Bert Janch and John Renbourn were the swinging London singer/songwriter movement ambassadors to the world. Hanging around the London Soho and playing constantly in the leading folk club of the time – Les Cousins, they gained reputation as admirable icons of acoustic guitar players and stunning songwriting. They both released couple of albums and built their names, but the impact of joining forces with Terry Cox, Jaquie McShee and Danny Thompson to form Pentangle was surprisingly huge.

Pentangle helped spreading the word of British folk to the world outside the British island. Playing sold out shows, for seven years in a row, the world began to listen, and the small and humble British folk circuit that started in Les Cousins had continued few years later to gigantic shows in the Carengy Hall.

Both Jansch and Renbourn were raised on their big brothers’ knees – Davey Graham and Wizz Jones. The last two were there couple of years before and were slightly older, and their influence on a generation of musicians cannot be diminished.
You can suspect that Al Stewart, John Martyn, Paul Simon, Ralph McTell and others wouldn’t become serious musicians if it wasn’t for the Graham/Jones revolution, that was followed by the torch holders Jansch/Renbourn.
That young generation slowly became famous outside the UK, built careers, sold at least one mega-album and became a perfect example  for excellent singer/songwriters.
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STR Mixtape : Nothing Buy The Truth [18/6/2010]

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1. Steve Tilston – The Spoils Of War
2. Rasputina – My Night Sky (06:44)
3. The Native Hipsters – Tenderly Hurt Me (11:00)
4. Procol Harum – Nothing But The Truth (13:46)
5. Dara Ruspita – Believe Me (16:49)
6. The 4 Instants – Mashed Potatos(18:59)
7. The Time And Space Machine – Midsummer Night (20:56)
8. Mugstar – She Ran Away With My Medicine (24:56)
9. Beyond The Wizzard Sleeve – Sunday Morning Sun-G(27:54)
10.Black Sabbath – Fluff (31:42)
11. On!Air!Library – Sad Sad Zoo (35:24)
12. Tom Petty – Lover’s Touch (39:42)
13. Canned Heat – Rich Woman (43:59)
14. Ariel Pink Haunted Graffity – Bright Lit Blue Sky (46:50)
15. The Church – Electric Lash (49:07)
16. Faust – Drug wipe (53:00)
17. Steve Tibbetts – Aerial View (57:40)

About a year ago, I was addressed by the Jemsite and they asked me to write a piece about my musical influences.
So I did. And here it is:

—–

It was a cold morning in Camden Market, when I entered a local CD shop and browsed through the shelves and the CDs on the display. The year was 2003. I left my homeland Israel to live in London for some time, and to see what life would bring me.

I had a cheap Epiphone acoustic guitar, which I took with me for the lonely moments, and my Rickenbacker bass, that came all the way with me, in order to find a psychedelic rock band, join them, get signed, make records, destroy hotel rooms and live a John Bonham lifestyle, including the fancy cars.
What I didn’t know, was that I’d be in for a big surprise and what they’d call – a lifetime changing moment. That moment happened when I saw, Bert Jansch’s first album on display. He was sitting with a guitar in hand, looking at the occasional consumer in the shop. He had been staring at them  like that since 1965, the year it was released.

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The first thing you come across when you press “play” to listen to Chris Thompson’s first and only solo album, is the distinct Indian mood that it evokes.
A Tambura hums oriental melodic lines along with an acoustic guitar, until it shifts into a sort of Fairport Convention and Bert Jansch-like British Folk.

When the Tablas start playing, the atmosphere turns unique and intriguing. “Hugo Spellman”, that opens this wonderful album, is a track the likes of which the phrase “east meets west” was intended for. In the second song, “The Song of Wondering Aengus”, we meet Thompson’s caressing yet rough voice.
It’s a charming folk song, that reminds Steve Tilston’s writing and Jansch’s guitar. The flute gives the magical atmosphere of the song an additional depth. This, on one leg, is the feel of the album.
Hugo Spellman

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