January 13, 2010
beeradvocate.com rating- B+
Brooklyn Monster Ale 2010- 12oz. bottle into Belgian Tulip glass- Bierkraft- Brooklyn, NY- 10.8% ABV. My first post for the new year and I hope to make it through a complete year this time. I went to Bierkraft in Park Slope, Brooklyn last week with a friend who wanted to check it out as well. They had a good selection of growlers and bottles but for me it’s a bit far from home so I don’t expect to go back often but it was a cool place to check out. This Barleywine poured a deep ruby color, bordering on brown. About a fingers worth of head which receded rapidly. I have read this maybe due to the high alcohol content. Raisins, dates and alcohol in the aroma. Little to no lacing. Medium to light carbonation and a medium to light mouthfeel. This maybe the booziest tasting beer I have ever had. Wow, there is definitely some heat here, bordering on heartburn. Not that it is a bad thing just unexpected. I kind of like the heat considering its pretty cold outside but I sure wouldn’t want to have this at anytime other than in the late fall or winter.
For Christmas my wife got me a USB Drive Turntable. It’s pretty exciting so after the initial set-up and subsequent engineering of my storage capabilities I started ripping some of my old vinyl. I am not planning on ripping all my vinyl to mp3’s but definitely a bunch of stuff which is not available in CD format. I hope to post a few tracks here and there on the blog but that’s still a bit down the road.
The Best of Bert Jansch- Bert Jansch- Shanachie Records. So I was inspired to pull this LP out because I have been casually reading Whole Lotta Love- The Illustrated History of the Heaviest Band of All Time which I got from the library. It’s similar in format to the Neil Young book I described in an earlier post and it inspired me to dig out this record. A small mention of Bert Jansch reminded me of my neglected Best of LP. All you Jimmy Page fans may or may not already know but he didn’t just cop his licks from old black bluesmen, he also cribbed a few riffs from young white folkies i.e. Bert Jansch. Bert Jansch’s arrangement of the traditional song“Black Water Side” was famously recreated by Jimmy Page as “Black Mountain Side” for Led Zeppelin without crediting the original source. It was not until years later that Mr. Page acknowledged Mr. Jansch’s influence on the song. It has been speculated that Pablo Picasso said the best artist's don't borrow, they steal. An interesting website which goes further into the subject of Jimmy Page’s “influences” can be found at www.turnmeondeadman.net. This post is not a knock on Jimmy Page, in fact I am a huge fan of him and have been since I first heard 'Black Dog" ringing from my friends bedroom window while we played basketball, but just an interesting intro to today’s post.
I bought this at a record store in Brooklyn, which is no longer there, a few years ago. I had wanted some Bert Jansch for awhile and when I found this LP I actually shelved it for awhile and listened to it later on. Not as commercial or successful as some of his contemporaries he has been rewarded and recognized in recent years by both new artists and old. I am not sure how I learned about him but I am think he may have been referred to in a magazine article by one of these new “freak-folk” artists from a few years ago. This LP is a good intro to his work and highlights both his instrumental work and creaky vocal abilities. Angie, The First Time I Ever Saw Her Face, Box of Love and It Don’t Bother Me are some of the selections represented here which resonate with me and represent Jansch’s solo career from 1965-71. My favorite Bert Jansch album is probably LA Turnaround mentioned in an earlier post where he plays with the steel guitar legend Red Rhodes and was produced by none other than ex-Monkee Michael Nesmith. I have been enjoying the Best of LP all week actually on the train since digitizing it. His guitar playing is hypnotic and at times haunting but enjoyable and wonderfully fluid. Not a record you would reach out for if you were hoping to hear shredding, lead guitar work but if you want some meditative, brooding musicianship I would recommend seeking out some Bert Jansch.
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