Extraordinary Pentangle Boxed Set Brings Together Live & BBC Sessions 1982-2011

Pentangle – Reunions – Live & BBC Sessions 1982-2011 (Cherry Red, 2023)

Pentangle’s Reunions – Live & BBC Sessions 1982-2011 (Cherry Red, 2023) is a compelling 4CD box set that meticulously showcases exceptional live and BBC session recordings by the reunited original lineup of the legendary and highly influential English folk rock band Pentangle.

The first disc offers a treasure trove of recordings sourced from the BBC archives, previously unreleased and brimming with nostalgia. Featuring six songs from Pentangle’s memorable reunion at The Cambridge Folk Festival in 1982, along with an impressive rendition of ‘Bruton Town’ from their return in 2011. Additionally, the disc includes sessions from BBC TV shows such as Six Fifty-Five Special and Later With Jools Holland, as well as highlights from the 2007 Radio 2 Folk Awards and BBC Radio 6 Music’s Freak Zone.

While the first eight tracks present the quartet of Bert Jansch on vocals and guitar; Jacqui McShee on vocals; John Renbourn on vocals and guitar; and Danny Thompson on double bass;, with drummer Terry Cox absent due to injury, the rest of Reunions reunites all five original members of Pentangle.

Moving on to disc 2, listeners are treated to 18 previously unreleased recordings capturing the brilliance of Pentangle’s performances during their triumphant 1982 Italian tour in Thiene and Milan.

Discs 3 and 4 bring us the culmination of Pentangle’s journey with the band’s final double album, Finale: An Evening With Pentangle. This compilation features carefully selected performances from their 2008 UK tour and was originally released by Topic Records in 2016.

Notably, the box set includes insightful notes from acclaimed author Mick Houghton, enhancing the overall experience for fans and enthusiasts alike.

DISC ONE

Reunions At The BBC
Cambridge Folk Festival (BBC World Service) 1982

1 Train Song
2 If I Said I Had a Lover
3 People on the Highway
4 Sovay
5 Bruton Town
6 I’ve Got a Feeling
Six Fifty-Five Special (BBC 2) 5/8/82
7 Sovay
8 If I Had a Lover
BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (BBC Radio 2) 5/2/07
9 Bruton Town
10 Light Flight
11 David Attenborough presents Lifetime Achievement Award to Terry Cox & Bert Jansch
Freak Zone (BBC Radio 6 Music) 27/4/08
12 Let No Man Steal Your Thyme
13 Light Flight
14 Market Song
15 I’ve Got a Feeling
Later with Jools Holland (BBC 2) 29/4/08 + 2/5/08
16 Let No Man Steal Your Thyme
17 Light Flight
18 I’ve Got a Feeling
Cambridge Folk Festival Highlights (BBC Radio 2) 3/8/11
19 Bruton Town

DISC TWO

Live In Italy Thiene, 10/12/82

1. Bruton Town
2. People on the Highway
3. Light Flight
4. Ragtime Tune (John Renbourn solo)
   Teatro Orfeo, Milan 9/12/82
5. A Bold Young Farmer (Jacqui McShee solo)
6. Train Song
7. If I Had a Lover
8. Open Up the Watergate
9. Blackwater Side (Bert Jansch & Danny Thompson)
10. Sovay
11. Sweet Child
12. Band Intros
13. Pentangling
14. I’ve Got a Feeling 16: Cruel Sister
15. Sally Free and Easy
16. Moonshine

DISC THREE

Finale: An Evening with Pentangle (PART ONE)

1. Let No Man Steal Your Thyme
2. Light Flight
3. Mirage
4. Hunting Song
5. Once I Had A Sweetheart
6. Market Song
7. In Time
8. People On The Highway
9. House Carpenter
10. Cruel Sister

DISC FOUR

Finale: An Evening with Pentangle (PART TWO)

1. The Time Has Come
2. Bruton Town
3. A Maid That’s Deep In Love
4. I’ve Got A Feeling
5. The Snows
6. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat
7. No More My Lord
8. Sally Free And Easy
9. Wedding Dress
10. Pentangling
11. Will The Circle Be Unbroken

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