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marktheshark 
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Joined: April 24 2005
Location: United States
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 Topic: John Martyn
Posted: July 20 2005 at 23:11 |
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Anybody familiar with this guy? I knew a little bit about him in the 70s. The only album I had of his was Solid Air. Started off in the late 60s more as a folk/blues guitarist and moved more and more towards fusion in the 70s. Been listening to more of his work lately and some of it is downright prog.
Edited by marktheshark
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Trotsky
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Joined: October 25 2004
Location: Malaysia
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Points: 2771
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Posted: July 21 2005 at 03:09 |
This is the opening post in a Troubadours thread I started in Non-prog music two months ago ... I agree there's a creative free-jazz spirit that informs these two albums ...
Just listened to John Martyn for the first time in my life today. Took in the whole of Bless The Weather and am halfway through Solid Air now ... very pleased with what I'm hearing. Wondering which troubadours you proggers like, and also which you think are the most prog-friendly? The ones I listen to most are obvious guys like ...
Don McLean ... Tapestry & American Pie
Chris De Burgh ... Spanish Train & Other Stories (heard Crusader is good, but don't know)
Donovan ... still dig Sunshine Superman era most, but he was a good folky
Tim Buckley ... First two albums
Al Stewart ... Past, Present & Future & Year Of The Cat
Nick Drake ... Five Leaves Left's my fave
Harry Chapin ... only got a compilation I'm afraid
Jim Croce ... ditto
Gene Clark ... White Light & No Other
Yes I know Bob Dylan ain't there (sometimes you just go off him for awhile, ya know?), and I've only heard one song by Roy Harper, so he ain't on my list
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"Death to Utopia! Death to faith! Death to love! Death to hope?" thunders the 20th century. "Surrender, you pathetic dreamer.”
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Sean Trane
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Prog Folk
Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
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Posted: July 21 2005 at 07:30 |
With Solid Air (73) , you have John Martyn's best album but Outside In(74) is a close second although all toooo under-rated by most fans and critics. The Live At Leeds (75) album is also incredibly good catching him in an improvisory mood. Those are IMHO the essential albums.
Also worthy are the Bless The Weather (72) and One World (77) albums as well as the two albums (70 and 71) he made with his wife titled John and Beverley Martyn. His first two - Tumbler(68) and London Conversations (69) - are more trad folk songwriter stuff. The 74 album Sunday Child is IMHO a bit of a downer.
In the 80's and 90's I am a lot less familiar but what I have heard is not quite as good.
He had an extraordinary guitar sound/technique mostly due tothe echoplex linked to his guitar.
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let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
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marktheshark
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 24 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 1695
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Posted: July 21 2005 at 10:45 |
 Trotsky wrote:
This is the opening post in a Troubadours thread I started in Non-prog music two months ago ... I agree there's a creative free-jazz spirit that informs these two albums ...
Just listened to John Martyn for the first time in my life today. Took in the whole of Bless The Weather and am halfway through Solid Air now ... very pleased with what I'm hearing. Wondering which <SPAN =highlight>troubadours</SPAN> you proggers like, and also which you think are the most prog-friendly? The ones I listen to most are obvious guys like ...Don McLean ... Tapestry & American PieChris De Burgh ... Spanish Train & Other Stories (heard Crusader is good, but don't know)Donovan ... still dig Sunshine Superman era most, but he was a good folkyTim Buckley ... First two albums Al Stewart ... Past, Present & Future & Year Of The CatNick Drake ... Five Leaves Left's my faveHarry Chapin ... only got a compilation I'm afraidJim Croce ... dittoGene Clark ... White Light & No OtherYes I know Bob Dylan ain't there (sometimes you just go off him for awhile, ya know?), and I've only heard one song by Roy Harper, so he ain't on my list <!-- Signature --> |
Ever listen to Robbie Robertson or John Hyatt? Tom Waits is pretty good too.
Edited by marktheshark
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salmacis
Forum Senior Member
Content Addition
Joined: April 10 2005
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Points: 3928
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Posted: July 22 2005 at 09:21 |
John Martyn was one of the most innovative singer songwriters of the 70s, and all of his 60s and 70s output is excellent, with 'Solid Air' and 'One World' being the high points. The 80s brought him a little more commercial success, yet he lost some creative clout, ending up strait-jacketing his songs into stodgy 80s AOR arrangements on albums like 'Sapphire' and 'Well Kept Secret'. These are still good albums in my opinion, but nowhere near as good as his 70s work. He began a renaissance in the mid 90s, culminating in the hit album, critically and commercially, 'On The Cobbles', last year.
