The Black Balloon

by John Renbourn

Overview

The Black Balloon is one of John Renbourn's instrumental guitar albums. He gives a classical feel to the tracks on the first side, taking "The English Dance" at an appropriately quick speed and displaying some fast, intricate playing on "Bouree I and II." The lengthy medley of "The Mist Covered Mountains of Home," "The Orphan," and "Tarboulton" introduces his frequent supporting musician Tony Roberts on flute, with Stuart Gordon adding tabla on the final section for a sound reminiscent of the John Renbourn Group projects. The second side contains two long tracks, "The Pelican" and "The Black Balloon," each of which finds Renbourn adding to his textured acoustic work with some overdubbed electric guitar playing, and Roberts again sits in on the title tune. For those who have followed Renbourn to this point, the album will seem like a continuation of one of the paths he enjoys following in British folk music. ~ William Ruhlmann

Product Details

Release Date:	03/12/2008
Label:	Castle Music Ltd. / Sanctuary Fontana
UPC:	5050749410634
Rank:	206031

Tracks

1. The Moon Shines Bright
2. The English Dance
3. Bouree I and II
4. The Mist Covered Mountains of Home/The Orphan/The Tarboulton
5. The Pelican
6. The Black Balloon

Album Credits

Performance Credits

John Renbourn   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Tony Roberts   Vocals,Wind,Flute
Jacqui McShee   Vocals
Stuart Gordon   Tabla,Tabor

Technical Credits

Nicolas Vallet   Composer
David Lord   Engineer
Traditional   Composer
Johann Sebastian Bach   Composer
Ian Anderson   Composer
John Renbourn   Composer,Producer
Sam Coslow   Composer
Arthur Johnston   Composer