Pentangle

Just time enough for one more set on the Chris Prior Show tonight.

We drop into the depths of the cellar for the English folk group Pentangle.

Let's get away, you say Find a better place Miles and miles away From the city's rays Look around for someone Flying in the sunshine Marking time Hear the sighs Close your eyes but

Passing years of light.

A little bit of soda and a little bit of rum But you gotta take it easy Don't get too greasy and

act too sleazy Act like you've been here before If you can't change the world, let me show you the door It was made to beat you and defeat you You're never gonna learn if you don't let it teach you where you're at Yeah, we're sitting on top of the world Yeah, we're sittin' on top of the world Oh, yeah, Lord, right here, right now Y'all, where y'all at? Come on, boy At the end of the world when the sun comes up

So some delightful material at the tail end of the show tonight, starting with the legendary English folk group Pentangle, featuring Jackie McShea on vocals, a terrific rhythm section of Danny Thompson on bass and Terry Cox on drums, and two great heroes of acoustic guitar, Bert Jansch and John Renborn.

This would be their most famous song, it's called Light Flight, from the 1969 album Basket of Light.

of man To seek a passage around the pole But we parsima do sometimes go.

The English folk rock group Pentangle's version of the 19th century ballad about Lord Franklin's ill-fated attempt in 1845 to find a northwest passage through the Arctic Ocean.

Franklin's ships became icebound and all 129 men who sailed with him perished.

Today, of course, the situation is different.

My thanks again to Humphrey Hawksley.

His latest Ray Cozenna thriller is Operation Icebreaker.

My thanks also to the Pentangle for filling my brain more than half a century ago with these wonderful earworms.

? ? ? ?

Bert Janch on guitar, British folk music at its best.

He was also a member of Pentangle.

This tune was called Running From Home by Bert Janch.

And before that, we heard The Impressions, a beat-up vinyl copy of We're a Winner by The Impressions.

I mean, it's crazy to see how all of those influences sort of come together.

You're talking about someone whose influences range from Dionne Warwick and Minnie Riperton to Pentangle and, like, Cocteau Twins, and it's like all of these things come together to create, like, this own unique world.

[singing] But my heart, you have.

And hills or valleys, I'll hold forever.

Yeah

... with a couple of quirky things like, um, well, John and Beverly Martin did some of their, uh, the Pentangle started out on them.

People would always try and get off away 'cause they, um, when they realized the contract was so completely dove.

Anyway, um, yeah, so he spoke to the powers that be and maybe the boss came along to one of our gigs, I just can't remember.

Yeah.

Which is Danny Thompson from Pentangle, who's an old folk-

Oh, it's an acoustic bass

... arrangement for that.

Yeah

... and, and "Light Flight" by The Pentangle, work it out yourselves, et cetera, et cetera.

Um, and the year that Coronation Street finally went into color by the end of the year.

Yeah.

Bert Jansch passed away in 2011 at the age of 67 from cancer.

He was a Scottish folk guitarist, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the progressive folk group Pentangle.

Leonard Delaney passed away in 2014 at the age of 71 from Alzheimer's disease.

He was the original founding drummer of the 1960 surf rock band the Tornadoes.