Santa Barbara Honeymoon (Digitally Remastered + Bonus Tracks)

After waiting nearly 35 years we finally have the second much anticipated major release by Bert Jansch from the 1970s, Santa Barabra Honeymoon - the first being the magnificent L A Turnaround.

L A Turnaround re-introduced Bert Jansch as a solo artist after the split of Folk Supergroup 'Pentangle' in the 1970s. Quite rightly it elevated him to the top of his field as one of the most venerated folk artists of his generation. It also confirmed him as a superlative guitarist and gifted song-writer and interpreter of English folk songs.

By contrast, I believe that Santa Barbara Honeymoon may have been complicit in starting Jansch on the slide to near obscurity in the 80s and 90s from which he has only recently been rescued.

By any objective measure, this is an appalling record. It should be required listening on any course about musical production as an example of 'how not to'. I actually wonder if Mr Jansch could even successfully pursue a claim against the producer Danny Lane for the detriment to his standing as a musician.

What do I object to? Well imagine if Simon Cowell was allowed to produce a serious musical project and this is what you would get. A 'new orleans' style jazz band, a gospel chorus and (I kid you not) 'Boney-M-style' steel drums as backing for Bert Jansch. The least objectionable production is when Lane thinks a bit of rock is called for. Now, I am all for musical experimentation but when it comes at the price of seriously destroying the fine musicianship and subtle songwriting of the performer then something is seriously wrong.

And here is the pity. Clearly, Jansch was inspired by the success of L A Turnaround to continue to write cogent, stimulating songs but I'm sorry to say that, for example, the wonderful imagery and moving message of 'Lost and Gone' is completely overpowered by the over-the-top backing singers, or 'Build Another Band' by the appalling and unecessary use of steel drums.

Is it all bad? Well there are some flashes of normality, especially on the production of the Jackson C Frank homage 'Blues Run The Game', which alone makes the album worth buying (although I think it is available on a previous compilation album).

In support of my case that Danny Lane should hang his head in shame, I suggest a close listening of the 'bonus track' where a far more realistic and genuinely musical construction of 'Build Another Band', which is an alternate version, reveals what a great song it is.

For Bert Jansch collectors, of course you will want to own this album, even if you do grimace through most of its content. I even suggest that after listening to it once, you'll probably never listen to it again (or like me only transfer 'Blues Run The Game' to your MP3 player). For others, please do not start here. Please either get 'L A Turnaround' or if you can find it 'Heartbreak', or prepare to be disappointed.

I'm a huge Bert Jansch fan, and have just listened, open-mouthed, at the MP3 samplers on this again. It's horrendous.
If you're looking at this review, you'll already know of the man, and also that all of the albums from the debut in '65 to Rosemary Lane are solid gold. The 70s recordings need a bit more picking through - LA Turnaround is a recognised classic, and Avocet is an unusual, beautiful (instrumental) record, and Conundrum has many good moments. This however, is a failed recording in almost every sense. The first reviewer nails it so I won't repeat his comments, but the artist sounds uncomfortable, the production is bad, the extra music tinsel (steel drums and choir!!!?) and the relocation to the states for recording and possible career re-direction simply bizarre and ill-conceived. So, a stinker. What to do?
An option here is to look for the "River Recordings", actually a live show taped in Scotland in winter '73 I think. It has the stronger material from here and much of LA Turnaround played the proper Bert way - a voice and a guitar. The new ECDs largely give the best of both worlds, rather like having Nick Drake's 'Time of No Reply' as a companion piece to his first two albums ('The Blacksmith' from LA Turnaround has a fantastic, dark electric piano grinding away like later Led Zep, then once you hear the stripped-down version after it's distinctly British-rural and quite ethereal, giving us both the artist's vision and a consistent part of an album in terms of mood and texture). Fortunately I lack the completist gene so "River Recordings" stands in for this horror of an album, while "From the Outside" does hide in a drawer somewhere as a testament to the man's sheer will and gradual (musical) recovery.

As a lifelong Bert Jansch fan I had to cringe when I heard this recording as I did when Dylan first picked up his electric guitar, the only difference being that Dylans transformation had something new to offer once you had got used to hearing it.

Why would such a Folk legend like Bert Jansch require all of this obscure and quite frankly irritating backing, it is beyond belief it really is. Had he of just sang and played this material in his traditional way it would have been a huge hit with the Folk world but as it stands it's a case of let's just buy it as it's Bert just as people buy some of the rubbish cd's at McCartney brought out just because he is an ex-beatle.

Some of the studio remastering is so harsh that it doesn't even sound like Bert at times. I'm using my copy as a coffee coaster as it won't be getting much air time on my CD Player. A big disappointment for Bert Fans everywhere. Don't get me wrong I still love the guy and he's still my best all time folk hero but he might as well have gone to church and joined a gospel choir at least then it could have been released under the guise of a much different genre.