John Renbourn [Import]

John Renbourn [Import]

Track Listings

1. Judy

2. Beths Blues

3. Song

4. Down On The Barge

5. John Henry

6. Plainsong

7. Louisiana Blues

8. Blue Bones

9. Train Tune

10. Candy Man

11. The Wildest Pig In Captivity

12. National Seven

13. Motherless Children

14. Winter Is Gone

15. Noah And The Rabbit

16. The Wildest Pig In Captivity (Instrumental) (Bonus Track)

17. Cant Keep From Crying (Bonus Track)

18. Blues Run The Game (Bonus Track)

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
UK remastered reissue of 1965 album for one of one of the fathers of contemporary British folk music, originally released on Reprise with 3 added bonus tracks 'The Wildest Pig In The Country' (instrumental), 'Can't Keep From Crying' & 'Blues Run The Game'. Includes 12 page booklet with informative sleevenotes. Housed in a slipcase. 2001.

Tracks:

Trotto/Saltarello
Lamento Di Tristan/La Rotta
Veri Floris/Triple Ballade
Bransle Gay/Bransle De Bourgogne
Alman/Melancholy Galliard
Sarabande
The Lady & The Unicorn
My Johnny Was A Shoemaker/Westron Wynde/Scarborough Fair

Customer Reviews:

John Renbourn is the man, man.......2007-01-16

If you like the acoustic guitar, buy this, borrow it or steal it!

READ THIS.......2004-02-27

THIS CD WAS TOATALLY AWSOME AND I CAN'T BELIEVE SOMEONE COULD WRITE THAT GOOD OF MUSIC. IT WAS THE BESTEST I'VE EVER HEARD

Beautiful.......2002-05-21

This is a very nice cd, but I have to admit, I don't reach for it as much as "Sir Johnalot". This is really a rennaisance sound, completely acoustic, and very relaxing. Renbourn is a virtuoso guitarist.

unique for its time.......2001-01-21

When Renbourn put this album out around 1970, it was quite an unusual release. He and his friend Bert Jansch were at that point heading the band Pentangle, and between their solo efforts and the band's had been exploring a synthesis of folk, blues, classical and jazz styles. This album brought to the mix yet another element: Medieval and Renaissance music. Renbourn's solo and small ensemble arrangements of the material are mostly gentle and respectful, yet incorporate a jazz flair that give them a truly contemporary sound. This was really good dinner and/or 'date' music for the period: quiet and intimate, and with plenty of personality. It's not very long, however--couldn't someone put it together with "Sir John Alot..." as a twofer?

Music That Endures.......2000-07-01

Like the other reviewers here, I have loved this album since I bought a copy from a departing friend in 1974. I'm on my third copy, and have given away two CD versions of this great music to friends. John Renbourn stretches the boundaries of folk with "The Lady and the Unicorn," but his treatment of all these tunes is always full of joy and respect. That's what makes this music something that you come back to again and again. Buy this CD: you won't be sorry!

Average customer rating:

A golden collection of guitar work.
terrific folk album from 1966.
Finger-style steel-guitar duels between Jansch and Renbourn
Acoustic Masterpiece

Bert and John
Bert Jansch , and John Renbourn
Manufacturer: Castle Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

The Best of Bert Jansch
Bert Jansch
The Essential: The Best Of John Renbourn
Sweet Child
The Black Swan

ASIN: B00006GOAE
Release Date: 2002-09-03

Tracks:

EAST WIND
PIANO TUNE
GOODBYE PORK PIE HAT
SOHO
TIC-TOCATIVE
ORLANDO
RED'S FAVOURITE
NO EXIT
ALONG THE WAY
THE TIME HAS COME
STEPPING STONES
AFTER THE DANCE

Customer Reviews:

A golden collection of guitar work. .......2007-06-14

This album is quite the find for any fan of Renbourn or Jansch, or folk guitar in general. It is also a great album to listen to for aspiring guitarists, as well as established guitarists.

There are aspects of this album that some will not enjoy, but the grand guitar playing seems to overshadow any of that.

terrific folk album from 1966........2007-03-26

bert jansch and john renbourn are two of the finest folk guitarists on record. this is a terrific album from 1966, and is mostly instrumental, focusing on their incredible guitarpicking prowess. there are a few jansch vocals, which is fine, because mr jansch has an easy to like voice, somewhere in the neighborhood of donovan's in sound. but it is really all that astonishing acoustic guitar work that makes this such a special release. great stuff.

