Reviews (page 7 of 8)
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.
Ugh I just love Pentangle, I have a soft spot for this stuff. It's just the right amount of English folk + psychedelic for me, great harmonies, great performances really. Really relaxed and enjoyable and fun. It also sounds really good as a record! I love how adventurous the arrangements can be, with the fairly limited instrument set they're working with. Cool sitar stuff. Yeah I love it. 4/5
Folk from 1969, haven’t heard of them. Nice vibes right away. 3.
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.
Great folk album. five out of five
Each track sounded like an intro track for a harder rock album, but of course the big hit never came.
Felt like Henry VIII was going to storm in the room and sentence me to a violent execution with a soundtrack to back it.
What genre is this? Ion know, but its cool. First song was the best song and ion fuck with that, SO A LIGHT 3
pinche música ancestral me tiene re loco wachito. 7/10. Super tranquilo y la voz de la chica me dejaba bien perrote bien animal asi bien canino.
I truly do not know what mood I might be in that would make me think … PENTANGLE! GET ME SOME PENTANGLE! The musicianship is certainly excellent, they clearly understand what they’re doing, and even the production is good given the year and the genre (which can often sound a big rough). But .. I found myself skipping through tracks because it simply did not resonate with me in any way. It even bordered on annoying at times.
Wasn’t sure what to expect because I really liked this one.
Not for me.
It's... not bad, but not good.
Fairport Convention without the heat.
Not quite for me, but this was VERY different. I can confidently say this is the first album on this generator that sounds medieval at times.
This sounds like the soundtrack to a nightmare about a Renaissance Festival. Truly awful.
I loved the instrumentals on this record! Very lush and beautiful. Enjoyable listen.
Pretty normal 60s folk album. Some songs seemed a bit similar to hymns. 2.5/5
Late 60s folk was wild
Wonderful voices, interesting music.
Smooth.
I went into this fearing the worst of crusty folk but it’s actually a beautiful, charming pastoral record
Jo passt schon
This is kind of a weird one for me to rate. Will I ever listen to it again? Probably not, it's just not for me. I was definitely impressed by some of the musicianship on this record though. They can definitely play their instruments well, and the record has some cool moments on it and some great arrangements. For that, I'll give it an above average score.
What the world needs now is another folm singer like I need a hole in my head...
Reminded me of a medieval carnival with people dancing in flowing garments chanting to the gods. Perhaps it I was high and had dropped some acid or mushrooms I would have appreciated it more.
favourite song: train song really enjoyed this. came at a pretty good time too cos ive been getting more into folk stuff in the last month or so.
Never heard of. Woo-woo-hippie start. Up next, appropriate musical sounds from India.
No
Nah
Some talented stuff and nice voices. Churchy cult vibe was throwing me.
It's like the worst parts of the Renaissance Festival in audio form.
Minus the songs that sounded like church hymns, I really liked it!
2,9
Annoying. Not super annoying but whatever the hell they were going for does not come off as cute or enjoyable it's just annoying. If you love lute music or the black Plague or something I'm sure this is for you.
Renaissance Fair music. Was a bit much.
Very folk for sure. Reminded me a bit of prob rock. Good listen but not my favorite.
listened to again this is probably my favorite folk rock record, it just screams \"renn faire\"
How is this on any top list? Pentacrap, Basket of crap. Was this meant to be a comic effort? This is a great example of music that is unremarkable and forgettable. If nothing else, it has me fired up to listen to something good.
Another band that I had never heard of. While my teenage self is rolling their eyes I did enjoy this album more than I thought I would.
5/10
Good folk and psychedelia album.
I really WANT to like folk music more than I do. Things I like already 1. Bert Jancsh (who is in Pentangle) (and is one of the many people Led Zeppelin ripped off) - I saw him do a gig at the Komedia in the 2000s and it's up there with the best gigs I've ever been too. There was a real sense of magic in the air. 2. "Let No Man Steal Your Thyme" by Pentangle. It was off the soundtrack to a recent film version of "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier. It has a sinister Wicker-Man-esque feel to it. It's that sense of sinister magic that I want from folk music. My problem is it often seems to "nice". I want that feeling of ancient pagan / celtic mysticism. But often it seems a bit twee. A bit Tom and Barbara from The Good Life. A bit 70s sit com, rather than 70s folk horror. And that's what I feel about this. I've tried getting into Pentangle before and I think I'm only every going to be a dabbler rather than a full convert. Hey! This has sitar on it! It's a weird combination of instruments - guitar seems folky, banjo seems like a American bluegrass input and sitar! for Indian mysticism and, er, The Beatles influence. This is also another opportunity for mean to moan about expanded editions of albums. I wish there was a clear line of seperation between the end of the track list which made the original album revered and the extra crap - out-takes, live versions etc - that they bump on the end. To be fair there's some albums where the extra tracks are my favourite (Brighten the Corners by Pavement being a prime example. It is only after me and Mark went to see them that I realised that all my favourite songs are B-side on the expanded edition of the album... because I am hipster than hip.) In this case, I think it might be both. I don't want the two extra versions of "Sally Go Round the Roses" but the two extra songs after that might be my favourites. They're just a bit groovier and swing a bit more than the ones on the original album. Anyway, I need to listen to this again. And probably explore folk generally a bit more.
Like the Big Bottom OG
Maybe a bit too renaissance fair-ish but overall I like it. I'm a big fan of Bert Jansch as a guitar player. 3 stars.
Pentangle - Basket of lights Wasn't sure what I was going to hear when this album popped up for today. But I feel like this would have been one of those artists you listen to at the Renaissance faire. Super folksy and reminiscent to early Simon & Garfunkel (Scarborough Fair). While I enjoy this music some of the time, I don't know if I was missing anything by never hearing it before now. I recommend that y'all just skip over this one as it's not anything mind blowing. 1/5
Ambient, little too religious for my taste
The acoustic instrumentation sounded good but the singing left something to be desired. Maybe folk is just not my jam.
