Someone coined the phrase ‘Folk Baroque’ supposedly to describe the elaborate quality of Bert and myself playing together. We had been sharing a number of habitations around ’65-’66 and we sat about plunking a lot of the time. It was either that or working and we were both far too sensitive for that.
Some of the ideas were borrowed from our American heroes, some were closer to home – Davey Graham and Alexis Korner — and others grew out of songs and patterns that one or other of us had come up with. As someone else wrote, it sounded like two boys ‘playing with’ guitars, which was pretty much what it was. Through dedicated job avoidance we developed quite a rapport. A number of the tunes were literally made up on the spot and like other of the early Transatlatic sessions recorded by Bill Leader on location, meaning our kitchen.
One track in particular attracted attention. The company called it “Lucky 13” because it was the thirteenth take. All the previous ones had been equally loose and the powers that be finally decided that thirteen was enough, and hopefully lucky. The idea was based on a little song of mine that Dorris Henderson had recorded earlier, When Bert’s tapes were picked up and compiled by Vanguard that track was included, in fact the album may even have been titled ‘Lucky 13’, but they forgot to mention me. The critics were mesmerised with reactions like “incredible playing, you could almost imagine Bert Jansch having two pairs of hands.”
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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 |