Solomon’s Seal was Pentangle’s final studio album before the band decided to call it a day early in 1973, and is now being rereleased as a double CD. Disc 1 features the remastered original album, with a slew of bonus tracks from appearances on ‘Sounds of the Seventies’, alongside a John Renbourn solo track, and the second disc mostly songs from a live gig in Guildford—several of which are previously unreleased—plus three tracks from The Christian & the Lion. All compiled by Pentangle expert and Bert Jansch biographer, Colin Harper.
This album is being rereleased in the wake of a 14-album boxset of all their albums earlier in 2025, as well as the recent sad passing of Pentangle double bassist Danny Thompson, meaning vocalist Jacqui McShee and drummer Terry Cox are now the only two surviving Pentanglers. The musical pedigree inside Pentangle was quite awesome in its range, from the virtuosic guitar talent of John Renbourn and Bert Jansch (a major influence on one Mr James Patrick Page), to the mighty rhythm section of Danny Thompson on bass and Terry Cox on drums, to the divine, mesmeric vocals of Jacqui McShee. This is why it was always a mistake to describe them as being just a ‘folk band’ because, as their albums suggested, their music incorporated more than just folk.
Solomon’s Seal is an album very much of its time, when musical boundaries were being reshaped by ever more adventurous bands looking to expand their horizons. The songs on the album are mostly quite short, with only the delightful ‘Willy ‘O’ Winsbury’—a Scottish tale about a heroic warrior responsible for the pregnancy of the King’s daughter—running close to six minutes. The album features a mix of traditional tunes, plus two songs from Bert Jansch (neither of which are anywhere near his best) and one from Danny Thompson. ‘High Germany’ sees Jansch playing dulcimer and Renbourn on flute, while ‘Lady of Carlisle’ and ‘Cherry Tree Carol’ are delightful tunes and, as always, Jacqui McShee’s vocals are sheer delight. Taken as a whole, though, by the standards of their earlier albums, Solomon’s Seal is probably not in the same class, though it does have its share of good moments. Five of the nine tracks were performed for ‘Sounds of the Seventies’ in 1972, with the two tracks mentioned above as standouts. But despite its good moments, if Solomon’s Seal is your introduction to Pentangle, you really ought to go back further—start at the beginning and then you’ll hear exactly how they made their name.
All but two of the fifteen songs on disc two are from gigs in Guildford and St Albans. The Guildford gig has the sound quality of a bootleg, with Terry Cox’s drums too far forward in the mix, making Jacqui’s voice almost indecipherable at times. Not until the fourth track, the gorgeous ‘She Moved Through The Fair’—with no percussion—could Jacqui be clearly heard. ‘Train Song’ and ‘Reynardine’, from Jansch’s Rosemary Jane album, are also drum-free and feature Jansch singing, and we’re teased with only one verse of ‘Cruel Sister’. ‘My Sweet Potato’ and Charlie Mingus’ ‘The Shoes Of The Fisherman’s Wife’ are instrumental respites, allowing the band to show their versatility. However, the three songs from St Albans have far better sound quality, with ‘The Snows’, from Solomon’s Seal, played without flute and sitar, Renbourn uses electric guitar on ‘The Cuckoo’, and ‘Cruel Sister’ is delivered effortlessly.
Earlier albums like Basket of Light have the edge over Solomon’s Seal, but there are still plenty of good songs on this album, and it’s worthy of the name Pentangle.
