Customer Reviews

The Garden of Jane Delawney

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The music on this album is strangely gentle.

There is obvious musical, songwriting, and production talent between all of the members of the group (and producer), and yet there is a lot that the group seems to have yet to learn--which is actually intensely refreshing.

It's great to hear an obviously talented group in the stages of figuring out how to play together, sorting through their influences, and songwriting.

It's too bad this band has made only two albums. I would have loved to hear the outcome of their growth on subsequent albums!

By the way, the bonus tracks are great! :)

This is a pretty strange album. One way of looking at the music is like this- the music is very pretty, contains the English folk-rock style *exceptionally* well, and is just all-around really pleasant music.

But also, there's a heavy punch to some of these songs, such as "Lady Margaret", and the guitar playing is quite solid with a hint of blues among all the pretty instrumentation. The direction of the music can switch gears dramatically in some instances.

Sure, it sounds like Fairport Convention, but in some ways, this is actually better because of the choice of instruments. The female lead singer has a pretty voice, and the mystical vibe of the English folk-rock style is implimented nicely here. Worth owning.

I've eard this album some years ago. I've been confused. It sounds like something especial. I had no words. Unfortunatly by the time it was done, nobody cares. I think its time to repare this. Its a superbe kink of music.

Thanks,

J. Andrade, Portugal

all the Trees material is amazing and should be checked out by anybody interested in British folk-rock. I just felt the need to counter the Jimmy Page-bashing by the other review here. The Bert Jansch song they refer to was called 'Blackwaterside' and the Led Zeppelin instrumental 'Black Mountainside' -- which was performed live as White Summer - does indeed seem to copy Jansch note for note. But not only was this years before the Trees recorded their own interpretation, the album credits are actually "Trad., arrangement by J.Page". And this is technically completely correct - it WAS a traditional tune, and the arrangement IS from Page. The fact that he borrowed huge musical phrases and much of the dynamics from Jansch only means he knew good music when he heard it. Page was actually very open about his taste for British folk-rock -- remember that Sandy Denny sang on Zeppelin IV -- and if Bert Jansch felt he had been unduly ripped off he could have taken legal action. In fact, I have played Jansch's Blackwaterside for dozens of people and thus opened up a whole new audience for HIM when they realized what an influence he was on Page. I think Jansch knew (and still knows) this and would probably THANK him for having borrowed so strongly from his work. He and Davy Graham certainly haven't starved as a result of Zeppelin's success.

You are right-OTS is a FIVE star album...GOJD is 4 star...it lacks the overall theme of drama that OTS has-and it is COLUMBIA that just put this out again in the UK-same label that had them in 1970! at least someone there has brains!

The band's album On the Shore is one of the great albums of rock history, so it seems odd to give The Garden of Jane Delawney the full five stars: how many could one give to On the Shore? In truth, however, this much more modest offering is probably overall just as good, and the title track (covered by the band All About Eve, but losing a deal of the magic in the process) alone is worth the price of the CD. The Garden of Jane Delawney was re-released in the UK in early 2002 by BGO (Beat Goes On), and it is much to be hoped that there's a similar re-release in the USA soon.

This is their first album. While not as airy and varied as ON THE SHORE, it has its good points. Hopefully, CBS/COLUMBIA UK will see fit to release this on their budget REWIND series.

Of the two albums by Trees, this, The Garden Of Jane Delawney, is more traditional sounding than their second album "On The Shore." It's not as hard rocking, much mellower, but still a brilliant album with some great lead guitar solos, and Celia Humphris vocals are just amazing, beautiful and incredible voice.
Their is one song on here that Jimmy Page stole the main guitar parts for, and then used it in the song he calls "White Summer," but it's actually taken from the traditional folk song "She Moves Through The Fair," which Davey Graham covered along with Bert Jansch, who was one of Page's acoustic influences. It's not a surprise that Page stole from that song as well as tons of others. He simply should not have got credit for being the writer of that song, and Led Zeppelin would also play "White Summer" live in concert. Their is even a website that describes how Jimmy Page & The Yardbirds ripped off other groups/artists of songs, and also Led Zeppelin.

The Garden of Jane Delawney is quite different in my opinion from their second album "On The Shore," but I still like and enjoy it very much, it definitely has it's moments, and I think the best thing about this album is some of the great guitar work, and of course, fantastic female vocals from Celia Humphris. But I think that "On The Shore" is a much better and stronger album, it's not as mellow as this, but this still is an excellent album and worth having. Glenn Signal Hill,CA USA