So John Martyn S/D - what else apart from Solid Air?
― bham, Tuesday, 24 September 2002 11:12 (twenty-one years ago) link
― bt, Tuesday, 24 September 2002 11:17 (twenty-one years ago) link
― commonswings, Tuesday, 24 September 2002 11:18 (twenty-one years ago) link
I also really liked a track he did with Talvin Singh about 5 years back called Sunshine's Better. I think it got played before Orbital came on stage at Glastonbury this year. Sweet.
― tigerclawskank, Tuesday, 24 September 2002 11:21 (twenty-one years ago) link
J Martyn is emphatically NOT a Donovan-esque folkie "sitting on the edge of a mushroom admiring the dingly-dangly-dell of life" as Martyn himself put it. Solid Air is the best album track by track, but there's some great stuff to be found on Inside Out, Bless the Weather, One World and even Grace and Danger.
― chris sallis, Tuesday, 24 September 2002 11:31 (twenty-one years ago) link
Search (songs): "Sweet Little Mystery", "Hole In The Rain", "Johnny Too Bad" (long version), "I Don't Want To Know"... and probably more I can't remember.
― Jeff W (Jeff W), Tuesday, 24 September 2002 11:40 (twenty-one years ago) link
― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Tuesday, 24 September 2002 13:19 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 24 September 2002 15:04 (twenty-one years ago) link
― el wanko, Tuesday, 24 September 2002 17:24 (twenty-one years ago) link
The '80s/'90s weren't kind. His music got all cheesy and Sting-y and his vocals/lyrics became nearly incomprehensible (if the rumors are true, he got his distinctive slurring out of a bottle). A pal of mine's a great fan and even he makes jokes about, say, Martyn's cover of "Johnny Too Bad."
― Lee G (Lee G), Tuesday, 24 September 2002 18:37 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Joe (Joe), Wednesday, 25 September 2002 00:40 (twenty-one years ago) link
― bt, Wednesday, 25 September 2002 08:59 (twenty-one years ago) link
I'm pissed off I can't get to see him next Wednesday at the QEH. Has anyone seen him live recently?
― James Ball (James Ball), Saturday, 8 May 2004 23:29 (nineteen years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Sunday, 9 May 2004 12:50 (nineteen years ago) link
Odd night - it was the lack of drugs (him and us) combined with an oversized venue that did it, we reckoned. 'Greatest Hits' second half with lots of 'Solid Air', Bless the Weather etc, but Martyn failed to ignite until the final two songs, without guitar, which he gave his all (Rock Salt and Nails, Never Let Me Go), then an undistinguished encore.
― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Monday, 10 May 2004 08:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Monday, 10 May 2004 17:37 (nineteen years ago) link
"One World" does appear to be getting more grief than it deserves; it's great... The last track is incredible but you really need to turn it up to 11 to appreciate it.
I'd be interested to hear Nick McCabe on John Martyn's new record too; pretty like minded people I figure.
― Keith Watson (kmw), Monday, 10 May 2004 21:05 (nineteen years ago) link
― mullygrubber (gaz), Monday, 10 May 2004 21:31 (nineteen years ago) link
― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Tuesday, 11 May 2004 13:32 (nineteen years ago) link
― gut buddy, Wednesday, 5 October 2005 10:51 (eighteen years ago) link
― Masked Gazza, Wednesday, 5 October 2005 10:56 (eighteen years ago) link
― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 5 October 2005 11:00 (eighteen years ago) link
― God Buddy, Tuesday, 11 October 2005 00:10 (eighteen years ago) link
― mullygrubbr (bulbs), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 06:43 (eighteen years ago) link
― nathalie, a bum like you (stevie nixed), Tuesday, 11 October 2005 06:52 (eighteen years ago) link
― richard wood johnson, Tuesday, 11 October 2005 20:57 (eighteen years ago) link
― jaxon (jaxon), Thursday, 19 October 2006 20:43 (seventeen years ago) link
― doug watson (solid air), Friday, 20 October 2006 00:11 (seventeen years ago) link
― marc h. (marc h.), Friday, 20 October 2006 03:39 (seventeen years ago) link
I thought he was great! My friend thought he was massively disappointing. So go figure.
