Review

Of all the bands from the fertile British folk-rock scene of the late '60s, Pentangle were the jazziest and most virtuosic. Led by nimble-fingered acoustic guitarists Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, they smartly picked up the hybrid folk-jazz mantle built by Davey Graham ten years prior. The central tension in British folk-rock was to preserve traditional music while making it sound new and original — not an easy thing to pull off. On tracks such as "Pentangling," "Let No Man Steal Your Thyme" and "Mirage," the group succeeds perfectly, hitting Bardic terraplane grooves even deeper than those attained by formidable contemporaries like Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. And stand-up bassist Danny Thompson and vocalist Jacqui MacShay shine throughout. Unfortunately, after their third album, Pentangle lost the thread, devolving into a bad fusion band who sang folk songs. This collection, then, presents much of the band's best material. Produced by Shel Talmy, these recordings sound as fresh and innovative today as they did 30-plus years ago.