Artist: Bert Jansch
Album: Bert Jansch
Year: 1965
Jansch was a Scottish folk singer who would prove to be a major influence upon many of the artists yet-to-be introduced among these 1001 albums--namely Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkel, and Led Zeppelin. I can also spot a somewhat striking melodic influence upon the early material of modern-day indie poppers Belle & Sebastian. Jansch's voice isn't too far removed from that of B&S's Stuart Murdoch. Probably even more like that of Nick Drake, really.
I was not too crazy about this album, all told, but it has its moments of startling beauty. "Courting Blues" and "Dreams of Love" have warm and comforting melodies, but the big winner here is "Needle of Death," a beautiful song and genuinely-affecting musing on death by drug overdose.
A good number of these songs are instrumentals that don't seem to add much to the proceedings, and those with lyrics are kind of hit and miss, as if Jansch was struggling a bit to find his footing as a songwriter (this album was his debut). Is this a "must-hear" album? Not really, but definitely do listen to "Needle of Death"....here ya go...
Rating: Not worth a listen
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