Bert Jansch A Man I'd Rather Be Part II Vinyl LP Boxset 2018
LP 1
1. Go Your Way My Love
2. Woe Is Love My Dear
3. Nicola
4. Come Back Baby
5. A Little Sweet Sunshine
6. Love Is Teasing
7. Rabbit Run
8. Life Depends On Love
9. Weeping Willow Blues
10. Box of Love
11. Wish My Baby Was Here
12. If the World Isn't There
LP 2
1. Come Sing Me a Happy Song to Prove We All Can Get Along the Lumpy, Bumpy, Long and Dusty Road
2. The Bright New Year
3. Tree Song
4. Poison
5. Miss Heather Rosemary Sewell
6. I've Got a Woman
7. A Woman Like You
8. I Am Lonely
9. Promised Land
10. Birthday Blues
11. Wishing Well
12. Blues
LP 3
1. Tell Me What Is True Love?
2. Rosemary Lane
3. M'Lady Nancy
4. A Dream, a Dream, a Dream
5. Alsman
6. Wayward Child
7. Nobody's Bar
8. Reynardine
9. Silly Woman
10. Peregrinations
11. Sylvie
12. Sarabanda
13. Bird Song
LP 4
1. Yarrow
2. Brought With the Rain
3. The January Man
4. Night Time Blues
5. Moonshine
6. The First Time I Ever Saw Your Face
7. Rambleaway
8. Twa Corbies
9. Oh My Father
'A Man I'd Rather Be (Part II)' comprises Jansch's late '60s and early '70s output, an under-rated era, no doubt influenced by the now well-established Pentangle sound. Bandmates Danny Thompson (bass) and Terry Cox (drums) regularly feature among the musicians as well as cameo appearances by Mary Hopkin, Toni Visconti and Dave Mattacks. In this period we see Jansch's take on pop (Nicola), blues (Birthday Blues funnily enough), handsome arrangements (Rosemary Lane) and barque folk (Moonshine). All of this being conjured during a time when Pentangle was simultaneously releasing albums and constantly touring; to say that the man had a generous talent is something of an understatement. The lush orchestration of Nicola was partly recorded by John Wood who would later engineer Nick Drake's recordings at the same studio. The heart melting cover of Birthday Blues contains a set with some of the stalwarts of Bert's solo and Pentangle sets, Poison and A Woman Like You and some of his most arresting work including Come Sing a Happy Song which featured on the soundtrack of Noah Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale in 2005. Rosemary Lane is considered by many to be one of Bert's finest records, a smooth mix of traditional folk such as the title track and Reynardine , timeless original compositions like Tell Me What Is True Love? and in Alman and Sarabanda , examples of early music including the 16th and 17th/18th centuries, all with the sympathetic production of Bill Leader. Moonshine, Bert's first release after Pentangle split, It was produced by fellow member Danny Thompson and the legendary Tony Visconti, who not only arranged a number of songs but also played on the record. It also features Mary Hopkin duetting with Bert on Ewan MacColl's 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face', Aly Bain and Charles Mingus' drummer Charlie Richmon. 'Simply, I think Bert was a truly unique musician. Somehow he could elegantly bridge differing musical and singing traditions to sing and play in a way that sounded only like Bert Jansch.' - Anne Briggs // 'The Jimi Hendrix of the acoustic guitar' - Neil Young // 'At one point, I was absolutely obsessed with Bert Jansch. When I first heard that LP, I couldn't believe it. It was so far ahead of what everyone else was doing. No one in America could touch that.' - Jimmy Page