I have "London Conversation" as my dad was present at the session. Why, I have never been able to work out. He told me a couple of stories of the day, and it was about fifteen years later the same stories were in Mojo (a nick drake article) from a woman who was also there. I asked him if he remembered a tall lad, he said no.
― mark grout (mark grout), Friday, 20 October 2006 09:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― caek, Saturday, 21 April 2007 13:57 (seventeen years ago) link
― henry s, Saturday, 21 April 2007 14:12 (seventeen years ago) link
homie is awes
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Thursday, 28 February 2008 22:12 (sixteen years ago) link
We used to drink a great deal together. I got really drunk one night and woke up and Danny Thompson had nailed me under the carpet. I couldn’t move my hands or feet. I was very dry and had a hangover and I said Danny, please… get me, get me a drink. So he stepped over my helpless body, went to the phone and in a very loud voice said, can I have a glass of orange juice for one, please. Breakfast for one, please. I was screaming blue murder by this time. I was furious! He met the guy in the hall, so the guy couldn’t get into the room and see what was happening. He sat in front and downed the orange juice and had the breakfast.
― caek, Friday, 29 February 2008 13:55 (sixteen years ago) link
This makes Kossoff cry like a girl, at which point Martyn and Thompson stalk off, laughing like people who are mad.
― caek, Friday, 29 February 2008 13:59 (sixteen years ago) link
Amazon.co.uk are currently flogging a few of the reissues for £2.98. Am hugely enjoying Inside Out. Are Grace and Danger or London Conversation vital purchases? (They've also got Sunday's Child and One World at that price at the mo).
― NickB, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 11:07 (fifteen years ago) link
(maybe we should have a thread for cheap stuff on Amazon?)
London Conv is pretty much yr standard 'folk singer's first album' stuff.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 11:10 (fifteen years ago) link
I guessed it was and passed on it (got The Payback instead).
― NickB, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 11:18 (fifteen years ago) link
Yeah lots of these John Martyn CDs are three quid in Glasgow Fopp at the moment - they also have all of Sandy Denny's solo recs, cpl of Richard and Linda Thompsons and some Fairport stuff at the same price
― Ward Fowler, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 11:43 (fifteen years ago) link
I got Unhalfbricking, just cause it was £3.
Man! That 'sailor's story' sounds like Tom Verlaine guitaring!
― Mark G, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 11:46 (fifteen years ago) link
yeah, verlaine's gtr sound = 50% jerry garcia, 50% richard thompson - the version of 'Sloth' on the Fairport Convention live at the LA Troubadour set is especially Television-like, tho' Sailor's LIFE always sounds to me more like FT trying to be the Velvet Underground
― Ward Fowler, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 12:12 (fifteen years ago) link
Talking of guitaring, there's an amazing similarity between the bonus track version of 'Outside In' and the Edge on 'Where The Streets Have No Name'.
― NickB, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 14:00 (fifteen years ago) link
tho' Sailor's LIFE always sounds to me more like FT trying to be the Velvet Underground
Yes, that occurred to me too.
― Mark G, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 14:14 (fifteen years ago) link
(Who's FT btw?)
Have been listening to "Go Easy" on repeat for a while now -- yeesh what a great song! The rest of Bless The Weather is great too, but that one is doing it for me right now. Woozy, wasted self absorption never sounded so good.
― tylerw, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 14:56 (fifteen years ago) link
http://www.johnmartyn.com/files/images/mojoo.jpg
― NickB, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 18:51 (fifteen years ago) link
let's balance out all these fat old John pics with an skinny young one. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Z6nbGySgL._SL500_AA240_.jpg
― tylerw, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 19:01 (fifteen years ago) link
John's just received his second lifetime achievement award of this year (from Mojo - he got one from BBC Radio 2 in Feb). This does not bode well I fear.
