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Label: Earth
Limited edition 4LP&4CD case/bound 24-page book/back box set. A Man I'd Rather Be - Part II comprises Jansch's late '60s and early '70s output, an underrated era no doubt influenced by the now well-established Pentangle sound. Bandmates Danny Thompson on bass and Terry Cox on drums regularly feature among the musicians, as do cameo appearances by Mary Hopkin, Tony Visconti and Dave Mattacks. In this period we see Jansch's take on pop ("Nicola"), blues ("Birthday Blues"), handsome arrangements ("Rosemary Lane") and baroque 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. "Birthday Blues" contains a set with some of the stalwarts of Bert's solo and Pentangle sets, including "Woman Like You" and some of his most arresting work, including "Sing a Happy Song". "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 "Heynardine", timeless original compositions like "Tell Me What Is True Love", "In the Morning" and "Arabanda", examples of early music including the 16th and 17th and 18th centuries, all with the sympathetic production of Bill Leader. "Moonshine" was produced by fellow member Danny Thompson and Tony Visconti. It features Mary Hopkin duetting with Bert on Ewan MacColl's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", A.L.N.Y. and Charles Mingus' drummer Charlie Richmond. "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
