Long acknowledged as one of the greatest and most influential acoustic guitarists to emerge from the British folk scene, the late John Renbourn is best known to the wider world for his membership of Pentangle, the genre-busting band that he was instrumental in bringing together in 1967. Our new 6CD box set Unpentangled (released this week) anthologises John’s essential but often overlooked body of early work…
Pentangle’s recordings are widely available, most recently with Cherry Red’s 2017 highly-acclaimed box set Pentangle: The Albums.
However, Renbourn recorded extensively both before and during the band’s early genesis, with a trio of solo albums joined by two vital collaborations with American-born folk singer Dorris Henderson as well as “Bert And John”, his joint album with Bert Jansch in 1966.
Housed in a clamshell box that boasts replica album sleeves, some very rare photos and a new essay on the man, the 6-CD set Unpentangled anthologises that essential but often overlooked body of early work.
The set also contains a clutch of bonus tracks from the same period (including a marvellous psychedelic folk rendition of the Love song ‘Message To Pretty’) to shine the solo spotlight on a man that folk club organiser and future ZigZag founder Pete Frame once dubbed “the stoned Julian Bream of folk guitar”.
DISC ONE
DORRIS HENDERSON & JOHN RENBOURN – THERE YOU GO!
1. SALLY FREE AND EASY
2. SINGLE GIRL
3. RIBBON BOW
4. COTTON EYED JOE
5. MR TAMBOURINE MAN
6. MIST ON THE MOUNTAIN
7. THE LAG’S SONG
8. AMERICAN JAIL SONG
9. THE WATER IS WIDE
10. SOMETHING LONESOME
11. SONG (FALLING STAR)
12. WINTER IS GONE
13. STRANGE LULLABY
14. YOU’RE GONNA NEED SOMEBODY ON YOUR BOND
15. ONE MORNING IN MAY
16. A BANJO TUNE (ALIAS DARLING COREY)
17. GOING TO MEMPHIS
BONUS TRACKS
18. THE LEAVES ARE GREEN (ALIAS LEAVES THAT ARE GREEN)
19. THE HANGMAN
DISC TWO
JOHN RENBOURN – JOHN RENBOURN
1. JUDY
2. BETH’S BLUES
3. SONG
4. DOWN ON THE BARGE
5. JOHN HENRY
6. PLAINSONG
7. LOUISIANA BLUES
8. BLUE BONES
9. TRAIN TUNE
10. CANDY MAN
11. THE WILDEST PIG IN CAPTIVITY
12. NATIONAL SEVEN
13. MOTHERLESS CHILDREN
14. WINTER IS GONE
15. NOAH AND RABBIT
BONUS TRACKS
16. THE WILDEST PIG IN CAPTIVITY (ALTERNATIVE VERSION)
17. CAN’T KEEP FROM CRYING
18. BLUES RUN THE GAME
19. LUCKY THIRTEEN
DISC THREE
BERT JANSCH & JOHN RENBOURN – BERT AND JOHN
1. EAST WIND
2. PIANO TUNE
3. GOODBYE PORK PIE HAT
4. SOHO
5. TIC-TOCATIVE
6. ORLANDO
7. RED’S FAVOURITE
8. NO EXIT
9. ALONG THE WAY
10. THE TIME HAS COME
11. STEPPING STONES
12. AFTER THE DANCE
BONUS TRACK
13. THE WAGGONER’S LAD
DISC FOUR
JOHN RENBOURN –
ANOTHER MONDAY
1. ANOTHER MONDAY
2. LADYE NOTHING’S TOY PUFFE
3. I KNOW MY BABE
4. WALTZ
5. LOST LOVER BLUES
6. ONE FOR WILLIAM
7. BUFFALO
8. SUGAR BABE
9. DEBBIE ANNE
10. CAN’T KEEP FROM CRYING
11. DAY AT THE SEASIDE
12. NOBODY’S FAULT BUT MINE
DISC FIVE
DORRIS HENDERSON –
WATCH THE STARS
1. WHEN YOU HEAR THEM CUCKOOS HOLLERIN’
2. IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME
3. 30 DAYS IN JAIL
4. NO MORE MY LORD
5. WATCH THE STARS
6. THERE’S ANGER IN THIS LAND
7. MOSAIC PATTERNS
8. TOMORROW IS A LONG TIME
9. FOR LOVIN’ ME
10. COME UP HORSEY
11. GOD BLESS THE CHILD
12. THE TIME HAS COME
13. POEMS OF SOLITUDE
14. LONELY MOOD
15. GONNA TELL MY LORD
BONUS TRACK
16. MESSAGE TO PRETTY
DISC SIX
JOHN RENBOURN –
SIR JOHN ALOT OF MERRIE NGLANDES MUSYK THYNG & YE GRENE KNYGHTE
1. THE EARLE OF SALISBURY
2. THE TREES THEY DO GROW HIGH
3. LADY GOES TO CHURCH
4. MORGANA
5. TRANSFUSION
6. FORTY-EIGHT
7. MY DEAR BOY
8. WHITE FISHES
9. SWEET POTATO
10. SEVEN UP
BONUS TRACKS
11. THE EARLE OF SALISBURY
(ALTERNATIVE VERSION)
12. TRANSFUSION
(ALTERNATIVE VERSION)
13. FORTY-EIGHT
(ALTERNATIVE VERSION)
ALSO AVAILABLE… PENTANGLE – THE ALBUMS…