― NickB, Wednesday, 25 June 2008 20:50 (fifteen years ago) link
A friend recently lent me the 'Live At Leeds (And More)' album and I finally got round to listening to it last night.
The Live In Leeds set itself, recorded October 1975, and self-released as a LP at the time, is absolutely amazing. Really powerful, rocking, freely extended versions of the tracks. Solid Air on there is wonderful.
The CD set has a second disc of other live stuff from over the years and is pretty patchy to my ears. Too much later stuff that was far too saccharine and sentimental, m.o.r. pish, BUT it ends with an incredible version of a track 'Anna', performed in 1983 at the Bottom Line club in NY.
Anyone know this one? A bit of reading about says that "Anna" was from a movie soundtrack and was an evolution of the track "Small Hours" from 'One World'.
I've only ever heard 'Solid Air' before, which I've fallen in love with over the course of this year. Nothing else I've sampled has clicked yet, but I'm going to explore a few others now.
― krakow, Thursday, 3 December 2009 10:58 (fourteen years ago) link
The royalty arrangements via Mixcloud are probably similarly slim (i.e. nearly nothing). But my goal is to get people to buy music, which in the past I'd frequently been told was successful. Nowadays, people probably just add things to their Spotify queue for the most part, unfortunately. But all I can do (besides continuing to buy music myself) is try.
― Soundslike, Monday, 13 April 2020 13:21 (four years ago) link
Agreed, also I don't like how Spotify switches round the versions of tracks.
― Wuhan!! Got You All in Check (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Monday, 13 April 2020 13:26 (four years ago) link
I see. Thanks!
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Monday, 13 April 2020 13:51 (four years ago) link
Fun fact: the first time I ever heard John Martyn was by streaming BBC Scotland around the turn of the century. I only tuned in because they intended to quote a silly review I wrote in a program about Orange Juice. Then they played something from Solid Air when that was done. I was sufficiently intrigued to buy said album shortly thereafter. I would likely have waited centuries for such a chance hearing on my own side of the world!
― Nag! Nag! Nag!, Monday, 13 April 2020 14:03 (four years ago) link
On the deluxe version of Sunday's Child there's a five-track solo acoustic John Peel session that is amazing.
― fetter, Monday, 13 April 2020 14:53 (four years ago) link
Great thread, hadn't seen it before. The elusive Beverly turns up on Renbourn's v. enjoyable time junket The Attic Tapes, and thinking again of that finally got me to check this:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverley_Martyn
― dow, Monday, 13 April 2020 16:32 (four years ago) link
the electric piano on “dreams by the sea” = most beautiful sound in the universe.
― brimstead, Monday, 13 April 2020 17:41 (four years ago) link
Listening to his 2004 (post-amputation) album On the Cobbles and it's got some goodly things. It sounds glorious; there's a reworking of Go Down Easy, which has Nick McCabe making some beautiful noise; Danny Thompson sounds great; The Creator is meandering and needs some thinking through. Could have done without the Weller track.
― Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Monday, 13 April 2020 18:41 (four years ago) link
This latest Alabaster LePlume (all instrumental, none of the usual "whispered" vocals, as described here) so far has a Martyn-compatible vibe (notes mention "Celtic" etc, some of it seems Adriatic)-mostly reeds & guitar, occasional keys, mbira: https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/to-cy-lee-instrumentals-vol-1
― dow, Monday, 13 April 2020 20:30 (four years ago) link
(There's also a thread for it, but wanted to listen before reading.)
― dow, Monday, 13 April 2020 20:32 (four years ago) link
Little bit of violin, cello bow down in there now. Won't liveblog tho sry
― dow, Monday, 13 April 2020 20:33 (four years ago) link
Sweet Little Mystery was featured on the most recent episode of Devs
― Evans on Hammond (evol j), Monday, 13 April 2020 23:51 (four years ago) link
I dunno why "Give Us A Ring" chokes me up?
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Sunday, 3 May 2020 18:48 (three years ago) link
me too!! i love that song so much and i have never understood why i found it so poignant
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Monday, 4 May 2020 02:53 (three years ago) link
originally written for Nick Drake, aiui; it would've fitted in quite nicely on Bryter Layter. But yeah, for a song seemingly about smuggling weed through customs, it's lovely.