Finger-style steel-guitar duels between Jansch and Renbourn.......2005-04-06

Much is made of the Yardbirds having had two lead guitarists of the caliber of Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page at the same time, but while it is certainly true that you are talking a pair of great guitarists you cannot really point to a bunch of songs where they proved the point. On the other hand, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn provide an entire album showing what happens when two great steel-guitar players duel each other through a dozen tracks. One day I may be proficient enough to tell which speak is Jansch and which one is Renbourn, but I am not there yet and it is not a pressing concern with me. These two are masters of English folk music are that is all that really matters here.

If you had to identify a dominant music element on "Bert & John" it would be that they play the blues, sometimes subtle as in "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat," and sometimes downright funky, as with "Tic-Tocative" and "Red's Favorite." Then they do songs that represent traditional English folk music, such as "Orland" and even modern folk music, like the happy little "Stepping Stones." Of course there are times when these styles seem to merge and blend, as is the case with the final track, "After the Dance," which puts the exclamation mark on this album. I am getting to appreciate Jansch's singing a bit more, but I still find the songs with lyrics (e.g., "Soho," "The Time Has Come") to be a bit intrusive because I just want to listen to these two guys play guitars. But even on those tracks there is still plenty of good guitar playing to listen to.

These two guitarists did most of their collaborative work together in the group Pentangle, but they first recorded together in 1965 on Jansch's second album, "It Don't Bother Me." In 1966 they recorded "Bert & John" together and Renbourn showed up for half the tracks on "Jack Orion," also recorded and released that same year. The two were roommates for a while and discovered that they were on the save wavelength when it came to guitar playing, which is why it might be nigh impossible to tell them apart of these songs. Clearly Pentangle was a result of these collaborations and the idea that they should take it to the next level and have other musicians added to the mix as well (vocalist Jacqui McShee and the rhythm section of Danny Thompson and Terry Cox). But the chief attraction remained the finger-style guitar playing of Bert and John.

Acoustic Masterpiece.......2004-11-07

British guitarists Bert Jansch and John Renbourn have created an amazing musical landscape in this album, which is their only collaboration outside of their band Pentangle. Pentangle released six albums and enjoyed an unprecedented amount of success for an acoustic band. Bert Jansch is a virtuoso acoustic guitarist, famously revered by Neil Young and Jimmy Page, and John Renbourn is a virtuoso guitarist who is every bit as talented as Jansch. This album is produced in stereo - it sounds like there are really two guitarists sitting in your room - and it is very interesting to hear how the two seperate guitar parts interplay with each other. Overall, this is a very good album, and the conver of Mingus' "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is worth the price of the album alone.

"At one point I was absolutely obsessed with Bert Jansch. When I first heard that LP (1965) 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
"As much of a great guitar player as Jimi was, Bert Jansch is the same thing for acoustic guitar ... and my favourite." - Neil Young

Average customer rating:

A fleet-fingered elf plucking notes of grace
Familiar Territory
Travelers Prayer
Doesn't change, but keeps getting better
*Beautiful* acoustic music

Traveler's Prayer
John Renbourn
Manufacturer: Shanachie
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Celtic New Age | New Age | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

John Renbourn's Ship Of Fools
The Enchanted Garden
A Maid in Bedlam
The Nine Maidens
The Lady and the Unicorn

ASIN: B000007MZJ
Release Date: 1998-06-16

Tracks:

Bunyan's Hymn (Monks Gate)
When The Wind Begins To Sing
Wexford Lullaby
I Saw Three Ships/Newgate Hornpipe
Planxty Llanthony/Loftus Jones
Fagottanz
At The Break Of Day
Travellers' Prayer
South Wind/Feathered Nest
Estampie

Amazon.com

A lion of British folk music, guitarist John Renbourn has journeyed further back into his Renaissance and pre-industrial roots since his late '60s tenure as one of the driving forces behind the adventurously jazz-inflected Pentangle. Traveller's Prayer finds Renbourn on busman's holiday, casting the album reportorial net west toward Ireland. Chamber-folk settings marry his reliably elegant, lyrical guitar with gentle tattoos of hand percussion, lovely skeins of fiddle, and stately yet concise blooms of wind instruments including clarinets, recorder, uilleann pipes, and whistles. By now, Renbourn can make his underlying erudition sound offhand, mingling Irish planxties, folk songs from both edges of the Irish Sea, Scottish airs, and his own chameleon originals into a seamless, timeless fabric by turns earthy, courtly, and always lovely. Two haunting vocal interludes ("Wexford Lullaby" and the title song) arranged for a lovely mixed quartet, yield a gently haunting whole that will appeal as much to new age and Celtic music fans as his own hardy cadre of British folk loyalists. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

A fleet-fingered elf plucking notes of grace.......2004-02-11

It's hard not to lean heavily on the adjectives when trying to convey just how fine "Traveller's Prayer" sounds. John Renbourn, as venerable and talented as any acoustic guitarist, has crafted a collection of traditional material drawn from English and Celtic traditions, but arranged and interpreted in a fresh, at time delicate manner.

