BLESS THE WEATHER

Bless the Weather is one of John Martyn's best albums and it is my personal favourite album of his. In my opinion all his albums from Bless the Weather to Grace and Danger are essential but there is something about Bless the Weather that sets it apart from the rest. The album starts with a beautiful and mournful guitar riff that begins Go Now, one of the albums many masterpieces. It sets the mood for the rest of the album; relaxed, sombre but untimely positive. Next is the title track which seduces you with its haunting intro with Danny Thompson's bass adding extra oomph to an already emotional song. Martyn uses the changing nature of weather as an analogy for finding and losing love. The song ends with a wonderful interplay between Martyn's guitar and Thompson's bass. The next song Sugar lump is the only misstep on the album and it stops me from giving the album 5 stars. It is a boring county western style song that is completely forgettable. Thankfully the rest of the album recaptures the magic of the first two tracks: Walk to the Water is a wonderful song celebrating spiritually with has bongos and vibes adding an extra layer of depth to the song. Just Now starts with a beautiful piano medley that continues throughout the song. It is a song about loss friends and the changing circumstances of life but its message is very positive as John sings about being happy with the life he has just now. Head and Heart is probably the most commercial sounding song on the album; the song is a plea to your lover to love you for who you are both intellectually and emotionally. Like the title track it ends with a wonderful instrumental passage where John and Danny bring the song to a slow serene end. Let the Good Things Come is one of my all time favourite John Martyn songs; he duets with his wife Beverley who sings haunting in the background. In it he asks his lover to be with him and provide for him in all the joys and hurts of life. It has a very relaxed feel that is characteristic of the album as a whole. Back Down the River is yet another of the many beautiful love songs that John seems to write and sing effortlessly. Next is probably the albums experimental centrepiece; Glistening Glyndebourne is over six minutes of pure experimentation. It is a marked contrast to the other simpler songs on the album and foreshadows the more experimental approach John would take on his next two albums. The first two minutes are a loose interplay between guitar and piano that have an almost improvised feel. The song really gets going at the two minute mark when John introduces the Echoplex which he would use to great effect from then on. The last four minutes of the song are a musical journey as John's guitar plays the same repeating guitar riff with the added effect of his Echoplex while the drums and piano jam along to it; he subtlety adds more complex sounds on his guitar to the songs general guitar riff as it progresses. The song ends with the guitar, piano and drums reaching a kind of musical climax as they all converge together before dying away and leaving only John's guitar to bring the song to a relaxed and subdued end. The album ends with a wonderful and uplifting cover of Singing in the Rain. I don't really like the original song but John adds a warm and charming feel to it which turns it into a dreamy folk ballad; a fitting way to end a relaxed and uplifting album. This album is one of my all time favourites and I give it 4 and a half stars; Sugar Lump stops it getting full marks. Anyone who likes music that is emotionally driven and full of warmth and character will love Bless the Weather. While John would do many more albums that were excellent and from a prog perspective more experimental; Bless the Weather is, in my opinion, his best work. I can't think of many albums that strike such a perfect balance of being both somber and uplifting at the same time. The album acknowledges the sad and troubled areas of our lives with hope and optimism and stands as one of the finest albums of all time.