Search - John Renbourn :: Transatlantic Collection

+ 1/2 Stars: A Terrific Overview

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 07/17/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a top-notch overview of John Renbourn's most productive period, roughly 1965 to 1976. The only thing that kept me from giving this a five star-rating had nothing to do with the music itself, but a lack of comprehnsive liner notes. There are decent enough sleeve notes by Alan Robinson along with numerous album covers (often front and back) as well as a couple of photos, but there is no information for the 34 tracks included in this anthology. The tracks are not presented on disc chronologically, and unless you're a serious fan of Renbourn's work it's difficult to know which tracks are Pentangle songs, solo numbers or duets with Bert Jansch. [Also worth noting: The fold out booklet uses illustrations of album covers from Renbourn's The Black Balloon and both John Renbourn Group studio albums A Maid in Bedlam and The Enchanted Garden, yet none of them are sampled on this anthology.]Here's what you get:John Renbourn (1965): Track 19; an original tune from John's debut album.Bert and John (1966): Tracks 1 and 4; features another pillar of British folk guitarists Bert Jansch. I bought this album in the Eighties under the title Stepping Stones on the Vanguard label. Two wonderful tracks from an astonishing album.Another Monday (1967): Tracks 6, 9, 12, 20, 21 and 22; a mixture of originals and traditional material. Sir John Alot (1968): Tracks 3, 13, 23 and 28; includes a wonderful reworking of Booker T & The MGs "My Sweet Potato."The Lady and the Unicorn (1970): Tracks 16, 27 and 33; three mesmerizing instrumentals.Faro Annie (1972): Tracks 8, 10, 11, 14, 26, 29 and 30; essentially a blues album, at seven tracks this is the most represented album on this anthology. Renbourn includes electric as well as acoustic guitar on most of these songs. "Shake Shake Mama" and the title track feature the Pentangle rhythm section of Terry Cox and Danny Thompson.So Clear (1973): Tracks 15 and 34; [Note: "Blues Run the Game" was also recorded by Simon and Garfunkel and can be found on their box set; Paul Simon had met Renbourn while in England in the early Sixties.]The Hermit (1976): Tracks 7, 18, 24 and 31; the most recent songs on this collection taken from Renbourn's first post-Pentangle album.This anthology also features five songs from four Pentangle albums: Sweet Child (track 32), Basket of Light (track 2), Cruel Sister (tracks 5 and 25) and Reflection (track 17).Overall, this 2-CD set does a stellar job of presenting the many facets of one of the finest fingerstyle guitarists in any genre. If like me, you're looking to upgrade your old vinyl LPs or if this is your first introduction to this amazing artist, this is a terrific place to start. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"