Many critics have rightly praised this collection, perhaps without pausing to listen to the nuances and subtleties that shimmer and shine. The interplay of guitar, flute, fiddle (not too much fiddle), percussion, recorder, whistles, and voice creates an elemental essence, as though the music is transformed into a sweet smoke. Mr. Renbourn shines thoughout, a fleet-fingered elf plucking notes of grace.

A wealth of skilled guests accompany Mr. Renbourn, who in his unassuming way even includes all-vocal tracks.

The excellent liner notes explain how these sessions came to be, what Mr. Renbourn set out to, and did, accomplish, and what history accompanies each selection.

Part balm, part joy, "Traveller's Prayer" will ease the road before you or brighten your hearth. Share this CD with your quieter friends.

Familiar Territory.......2003-03-15

John Renbourn has been working in early music for over thirty years, and it's clearly territory with which he's familiar. The music on this recording displays a profound understanding of early music arranging and performance. The work is not overorchestrated; for such complex music, it's very easy to listen to. "Wexford Carol," sung by Mairead Ni Domhnaill, is a wonderful slow melody that stays with the listener. "Traveller's Prayer," a choral piece, revisits the closing cut on Renbourn's "Ship of Fools" recording, and added voices and a key-change make this already-impressive arrangement shine still more. As usual, Renbourn's guitar playing is impeccable; he sets a very high standard for playing this music.

Travelers Prayer.......2001-10-27

The English aren't known for for their cooking, exquisite lodging or other comforts. However the thousands of years of blending medevil, and other classic types make their traditional music unique. Especially when done by an interpreter like Renbourn. Very nice.

Doesn't change, but keeps getting better.......2000-12-28

John Renbourn's style and choice of material has hardly changed since the late 1960s, but his basic starting point is so flexible and--musical--that he still finds new directions to move in. In some respects "Traveller's Prayer" very much resembles in format, material and forces the other small ensemble projects he has been involved in as group leader (specifically, three or four albums as the John Renbourn Group, and one as Ship of Fools), but over his post-Pentangle years he has managed to slowly but surely remove from his music one of its very few weaknesses, a tendency toward over-tension (i.e., being just a bit too tightly wound). "Traveller's Prayer" is totally relaxed, totally balanced, and fully musical--without lacking an appropriate dose of tension and drama in the right places. And we are still offered some real gems of straight virtuostic play on the old 6-string. For those who are unfamiliar with Renbourn, this is the best place to start--though they should be alerted that his catalog is at this point quite extensive, including in addition to the items mentioned several duet albums with country blues master Stefan Grossman, the early Pentangle albums, and over half a dozen solo and small forces albums extending from the mid-60s through the early 90s. The good news is that every one of them is worth getting: Renbourn has never made a bad, or even mediocre, album.

*Beautiful* acoustic music.......2000-07-16

Traveler's Prayer is a personal favorite, with tasteful renditions of traditional favorites (I Saw Three Ships, Bunyan's Hymn, At the Break of Day - known to me as Be Thou My Vision) and original melodies powerful in their simplicity and clarity. This recording has always impressed me for it's production values, best realized on a quiet evening with no interruptions.

The Essential: The Best Of John Renbourn

Average customer rating:

before "going medieval": early-period Renbourn recordings
Uh....Renbourn isn't dead, Griff Jones...
Renbourne is missed !
Solid Album. Enjoyable.
good sampler

The Essential: The Best Of John Renbourn
John Renbourn
Manufacturer: Castle Pulse
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

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The Best of Bert Jansch
Bert and John
The Lady and the Unicorn
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Basket of Light

ASIN: B00000856X
Release Date: 1998-02-05

Tracks:

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
Hermit
White House Blues
The Wildest Pig In Captiv
Country Blues
Train Tune
Cant Keep From Crying
After The Dance
Lord Franklin
Sweet Potato
Beth's Blues
Winter Is Gone
I Know My Babe
Kokomo Blues
Cuckoo
Faro's Rag
Will The Circle Be Unbrok
Nobodys Fault But Mine
Sally Go Round The Roses
Debbie Anne
Piano Tune
So Clear

Album Details

Tracks Include: The Hermit, White House Blues, Country Blues, Train Tune, I Know My Babe, Debbie Ann, Piano Tune, So Clear, Lord Franklin and More.