A little bit psychedelic, perfectly enjoyable
British Invasion meets the renaissance fair. The standup base really added a cool element.
They sounded surprisingly progressive for their time? Their sound was awesome, but the lyrics and vocals did nothing for me. Likely won’t revisit
Didn’t like.
Yep folk music.
Får ångest av denna skiva. De är ju jätteduktiga på att spela men det är i slutändan för jobbigt att lyssna på. Kanske nån gång i livet när man får mer tid men inte nu.
Kul med något helt nytt. Aldrig hört talas om bandet. Första låten börjar piggt, intressant. Spontant passar kvinnorösten här. Lite upp och ned. Blandad framgång. Gillar skivan överlag. Skön stämning.
Inget större fel på hantverket egentligen, men den här typen av folkmusik väcker inget hos mig tyvärr. Det blir mest tråkigt i längden. Gillar inte tjejens röst heller.
First time listen. Was interested in the folk sound with excellent musicianship and voice. Not exactly what gets me up in the morning for music, but pleased to learn this album exists.
I'm not on enough drugs for this
Vermutlich wegweisend aber nix für mich - geht als Hintergrund durch.
Fín þjóðlagatónlist .... ekki alveg mitt te
Liked the slower songs best.
Taking most of the fun out of prog rock lol
This brings back the feel of music played on Sesame Street when I was a child in the early 70s. Very relaxing, very comforting. Some tracks also remind me of Loreena McKennitt. Having never heard of The Pentangle, I looked them up and saw their music described as "folk baroque." That's accurate!
I just can't vibe with the whole fol-de-lol type British folk. I love our folk history, but our music was terrible. No wonder so many people decided plague and famine were better options if this was the entertainment available. Anyway, that's what this is. Clearly made by talented people but just not for me
This was awesome! Can’t believe I hadn’t heard of these guys. It’s folk meets blues meets jazz meets Renaissance.
Like…it was good and then she started singing
Train song>>> Hunting song and Firey Light
Not very into folksy stuff but her voice is lovely
If i was at a tavern in the 1500s and this came on i would get sooo jiggy with it you dont even know
As a change of pace, it was lovely. I wouldn't want to listen too often, but it is well done folk.
Also interesting, in a completely different way from Suicide. The combo of medieval English troubadour songs with sitar somehow works.
This was a fairly entertaining, 'what if hippies did celtic'. First song was off, but I am glad I powered through that, because the rest of the album was mostly good.
Danny Thompson plays bass - got me through some of the overly precious moments. Kinda liked parts of it, and it is a little weird.
No, thank you.
Maybe no vocals would make it better for me. Its like unicorns and castles. Isk. Was hard to get through for me.
neat music with some cool instruments and good vocals.
I liked the hippie thing, but overall I'm kinda whelmed by this,
Not very good
I often find people comparing an album or other set of songs as a "Renaissance faire" in a negative connotation, even when I don't completely see a connection, such as with Tim Buckley's Goodbye and Hello. However, an album like this brings that comparison into an understandable light a bit more. I've heard albums that trend similar to this one, such as Leige and Lief by Fairport Convention, which I wasn't a fan of, but while that one trended towards boredom more than anything, this one just bothers me because of its potential. There are some excellent tracks hidden among the dullness here, such as the opening track and Train Song, but much of the album needs that extra oomph to not feel like I'm just exploring the basic "folk songs" section of a music library, or perhaps like a forgettable track on a Jefferson Airplane album. This album has lots of potential for me, but in the end just is a gateway into seeing what others see when they refer to something as "Renaissance faire," and mean it harshly.
Another album that relies on traditional English music but timed just after the British Invasion. Their use of traditional instrumentation and even some fantasy themed songs mark this as a classic folk album
uno de los 1 más fáciles de esta lista. Entiendo que hay que escuchar de todo en esta lista, al menos una vez por cada género, pero eso obliga a escuchar todo TODO. Y no estoy obligado a que me gusta.
Sensacional, sei nem explicar
Better that I expected.
I just can't get into folks at all whatsoever, and this album ain't gonna make me change my mind
This album made me laugh. I don’t think this was the artist had in mind.
Really not good.
weird but nice, kinda like Fairport at times. 3 stars.
It's fine. That's really all I can say. Fine.
Sally went around the roses one too many times.
I really enjoyed this one.
I really like this. never heard before. Groovy.
Celtic
This was weird. And great.
Better than Amy Winehouse
This was a surprise to me. The first song already had me hooked with its alternating 5/4 and 7/4. Overall really enjoyed this one.
More 60s folkish stuff. Getting a bit bored of it now.
A band that's right in my dad's wheelhouse but a new one for me. It didn't knock my socks off but I like it - it's got that rustic, medieval folk sound down to a tee, but the instrumentation still sounds rich, thanks to the glockenspiels, the sitars, and some very handy guitar playing.
