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Thread: Where the f*ck is the John Martyn thread?

  1. #26
    Member Steve F.'s Avatar
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    By the way, we have the double on Snapper in stock, with the original set included + bonus. Search Live At Leeds in the shop....
    Steve F.

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    www.cuneiformrecords.com

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    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

    "Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"

    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

  2. #27
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    ^It sounds like that's the best port of call for people wanting the actual 'Live At Leeds' album. The current deluxe one seems not to offer that!

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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve F. View Post
    There is an amazing story told by Danny Thompson about how crazed he would get, especially on the road. Too long to type on the iPad. Sorry.
    While some of those anecdotes *are* fascinating, morbid sensationalism can really diminish your enjoyment of the music. Many great artists are/were troubled souls, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the less I know about that, the better. Don’t want to know about evil…
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

  4. #29
    That's Mr. to you, Sir!! Trane's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve F. View Post
    There is an amazing story told by Danny Thompson about how crazed he would get, especially on the road. Too long to type on the iPad. Sorry.
    the fairly awesome (in terms of height and strength)Thompson actualy told a story where Martyn was so drunk that Dany rolled him into a carpet to get him back home

    Easier to transport, he claimed
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

  5. #30
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    ^Rollin' Danny
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

  6. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    the fairly awesome (in terms of height and strength)Thompson actualy told a story where Martyn was so drunk that Dany rolled him into a carpet to get him back home

    Easier to transport, he claimed
    The carpet story is the one.
    Steve F.

    www.waysidemusic.com
    www.cuneiformrecords.com

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    “Remember, if it doesn't say "Cuneiform," it's not prog!” - THE Jed Levin

    Any time any one speaks to me about any musical project, the one absolute given is "it will not make big money". [tip of the hat to HK]

    "Death to false 'support the scene' prog!"

    please add 'imo' wherever you like, to avoid offending those easily offended.

  7. #32
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    ’Cause I’m at work on a Sunday & bored, some favourites (in bold) from each album:

    London Conversation (1967)
    His debut is a nicely recorded set, albeit in mono, of traditional-sounding folk songs, mostly self-penned. While it’s miles from his more experimental ‘70s work, there are a couple of really pleasant surprises to be found here. “Rolling Home”, featuring sitar and flute, is a first token of JM’s interest in pushing boundaries.

    "Fairy Tale Lullaby" – 2:50
    "Sandy Grey" (Robin Frederick) – 2:25
    "London Conversation" (Martyn, J. Sundell) – 2:42
    "Ballad of an Elder Woman" – 2:43
    "Cocaine" (Traditional, arranged John Martyn) – 2:59
    "Run Honey Run" – 2:37
    "Back to Stay" – 3:28
    "Rolling Home" – 5:43
    "Who's Grown Up Now" – 4:01
    "Golden Girl" – 2:34
    "This Time" – 3:07
    "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" (Bob Dylan)
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

  8. #33
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    The Tumbler (1968)
    More of the same essentially, though livelier. Of note is the dexterous picking throughout, John had obviously made a huge stride as a guitarist within the span of just one year. Nice flute playing by Harold McNair on “Dusty”, which sounds a bit like early Tull. “Seven Black Roses” features a rather idiosyncratic use of the capo, see it here.

    JM later famously commented on his first two records: “I got bored with the folk/acoustic thing. You can’t keep churning that out, it stifles innovation, kills the personal touch.”


    "Sing A Song of Summer" – 2:22
    "The River" – 2:59
    "Goin' Down to Memphis" – 3:12
    "The Gardeners" (Bill Lyons) – 3:15
    "A Day at the Sea" – 2:35
    "Fishin' Blues" (Henry Thomas) – 2:37
    "Dusty" – 3:07
    "Hello Train" – 2:36
    "Winding Boy" (Morton) – 2:22
    "Fly on Home" (Martyn, Paul Wheeler) – 2:33
    "Knuckledy Crunch and Slippledee-slee Song" – 2:55
    "Seven Black Roses" – 4:02
    Last edited by at least 100 dead; 03-15-2015 at 06:15 AM.
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

  9. #34
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    Stormbringer! (1970)
    This joint venture between John and his then-wife Beverly (née Kutner), who contributes four songs, is very much a transitional effort as it features a full band and even some orchestration on a couple of the tracks - hired hands incl. Levon Helm of The Band fame. (Allegedly, JM’s echoplex makes its first appearance on "Would You Believe Me?" but I don’t hear it.)