Customer Reviews:

before "going medieval": early-period Renbourn recordings.......2006-06-16

This is indeed a CD one can listen to all day, or at least all morning. Unlike classics "Maid in Bedlam" or "Lady and the Unicorn," this collection brings together early recordings more North American sounding than Celtic/Renaissance/Medieval. Lots of blues and ballads, some solo, some with Pentangle, some in tandem with Bert Jansch. From Dock Boggs to Thelonious Monk, from the Anglo-American tradition to Booker T. and the MGS (!), and into some of his own early compositions, this is a relaxing and engaging hour of music. If you have his Renaissance-Faire-oriented recordings, this is different but complementary; if you've never listened to Renbourn before, start here and work your way into the mid-seventies and beyond: he's still a most amazing fingerstyle guitar magician.

Uh....Renbourn isn't dead, Griff Jones..........2003-05-31

...physically or artistically. I just saw him do a show with Jacqui McShee in Seattle a week ago (May 2003). But- anyway, Renbourn fans- enjoy this one. I hope Renbourn will put out a live album with some of the material he's been doing for the past 10 years or so.

Renbourne is missed !.......2003-02-15

John Renbourne was probably one of the most influencial folk-blues guitarists to emerge from the sixties. His ability to combine traditional classical formats with folk-blues made him the envy of the new sixties acoustic revolution. This album offers a wonderful mix of styles and demonstrates his instrumental versitility leaving us in no doubt that he will always be missed.

Solid Album. Enjoyable........2001-09-04

This is one of those albums I can listen to all day. I'll mention that song (1), Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, is also found on the Pentangle album "Sweet Child". Song (19) "Sally Go Round the Roses" is on "Basket of Light". It's nice to hear Jacqui McShee on this album as well. She is also on (17), "Will the Circle be Unbroken", a hauntingly simple rendition that is captivating.

good sampler.......2000-10-06

The other reviewer's words notwithstanding, much of the material on this sampler is *not* from the pre-Pentangle period of John Renbourn's career (i.e., circa 1965-1967) but instead from "Sir John Alot," "Faro Annie," and others that were produced during (and even after) his Pentangle years. But these are just details. What you do get here is a broad sample of material from Renbourn's first seven or eight years of recorded music, and it's a good sample that shows just how effective he is at taking material from diverse sources and putting his own personal stamp on it. Renbourn is a real virtuoso performer, but his approach never lacks musicality or warmth. I can't ever remember getting a negative reaction from anyone I played John Renbourn material for.

Average customer rating:

A thing of beauty
Sublime acoustic guitar music
A Wonderful Collection of Instrumentals
Classic Renbourn
Great album

The Black Balloon
John Renbourn
Manufacturer: Shanachie
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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The Nine Maidens
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John Renbourn's Ship Of Fools
Sir John Alot of Merrie Englandes Musyk Thyng & ye Grene Knyghte
Traveler's Prayer

ASIN: B000000E93
Release Date: 1990-06-27

Tracks:

The Moon Shines Bright
The English Dance
Bourree I And II
Medley: The Mist Covered Mountains Of Home/The Orphan/Tarboulton
The Pelican
The Black Balloon

Customer Reviews:

A thing of beauty.......2005-12-27

Although The Hermit is a close contender, I would claim this to be Renbourne's finest album, and this from a man who has a respectable body of work behind him. This is an instrumental album displaying the virtuosity of Renbourne's guitar playing. The dazzling display of fingerwork shown on all these tracks would impress a Segovia or a Bream, with whom, to these ears at least, I would not hesitate to place him. The first three tracks are stately baroque pieces played without accompaniment. The final two tracks are composed by Renbourne and have a lovely accompaniment by a flutist and, through the use of double tracking, Renbourne on electric guitar. In case you think the use of an electric guitar clashes with the acoustic purity displayed elsewhere, the playing is so masterly that he manages to make it sound like the most natural thing on earth.

The Black Balloon is a thing of beauty from the opening note to the last. For fans of the acoustic guitar, I recommend it whole-heartedly.

Sublime acoustic guitar music.......2005-04-15

This is a very special recording indeed - and one I first loved in the mid eighties. Standout tracks are "The Pelican" with inspired use of harmonics with cleverly swooping and diving melody, and the beautiful "Black Balloon". There is something intensely moving about this music - I always did "fill up" when hearing it,- something wistful and bitter sweet about it! John Renbourn is an amazing guitarist - as all who've seen him live will testify! I cannot imagine any guitarist/acoustic lover being disappointed after buying this gem.