― fetter, Monday, 4 May 2020 07:22 (three years ago) link
It would totally fit on Bryter Layter. Beautiful song. Paul Harris on piano, too (him off Manassas), which might explain why it totally reminds me of Descending by the Black Crowes.
― Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Monday, 4 May 2020 09:28 (three years ago) link
I had a poke around on the internet and the fellow who write the song put up his own version at some point. Such a great song.
https://soundcloud.com/paulwheeler8/give-us-a-ring
― Tim, Monday, 4 May 2020 10:49 (three years ago) link
it must be something about the chords or melody or vocal delivery that gets me because i can only remember a few lines, so it's not the lyrics. i don't think "what's the food like, have you slept well" or "give us a ring when you get there" is enough to make me emotional lol
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Monday, 4 May 2020 14:36 (three years ago) link
Ah! I never knew it was written for ND. Would indeed fit nicely into "Bryter Layter" which happens to be my fave Drake album. Such a lovely song.
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Monday, 4 May 2020 22:55 (three years ago) link
never heard that original "Give Us A Ring" — beautiful ...
― tylerw, Tuesday, 5 May 2020 18:01 (three years ago) link
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/jun/30/small-hours-the-long-night-of-john-martyn-by-graeme-thomson-review
― Future England Captain (Tom D.), Tuesday, 30 June 2020 16:25 (three years ago) link
Kill yr idols indeed. Looks like I have to read this one.
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 2 July 2020 14:11 (three years ago) link
Finished Graeme Thompson's new bio. Excellent.Would've loved to hear Scott Walker cover Martyn's "Amsterdam" off "Glorious Fool" - which I'm digging a lot these days.
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Tuesday, 20 October 2020 17:40 (three years ago) link
hadn't seen this whole rockpalast 1978 performance before, amazing stuff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whXY0SExC5I
― building a hole (NickB), Tuesday, 18 May 2021 23:39 (two years ago) link
'bless the weather' on that is particularly spicy, starts at 16:30
― building a hole (NickB), Tuesday, 18 May 2021 23:43 (two years ago) link
fantastic perfornance -- has he got a contact mic taped to the guitar in addition to a pickup?
― J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Wednesday, 19 May 2021 23:12 (two years ago) link
yes, apparently so:
"he used a DeArmond sound hole pickup and Barcus Berry (type) contact pickup positioned behind and slightly below the bridge"
https://johnmartyn.com/guitar/a-history-of-johns-guitar-set-ups/
― building a hole (NickB), Wednesday, 19 May 2021 23:28 (two years ago) link
This 1983 concert is menacing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaDRamS0ap4
It shows how neutered his sound was by the production on the albums of the time. This rhythm section is great. Check out the quoting of Love Supreme near the end in Looking On.
― Pataphysician, Wednesday, 26 October 2022 00:20 (one year ago) link
something from a live album got played on wfmu earlier today and, yeah, menacing is spot on
― j.o.h.n. in evanston (john. a resident of chicago.), Wednesday, 26 October 2022 02:05 (one year ago) link
God that is fantastic, thank you so much
― J Edgar Noothgrush (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi), Thursday, 27 October 2022 20:21 (one year ago) link
After I typed "menacing", I was unsure if that was an apt word, so the confirmation is great to hear. And, yes, this show is so fantastic. Some of the Old Grey Whistle Test material on the deluxe Grace & Danger is in the same vein. I still need to explore some of the other recordings of this period.
― Pataphysician, Thursday, 27 October 2022 23:19 (one year ago) link
Lot of albums here I hadn't heard of; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Martyn Curious about some of the expanded reissues, like Solid Air and Live At Leeds.
― dow, Friday, 28 October 2022 02:34 (one year ago) link
Expanded Solid Air has some gems, e.g., When It's Dark and In the Evening. The alternate takes are not that revelatory. I think one has some saxophone that's pretty cool. Expanded Grace & Danger is much more essential.
