Rosemary Lane by Bert Jansch.

Me And Rosemary Lane.

 I caught the bus over to Warminster. I met my friend Sian and we retired to the warmth of the pub. I had a drink called J2O orange flavour because it is day 16 of dry January. After a while I got a bit bored and said I would be back in a minute and I nipped across the road to Raves From The Grave because I thought I’d treat myself to a new album as my reward for not drinking. I asked for a new album by Steve Earle but they said it wasn’t released yet. I was determined to buy something and in the Folk section I spotted cd’s by the late Bert Jansch. I was pleased about that because I have been reading and writing a lot about Bert recently but to my shame I haven’t got a single Bert Jansch album in my collection. In fact, the only album I have ever owned featuring Bert is Basket Of Light by Pentangle. There were several albums to choose from and I didn’t have a clue which one was the best, so in the end I opted for one called Rosemary Lane purely because I liked the name.

I re-joined Sian in the pub and got her to take a photo of me perusing the cd. It is a very attractive cd. The cover was designed by Bert’s wife of the time Heather who is now a sculptor of world wide renown. There is also a nice little booklet with very interesting information about the album. It was raining as we left the pub. I said cheerio at the bus stop and was home by 2.30. I played the album as soon as I got home and was pleased that I chose Rosemary Lane because I really like it. Like all great music it has a wonderful timeless quality and although I have only heard it once I get the feeling that this album will grow on me and hopefully I will enjoy listening to it for many years to come. The album was recorded on portable equipment in Bert’s house over several months in 1971. The reason it took so long was because Bert was in no hurry and only recorded a song when he was in the mood for recording which must have added to the laidback feel of the album.

I was immediately taken with the first track called Tell Me What Is True Love? A self-written love song by Bert. You can feel the influence of his first muse Anne Briggs on this album particularly on songs like Reynardine and the title track Rosemary Lane. These are both traditional songs that Anne taught to Bert. It was through being a fan of Annie Briggs that first led me to taking an interest in Bert. There are eight tracks written by Bert plus some traditional songs and even a classical instrumental called Sarabanda written by Arcangelo Corelli and another instrumental by Robert Johnson called Alman. The real beauty of the album is in the guitar playing. I don’t play the guitar so I can’t describe the technical reasons why it is so great, but the words intricate and sophisticated spring to mind. It is one of those albums that doesn’t just accentuate a mood, it actually creates a mood. It certainly created a nice atmosphere in my kitchen this afternoon. This album definitely  has my approval and I am very pleased that I bought it today.