A Wonderful Collection of Instrumentals.......2000-12-03

On this collection of mostly solo instrumentals (Renbourn is occasionally joined by flute and tabors), the listener is treated to a series of folk pieces--the last three all in excess of seven minutes.

The liner notes get a bit technical for this listener. For example, of the opening track we are told: "After establishing the theme in sedate quarter-notes, it launches into a fascinating set of variations in typical Elizabethan manner, moving into progressively more animated figurations in slightly altered harmony. At the fifth variation, the theme migrates beneath lively motifs in the upper voice in eighth--and sixteenth notes, before introducing fresh but related material leading to a closing restatement of the original theme intact." I think what that really means is that Renbourn plays some of the most amazing fingerstyle guitar you're ever likely to hear.

In addition to his solo albums, Renbourn has recorded a series of duo albums with former Pentangle bandmate Bert Jansch as well as with American Stefan Grossman, all of which are worth seeking out. If you enjoyed the folk music of Pentangle or the John Renbourn group, but are more interested in simply hearing Renbourn's unadorned guitar playing, this album is an excellent introduction. RECOMMENDED

Classic Renbourn.......2000-08-16

I don't know if I would consider this Renbourn's best album (and I have everything else he's ever produced to compare it with), but it certainly is a very good one. 'As good a place as any to begin if you had to choose one as a starting point. For the unitiated: Renbourn sounds a bit like Pierre Bensusan, though the latter performer cannot match his speed and elegance.

Great album.......2000-05-25

I agree with all of our Renbourn cronies below, this is a great album. It was always my favorite of his when I was a kid, too. I just didn't give it 5 stars because I like to reserve some space for something better.

Average customer rating:

Renbourn at his finest!
Just about as good as acoustic guitar gets
Astonishing guitar work
One of Renbourn's best
run-of-the-mill beautiful

The Nine Maidens
John Renbourn
Manufacturer: Flying Fish Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Lady and the Unicorn
The Black Balloon
Traveler's Prayer
The Enchanted Garden
John Renbourn's Ship Of Fools

ASIN: B000000MJ5
Release Date: 1992-09-29

Tracks:

New Nothynge
The Fish In The Well
Pavan D'Aragon
Variations On My Lady Carey's Dompe
Circle Dance
The Nine Maidens: Clarsach/The Nine Maidens/The Fiddler

Customer Reviews:

Renbourn at his finest!.......2002-07-23

With a wholesome rich sound that transcends from piece to piece, its one of John's finest albums. The masterful blend of sound John achieves makes the musical mind ponder at his abilities. Each track leaves you anticipating the next, much like John's older LPs such as Sir John Alot. 5 Stars does this an injustice. The opening piece, New Nothyng is one of my all time Renbourn favorites. A build up from "Lady Nothynge's Toy Puffe," this piece expounds on the original with 2 guitar pieces together. Absolutely beautiful!

Just about as good as acoustic guitar gets.......2002-04-08

There's a symmetry in this music. Each piece interweaves with the previous and the next to work a simple magic. Baroque, Medieval and Contemporary. Here we have a guitar player who uses the instrument so beautifully it literally evokes tears. Listen to the title piece. Earlier in 'My Lady Carey's Dompe' he brings in likeminded musicians - drum and recorder - one a busker I recall - to carry the mood - and they do not disappoint. The opening piece, 'New Nothynge' is wonderful - just for the way the notes hang. How does he get this tone so consistently. For me Renbourne is a guitar player of unusual depth. This set of guitar pieces is his own landmark. Thank you John.

Astonishing guitar work.......2002-01-18

On this session, Renbourn proves again that he is one of the undisputed masters of the guitar. The tracks are generally minor-key medieval/renaissance-era mood-pieces adapted for solo guitar, and as such they work beautifully. This is a perfect winter/early morning/rainy day album, and I believe it's a masterpiece both for the amazing playing and the unique, marvelous compositions. A couple of the tracks also include fife and drums, and do so to good effect. This is my favorite Renbourn recording. If you're a fan of his, of great steel-string guitar work, or of interesting early music, don't miss this one.