I still haven't heard Live at Leeds (I've only been listening to John Martyn for 2 months or so). But I noticed there are two different expanded editions: Island Records version and Live at Leeds and More by Recall records.
― Pataphysician, Friday, 28 October 2022 12:48 (one year ago) link
There's a fabulous instrumental version of the title track on the deluxe Solid Air. It totally works, like a tight jazz piece driven by Danny Thompson's bass. The expanded Sunday's Child includes a great solo John Peel session.
― fetter, Friday, 28 October 2022 13:10 (one year ago) link
Excellent encouragement, thanks yall. Solid Air was the gateway for my friends and I---via a Creem review, I think--then some of my friends found Stormbringer, with xpost Beverly M. input upfront, and the one where she actually got co-billing, Road To Ruin. Then the even jazzier Inside Out was released, later One World was a big smoker's-shroomer's favorite in these parts.
― dow, Friday, 28 October 2022 14:02 (one year ago) link
live at Leeds is incredible, a total must have
― lets hear some blues on those synths (brimstead), Friday, 28 October 2022 14:03 (one year ago) link
xpost Even jazzier than Solid Air, that is. Yeah, I've never heard it! Gotta check the xpost concert youtube also.
― dow, Friday, 28 October 2022 14:04 (one year ago) link
Am I the only one put off by how "out-of-it" his vocals often sound, or is that part of the attraction? I guess I mean his enunciation in particular.
― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 28 October 2022 14:51 (one year ago) link
I never feel that way about Tim Buckley, for instance, which may or may not have to do with how "out-of-it" they each were when recording.
― Halfway there but for you, Friday, 28 October 2022 14:52 (one year ago) link
The slurred vocals? For me, that's a big part of his appeal
― doug watson, Friday, 28 October 2022 21:31 (one year ago) link
I was sort of struck by how different his vocals on One World sounded. Yes they’re still slurred but a lot of the tracks—“Dealer,” “Big Muff”—feature a much gruffer singing style than I’ve heard him use elsewhere. I’ve always liked Solid Air. Weirdly not loved it. But this instrumental mix of the title track, ahem, goes down easy.
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 11:54 (one year ago) link
Would add that one of the things that always amazed me about Martyn was how he could sound on one track like he just gargled rocks and on the next bust out the sweetest, most delicate “Over the Hill” vocal you can imagine.
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 11:57 (one year ago) link
I saw him just before he died doing a "Solid Air in full" thing at the Roundhouse in London. He was carried on stage and launched apathetically into about 45 minutes of corporate blues-rock w/rock-gargling vocals. I recognised one song - Dealer - but the rest was 80s/90s stuff I think. Occasional gruff barking. He then said "Well I suppose we'd better get on with the business of the evening" and delivered the aforementioned sweetest, most delicate “Over the Hill” vocal you can imagine. Entire crowd singing along. Then the rest of the album (out of order, so as not to keep changing guitars) brilliantly, then another half hour of blues/rock crud. A memorable event.
― fetter, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 12:10 (one year ago) link
JM invents Doom, did he often crank it up like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE6i_qnoAgo
― zeuhl's forgotten man (Matt #2), Tuesday, 1 November 2022 12:11 (one year ago) link
ooft amazing version
― LaMDA barry-stanners (||||||||), Tuesday, 1 November 2022 13:00 (one year ago) link
Beautiful, thanks
― doug watson, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 15:33 (one year ago) link
Yeah, I've been wondering why that version isn't on the expanded One World!
― Pataphysician, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 18:00 (one year ago) link
xp Good lord that live "One World" is amazing. He used a similar doom fuzz effect on "Root Love" from Sunday's Child (imo his most underrated album, would be my favorite if not for One World)
― J. Sam, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 18:19 (one year ago) link
I feel like I may have posted that “One World” performance two or three times on this thread already. Not that I’m complaining.
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 23:14 (one year ago) link
― Naive Teen Idol, Tuesday, 1 November 2022 23:56 (one year ago) link