Bert Jansch

A couple of very different sounding songs, both called Shout, were released during 1985. One of them was by Tears For Fears, being the lead single from their second album Songs From The Big Chair, a release which made them a Transatlantic success story and earned them a spot on practically every compilation of the decade worth its salt. Slick and pounding, it was also a thematically dedicated to the right of protest by singer Roland Orzabal, adding a veneer of authenticity rare in the pop canon of the time.

The second was buried on Bert Jansch's solo album From The Outside, although this too ironically was a heartfelt anti-war stomp which however in comparable presentation to its peer felt a little sentimental and anachronistic. Not that you would've heard it unless you were super dedicated: released on the tiny Belgian label Konexion and limited to a run of just 500 copies, it's host vessel has remained one of the Scot's less acknowledged works, despite a previous re-issue in 1993. Culled from sessions in Britain and Denmark, the Jansch it contains is completely alone on it, none of the fluid membership of his day job band Pentangle featuring.

The Glaswegian born singer had come a long way even than since being enthralled by the dexterous picking of Brownie McGhee at Edinburgh's Howff club a quarter of a century before; on moving to London in 1963 he rapidly became an avatar for the folk revival which swept across Europe for the next four or five years, his self titled début widely acclaimed as one of its seminal works.  Along with Jacqui McShee, Terry Cox, Danny Thompson and John Renbourn he'd then formed Pentangle, whose brief apogee had been rapidly eroded by popular taste's movement on to the blues-inspired heavy rock of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. By the time of the From The Outside sessions he was at less than full cry, drinking too much (He would go teetotal in 1987) and performing live only sporadically.

Continue reading: Bert Jansch - From The Outside Album Review