One of Renbourn's best.......2001-11-11

A gorgeous, transendant acoustic guitar album that easily lives up to the high standards of such '70s classics as "The Black Balloon". Highly recommended.

run-of-the-mill beautiful.......2001-10-29

This is just one more of the very fine works from John Renbourn's catalog, much of which explores the moods and music of Renaissance, Celtic, and English traditional sources. Renbourn is one of the most easily identifyable guitarists playing; his style is light, bright, and technically astounding as necessary. Here we have all of these elements, and again they all work marvelously. One note: Here Renbourn resurrects his 'Lady Nothynge's Toy Puffe' (or some such; I don't have the original handy!) as 'New Nothynge.' The original version was in one of his first albums from the 60s; his friend Bert Jansch later recorded the piece for his album "L. A. Turnaround" (currently unavailable, unfortunately) in a much slower, more stately, manner. The version on this album has pretty obviously drawn on Jansch's arrangement, and gives some real perspective on how Renbourn's music has changed through the years: not so much in terms of its virtuosity and fingering, but more in its increasing attention to pacing and timing.

Average customer rating:

Exceptional - The John Renbourn Group's Best Recording . .
Classic folk/world music fusion
Great rythyms, fine singing
A quiet masterpiece
Exceptional Collection of British Folk Music

A Maid in Bedlam
John Renbourn
Manufacturer: Shanachie
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Enchanted Garden
John Renbourn's Ship Of Fools
The Lady and the Unicorn
Traveler's Prayer
Sir John Alot of Merrie Englandes Musyk Thyng & ye Grene Knyghte

ASIN: B000000E5X
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Black Waterside
Nacht Tanz/Shaeffertanz
A Maid In Bedlam
Gypsy Dance/Jews Dance
John Barleycorn
Reynardine
My Johnny Was A Shoemaker
Death And The Lady
The Battle Of Augrham/5 In A Line
Talk About Suffering

Customer Reviews:

Exceptional - The John Renbourn Group's Best Recording . ........2002-09-08

. . . And, by the title of this review, I want to note that I am saying something really special. John Renbourn, acoustic fingerstyle guitarist extraordinnaire, rarely makes a misstep, particularly when it comes to the medieval English Folk Music he has created over the years. Renbourn recorded five masterpieces of this genre with his John Renbourn Group, including three pure studio releases, a live CD, and a best-of collection. "A Maid In Bedlam" is probably the strongest of these releases.

This disc features the bell-clear vocals of Jacqui McShee, Renbourn's former colleague in the Folk-Jazz outfit, Pentangle, along with musicians who play flute, fiddle, mandolin, and tabla (Yes! Indian tabla!), all of whom are extraordinary in their own right. The band's playing is crisp and clear throughout.

Highlights include the following: "Black Waterside" (which Led Zeppelin once recorded instrumentally under the title "Black Mountainside"). This song is intriguing in that it explores the jilted lover concept from the woman's point of view, which was very unusual in medieval times; "A Maid in Bedlam", which features a simultaneously melodic and rhythmic melody accompanying lyrics about a woman in an insane asylum. This song is the most likely to catch your ear. It may even be considered the first medieval English rap song; "Talk About Suffering", a four-part acappella church song with heartfelt lyrics, encouraging Christians to put their beliefs into action.

There are other, equally excellent songs, on this CD, which may actually interest not only English Folk Music purists, but also (believe it or not) people who enjoy Heavy Metal and Classic Rock. The reason is that the scales used in this music are very similar to those employed in some Heavy Metal music (witness Yngwie Malmsteen and Ritchie Blackmore), and Classic Rock groups like Jethro Tull have tread this ground over and over for years. Other people will just appreciate this disc's gorgeous melodies and classy musicianship. "A Maid in Bedlam" is simply terrific.

Classic folk/world music fusion.......2002-06-03

John Renbourn fused folk and world music beats decades before Afro-Celt Sound System made it trendy. The tablas, wailing flutes and violin, his virtuoso guitar, and Jaqui McShee's traditionalist voice combine into a graceful, unique whole.

Great rythyms, fine singing.......2001-11-19

I am happy to see this vinyl classic available on CD.

The musical style is consistent throughout the album and I like it very much--acoustic, earthy sound, moving rythyms, great singing. The female voices are high and sweet, the male voices are earthy and enjoyable. Listen to some of the samples--if you like one, you'll like the others.

When this first came out on vinyl, I listened to the LP over and over again and spent many hours working on the rythyms in the guitar parts. They're unusual and very rich.

Of course, I'll buy the CD now.

A quiet masterpiece.......2001-06-06

This is one of my favourite Sunday morning records. Despite the table gently clicking away in the background, this is one of the most English records you'll ever hear. Renbourn is a total master of his instrument, the material is choice (if it's slightly lacking in really strong, individual compositions -- this is the man who wrote 'So Clear', after all), and the presence of old Pentangle cohort Jacquie McShee on vocals is icing on the cake. From start to finish, A Maid In Bedlam conjures up an atmosphere all its own. English folk at its best, and one of a handful of Renbourn classics.