Harmless, pleasant fun. Listening is like hanging out in a nice field on a warm sunny day, with flowers and drinking mead. some of the chants and vocals are Medieval
Renaissance fair ass music
Liked a couple songs but there were too many songs with weird - mid evil - vibes
10/10 I FUCKING LOVE BERT JANSCH
They were different times
Now this was a funky ass album that I was NOT ready for.. I saw the release year, and expected another "classic rock" kind of style band, but no way.. this band is fucking weird man, and I just adore them. More of a folk-rock feel to them, they feel very rural.. very like.. you'd hear them play at the town square in a small town in Norway. My favorite tracks on this thing have to be the opening track 'Light Flight' very very folky track, it floats along in such a unique way thats so catchy, you'll catch yourself singing along "ba ba ba-doo-ba, a thousand moons are about to die!". I really enjoyed 'Once I Had a Sweetheart' a beautiful almost renaissance feeling ballet about a lost love.. and once again, the next track was one of my favorites, 'Springtime Promises' just a great old folk song about spring coming into bloom and the promises a new year and new green can bring! 'Lyke-Wake Dirge' was a song that I originally did not like but it grew on me in time.. its just strange.. 'Train Song' has this great feeling of ditching town and all your responsibilities and being on a railcar in the early 70s, just a different time in life.. IM RUNNING AWAY! Man I just loved this album. 'Cold Mountain' reminded me of a vacation I just took with my girlfriend for my 30th birthday, to Floyd County.. It took me back to chopping wood, making fires, food on those fires. Also 'I Saw an Angel' is another GREAT track on this thing.. I wasn't the biggest fan of the tracks 'Hunting Song' and 'Sally Go Round the Roses' or 'The Cuckoo' but other than that, I actually really enjoyed this album. Overall: 3.3/5
Yllättävän hyvä! Pidin siitä, että oli brittihenkistä kansanlaulua ja countrya, sopivat kovin hyvin yhteen. Enkä ees yleensä jaksa folkia saati oikeasti kansanlauluja kovin kauaa. Tämän levyn kuunteli mielellään kokonaan. 60-luvun kuuli vain Intia-jutuista (niistä pikku cringe)
Tämä LP antaa folkista saman kuvan kuin simplistinen epookkidraama, jossa todellisuus värittyy mollivoittoisella romanttisuudella. Ei niin, etteikö tässä olisi jotain nautinnollista: tietyllä tasolla pidämme kaikki fantasiasta, jossa brutaalit valtasuhteet ovat "luonnollisia", ja viehätymme siihen liitetyistä kaihoisista soinnuista. Mutta onneksi voimme edes osittain valita, mitä tuotteita milloinkin kulutamme.
A lot of this reminded me of Nadja and Laszlo's band in the What We Do in the Shadows series.
The engineering here is truly fantastic for '69. Sure, there were a lot of bands doing cool stuff in the studio around this time but this album is exceptionally well-engineered and that's worth a star or two on its own. And it's a good thing that it's so well produced because, generally, this kind of dreamy, try-hard, medieval fairytale vibe would be a total turn off to me. But the engineering drew me in so fast and I got so absorbed in the production that the music itself snuck up on me and I found myself tapping my fingers along with the hand drums. Very surprising. Might have to come back and revisit this one.
Love Bert Janch. Guitar work on this is next level.
i feel like im at medieval times
Nice, decent folk album. Good balance of weird for me, especially the first half of the album. It did tail off towards the end, which reduced it from a solid 4 to a 3. First half was great though. New name on me too, not that Ill be rushing back. The female singer reminded me a bit of Patti Smith, imagine there’s an influence there
Generally quite liked this, soft artsy folk of the type that would have done very well in the last ten years (bet this is a often cited influence). Quality varied, some songs were better than others, Train song the best of the lot. Not generally my type of music and this hasn't changed my mind but I thought it was a good example, 3.5.
Felt weirdly religious. Not a massive fan of the woman's vocals, the man's were more to my taste and I enjoyed his songs more. Springtime Promises was solid.
This is the kind of music I'd except to hear in a tavern in medieval times. It's not really my type of music but this is what the list is all about, listening to something I wouldn't seek out. It has a very pleasant mellow sound and there are some really interesting guitar sections throughout. Having three version of "Sally Go Round the Roses" is pretty ridiculous, especially when the "Extended Version" is only 2 seconds longer! Highlights: Hunting Song Sally Go Round the Roses The Cuckoo
Enjoyed some of this, but the woman's voice was a bit too waily. Interesting folly sound otherwise though. Not sure Sally go round the roses warranted 3 versions of the track to be on the album, but probably one of the better tracks tbf. Probably won't be back but not bad at all
This was a beautiful album. It sounds amaazing in headphones wow. But I’ll probably not visit it again.
Once i had a sweetheart is very soothing. Overall the album is joyful and sparkly, the percussion rolls are really pleasant
Some hippie cult shit. Not my jam.
I appreciate that this list gives us some real hippie folk stuff once in a while. Not every song on this album is hitting for me but I like the gentle psychedelia mixed with the acoustic guitar riffing. But also, you know, my mileage with medieval-influenced folk music is pretty low. Some songs are very much in that style, others are more true to the time. So it depends on the track. The songs with 60’s-sounding guitar are what are keeping me interested here. I really like “Sally Go Round the Roses.”
Cool sound. The guitar work is really interesting and I love the little dissonances that get thrown in there randomly. It's like prog folk without going overboard? It's mixed really well for all of the instrument voices present. I can hear a band like Dirty Projectors loving this record. It is going by kind of fast for me, which is sometimes a cool thing and sometimes means that it's not doing enough for me. I picture this band in the current year of 2023 and what they would sound like. I think I would like the sound of this band once it's been marinating a bit if that makes sense? Like I want some evolution out of this record. 3/5
This may have been good for people on acid fucking each other in the mud 55 years ago, but I had to listen to punk for 3 hours after this album to get the taste of patchouli out of my mouth. No thanks.
Folk and kinda proto-prog rock given the depth of instruments and sounds. I really like it, though vocally it can become a bit tiresome.
British folk record with excellent musicianship and vocals. I like this style but even I can only have so much of a dose. This was just the right amount.
Good harmonies. Some pretty folks songs. Not bad.
A little torn. I don't usually like to rate things high that I can't really see putting on again anytime soon, but it was so well done that I think I have to rate it a little higher. Probably between a 3 and a 4 for me, if 3.5 was an option, it's what I'd go with. But because I can't see putting it on again anytime soon, I'll round down this time. Not bad at all, though!
the worst kind of village-fete renaissance fair folk shit.