    "Go Out and Get It"
    "Can't Get the One I Want" (Beverley Martyn)
    "Stormbringer"
    "Sweet Honesty" (Beverley Martyn)
    "Woodstock"
    "John the Baptist"
    "The Ocean" (Beverley Martyn)
    "Traffic-Light Lady"
    "Tomorrow Time" (Beverley Martyn)
    "Would You Believe Me?"
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

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    The Road to Ruin (1970)
    Another collaborative effort between Beverly & John, somewhat more eclectic than its predecessor, featuring heavy-weights such as soon-to-be sidekick Danny Thompson (on “New Day”), Fairport’s Dave Pegg and Alan Spenner, who would go on to play with Roxy Music in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s. Beverly’s “Primrose Hill” was later (a) kind of ripped off by Sade and (b) apparently sampled by Fat Boy Slim.

    "Primrose Hill" (Beverley Martyn)
    "Parcels"
    "Auntie Aviator" (John & Beverley Martyn)
    "New Day"
    "Give Us a Ring" (Paul Wheeler)
    "Sorry To Be So Long" (John & Beverley Martyn)
    "Tree Green"
    "Say What You Can" (John & Beverley Martyn)
    "Road to Ruin"
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

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    Bless the Weather (1971)
    Thus commences what many regard as John Martyn’s purple patch. The title track was the very first JM song I ever heard and it instantly hooked me – the mixture of Danny Thompson’s snaking double bass lines and Martyn’s pensive vocals goes straight for the jugular and is simply disarming. “Sugar Lump” sort of disturbs the flow of the album and but it’s the only misstep here.

    Gun to head, I’d pick "Glistening Glyndebourne" as the highlight, a trippy, echoplex-laden instrumental that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on the otherworldly first side of Weather Report’s I Sing the Body Electric.

    "Go Easy" – 4:15
    "Bless the Weather" – 4:29

    "Sugar Lump" – 3:43
    "Walk to the Water" – 2:49
    "Just Now" – 3:39
    "Head and Heart" – 4:54
    "Let the Good Things Come" – 3:05

    "Back Down the River" – 2:40
    "Glistening Glyndebourne" – 6:30
    "Singin' in the Rain" (Nacio Herb Brown, Arthur Freed) – 1:28
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

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    Solid Air (1973)
    A fucking masterpiece. If you’re only going to get one John Martyn album (why?), this’d be the one. (This and One World, of course.)

    "Solid Air" – 5:46
    "Over the Hill" – 2:51
    "Don't Want to Know" – 3:01
    "I'd Rather Be the Devil" (Skip James) – 6:19
    "Go Down Easy" – 3:36
    "Dreams by the Sea" – 3:18
    "May You Never" – 3:43
    "The Man in the Station" – 2:54
    "The Easy Blues/Gentle Blues" – 3:22
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

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    ^Yes, I've never paid the early ones any attention- he basically starts with 'Bless The Weather' for me. 'Head and Heart' is the most famous song here, I later discovered it was covered by America on their 'Homecoming' album which was a strong seller.

    And it only gets better from here. 'Solid Air' is a perfect album, no question. Again, a high profile cover later on by Eric Clapton of 'May You Never' (John's most famous song?) on the 'Slowhand' album.

  14. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    ^Yes, I've never paid the early ones any attention- he basically starts with 'Bless The Weather' for me. 'Head and Heart' is the most famous song here, I later discovered it was covered by America on their 'Homecoming' album which was a strong seller.

    And it only gets better from here. 'Solid Air' is a perfect album, no question. Again, a high profile cover later on by Eric Clapton of 'May You Never' (John's most famous song?) on the 'Slowhand' album.
    TBH, I borrowed all his early albums from the library, and I couldn't have filled a single side of an XL-IIS cassette compilation from them 4 albums... And most of it would come from the the two Bev & John album


    Yup, Martyn's career apex really starts with Bless the Weather... and ends (IMHO) with Live At Leeds (I just can't get enthused with the next two), but Sunday's Child is really the weak link in that chain

    AL100D... I think you forgot his best album Intside Out... (it comes before Solid Air)
    my music collection increased tenfolds when I switched from drug-addicts to complete nutcases.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Trane View Post
    AL100D... I think you forgot his best album Intside Out... (it comes before Solid Air)
    I didn't forget it, will get to that one soon. (Didn't Inside Out come out a few months after Solid Air, tho?)
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

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    Inside Out (1973)
    So, you’ve just unleashed your best album, how do you follow it up? As one critic astutely suggests, the safest bet is to put out a double album: lambast the punters with sheer quantity (cf. Topographic, The Lamb or The Wall) and at least get points for effort. Or, if you’re John Martyn, you could simply deliver another (near) masterpiece.