Exceptional Collection of British Folk Music.......2000-12-03

Originally released (on LP) in 1977, this is the first and finest album album by the John Renbourn group. In addition to Renbourn as one of the best fingerstyle guitarists around, the band is rounded out with former Pentangle vocalist Jacqui McShee, Sue Draheim (fiddle), Tony Roberts (flute, recorders, oboe, piccolo) and Keshave Sathe (tabla and finger cymbals).

While the tabla adds an Eastern sound to the music, this is traditional British folk music at its finest. The opening cut is the traditional "Black Waterside" arranged by Renbourn with a heavenly vocal provided by McShee. [Along with Sandy Denny, McShee is my favorite British female vocalist.] Other standouts include the title track (another McShee vocal), "John Barleycorn," "Reynardine" and a stunning a cappella rendition of "Talk About Suffering." [If you are not deeply moved by that song, you might want to check your pulse...there's a good chance you're dead!]

Tracks:

Searching For Lambs
Sandwood Down to Kyle
Bogey's Bonnie Belle
Lark In The Clear Air
The Martinmass Wind
Cobbler's Jig/Maltese Brawls
I Live Not Where I Love
The Verdant Braes Of Screen
Ship Of Fools
Travellers' Prayer

Customer Reviews:

A SCA Essential - Highly Recommended!.......2005-06-09

This album has that medieval style that Renbourn, Fairport Convention and Incredible String Band were known for. "Searching For Lambs" starts it off with some pulsing bodhran drum with acoustic guitar, flute and Maggie Boyle on vocals. The song is wonderful in every aspect, lyrics, vocals and music. "Bogey's Bonnie Belle" has spritely whistle and lilting unison vocals with instrumental passages evocative of Scotland. "Lark In The Clear Air" has a solo flute later joined by some other woodwinds, but very unadorned. "The Martinmass Wind" features Maggie's vocals and acoustic guitar, another natural song. "Cobbler's Jig/Maltese Brawls" is an upbeat jig (of course!) with a variety of instruments including bodhran and whistles. "I Live Not Where I Love" is a beautiful ballad sung by Maggie with acoustic guitar. "The Verdant Braes of Screen" is a Scottish ballad with Steve Tilston on lead vocals, and Northumbrian pipes. "Ship of Fools" has great lyrics beautifully sung by Maggie Boyle, and perfectly performed, one of this album's many highlights. "Traveller's Prayer" closes the album with a medieval-flavor chant sung in unison, and great lyrics.

An excellent recording.......2003-03-14

This album has a wonderful, relaxed feel to it, which suits the folk-centered music very well. The choral work on the closing piece, "Traveller's Prayer," is amazing -- it is hard to believe that four voices (Maggie Boyle, John Renbourn, Tony Roberts, and Steve Tilston) can make so much music.

"I live not where I love" sounds as if it walked through a door from 1800 or thereabouts. It's a truly wonderful period piece that recalls Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters. "Maltese Brawl" has nothing to do with fighting; it's a dance, and foot-tappable.

It's clear that John Renbourn and company spent some time programming this album; it flows from track to track very naturally. And the music is wonderful, as one expects from John Renbourn.

John Renbourne is no fool on Ship of Fools.......2000-07-11

John Renbourn's departure from the complications of previous work is like a fresh breeze. His minimalist approach suits well this collection of traditional and neo-traditional celtic songs. If you liked Sir John A Lot, you will like Ship of Fools. The key ingredient to this album, missing from earlier works, is the enchanting, almost dreamlike work of vocalist Maggie Boyle. The flat guitar work in "I live not where I love" does not do her justice, while the driving cadence of the title track highlight her ethereal voice - you cannot get this song out of your head. Her work on the recorder also accentuates her vocal work and, in combination with John Renbourn's restrained, yet punchy guitar work, create a musical faerie tale that is not soon forgotten.

Sir John Alot of Merrie Englandes Musyk Thyng & ye Grene Knyghte

Average customer rating:

One of the Great Ones
Classic Early Renbourn
Brilliant musicianship, but uneven
One of my all time favorites!
One of my all time favourites

Sir John Alot of Merrie Englandes Musyk Thyng & ye Grene Knyghte
John Renbourn
Manufacturer: Shanachie
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Lady and the Unicorn
Sweet Child
The Enchanted Garden
The Nine Maidens
A Maid in Bedlam

ASIN: B000000E9E
Release Date: 1992-05-01

Tracks:

The Earle Of Salisbury
The Trees They Do Grow High
Lady Goes To Church
Morgana
Transfusion
Forty-Eight
My Dear Boy
White Fishes
Sweet Potato
Seven Up

Customer Reviews:

One of the Great Ones.......2002-05-21

Like many others I had this in vinal, which I wore a hole in. I bought the cd and it is still a great effort on the part of John Renbourn. I don't agree with the reviewer who wrote that it sounds dated, but it isn't for everyone. But if you, like me, really love a completely acoustic sound you will love this classic.