Folk Rock. Ok to listen to from time to time.
Maybe there is a time and a place for this medieval sounding folk but I just couldn't get into it at this time. Should revisit at some point.
Reasonably pleasant listen. Probably not gonna listen to it again.
I think I like Fairport Convention better. Far better, actually. What else do you want me to say? It's skillfully played and sounds decent at first, generally speaking. But when that humourless mimicry of a medieval/gregorian chant turned up by track four, I couldn't help rolling my eyes up to the back of my head. Same with the overaffected tones of that lead singer. Who can listen to that shit seriously in 2023??? At least with Fairport Convention / Sandy Denny, you had many moments filled with genuine, tangible emotions. Likewise, the much-maligned The Incredible String Band (much-maligned on this app, at least) could display off-kilter psychedelic moods going beyond the occasional mandatory late-sixties sitar--giving some of their tunes a potential fresh flavor today. In comparison, most of *Basket Of Light* sounds like aimless noodling and empty exercises in style. It's biteless, tasteless, and harmless. Utterly boring record. Nice glockenspiel arrangements, though. I wish I could erase everything else, and only keep those. :D So, just like that other reviewer's wife, I roll my eyes and turn away. I'm aware that Bert Jansch is supposed to be a legendary British folk artist, but I'll try my luck with him on a solo album, I guess... 1/5 for the purposes of this list, which translates to a 6/10 grade for more general purposes. Next, please. Number of albums left to review: 383 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 280 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 146 Albums from the list I won't include in mine (many others are more essential to me): 197 (including this one)
I thought this was bloody awful. May I never have to listen to this again. Interestingly, the last couple of songs were almost bearable - maybe I got used to it? Still don’t like it. Listens: 1 is enough for me Fave track: Cold Mountain Rating: 1
i can tell this is special but folk, like country, very rarely moves me deeply, it usually sounds like a LARP
Nice fairytale music. 3.5
Essential Tracks: Hunting Song Sally Go Round the Roses Once I Had a Sweetheart
I liked that. Gentle, Wicker Man vibe
Folky album, was okay listening. One song reminded me of something
A band you might enjoy seeing at Woodstock, but wouldn't care too much about missing next to the rest of the lineup. I'm pretty lukewarm on this one. On one hand, the almost fairytale-like orchestration of strings and airy vocals are pretty beautiful. But that gets quickly dropped for bluesy guitar melodies and uninteresting lead vocals. A more stripped down track list probably would've done this one more favors.
Perfectly delightful folk tunes blending ethereal vocals and intricate instrumentation across a variety of vibes and musical moods.
The last song saved this from being a 1*
Folk/medieval vibe with a lot of melody Light flight was instant favourite, I don’t like their disjoint songs as much
Voice a bit droney, music pretty ok.
Happy and light - enjoyed the Sitar
This album has absolutely no business being on this list, or any list, unless it’s a list of absolutely overwrought, poorly written and mind-bogglingly boring albums. I find this so much more offensive than hardcore pornography.
This album was a trip, the European folk parts had me going "huh this would be great in Skyrim". The rest was decent/fun. 3/5
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Not sure what I'm listening to, but I feel I should be in a field with a torch and horn of mead. If this was cool when it was released, it has not aged well.
Album 204 of 1001 The Pentangle - Basket of Light Rating : 3 / 5 Basket of Light is a 1969 album by the folk rock group Pentangle. It played and I listened. I guess this type of album is the reason I'm listening through all of these. Probably wouldn't have ran across this one, otherwise. Very pleasant. Not something you're really going to groove to.
It sounds like some good campfire songs. Not sire why it made the 1001 though.
The first song, with it’s Beatle-esque riff, folk guitar and jangly pop could only have been released in the 60s. I also loved “The Hunting Song” with its dual lead vocals and jazzy instrumentation, which includes some crazy double-bass. Also, “House Carpenter” with the banjo and sitar playing off each other. Jacqui McShee and Bert Jansch are good vocalists but when they share the vocals the contrast is amazing. And the fact that the whole band sings makes for some very untraditional harmonies. As much as I liked those tracks (and "Lyke-Wake Dirge") there were a couple of stinkers on the album and it was a no more than a 4 for me. Then I watched the 1971 live performance of “The Hunting Song” on YouTube and was blown away (as much as you can be by watching five people sitting around) so it’s +1.
Folk rock isn't my jam but I can see the appeal of this record by Pentangle that was led by the prolific Bert Jansch. Wiki informs that Pentangle is based on the device on Sir Gawain's shield from the Middle English poem... hence the almost medieval sound of this band. They also sound very similar to Renaissance, which was more prog than folk so I like the latter more. Nice writing, good music-manship and nice female vocals, so I give it a nod, but I wouldn't seek this out for repeated listenings to be honest.
приятный женский вокал, но фолк мне ничей не нравится (кроме новозеландского!)
Too far out of my wheelhouse to enjoy at all. The vocals are what Truly takes me out of the music....the instrumentation itself is enjoyable.
It was fine. Not really what I'm into.
Decent for that style, not really my thing
Folk music is definitely not in my likes list and Basket of Light was no exception. This sounded like I was at Church, particularly on Lyke-Wake Dirge. The arrangements were mildly intriguing, but not enough to get me to enjoy it that much. Best: Light Flight Worst: Once I Had A Sweetheart
Alright
Interesting listen but definitely an acquired taste that I am not going to give further chances to grow.
I hadn't heard it before. Pleasant surprise. It reminded me of fairy metal like Nightwish and Within Temptation, but it's obviously not metal at all. The singing, the mysterious fairy tale lyrics, the entrancing arrangements. Very well played. Sometimes they get carried away with melodies that are more appropriate for instruments than for singing, but in general it's very good. Favorite song: Light Flight.
