Friday, 13 November 2015

John Renbourn - The Attic Tapes


Rating: 5/5

Review:
Very good early Renbourn



This is a very good album of early John Renbourn, compiled from tapes found in a mate's attic, apparently.  Nice find!  Renbourn is on fine form and the sound is surprisingly good.

A look at the track list will probably tell you most of what you need to know – classic 60s guitar work, several pieces soon to be made more famous by Bert Jansch, like Anji and Blues Run The Game.  It's fascinating to hear Renbourn's take on them, and to realise that his and Jansch's styles, while still distinct, were much closer together in the days before Renbourn's deepening interest in traditional and renaissance lute music began to give him such a brilliantly distinctive sound.

These recordings come from a variety of sources, some live in front of an audience, some probably home-made in private.  The sound has survived the years very well and has been well cleaned up and transferred and it's a lovely record of a revered and loved guitarist's early years.  What it comes down to is this, I think:  if you like Renbourn you'll like this, and I can recommend it warmly.

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