Pentangle: Basket of Light

Album: Basket of Light
Artist: Pentangle
Year: 1969

This is the 5th post and the second folk album I'm going to talk about. Smog was more of an indie folk band... this is 1960's english folk rock. So they sound different. Also, this band's guitar players are Bert Jansch and John Renbourn... I am a fan of both of their solo work and its likely we'll see it sometime later in the year... Lets break it down.

1. Light Flight

This song is incredible. Great instrument interactions... really standout guitar and vocal work. You can hear the medieval influence here as well... a lot of bands like this at the time were doing their own arrangements of traditional folk songs, so its not a surprise that these influences make it into the band's compositions. There is more to this song though, the instruments are really jazzy and I wish I could see them play this live, it would be really really cool, a lot of energy content in this song.

2. Once I Had a Sweetheart

Here's one of those traditional songs I was talking about. Its pretty good, but I wouldn't say its a standout song on the record. There's some good guitar work... and the sitar adds a really neat touch.

3. Springtime Promises

A song you would expect to hear in the 60's. I mean, I wasn't there but I'd imagine people singing about spring over pretty folk guitar was something that happened more often back then. I think the guitar in this song is well put together, a good composition. This song debuts Bert Jansch on vocals. Bluesy acoustic guitar solo toward the end. Very solid track.

4. Lyke Wake Dirge

This is another traditional song. I like this one better than the first one... this one has more atmosphere, its haunting. The vocal harmonies make it sound a lot like a hymn, but the instruments behind it retain the band's distinct style.

5. Train Song

This is my favorite opening of any song on the record. From the bluesy guitar intro into the debut of the vocals... this song moves along steady just like a train... its no wonder they called it that. There is some excellent guitar work in this song, as well as some vocal stuff that I find really impressive. There is another excellent solo towards the end of this song. A standout track all around

6. Hunting Song

Glockenspiel... do my ears deceive me? No. This song is awesome, this band really knows how to put the instruments together into a cohesive, interesting unit. This song has an unusual structure... When the vocals switch from the female to male vocals its surprising, and his voice is so much more engaging and the song kind of moves into a B section or a new motive or something. This song's lyrics carry some kind of story... something to do with Morgan Le Faye and King Arthur... further proof that this band loves English folk tales and mythology, these influences run deep.

7: Sally Go Round the Roses

I'm pretty sure this song is a cover... I'm not sure of who. I could look it up... but I don't really care. This is a pretty good song as performed by Pentangle, as usual there's some cool guitar stuff but it doesn't stand out as much as some of the other tracks.

8. The Cuckoo

This is another traditional folk song... not a whole lot to say about it. Its pretty and deserves a listen, but if you were looking for folk rock like I was, this won't hold your attention for long.

9. House Carpenter

Another traditional folk song, but this one is very good. Banjo is a nice touch, and I've heard this song as performed by Nickel Creek, but I must say this one is interesting. Banjo and Sitar... how often does that happen? It just doesn't happen.

10. Cloud Mountain

This is a b-side that is on my version of the album. I don't know the details about why its on here or whatever but I listened to it so I decided to talk about it. Its good, definitely worth a look if its on your version of the record. It has less of a traditional folk feel, and more of a... modern? folk feel? I'm not sure. It has a different mark though.

11. I Saw an Angel

This is an additional b-side... but I don't have much to say about this one. It features Bert Jansch on vocals. Not bad but not incredible.

Closing Remarks:

This is a great folk album and it deserves to be in your collection. I don't think Pentangle got as much attention as other English folk bands at the time... such as Fairport Convention or The Incredible String Band, but I think that is stupid because they are just as good if not better. Not to say that Fairport Convention and ISB are bad... we'll probably see them too eventually...