Nothing stood out other than a few minor guitar moments but not my jam
Better than most of 1001’s 1960s folk-greensleeve throwback albums, with beautiful vocals. Would not,however, listen to this again.
Interesting but it is difficult to listen to the full album
With a name like Pentangle, I was expecting some sort of death metal so it was actually very refreshingly pleasant to hear the light folky strains of this album. Some nice percussive guitar playing and a mixture of male and female leads.
Meh, totally not my style.
Initially I thought this was just some ok folk rock, but then I got to Train Song and it blew me away. The rest from there on was fantastic as well. Great album!
Wtf is this? Is this what the knights of the round table were jamming to?
Took me back a few years to a time before crude and non-musical music took over the world. A joy to behold.
Woof. This was rough. I ended up skipping through tracks, and that was more than enough.
I tried but I just couldn't
Not for me, that's for sure.
I’m rather cheating with this one, as this is already a favourite album of mine. Imbued with dark magic, this wonderful collection of harmonic songs marrying the ancient and modern is delivered with remarkable artistry by the twinning guitars of Renbourn and Jansch and one of British Folk Music’s very finest voices
This is delightful. This album has shades of 70s prog rock blended with the sensibilities of a medieval bard.
I don't like how the harmonies mix. It seems like they are in the wrong keys at times. Its disjointed to me.
I truly don't understand the low scores, that's something beautiful! Incredibly interesting fusion of genres
Hm
A really invigorating listen. Never listened to Pentangle, or Bert Jansch really. Though after this I am looking forward to his solo stuff and work with The Byrds. Oh no wait that's Gram Parsons. Recalled I have actually heard his solo record in this book, I preferred this album though overall on first listen, the first half particularly.
Weird Folk rock. Not sure if I like it or not.
Pentangle is at their best when mixing their influences with their own style. Bert Jansch’s solo work is a good example of it done right. The album is hit and miss, but all of it beautiful. I enjoyed it all, but will probably not listen to some again. 3/5
for doing a related thing (aggressively acoustic, folky to the point of medieval), blows Incredible String Band out of the water. Still would prefer something more along the lines of Renaissance, get a little more ambitious with the arrangements, y'know,
Genres: Folk jazz, folk rock Formed: London, England in 1967 Run time: 13 songs, 52 min, 27 sec The third album by the folk rock group. The album reached #5 in the UK album chart. Spotify: Least popular song: >113k Most popular song: almost 4M plays. “Light Flight” suggests leaving the hustle of the city and finding calm and solace in the country. We should also remember our time on Earth is fleeting. “Once I Had A Sweetheart\" is about a woman whose lover abandons her. The song describes her feeling of loss and sorry. She then dreams she is still with the lover. She then goes on a journey as a distraction from the loss, before finally accepting that the lover is gone and she must move on and live again. “Springtime Promises” describes the cycles of nature and the promises each season brings. “Lyke-Wake Dirge” is a traditional English folk song associated with death and sung at wakes. It is a warning to be charitable during life, or pay the consequences in the next. “Train Song” is about love and the pain of separation. “Hunting Song” is about pursuit and conquest, be it a beast being hunted, love, war or the truth. “Sally Go Round the Roses” is a reference to the childrens nursery rhyme \"Ring Around the Rosie\", which (fun fact) is actually about the Black Death. Perhaps the song is suggesting caution as things aren’t always what they seem. The song is a cover of the 1963 hit by The Jaynetts, a Bronx-based one-hit wonder girl group. The song is open to interpretation, but the general consensus is that it is a warning (about heartbreak, infidelity, drug use, illegitimate motherhood, madness, suicide, and lesbianism, presumably not all at the same time). “The Cuckoo” “House Carpenter” is about a woman who has a chance to marry a prince, but she loves and marries a house carpenter instead. She is convinced to leave her husband and children for the prince. The ship they leave in, goes down and too late, she regrets her choices. I guess the message here is that the grass isn't greener. I’m not a fan of folk but there is something hauntingly beautiful about the harmonies. Listen Again?: No My Rating: ***
I liked it more than I expected to. A lot of it kind of sounds like Ren Faire music, but that's not necessarily a negative for me. The vocalists are both pretty great, and I liked what felt like the more experimental tracks on the album. My favourite songs were Light Flight and Train Song.
This album was pleasant enough. The British folk revival is not something I’ve had too much experience with but I enjoyed this album. Though the album includes jazz and Indian classical music influences, it is still recognizably British folk. The vocals reminded me of the Fairport Convention and I found the instrumentation to be well done.
WTF
3.5
A magical, mystical little journey. This was not my cup of tea, but it wasn't completely terrible. Hunting Song was kinda fire.
A real treat - a lovely album full of gorgeous acoustic instrumentation and harmonies. Did Pentangle kind of made folk rock cool?
Fun sitar
p166. 1969. 3 stars. Perfectly acceptable and slightly twee 60s English folk, close your eyes and you can almost smell the patchouli oil and incense. Bonus points for quality musicianship and Jacqui McShee's ethereal voice. And as with most 60s albums, it doesn't outstay its welcome.
This is objectively good medieval chanting classical folk? I enjoyed the listen but it was almost surreal to have something like this on the list as relatively modern music.
I was really hooked by the first three songs, "Light Flight" "Once I Had a Sweetheart" and "Springtime Promises." The fourth song - a literal dirge, "Lyke-Wake Dirge" - kills the momentum and the album never fully recovers. Nonetheless this band has caught my attention.
It's like Nick Drake got properly treated with experimental anti-depressants, fell in love with a girl at a Renaissance Fair, and joined a commune/band with her near Stonehenge. Though the voices are pretty, I kind of wish this was purely instrumental so I could focus more on the intricacies of their interplay.
