IT DON'T BOTHER ME

Put simply "It Don't Bother Me" is proto-prog folk. Is it the first of its type? Some would say his first album would come under this category but to me this *is* it. "It Don't Bother Me" is a mixture of traditional folky songs with Jansch's trademark edgy idiosyncratic (read "genius") guitar playing intermingled with some bewildering instrumentals that defy classification; sort of Jazz/Folk/Never heard this type of playing before!

Bert is aided on guitar by John Renbourn on 2 tracks "My Lover"...now where did the Beatles get that sitar sound? Renbourn? This was recorded in early to mid 1965, well before Norwegian Wood had been recorded and actually released a month before Rubber Soul. "My Lover" is way out there for 1965. Lucky Thirteen (a Renbourn composition) is a mesmerizing interplay between Jansch and Renbourn...a proto-prog folk gem.

Other tracks such as the instrumental "The Wheel" is too good to describe; just listen to it. It states on Wikipedia and other sources that Roy Harper sings lead and plays guitar on "A Man I'd Rather Be" but I have my doubts. Nothing is mentioned on this in the extensive liner notes for the 2000 CD remaster and besides it sounds exactly like Bert! But then again it might just be Roy.

"Anti apartheid".....has there ever been a better protest song?

All other songs including "Oh My Babe", the title track and So Long (Been on the Road so Long) are classics. Sounds as if Bert is physically attacking his guitar on that latter song...you can almost hear him sweating and the guitar pleading for mercy.

"It Don't Bother Me" is just a fantastic album and it takes you back to a bygone pre-prog era; although no-one in that era was doing anything quite like Bert.

5 stars

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