. 2.5 stars (rounded down to 2). Standout tracks: Hunting Song, Sally Go around the Roses

Weird

Meh. I didn't get through this album.

Obvious musical talent throughout the entire album, but I just can't appreciate the medieval festival vibe.

I don't know this and I did not care for it. Too medieval-sounding. The straight blues tracks were very nice, but they were few and far between. Nice to get some context on Bert Jansch. But I much preferred his solo work.

If you like to choose between varieties of tea and you smoke weed, you'll love this album. I could only make it through about half and had to switch over to something more modern-sounding.

Felt like Henry VIII was going to storm in the room and sentence me to a violent execution with a soundtrack to back it.