Fingerstyle Guitar: The Other British Invasion - (Re-) Releases

dateline: 10/05/99
revised: 6/20/00

I am a lucky dog. Within weeks of starting this site, I get a package of re-releases from Fantasy/Kicking Mule that would blow anyone's mind. If you want an instant, encyclopedic introduction to the fingerstyle guitar return-to-roots explosion of the 1970s that occurred in Britain, you couldn't do better than to pick up all of these disks and hide away with them for a week. Here's what we've got:

Baker, Duck Kid On The Mountain (1980) (Kicking Mule)

The original Kid on the Mountain released in 1980 collected thirteen guitar arrangements of traditional Irish and Scottish tunes long before the current Celtic boom. The reissue adds four bonus tracks from earlier sessions in 1977 and 1978. A familiar figure around London in the late '70's, Baker was one of the first to blend American guitar-style idioms with the music of the Celtic tradition. Baker certainly took a key step in the extensive cultural and musical crossover that has occurred in the intervening years. There is a purity in these performances, the focused, unselfconscious intensity of classical music. Considered a classic album.

Evans, Dave Sad Pig Dance (1974) (Kicking Mule)

Jazzier and more joyful than Baker, Evans is part of the British tradition of guitar fingerstylists that starts with Davey Graham and includes Martin Carthy, John Renbourn, Bert Jansch and Martin Simpson. Excellent liner notes by Duck Baker puts Evans and this work in a broad and fascinating musical/historical context. The generous nine bonus tracks include tunes from the legendary 1977 Contemporary Guitar Workshop album feature the Evans' pioneering use of alternate tunings. Very rewarding listening.

Graham, Davey The Complete Guitarist (Kicking Mule)

According to Duck Baker, Davey Graham single-handedly transformed the way guitarists in England approached the instrument, both in terms of technique and the way traditional British and American idioms could be combined. This disc makes Graham's range clear, moving easily from Bach to Big Bill Broonzy, Vaughan Williams to Willie Dixon. It also includes a lot of traditional English and Celtic material and some originals as well. The original 16-tracks of the 1977 recording has been augmented with eight bonus tracks. Again, Duck Baker's liner notes are worth the price of admission - a complete tutorial.

Added:

Bert Jansch Birthday Blues / Rosemary Lane (Essential Records)

This re-release combines two early Jansch recordings. Birthday Blues is not his best work, although there are some nice performances. But the feel is all wrong - with heavy reverb, drums, and some light-weight lyrics, this album is reminiscent of Cat Stevens' earliest efforts like Matthew & Son - a sort of Peter Pan Brit-pop. Fortunately, both artists achieved their own individual voice and depth soon after, and Jansch's Rosemary Lane is breathtaking.

Getting a disc like this in the mail makes my job worthwhile. Jansch's guitar playing is primal; like Cassals on cello, in Jansch's hands, the guitar becomes expressive, full of rhythmical oddities, woody tones, rough passages, breathing. The album capitalizes on the depth and strength of this playing with several original and classic instrumentals and three strikingly original arrangements of traditional songs. Jansch's "Reynardine," and the title track will haunt you - for years. Jansch's originals here are moody and sparse, quiet and imagistic, again giving priority to Jansch's musical discoveries. This album is essential.

Hugh Blumenfeld, Editor
hugh@balladtree.com