Jansch, Bert

Living In The Shadows Part 2: On The Edge Of A Dream

Earth Recordings

***Following on from Earth’s definitive collection of BERT JANSCH's 1990s works Living In The Shadows Part 2: On The Edge Of A Dream picks up from where it left off, bringing together Bert Jansch’s final recordings, made between 2000 and 2006. This remarkable anthology documents some of Jansch’s finest work, and a man at the top of his game, some forty years (!) after his first release. From the brooding resonance of Crimson Moon (where Jansch is joined by JOHNNY MARR, BERNARD BUTLER and JOHNNY "GUITAR" HODGE, as well as son ADAM JANSCH and Bert’s wife LOREN JANSCH) to the intimacy of Edge Of A Dream (Bernard Butler, HOPE SANDOVAL, DAVE SWARBRICK, RALPH MCTELL, Johnny “Guitar” Hodge, PAUL WASSIF, Adam Jansch and Loren Jansch) to the wondrous new folk / trad folk harmony of Black Swan (BETH ORTON, DEVENDRA BANHART, KEVIN BARKER, HELENA EPSVALL, Paul Wassif), these seemingly very different albums all speak of one thing: Bert’s natural talent for turning out extraordinary music, regardless of genre. Disc four, The Setting Of The Sun, takes in more demos and unreleased material, with guest appearances from GORDON GILTRAP and Johnny Marr adding additional delight for fans old and new. These peeks into Jansch’s recording process are nothing if not fascinating, with his home studio lending itself perfectly to any recording fancy he might arrive at. Like Part 1, this deluxe case-bound set exhibits the sublime attention to detail that has become Earth Recordings’ calling card. Liner notes come courtesy of colleague...

Jansch, Bert

Live In Australia

Earth Recordings

***There is something quite special about a live album—provided you can get over the envy at not having been present(!) It can sound a lot better than the gig itself without the risk of one’s toes being trodden or a shower of a fellow reveler’s beer. Certainly a BERT JANSCH gig was a treat however you experienced it, especially when he was at the top of his game, as captured on Live In Australia. Eschewing the familiar stalwarts of previous live sets, this memorable recording saw Jansch debut two new (at the time) songs; ‘Downunder’ and ‘My Donald,’ as well as ‘Little Max,’ which never had a studio outing (but will feature among the recently discovered home recordings in Earth’s 2017 Living In The Shadows collection). There is a warmth about this recording which echoes that of Live at The 12 Bar, recorded three years before. It’s mostly just Bert and his guitar, with the a welcome addition of intuitively placed flourishes of bass and percussion. This ambience is heightened by BRIAN PYLE's sensitive remastering, bringing a real intimacy to this enduring collection of songs.

Jansch, Bert

Living In The Shadows

Earth Recordings

***Signifying a return to form that heralded one of the most prolific periods of his life, this special collection features some of BERT JANSCH's finest work. Living In the Shadows includes an extra disc of demos, alternate versions and never-before heard tracks, transferred from Jansch’s personal tapes, alongside the three studio albums of the 1990s: The Ornament Tree, When The Circus Comes To Town and Toy Balloon.  This trio of works represents quite different facets of Jansch’s talent; where Circus is a bluesy, late-night sounding party, Ornament is altogether more subdued, drawing on MAGGIE BOYLE's bodran, flute and whistles to creative a sound that is nothing if not celtic. Toy Balloon falls somewhere in the middle, with that feeling of intimacy that is so Bert.  The real draw here for many Jansch fans will be disc four: unreleased tracks (including one with JOHN RENBOURN), as well as alternative takes of familiar songs from the ’90s period. Chosen specifically for their contrast to the studio versions, these tracks are often more stripped-down or without the embellishment typical of the era. Mostly recorded at Bert’s home studio, this unheard and unreleased collection, transferred from Bert’s own DAT tapes, has a intimate quality that is incredibly moving.

Jansch, Bert

From The Outside

Earth Recordings

***Recalling the elegant simplicity of Jansch's early works, 'From The Outside' sees Jansch return to the uncomplicated yet supremely effective sound of his eponymous debut. This is Bert laid bare – eschewing the more intricate arrangements of his surrounding works for the holy trinity of guitar, banjo and voice, perhaps reflective of his state of mind at the time. Stand-out tracks include ‘River Running’ and ‘Blackbird In The Morning’ which were both (amazingly) omitted from the original vinyl release.  One of Bert's rarest releases, this 1985 LP was originally issued as an edition of just 500 copies on the small Belgian label, Konexion. This issue unites the varied track listing of previous versions – both LP and CD, with many cuts appearing here on vinyl for the first time. Remastered from original tapes by Brian Pyle. Limited to 1000 coloured vinyl copies worldwide - 500 gold, 500 red.

