JOHN & BEVERLEY MARTYN: THE ROAD TO RUIN

Released later the same year as "Stormbringer", this second and final equal billing collaboration between the Martyns is vastly superior, from the production to the songwriting and arrangements. Both artists are hitting their stride here, though Beverley was never, or at least only when it was too late, afforded the opportunity to build upon this. It's a shame because her assuredness in the timely "Primrose Street" and the infectious "Auntie Aviator" should have magnified her legacy. In the meantime, John pens two classics - the atypically melodic "Give Us a Ring" in which Beverley contributes triumphant backing vocals, and the title cut, beginning like many of his ballads but morphing into a boisterous extended piano and sax blues outro that hints at higher ambitions. This is the only road worth navigating in your exploration of the brief tenure of these two talents as a single entity.