Theatre kids who decided to get into music. Not bad but… definitely not my genre.
Folk music but with better instrumental accompaniment. Nice to Monday by
Oh I do love some wonderful folk music. It was a lovely blend of voices and acoustic instruments, and a lovely blend of traditional and new songs.
The opening bars of the first track had me super interested...then the vocals came and became quite hesitant...but then after I got my ears adjusted to what this album would be introducing me to, I REALLY dug it!
Loved it! Indeed a basket of light. Super sunny.
I was not aware of my need of some rock-tinged-renaissancy-baroque-folk until this fell into my lap. Fantastic! How I wish I could have seen this performed in the Royal Albert Hall.
En mode ménestrel
Bert Jansch tu es un frerot
Some wonderful musicianship especially guitar playing. There are a few songs that I quite enjoyed but overall not xomething I would return to. 3 stars
Hippy bullshit
Pleasantly forgettable
Interesting but not my cup of tea
crazy hippy shit, pretty listenable. I'd be going 2.9 here if I had more room
folk nonces
Basket of shit
the sound of bardic winter tales at a cozy quiet medieval tavern, ft. a solid amount of semi-psychedelic sitar
Honestly didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. The folk/Celtic/indie/etc sound really defies classification. Some tracks feel almost medieval in nature, but in a great way. I'll have to explore them more as an artist.
I will never understand this list. In the artists page on apple music this one is under compilations and I'm not sure what that even means. The cover makes this look like a live album but it doesn't exactly sound like one? Who knows. But then you click on the wiki entry and the best single...BEST...reached 43 on the UK charts...not even the US charts. Not even top 20 or 30 or even 40!!!! While the album looks like it was number 5 that still doesn't tell me much. If only there was a 1001 albums list made by someone else...anyone else. I bet we would be getting much better classics than this.
Really enjoyed this one! Very folksy, with an air of mystery, reminded me of the kind of music you hear in The Wickerman, from some distant English isle. A lot of that is due to the vocals, a bit like a Joni Mitchell siren, and then the instrumentation ranges from traditional/folksy stuff to some psychedelia. Just a really cool variety album. Favorite tracks: Light Flight, Once I Had a Sweetheart, Hunting Song, House Carpenter, I Saw an Angel. Album art: Honestly a really cool picture, if we're interpreting an artist's view of the lights in a theater setting to be a "basket of light," that's pretty cool. The glare here is really effective. What's up top there, is that a loge? 4/5
A nice folk album, not really to my taste but can appreciate why this is on the list.
Highlights: \"Light Flight,\" \"Train Song,\" \"Hunting Song,\" \"House Carpenter\" Might win out over Liege and Leaf for the highlight of this genre in this year. The performances aren't always as tight, but the original songs are better written and more frequent, and the music is more ambitious. You definitely get a sense of how \"folk rock\" informed prog with this album, and yet this is much more comfortable track for track than the general melodrama of that other genre. Strong album!
Some fun ones on here, overall found it a little less polished than Fairport Convention's Liege & Lief
It's ok, could be any folk band really 2.6
Back to psychedelic folk
Cool Folk album I have never heard before. Weird there are three versions of one song on here though.
Not a fan of 1960s folk music. This is better than some others though. 2.5
I have never heard of this group or this record before. Very enjoyable late 60s folk record.
Way too folky for me
More to enjoy here than I was expecting. Yes, it’s very ‘rural’ folk but the guitar work is pretty funky- almost sounds like slap bass? Nothing I will revisit though.
They're funky. And I can dig it. Got a little annoying at the end but oh well.
I give ones when I’m actively annoyed. If it was instrumental I think I could have handled it.
I’ll preface with…I can’t stand Joni Mitchell and her pretentious wandering around the scale bullshit. So this album lost me at track 1. But it in fact got worse. It never knew what it wanted to be. Folk, gospel, rock, Gregorian chants…like what the fuck? Garbage
Very interesting album. "Folk jazz" is how it was described to me, and as odd as it sounds, it fits. Not exactly my cup of tea, just certainly a worthwhile experience.
Uk folk rock, har da lidt charme, men også lidt for kedeligt
Not bad music, but weird. Probably wouldn't listen to it again.
Decent 7
Cozy yet adventurous. This is what quality folk sounds like. I felt rural AF as I commute across the busy city.
Ja, folky. Tenenkrommend vaak maar ook best mooi met vlagen
Ik ruik wierrook en zit ineens in een linnen jumpsuit in een tipi! Gauw afgezet.
Beetje gedateerd en kon mij weinig bekoren
Oef dat was een lange zit. Zweverig hippie-gezever.
Na Korn was dit nogal een overgang.
Good start. Okay I did not know this band but by the cover I definitely did not expect that. Like it. Okay... nevermind... I'm in the 4th song y ya me siento como que evangelizada medieval.... Espero poder terminar de oirlo. Logré escuchar hasta la canción 8.... escuchare Miles Davis.
Folk-rock de finales de los 60. Tranquilo de escuchar y relajado. Voces suaves y sosegadas
Really old style folk music 2.5
The first of many to come on this journey of 1001 Albums, I was hesitant going in having never heard of The Pentangle, but my worries were swept away at first drum beat and guitar pluck of album opener "Light Flight". A fantastic blend of folk guitar, double bass, and voice, Basket of Light is the perfect sound to put on and just let the music take you in and into what feels like a different time. Notable tracks include "Light Flight", "Hunting Song", and "The Cuckoo". Had I not started this journey I doubt I'd have ever stumbled across The Pentangle or any of these tracks at all, but I can say now that I might be a fan, and will try and explore the band more in the future.
