L.A. Turnaround (Digitally Remastered + Bonus Tracks)

In the early 1970s there were a few British guys like Ian Matthews, Terry Reid, and David Gilmour, who flirted with the California country-rock sound. Despite a title that suggested a similar sound, L.A. Turnaround found Bert Jansch staying true to the English folk style that he helped forge in Pentangle, but Monkees’ Michael Nesmith contributed some guitar parts and produced all but two songs here, importing some of the era’s best country rockers like Jesse Ed Davis, Byron Berline, and pedal steel prodigy Red Rhodes. The contrasting tones of Brit-folk and country-rock blended amazingly well and have aged even better. The aptly named “Fresh As a Sweet Sunday Morning” sounds beautifully breezy as Rhodes’ watery slide-guitar drips notes that fall lightly around Jansch’s characteristic style of acoustic finger picking. “Open Up The Watergate (Let The Sunshine In)” floats on a similarly sunny vibe, this time with Davis’ bluesy leads taking center stage. Even the gloomy theme in “Needle Of Death” can’t escape the luminous interplay between Rhodes and Jansch. Nesmith takes on lead guitar duties in “Stone Monkey,” giving the tune a back-porch jam vibe.