You should, but be aware he's nothing like Genesis. I believe they became friends as they were both going through difficult divorces at the same time. John invited Phil to play on Grace And Danger and then on Glorious Fool and you can hear the Collins drumming and his backing vocals. One album which has always been high up there for me is "No Little Boy" but I seem to be in the minority on that.
He was the son of two opera singers and had early classical training Joining Island was the best thing he ever did, they captured him exquisitely (John Wood ?) He was Nick Drakes confident, his death affected JM severely Danny Thompson and John could be formidable or dead drunk (DT once nailed JM to the floor!) John had a very sad end. Its all on BBC4
If that's mostly true, if his audience is largely a domestic one and he lacks a strong North American profile, it seems quite curious. Is there something about the British folk-rock tradition that doesn't travel well? Was it a matter of lack of promotion or touring? I gather Martyn was a somewhat self-sabotaging character.....
JM's first two albums were never released in the U.S. I discovered him when Stormbringer came out here, and have been a huge fan through to the end and beyond. Even in the days of free-form FM, he got very little airplay over here. Like Richard Thompson, he was a well-kept secret for all but dedicated Anglophiles. He only played in the States a few times, always as an opening act. I saw him in St. Louis in a hockey arena opening for, of all people, Pink Floyd. DSOTM was one of the top-selling albums of all time here, so I was probably the only one in the audience who came specifically to hear John. He walked out on stage, in front of the curtain, with his acoustic guitar, and was soundly and thoroughly booed before he'd even sat down. He plugged into his effects boxes and played "Glistening Glyndebourne" at deafening volume, which silenced the crowd for the rest of the set. He left the stage about 45 minutes later to cheers and a standing ovation.
I have a pretty good selection of his albums - everything up through Glorious Fool (except for his second album, The Tumbler, which seems to have eluded me). I like the man's work, but I can't say I've ever become obsessive about him and the albums I like best would probably be considered odd choices. I've always liked One World a lot, and back when I was a deejay I used to play his version of Johnny Too Bad from Grace And Danger.
I had the same experience; he opened for Yes at Madison Square Garden during the Topographic Oceans tour. I don't remember if he got a standing ovation, but he certainly got our attention!
While the blues is very much present in JM's music, I feel there's something enduringly British, and Scottish there too.
No, not odd- One World is probably his second best known and most popular album. Great that you picked up on Johnny Too Bad- that studio take is a masterpiece, with that guttural guitar figure. I loved the dub version on the B-side.
i have some friends that are huge JM fans and made me listen to all his albums. they got upset when i didnt like the albums with the wife, which he pony backed himself on. that british folk stuff has never made an impression on me, its a little bit like Henry XIII music to me. solid air, all that stuff, i just didnt get into. but then someone gave me Grace and Danger and i listened to it about 100 time in a row. Plus, i liked the fact that someone shot him in the ass once. that gave him big kudos in my eyes.
Has there ever been a song with more atmosphere than 'Small Hours? The song was recorded by a Lake in the early hours of the morning complete with the sound of geese on the water. Near the end of the song you can here the Paddington to Cornwall mail train passing by. It's absolutely mesmerising.
".......and if that doesn't move you, there's something wrong with you............absolutely exquisite, a hymn to the light: reflective, dark, experimental; absolutely beautiful." [Ralph McTell on Small Hours]
Reading this thread at work and it makes me wish I was at home listening to some John Martyn. I've always loved the way the start of Solid Air seems slide out of nowhere ... late at night, lights down low, a drink (maybe a whisky), it doesn't get much better. Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. I think he's one of the few vocalist where you can hear the anguish in his singing.
Well Kept Secret is being rereleased later this month with a couple of bonus tracks. This isn't one of his greatest albums & does have "80s production" but it does have some strong songs on it.
Has anyone heard the 4 Men With Beards reissue of Stormbringer? I know it's probably worth hunting down an original, but I'm just curious.
i'm not really into folk but i have the odd folk track here and there. sandy denny, fotheringay, fairport convention, nick drake, the bunch, amazing blondel. one track i have is by john martyn and i think it's called seven black roses. my god the guitar sound great! i don't suppose there are any other mainly instrumental tracks by him i could get? thanks.
You could try Glistening Glyndebourne from the album Bless The Weather or Small Hours from the album One World. I must admit I think Small Hours is the weakest track on One World but I know lots of other people like it.
My single favourite artist too, no doubt. I was fortunate enough to see him perform live several times whilst at University in the late '70s / early 80's. This is how I remember him, complete with cigarette wedged between strings and tuning peg: The sound one man could make, in what to all intents and purposes, was a University Gymnasium was awesome. I love his early stuff, but also like his later offerings, especially "Grace and Danger. I had the CD for years, but following my own divorce, found it a very painful listen. Recently purchased on vinyl and play it virtually every day. If you have any doubts, listen to this, pure emotion and class! The story of the album's release is interesting: The album was written and recorded while John Martyn was in the process of divorcing his wife Beverley, and the songs strongly reflect the emotional upheaval that he was experiencing at the time. Phil Collins played drums and provided backing vocals. The release of the album was delayed byIsland Records for a year because Chris Blackwell, the label owner (and friend of both John and Beverley) found the album too depressing. Producer Martin Levan said of the delay that "the messages I was getting back was that Chris [Blackwell] felt it was too sad and he didn't want to put it out. He felt it too depressing and didn't want it released." Speaking in 1981, Martyn captured his frustration at the situation, "I freaked: 'Please get it out! I don't give a damn how sad it makes you feel - It's what I'm about: direct communication of emotion.'"