4/5 Basket of Light by Pentangle is a captivating album that showcases the group's exceptional musicianship and unique fusion of folk, jazz, and traditional influences. Released in 1969, it solidified their place in the British folk scene. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the album, though I found a couple of songs to be a bit churchy in their tone. The skilled musicianship displayed throughout Basket of Light is truly impressive. The intricate guitar work, masterful fingerpicking, and intricate interplay between the instruments create a rich and immersive listening experience. Tracks like "Light Flight" and "Train Song" exemplify the group's ability to craft intricate arrangements and showcase their individual talents.
Oh, no thank you.
Jazzy British folk featuring unusual instrumentation and utilizes conflicting melodies and unusual time signatures that creates a lush rich atmosphere. Hardly any repetition, with each song based around some unique tone or technique, like the medieval polyphony of "Lyke-Wake Dirge", or the intensity of "Train Song" with the repeated guitar and the strings near the end, or the crazy banjo and sitar playing of "House Carpenter". Huge fan of the vocal style, reminding me of the Fairport Convention, cool and mysterious. The double bass is a unique take, and I'm a sucker for a sitar, so there were hardly any songs I disliked. In fact, I went back over each song, and the only ones I didn't fall for were "Springtime Promises" and the cover "Sally Goes Round the Roses" (probably cause I kept thinking I like the original more?)
Fairly static folk music with gospel undertones. A lack in lyrical content made for a majority of the song writing content just being "la la la ooh ooh ooh la la la"
This one was a pleasant surprise. Based on the fact that it's a folk band I've never heard of and the cringe-worthy title "Basket of Light", I thought for sure that this was going to be "let's sit around the campfire and praise Jesus" kind of album. It was definitely a lot more interesting than that. From reading into the band, it sounds like they were considered fairly influential, which is all the more surprising that they're not more well known now.
BL: never heard of Pentangle before, I like the RAH feature in the album cover. AL: it wasn’t my thing massively. I enjoyed many aspects and I can objectively say this is a “good” album. However it doesn’t align with my tastes, folk-rock has never massively been my thing. There were some tracks I could find myself getting into, but generally speaking I didn’t think this was to my tastes, despite being a very clearly well crafted album full of love. FT: “Springtime Promises”, “Cold Mountain”, “I Saw an Angel” 2/5
Not really much to make of this. Was rather boring. Might revisit.
This is pretty cool. Nice to listen to, feels like a story telling session in a remote country tavern. Hard to go past Sally Go Round the Roses as a standout track as it's on the album 3 times.
Mmmmm, folky! A very pleasant album - definitely Wicker Man vibes in places. Fave track - "Hunting Song", no doubt!
Also weird but good
Every song sounded the same
Sättet hon sjöng på påminde om cranberries.
Jag kände olika med låtarna. Sallt låten kåndes liksom som en gammal 60-tals låt liksom (albumet kom -69) medan flera låtar som The Cuckoo lät som om jag kom till en by i en fantasi film
I thought it was rather fabulous. Normally this sort of folk ages pretty badly but this endures through pure quality. Excellent
Dnl yet
Folky. 2.5 maybe. Not my sound
Intermittently lovely and mostly interesting but certainly sub-sublime. There are moments of cringeworthy period stereotypicality (e.g., vocals on "Springtime Promises"), but for updating madrigals one thinks not much could be better. All that plus some glockenspiel and is that a sitar one hears, too? Male vocals leave something to be desired and there's a whiff of "eat your vegetables" to the overall proceedings (though one likes vegetables).
Wikipedia labels this as “folk jazz”? Finally found a genre that doesn’t rly go with jazz
I find it difficult to criticize this without saying the word "twee" but it is. The first track (Nightflight) is the standout track but its all pretty solid folk.
Before today I'd never heard of Pentangle before. The album cover provided no hints as to what I was in for, so I googled their name. The first thing that came up was the definition of Pentangle, which is "another word for pentagram". Given that definition, I figured I would be in for a heavy metal album perhaps? What I heard was the polar opposite! Pentangle are a folk group from the UK. Their music includes dual guitars (one artist who is Blues trained, and one who is folk trained), amazing bass grooves, and male and female vocalists. The singers are amazing, and the harmonies created by the two of them is beautiful. This album also prominently features sitar and glockenspiel parts, which is awesome!! These guys remind me a lot of Fairport Convention. This album combines jazz, Blues, and folk along with some psychedelica into one beautiful album. They may start a jazz number, then flawlessly switch genres half way through. Overall, an amazing album! Another one that blindsided me! I love discovering these kinds of records! I will absolutely listen again, I listened to it twice today! Favorite songs: House Carpenter, Hunting Song, The Cuckoo, Sally Go Round the Roses, Once I Had a Sweetheart, Springtime Promises, Lyke-Wake Dirge, Cold Mountain Least favorite songs: Train Song 5/5
I mean you can hear the influence, but it's really tough.
Damn, this hippie shit sucks. All that's missing is my weed/LSD and long hair. Jokes aside, this is just not very good, I don't know how anyone could find this enjoyable. 2/10.
I initially thought the cover was a occultish image of a bunch of tents in a field- not the Royal Albert Hall. Out of the renaissance-fair-esque albums I've heard so far, Pentangle's Basket of Light sounds the most like it was recorded in a mystical forest. Not crazy about every track, but most of the trad songs slap. Appropriate for a sunny Easter Sunday, and, I'm sure, for the woods at twilight Highlights: "Once I Had a Sweetheart", "Springtime Promises", "Lyke-Wake Dirge" April 9, 2023 3.5 for now
It has a very church/cult kind of sound to it. Would probably go well in a soundtrack dealing with those topics...
Not really my thing
This album was genuinely surprising to me, not anything I would normally listen to but it all sounded great.
This was pretty cool. Straight-up hippie folk. Some psychedelic elements in there too. Has a sort of medieval vibe to it.
