It Don’t Bother Me

Released

Arriving the same year as Burt Jansch’s acclaimed 1965 self-titled debut, It Don’t Bother Me was in many ways an extension of its predecessor, itself a pared-down, folk fingerpicking masterclass from the young Scot.

Some of the material might not be quite as strong — while captivating, the proto-Donovan flower-folk of “Ring-A-Ding Bird” doesn’t pack the same emotional wallop as, say, “Needle of Death” — but it’s fascinating to hear how, only a few months on, Jansch was already stretching out to explore new territories.

Different tunings and a more pronounced jazz influence open up new avenues on the likes of the title track and “Harvest Your Thoughts of Love;” guitar is swapped out for banjo on a blistering take of “900 Miles;” while the scathing “Anti-Apartheid” remains the most overtly political song Jansch would write.

Meanwhile, the presence of John Renbourn on the bewitching “Lucky Thirteen and My Lover” — a journey into drone and Eastern pentatonics years ahead of both The Beatles and the Velvet Underground — lays the foundations for the pair’s revolutionary work with Pentangle. Outwardly, it might seem a more relaxed or lighter record, but Jansch’s simmering intensity and virtuosity still crackle off each note.

Chris Catchpole

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