This was an LP and side one was a more rennaisance style while side two was more experimental. It has a cool jazz feel with a touch of country.

Classic Early Renbourn.......2000-08-16

If you're the kind of person who likes out-and-out stunning virtuostic display, this is the album for you. Most of the cuts are solo acoustic guitar, and 'White Fishes,' 'Sweet Potato,' and 'Seven Up' in particular sound just about unplayable. I think this was Renbourn's best early recording; the technical display is well balanced by some more contemplative Medieval-like compositions worked out by a small flock of outstanding session players. It also represents his most jazz-oriented effort to date. I have to admit that the whole thing sounds just a tad dated at this point, but so what: it's a nice documenting of the kinds of creative exploration that were going on in mid 60s Britain.

Brilliant musicianship, but uneven.......2000-07-16

I've truly enjoyed this CD, which captures Renbourn in full Renaissance mode for the first 4 tracks and then somewhat abruptly moves into distinctly modern acoustic Jazz territory. If it weren't for the rather challenging gear-changing (without a clutch, I might add), this one would merit 5 stars - Renbourn's tone and technique sets the standard for guitar in this genre.

Interestingly, I bet this recording worked better on vinyl, with each side having it's own personality. On CD, there's just no adequate segue. Still, however, it's well worth your time to seek this one out.

One of my all time favorites!.......1999-02-06

I was thrilled to find this on CD. My original vinyl LP got worn out many years ago after constant playing on Friday and Saturday nights in my candle-lit living room. John Renbourn was truly one of the finest guitarists ever. I will always remember seeing Pentangle in concert at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. This album is outstanding!

One of my all time favourites.......1998-12-22

sir johnalot is one of my jazz favorites, with hints of pentangle's pop, folk, and just plain old weirdness. I have worn out 3 vinyls of this particular album. Does that make this a 3 star revue?

Average customer rating:

40 minutes of Estacy!
A Solid Album
Excellent follow-up

The Enchanted Garden
John Renbourn
Manufacturer: Shanachie
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

A Maid in Bedlam
The Lady and the Unicorn
John Renbourn's Ship Of Fools
Traveler's Prayer
Sir John Alot of Merrie Englandes Musyk Thyng & ye Grene Knyghte

ASIN: B000000E7Y
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

Pavane 'Belle, Qui Tiens Ma Vie'/Tourdion
The Truth From Above
Le Tambourin
The Pains Of Waterloo
The Maid On The Shore
Douce Dame Jolie
A Bold Young Farmer
Sidi Brahim

Customer Reviews:

40 minutes of Estacy!.......2003-02-02

I have followed John Though his entire career. This is by far the best record he has ever been associated with! Half of the Pentagle musicians play on it, including the female singer par folk excellence! On this record, you will here authentic interpretations of midevil & renaissance folk music played and sung in full harmonies by the masters. I kid you not! This is an essential spin for authentic, traditional folk lovers!

A Solid Album.......2000-12-03

If John Renbourn is capable of recording a bad album, I've yet to hear it. This is the second incarnation of the John Renbourn Group. [Fiddler Sue Draheim has been replaced by multi-instrumentalist John Molineux (dulcimer, mandolin, fiddle).] Still on board is Jacqui McShee who provides vocals on the standout track "The Plains of Waterloo."

Other highlights include the eight-and-a-half minute instrumental piece "Sidi Brahim," which features flute, guitar, tabla and swalamandala. Equally impressive is the opening medley, which couples the gorgeous harmonies on "Pavane 'Belle, Qui Tiens Ma Vie'" with the instrumental "Tourdion." There are also two a cappella numbers: the group singing of "The Truth from Above" and McShee's solo rendering of "A Bold Young Farmer."

Originally released in 1980, the group would record only one other album, the equally stunning live recording Live In America in 1981. If you are a fan of British folk music in general or the music of Pentangle in particular (Renbourn's previous band), this album will not disappoint. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Excellent follow-up.......1999-06-22

Excellent follow-up to the superb "A Maid In Bedlam" album. This one covers pretty much the same territory as the first, but is also a must. A gorgeous blend of medieval/renaissance British Isles music that, like "A Maid In Bedlam" must be heard.

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