I only wish they had included the original "Live At Leeds" which was mostly recorded elsewhere and put all the "real" Leeds stuff as bonustracks. The 18 minute "Outside In" on the original is the best version I've heard.
Oh yeah my signed Live At Leeds LP is a prized possession. However, I also appreciate the extras on the CDs, particularly the banter!
As someone who really likes The Apprentice album, I couldn't wait to pop in Disc 17 to check out the original mix. I'm afraid it really disappointed, and I can entirely understand why Island rejected it. The Permanent version is much better, IMO. However, as Couldn't Love You More, No Little Boy and a plethora of latter day live versions show, his songs could endure quite drastic changes, so it doesn't surprise me that he could take the same material and re-do it so effectively. Now, if the original mix had been released in 1989/90, my opinion might have been different. We'll never know! You can check a known gig list here: John Martyn 70s Giglist | Big Muff I can certainly relate to the guy's face. I have always liked this video of actress and musician Heather Peace (who used to act in the BBC's Waterloo Road with my best friend's daughter, which is how I know about her) getting to perform with the amazing Alison Moyet, and not believing that it is actually happening to her: (and Alison, if you are reading , come back to The Fillmore when concerts return!)
If you are not already aware, care is needed in collecting some of JM's later releases because they got re-issued with different titles/covers and this album is one such title. For details, see: Live '91 (The Best Of John Martyn) | Big Muff I suggest looking up any title on the above site before buying, just to make sure you haven't already got the recordings!
Thanks for that. To be honest having duplicates of JM's performances isn't the worst thing that could happen.
Not sure why this album is called Best of Live '91? Most of it is culled from a 1990 concert recording from "The Apprentice" tour at the Shaw Theatre, London, most of the album originally released as the title "Live" on Permanent which was released in 1995. Anyway I'm gonna play it again later, it's a good 'un.
Probably so chumps like me would snap it up when seen at one's local record emporium. I have a number of such 'duplicates' as a result.
Is the 2010 Live at Leeds Deluxe 2CD set now out-of-print? And what's the difference between the two versions of it listed on Discogs, both apparently with the same tracks? Quick if very hazy memory: seeing John Martyn at one of his Lancaster University gigs where he invited the audience to join him on the stage towards the end of the show. My recollection is that he spent a very long time trying to get his echo gizmo to work, maybe half an hour during which there was just a lot of faffing around with the electronics and Martynesque sweary banter. Of course it was a great gig, just rather shambolic.
I think a lot of JM titles are now OOP, unfortunately. Seems odd to have gone to the trouble of re-mastering everything, creating Deluxe Editions and doing the Island Years box and then let a lot of it go OOP. No idea why there were two different cat. nos. for the Leeds Deluxe. I have this one: https://www.discogs.com/John-Martyn-Live-At-Leeds/release/4610080 which was pressed in Germany. Unlike other UMG Deluxe Editions I have, this one does NOT have a transparent slipcase with the Deluxe Edition logo on it, instead mine has a piece of transparent sticky tape with the logo on it attached to the digipack cover. Grrrr! As there are no images for the other listing, I wonder whether that was a version with the slipcase? Still wouldn't explain why they would use two cat. nos. (different territories?) on such a niche title.
It will be interesting to see what sort of job they make of it. I have an original LP and absolutely love it.
1992-08-03 Edinburgh, Preservation Hall. Monday night, 20:00 hrs. Tickets £ 7.50. "One of the few truly soulful voices in Scottish music, and one of its most renowned guitarists and songwriters as well, John Martyn is still under-appreciated here after nearly 25 years in the business. Check him out. Another show may be added tomorrow, otherwise The Rootsie Tootsie Band's Tuesday residency will carry on unaffected." First time I saw him. I remember thinking I'd never seen a performer so hammered on stage before. LOL He was brilliant though.
Wasn't that always the case? At least I was informed of that release date a month or so ago by my local record store [who are not getting any copies of this title :-(]
Late to the party on this one, but wow, what a fantastic album. And the bass on this off the charts. That is all.
Loved him very much Discovered him through One World and then explored and loved lots more from there. Was very lucky to see him live quite often as he seemed to be touring a lot when I stated going to gigs. Though somewhere along the way I didn’t keep up with the new albums. His core material is still loved and played very often.
While I’m sure the Phil Collins era is less than beloved, I simply adore every little thing in this song. How it turns the trick of being both aching and uplifting is magic for the ages.
That is a great album, but as you say not loved by many. “Amsterdam” is one of my very favourite songs of his, even more so when I learned the back story to it. This is a great performance, the vocals from about 2:50 - 3:25 give me goosebumps every time. I too saw him live several times, always an experience.
I’m from the U.S. and just recently discovered his music, although I knew the name for years through his association with Nick Drake. Sampled Solid Air a few years back, but I had expected something more like Nick and put it aside… honestly, I wasn’t ready for it. Martyn’s music is very intense for me… he’s less precise and takes more risks than Drake, which I appreciate.