I'm sure this style isn't for everyone, but I'm reading Lord of the Rings right now, and this kept giving Tom Bombadil and Goldberry vibes. So it's a win for me
Folk britànic de primera línia en el seu moment històric de major creativitat. Més accessible que altres discos seus o que contemporanis com Steeleye Span i Fairport Convention, però tot i així molt arrelat al génere. L'inicial 'Light Flight' és hipnòtica, una de les millors representacions del folk britànic d'aquells anys
Beautiful.
3.8 - Acoustic hippy folk rock in the vein of Van Morrison, Donovan...induced with a heavy dose of Indian sitar (as was typical of the era). Considering its year of release, this record is exceptionally well-recorded, highlighting the husky sounds of the acoustic instruments down to the guitar string bends. There's a lot to love about this record, particularly the choral arrangement on "Lyke-Wake Dirge", the instrumental interlude on "Train Song", the funky bass on "Springtime Promises." Sadly, the energy starts to flag at the end. The last two songs lean too heavily into the realm of British traditional folk with stories of melancholy with lots of musical repetition.
Not a bad album. The more song-y tracks are definitely good, but when it got to the medieval ho-nonny nonny stuff I'm afraid it went a little over my head. Not that I didn't like it but I didn't see it as something I would be casually listening to again.... not bad
Way better than I thought it'd be. Some great musicians in this band. Best songs: Springtime Promises The Cuckoo (best song - Uncle Kevin song)
What a weird album. These songs sound like they would be used for a 1971 B-movie about a murderous band of hippies, especially during a scene where they are dancing around chanting. All filmed with a dreamy, grease lens of course.
7/10 I’m not usually a fan of the 60s British folk revival stuff, but I liked the vocal performance and the jazzy touches on a few songs
5/10. This list is really starting to try my patience for British folk
Dunno why this has such a negative global rating when it’s just kinda meh. 5/10
Interesting and unique sound, sounds contemporary and authentic, and I particularly like the exchange between male and female vocals. Just drags on a bit and has no real high moment, but decent folk to have in the background overall.
Quite an enjoyable album, I like the middle ages influence and their voices combine and harmonize very well
Not my style of music, but a few very beautiful moments on that record.
I nearly fell asleep, not entirely in a bad way
My partner hated this. I went from like to luke warm few times. It took me a while to get through it. It feels like one I would have to be in the mood for, perhaps walking in a forest
Love the instrumentation and vocal style. Would love to hear this stuff live.
Everything sounds pretty much the same
Church songs... And why the hell do they make a extended version with 3 versions of the same boring song?
not bad at all, reminds me of jethro tull somehow
The music is intriguing, but that whiny English folk style of singing does not appeal to these ears.
House Carpenter is excellent, but ultimately, my wife came into the kitchen whilst I was working and listening to this album through the Bluetooth speaker and said “What the fuck are you listening to?”
Felt like I had just cut off the head of a Necker on my way to Velen but occasionally stopped off to suck on a Succubus’ tit. It produced some imagery of Witcher 3 and also What We Do in the Shadows. 1 star for each
Perhaps it's the new boots I'm wearing for the upcoming Ren Faire, or the snow blanketing the mountains after this rare storm, but this album just hit the right little folksy spot for me this morning.
Fun little folk record, no complaints
Another familiar band name whose music I'm entirely unfamiliar with. I had high hopes for it, especially with a couple of my favourite Trad. songs appearing herein. But when all was said and done I wasn't wowed or inspired. Mostly I just wished I hadn't ended the Jason Isbell marathon I'd begun the day with. It was listenable enough, just not something I think I'd listen to much.
Super cool worldly experimental folk from the late 60's
Much British, very folk
Interesting arrangement of instruments. There's a fairy tale vibe going on with a slight medieval theme. I will definitely give this another listen but with a good pair of headphones the next time.
Basket of Light was an interesting album to listen to. I've never heard any of the music or of Pentangle before. The album felt like a mix of folk, celtic and pop music. The album sometimes sounds like you took the Mamas and the Papas to a renaissance fair. I enjoyed hearing something different. "Springtime Promises" and "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" were the tracks I liked the most. "Lyke-Wake Dirge" is not a typical entry on this list. The track could belong to a Sunday church service.
Suuuuuper chill och swag
Wonderful album. Having Bert Jansch and John Renbourn in the same band makes for some inimitable guitarwork, and interplay between all the band members is captivating the whole way through. Definitely give this album a listen
Gillar inte den kvinnliga solisten jättemycket... hon lägger lite för mycket sås på det för min smak! Men annars mysigt
Really interesting. Likely won't listen again but it's good
Say what you want about this record, but, for better or for worse, there aren’t many that sound like it. To state the obvious: it’s a jazz-folk-psychedelic trip through Renaissance England. And I am here for it. John Renbourne and Bert Jansch provide the most solid instrumental foundation for any album to succeed, but Jacqui McShee’s vocals flit weightlessly around the whole record. It conjures the same eerie juxtaposition of contemporary and profoundly folkish as the Wicker Man soundtrack (songs like Luke-Wake Dirge almost demand a Maypole to be truly appreciated). It’s a product of its time, and by no means perfect. But I love it, and that’s why I’d give it 4.5 (rounded up).
I have no idea what I'm listening to, I'm gonna be honest. Usually I can find something in it that's familiar but I have no idea this time. It's good, I'm not gonna lie but it's odd. It got very religious out of nowhere too. Some of this kinda reminds me of Kate Bush in a weird way.
Really enjoyed this one, especially the female vocals on this are spectacular
Disc folk clàssic i ben executat, però que acaba avorrint una mica.
This was weird. Part of it sounded like the Medieval Times soundtrack and part had a culty vibe. Not for me.