Original released on LP Transatlantic TRA 205
(UK 1969, October 26)
Although "Sweet Child" is usually cited as the group's high-water mark, "Basket of Light" finds them at their most progressive and exciting. Highlights of this album - which actually reached the Top Five in the U.K. - include the buzzing jazz dynamics of "Light Flight," their moving rendition of the traditional folk song "Once I Had a Sweetheart," their reinvention of the girl group smash "Sally Go Round the Roses," and "Springtime Promises," one of their finest original tunes. "Basket of Light" is a tender selection of 13 folk tunes showcasing those jazz-influenced vocals by Jacqui McShee and the baroque [almost harpsichord sounding] guitar strums, with an appearance of the banjo, glockenspiel, and sitar [on "Once I Had a Sweetheart" is a great example]. The music is very calming and peaceful, like a sunny springtime hippy day, [«Trees and grass and bushes green again / The sky so blue, I don't remember when the cold days of winter took the sun away»]. The liner notes share that "Springtime Promises" was composed «after a ride on a number 74 bus from Gloucester Road to Greencroft Gardens on an early spring day». This third album highlights the pinnacle of the group's commercial success thanks to the opening track which was used as the theme music for a BBC TV Series, "Take Three Girls". The band still acquired a large following, with their first public concert selling out at Royal Festival Hall in 1967 [and this is where the album cover shot is from]. (in AllMusic)
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