    Released a few short months after Solid Air, Inside Out is not merely a testament to Martyn’s predilection for jazz (there’s a looseness and improvisational spirit, which, remarkably, does not sacrifice accessibility) but to his outright refusal to sound like anyone else. This is a very slow grower and maybe not the best place to start exploring the JM cosmos.

    Buzz saw to gourd, my vote goes to “Outside In” as the best track.

    "Fine Lines"
    "Eibhli Ghail Chiuin Ni Chearbhail" (Traditional, arranged Martyn)
    "Ain't No Saint"
    "Outside In"

    "The Glory of Love" (Billy Hill)
    "Look In"
    "Beverley"
    "Make No Mistake"
    "Ways to Cry"

    "So Much in Love with You"
    Last edited by at least 100 dead; 03-15-2015 at 09:43 AM.
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

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    This was one of the 'gateway' albums for me to get into jazz, specifically 'Outside In'. That's really deep, heavy music (not in the heavy metal sense), and about as far away from 'folk' as you can get. 'Make No Mistake' is the best of the other tracks for me. There's a very loose feel to this whole album, right from the start with the studio chat.

    I think his overall masterpiece is 'One World'. One of the great albums of the 1970s.

  18. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    I think his overall masterpiece is 'One World'. One of the great albums of the 1970s.
    ^^You might be onto something there. I can't quite decide between Solid Air and One World...
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

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    Sunday's Child (1975)
    Had Martyn retired after Inside Out, he’d still be a legend. Fortunately, he returned to the studio in the late summer of 1974 to record another batch of good songs, some of which would become stage favourites (check out the revamped “Root Love” and "Sunday's Child" on 1983's Philentropy).

    Not everything’s on par with the previous three releases, though. Both "A Satisfied Mind" (a country/blues cover) and the clichéd funk-by-numbers “Clutches” might be superfluous, but they’re not particularly offensive. A personal favourite is the brooding 7+ min “Call Me Crazy”, which shifts midway into conciliatory ambient spheres.

    "One Day without You"
    "Lay It All Down"
    "Root Love"
    "My Baby Girl"
    "Sunday's Child"
    "Spencer the Rover" (Traditional, arr. John Martyn)
    "Clutches"
    "The Message"
    "A Satisfied Mind" (Red Hayes, Jack Rhodes)
    "You Can Discover"
    "Call Me Crazy"
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

  20. #45
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    Live at Leeds (1975)

    Discussed here (pack some pills). Get it at Steve F’s store. Now!
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

  21. #46
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    One World (1977)
    A fucking masterpiece. If you’re only going to get one John Martyn album (why?), this’d be the one. (This and Solid Air, of course.)

    "Dealer" – 4:58
    "One World" – 4:10
    "Smiling Stranger" – 3:29
    "Big Muff" (Martyn, Lee Perry) – 6:30
    "Couldn't Love You More" – 3:07
    "Certain Surprise" – 3:52
    "Dancing" – 3:43
    "Small Hours" – 8:45


    Please note: The deluxe 2CD edition contains a slightly different mix – different enough to make you think you’re having minor aural hallucinations. Fun!
    Last edited by at least 100 dead; 03-15-2015 at 11:28 AM.
    "Dem Glücklichen legt auch der Hahn ein Ei."

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    ^Hmm. Is this the US/UK different mix thing, or something else?

    I'd agree 'Sunday's Child' was a transitional release, although 'Root Love' is a great track.

    'Small Hours' is 'chill out' music done well over a decade before that became its own genre, and done better IMHO. I love the more man-made quality of it.

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    Quote Originally Posted by JJ88 View Post
    ^Yes, I've never paid the early ones any attention- he basically starts with 'Bless The Weather' for me. 'Head and Heart' is the most famous song here, I later discovered it was covered by America on their 'Homecoming' album which was a strong seller.
    Wow,we learn something new every day. I never realised that song wasn't an America original..

  24. #49
    Quote Originally Posted by bob_32_116 View Post
    Wow,we learn something new every day. I never realised that song wasn't an America original..
    While I'd say America did some fairly nice stuff along the way (I still love "Ventura Highway", for instance), their version of "Head and Heart" completely lacks the overt intimacy of Martyn's exquisite presence.
    "Improvisation is not an excuse for musical laziness" - Fred Frith
    "[...] things that we never dreamed of doing in Crimson or in any band that I've been in," - Tony Levin speaking of SGM

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    I agree, but hopefully John got some decent royalties from that (and Eric Clapton's 'May You Never') as his albums weren't even making the charts in the UK at the time.

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