The Pentangle represented the collective brilliance of several exceptionally skilled musicians, and there is no doubt that they hold a pivotal place in the folk-rock genre. Their music was an intriguing and audacious endeavour to blend elements of folk, blues, jazz, and pop. They offered their own interpretations of traditional melodies alongside original compositions, resulting in a distinct sound all their own. Other bands active during that era—such as Fairport Convention, the Incredible String Band, and Steeleye Span—shared a similar vision; however, what set Pentangle apart was that all four members were already renowned for their extraordinary talent on their respective instruments before uniting. Notably, Bert Jansch significantly influenced one Mr. James Patrick Page, while vocalist Jacqui McShee possessed a crystalline voice with few equals in her vocal range.
They were active from 1968 to 1972, disbanding at the close of that year. During this period, they produced six studio albums, five of which were issued by the renowned Transatlantic label. After parting ways with the label due to a disagreement over royalties, their final album was released under Reprise. All six albums are now being reissued as part of an extensive fourteen-album deluxe box set. Each album has been significantly expanded, nearly doubling its original runtime and featuring a wealth of bonus content. This includes alternate takes on popular tracks, outtakes, and an impressive collection of twenty-two previously unreleased songs, along with several live recordings to enhance the experience. Additionally, there are selections from the solo projects of guitarists Bert Jansch and John Renbourn that date back to the era when The Pentangle was active, making this release a genuine delight and setting it apart from earlier reissues of their work. Every recording has been newly remastered for optimal sound quality; each album is presented in a gatefold sleeve that mirrors the original artwork and is packaged within a sturdy slipcase box. The results are truly remarkable.
The album is accompanied by an exceptionally thorough and enlightening 82-page booklet, featuring interviews and insights from Jansch, Renbourn, and McShee. Interestingly, there are no contributions from Danny Thompson (bass) or Terry Cox (drums). Additionally, the booklet offers in-depth reviews of all six albums penned by six distinct reviewers, along with newspaper articles and an extensive list of performances.
Jacqui McShee states, “This collection represents a significant chapter in music history, one in which we sought to experiment and explore each other’s talents and enjoy making music together. I hope this box set serves as a celebration of all we accomplished together.”
If you’re reading this review, it’s probably a fair bet you already know the Pentangle and what they sounded like. They were almost certainly in a class of their own with the kind of music they performed, with only the Fairport’s Richard Thompson on a par with Jansch and Renbourn, and only Steeleye’s Maddy Prior coming close to being McShee’s equal in voice range, though neither had the feel/depth of Sandy Denny, who was originally considered for the band before they settled on Jacqui McShee.
Upon the release of their self-titled debut album in May 1968, it was hailed as one of the finest debut records ever and received enthusiastic praise from John Peel. This milestone occurred during a period when numerous other bands destined for greatness were also unveiling their inaugural albums, including The Nice, Yes, Jethro Tull, and others. Their first four albums (Pentangle, Sweet Child, Basket of Light and Cruel Sister) were all recorded between May 1968 and November 1970, which, considering the number of gigs played, both as a band and individually, was quite an extraordinary achievement.
By the time of Cruel Sister, however, they’d had an unexpected hit single with ‘Light Flight,’ from Basket of Light, with the album reaching no:5 in the charts. Transatlantic wanted more like this, but the band were disinterested in pursuing a commercial direction, which produced issues between band and label. Also, Cruel Sister was the first not to be produced by Shel Talmy, which led to studio tensions during the album’s recording.
Two more albums followed (Reflections and Solomon’s Seal), which was the final album with the original line-up – but the move to Reprise hadn’t worked as expected, and soon afterwards, in early 1973, the Pentangle broke up. They’d reunite thirty-plus years later and release a couple of albums, but their golden period couldn’t be recreated.
The Pentangle were pioneers in their field and, with the quality of musicians in the band, quite likely a ‘supergroup’ as well, all great on their own, but the synergy involved made the band bigger than the sum total of its parts. They weren’t always easy to categorise but as all these discs prove, they were very easy to like and admire.