Jansch, Bert

(Gold) From The Outside

Earth Recordings

***Recalling the elegant simplicity of Jansch's early works, 'From The Outside' sees Jansch return to the uncomplicated yet supremely effective sound of his eponymous debut. This is Bert laid bare – eschewing the more intricate arrangements of his surrounding works for the holy trinity of guitar, banjo and voice, perhaps reflective of his state of mind at the time. Stand-out tracks include ‘River Running’ and ‘Blackbird In The Morning’ which were both (amazingly) omitted from the original vinyl release.  One of Bert's rarest releases, this 1985 LP was originally issued as an edition of just 500 copies on the small Belgian label, Konexion. This issue unites the varied track listing of previous versions – both LP and CD, with many cuts appearing here on vinyl for the first time. Remastered from original tapes by Brian Pyle. Limited to 1000 coloured vinyl copies worldwide - 500 gold, 500 red.

Jansch, Bert

(Red) From The Outside

Earth Recordings

***Recalling the elegant simplicity of Jansch's early works, 'From The Outside' sees Jansch return to the uncomplicated yet supremely effective sound of his eponymous debut. This is Bert laid bare – eschewing the more intricate arrangements of his surrounding works for the holy trinity of guitar, banjo and voice, perhaps reflective of his state of mind at the time. Stand-out tracks include ‘River Running’ and ‘Blackbird In The Morning’ which were both (amazingly) omitted from the original vinyl release.  One of Bert's rarest releases, this 1985 LP was originally issued as an edition of just 500 copies on the small Belgian label, Konexion. This issue unites the varied track listing of previous versions – both LP and CD, with many cuts appearing here on vinyl for the first time. Remastered from original tapes by Brian Pyle. Limited to 1000 coloured vinyl copies worldwide - 500 gold, 500 red.

Jansch, Bert

Avocet

Earth Recordings

***NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!! BERT JANSCH was often quoted as saying “I’m not playing for anyone, just myself” and this feels no more apparent than on 1979’s Avocet, his beautifully meditative paean to British birds. This isn’t to say that Jansch was throwing commercial success to the wind, or was unaware of his audience, more that this album feels like a uniquely personal reflection of him. For fans of Jansch this is often the album that is singled out as his best work. The freedoms of a post-PENTANGLE career are much in evidence; folk rock and even trad folk give way to an album that is not only without lyrical accompaniment but really quite orchestral, classical even, in its composition. There are surprises in particular in ‘Lapwing’ (a dirge-like waltz that wouldn’t be out of place on a Nils Frahm album) and ‘Bittern’ (which speaks of Arthur Russell’s more experimental pieces). Last issued more than 25 years ago, this is Earth Recordings’ deepest Bert-directed bow to date. Featuring ex-bandmate DANNY THOMPSON, alongside MARTIN JENKINS with sleeve notes by Jansch aficionado COLIN HARPER (author of Dazzling Stranger: Bert Jansch and the British Folk and Blues revival). The vinyl edition comes with 6 high-quality lithograph art prints (by UK illustrator HANNAH ALICE) representing each of the birds on the album, held in a heavy board die-cut gatefold sleeve. This unique packaging is fully interactive—the cover image is interchangeable with any of the prints, though each one is perfectly frameable too. CD version...

Dyble, Judy

Anthology: Part One

Earth Recordings

***Earlier this year, JUDY DYBLE (FAIRPORT CONVENTION, TRADER HORNE, GILES GILES & FRIPP) issued her Gathering The Threads, a 3CD anthology of all the fragments that make up her—frankly extraordinary—career. Here, the first disc of the triptych is released as a deluxe vinyl compilation of her earlier work, as Anthology: Part One. Compromising rare, unreleased and hard-to-find tracks—many of which have never before been issued on wax—these 15 songs bring together Judy's most prolific period as a musician. LP limited to 1,000 copies. Includes a download with two additional tracks.

Trader Horne

Morning Way

Earth Recordings

***Originally released on Pye’s alt-label Dawn, TRADER HORNE's Morning Way is widely agreed to be one of the unsung musical treasures of the '70s. JUDY DYBLE (ex-FAIRPORT CONVENTION, GILES GILES & FRIPP, amongst others) and JACKIE MCAULEY (THEM) formed Trader Horne in 1969, naming their group—so the legend goes!—after John Peel’s Nanny. By turns folk (‘Jenny May'), pop (’Sheena’) and something altogether more esoteric (‘Velvet To Atone'), Trader’s only album is a shining example of the cult British psychedelic era. LP pressed on sunset red vinyl in an edition of 1,000 copies.