Basket of Light
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| Basket of Light | ||
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| Studio album by Pentangle | ||
| Released | 1969 | |
| Recorded | IBC Studios, London | |
| Genre | Folk rock | |
| Length | 40:07 | |
| Label | Transatlantic Records | |
| Producer(s) | Shel Talmy | |
| Professional reviews | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pentangle chronology | ||
| Sweet Child (1968) |
Basket of Light (1969) |
Cruel Sister (1970) |
Basket of Light is a 1969 (see 1969 in music) album by the folk rock group Pentangle. Basket of Light reached #5 on the UK charts largely on the basis of the single "Light Flight" (#43 UK), the theme from BBC1's first colour drama series Take Three Girls.
"Light Flight" itself is a complex song based on jazz rhythms, somewhat reminiscent of Dave Brubeck's work, switching between 5/8, 7/8 and 6/4 time signatures. Jacqui McShee's layered vocals also draw on the jazz idiom.
"Once I had a sweetheart" is a traditional song, featuring a sitar solo by John Renbourn.
"Springtime Promises" is a Terry Cox composition, sung by Bert Jansch. The album cover states that it was written "after a ride on a number 74 bus from Gloucester Road to Greencroft Gardens on an early spring day".
"Lyke Wake Dirge" is a traditional song arranged for three part vocals with some similarity to the vocal harmonies used by The Young Tradition, in their version of the song, but with distinctive Pentangle instrumentation.
"Train song" is a blues-influenced composition evoking the rhythms of a train. It slows into a more dream-like middle section with McShee's "instrumental vocalization" soaring above the band before picking up speed into an ending featuring Danny Thompson's bowed bass. The title of the album is taken from a line in the song: Love is a basket of light; grasp it so tight.
"Hunting Song" is a band composition, based on the mediaeval story of a magic drinking horn sent by Morgana le Fay to the court of King Arthur. It features Terry Cox on glockenspiel and develops into a central section in three part canon based on the theme of the Elizabethan round "Heigh-ho, nobody home".
'Sally go round the roses' is a Phil Spector composition previously recorded by The Jaynetts in 1963.
"The Cuckoo" is a straightforward folk arrangement of a traditional song. "House Carpenter" is another traditional song, also known as "The Daemon Lover". It features the unusual combination of banjo (played by Jansch) and sitar (played by Renbourn).
The album cover uses photographs of Pentangle's 1968 concert in the Royal Albert Hall. It states that All the instruments played on this album are accoustic [sic].
[edit] Track listing
All Songs Written by Jansch/Renbourn/Thompson/Cox/McShee except as noted
- "Light Flight (Theme from Take Three Girls)" – 3:14
- "Once I Had a Sweetheart" (Trad. Arr. Jansch/Renbourn/Thompson/Cox/McShee) – 4:37
- "Springtime Promises" – 4:04
- "Lyke-Wake Dirge" (Fried/Trad. Arr. Jansch/Renbourn/Thompson/Cox/McShee) – 3:32
- "Train Song" – 4:43
- "Hunting Song" – 6:41
- "Sally Go Round the Roses" (Spector) – 3:34
- "The Cuckoo" (Trad. Arr. Jansch/Renbourn/Thompson/Cox/McShee) – 4:26
- "House Carpenter" (Trad. Arr. Jansch/Renbourn/Thompson/Cox/McShee) – 5:27
[edit] Personnel
- Terry Cox – Drums, Glockenspiel, Hand Drum, Hi-Hat, Vocals on (4), (6)
- Bert Jansch – Guitar, Banjo, Vocals on (3), (5), (6), (9)
- Jacqui McShee – Vocals
- John Renbourn – Guitar, Sitar, Vocals on (3), (4), (6), (7)
- Danny Thompson – Double Bass
- Shel Talmy – Producer
- Damon Lyon-Shaw – Engineer
- John Pantry – Engineer
[edit] Released versions
Basket of Light was released as a UK LP on 26 October 1969, as Transatlantic TRA2O5. The U.S. version, in the same year was Reprise R56372. The album was re-released as a digitally remastered CD in 2001, as Castle CMRCD207, which includes alternate takes of "Sally Go Round the Roses" and the non-album B-sides: "Cold Mountain" and "I Saw an Angel".
