Customer Reviews

L.A. Turnaround

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

 

 

Rather than writing a straight review, I'm just gonna list the bullet points:

- Tony Stratton-Smith (Founder of the Famous Charisma Label) calls L.A. TURNAROUND "one of the five best albums the label ever released." He's right.

- Bert Jansch had to buy his vinyl copy off of Ebay, since the master tapes appeared to be lost.

- Beautifully re-mastered.

- Terrific liner notes, explaining the myth/legend of L.A. TURNAROUND. Booklet includes original photos from the LP.

- Vocally the best Bert has ever sounded, in my opinion.

- "Fresh As A Sweet Sunday Morning" should be a folk music standard. And the updated version of "Needle Of Death," feauring Red Rhodes steel guitar, is better than Jansch's original.

- With the exception of two gorgeous instrumentals produced by Danny Thompson at an earlier session in Paris, L.A. TURNAROUND is tastefully produced by Michael Nesmith and features Nesmith's Countryside Band, along with Klaus Voorman and Jesse Ed Davis.

- Four bonus tracks, three of which are markedly different alternate versions, also produced by Nesmith. The fourth bonus track is Bert's Christmas single "In The Bleak Mid-Winter," also from 1974 and produced by Ralph McTell.

- The icing on the cake: An incredibly rare 13-minute video documentary filmed during the recording of the album, featuring recording sessions and brief informal interviews with Jansch, Nesmith and pedal steel player Red Rhodes. The film is like a very cool home movie.

- Kudos to Virgin/EMI for finally finding the master tapes (and the documentary!) for this lost gem!

- Highly, highly recommended to fans of Bert Jansch, Michael Nesmith and anyone interested in UK-based folk/rock.

Bert Jansch's 1973 album "L.A. Turnaround" was unavailable for many years, and I'm glad to see it has finally been released on CD. Most of the tracks on "L.A. Turnaround" were recorded at Mike Nesmith's residence using a mobile studio, and perhaps the relaxed environment and the support of musicians Nesmith and the notable session player Red Rhodes contributed to Jansch delivering some of his best performances. Jansch's guitar playing, while always phenomenal, is particularly amazing on this album. The instrumental "Chambertin" is an inspired tour de force which left me with my jaw on the floor when I first heard it. Another thing that strikes me about "L.A. Turnaround" are the great melodies of these songs, which I never tire of. The haunting "Fresh As A Sweet Sunday Morning" and the wistful tracks "Travelling Man" and "There Comes A Time" have remained favorites of mine through the years. Jansch chose to re-record his classic song "Needle Of Death" on this album, and I have to say that I prefer this version to the original version on his first album. For once, the bonus tracks included do not take away from the original album: the alternate versions of "One For Jo", "Open Up The Watergate", and "The Blacksmith" are all interesting in the differences in production from the final versions. The beautiful bonus track "In The Bleak Midwinter" is another song that I'm thankful has been released. The 2009 CD release includes an ECD section that is a mini-documentary on the making of the album which can be watched on your computer, which is a really cool feature for fans. I would rate "L.A. Turnaround" as one of Jansch's best albums, and if you are a fan this is one you should have. I would also recommend Mike Nesmith's album "And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'" which was recorded during the same period as "L.A. Turnaround". It features Nesmith on vocals and guitar and Red Rhodes on the pedal steel, and is another great collection of songs.

Embarrassed to say I've only recently discovered this record. Have several of his other titles--all excellent. This one is superb. Great sideguys as well. I'd put much of his work in the "essential" stack.

Excellent album, whether your an old Bert fan or just a beginning listener, this one is good for your collection. Hey, get all of Berts, I do.