I like many a singer-songwriter, but my personal favourite is Bert Jansch, who was one of the earliest British troubadours to record, and was a huge inspiration to all of the ones that followed.
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marktheshark
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 24 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 1695
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Posted: July 22 2005 at 10:40 |
salmacis wrote:
John Martyn was one of the most innovative singer songwriters of the 70s, and all of his 60s and 70s output is excellent, with 'Solid Air' and 'One World' being the high points. The 80s brought him a little more commercial success, yet he lost some creative clout, ending up strait-jacketing his songs into stodgy 80s AOR arrangements on albums like 'Sapphire' and 'Well Kept Secret'. These are still good albums in my opinion, but nowhere near as good as his 70s work. He began a renaissance in the mid 90s, culminating in the hit album, critically and commercially, 'On The Cobbles', last year.
I like many a singer-songwriter, but my personal favourite is Bert Jansch, who was one of the earliest British troubadours to record, and was a huge inspiration to all of the ones that followed.
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Bert Jansch, huh? The name does rings a bell. I'll have to check him out.
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Sean Trane
Special Collaborator
Prog Folk
Joined: April 29 2004
Location: Heart of Europe
Status: Offline
Points: 20251
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Posted: July 22 2005 at 11:17 |
marktheshark wrote:
salmacis wrote:
John Martyn was one of the most innovative singer songwriters of the 70s, and all of his 60s and 70s output is excellent, with 'Solid Air' and 'One World' being the high points. The 80s brought him a little more commercial success, yet he lost some creative clout, ending up strait-jacketing his songs into stodgy 80s AOR arrangements on albums like 'Sapphire' and 'Well Kept Secret'. These are still good albums in my opinion, but nowhere near as good as his 70s work. He began a renaissance in the mid 90s, culminating in the hit album, critically and commercially, 'On The Cobbles', last year.
I like many a singer-songwriter, but my personal favourite is Bert Jansch, who was one of the earliest British troubadours to record, and was a huge inspiration to all of the ones that followed.
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Bert Jansch, huh? The name does rings a bell. I'll have to check him out. |
Jansch is along with John Renbourn one of the two genius guitarist of The Pentangle along with superb double bassist Danny Thompson who played on the best John Martyn albums.
Try out Pentangle if you do not know . all early studios albums (until 72) are particularly outstanding folk-jazz-blues-rock.
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let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter
keep our sand-castle virtues
content to be a doer
as well as a thinker,
prefer lifting our pen
rather than un-sheath our sword
|
|
marktheshark
Forum Senior Member
Joined: April 24 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 1695
|
Posted: July 22 2005 at 11:54 |
Sean Trane wrote:
marktheshark wrote:
salmacis wrote:
John Martyn was one of the most innovative singer songwriters of the 70s, and all of his 60s and 70s output is excellent, with 'Solid Air' and 'One World' being the high points. The 80s brought him a little more commercial success, yet he lost some creative clout, ending up strait-jacketing his songs into stodgy 80s AOR arrangements on albums like 'Sapphire' and 'Well Kept Secret'. These are still good albums in my opinion, but nowhere near as good as his 70s work. He began a renaissance in the mid 90s, culminating in the hit album, critically and commercially, 'On The Cobbles', last year.
I like many a singer-songwriter, but my personal favourite is Bert Jansch, who was one of the earliest British troubadours to record, and was a huge inspiration to all of the ones that followed.
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Bert Jansch, huh? The name does rings a bell. I'll have to check him out. |
Jansch is along with John Renbourn one of the two genius guitarist of The Pentangle along with superb double bassist Danny Thompson who played on the best John Martyn albums.
Try out Pentangle if you do not know . all early studios albums (until 72) are particularly outstanding folk-jazz-blues-rock. |
Now I know what you're talking about! Yes, Pentangle I have heard of them many moons ago. A friend of mine had one of their albums. Sh*t Sean! Now you got me going now!
Edited by marktheshark
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John Martyn