What's your favourite track on Solid Air? I have a soft spot for Go Down Easy and The Man in the Station - they seem to indicate the softer side of John, which has always been the most appealing part of his sound to me. Small Hours is definitely my favourite of his, however. Drop your thoughts and memories of John's music below and let me know what you think of the video!
Jelly Roll Blues is my favourite. Firey and groove-filled playing with no small hint of John's bawdy nature in the lyics. But it's a close tie with the title track and May You Never.
Head and heart, glistening glindabourn ( spelt wrong lol) the gardeners, root love everything off inside out and Sunday's child tbh I like all of his stuff with acception of sapphire and the apprentice
I first heard John Martyn on the Old Grey Whistle Test in about 74/75ish when growing up in Monaghan, Ireland. He blew my mind with the echoplex. Never heard anything like it before. a couple of years later I met my beautiful wife at Stourbridge art college in 78. When she said she came from Hastings, I said John Martyn lives there and that was it. All the references in Solid Air about place are about Hastings. Over the Hill refers to pulling into the train station and going over the west hill to his house in Cobourg Place. A 'bar room fight' is almost certainly about the many rows he got into in my local The Lord Nelson in Hastings old town, a stone throw from his home. He was a cantankerous, argumentative bollocks but and I say this with consideration, he was a beautiful sensitive creative genius that to this day is still part of my life.
John Martin is one of my musical heroes, alongside Prince, Wynton Marsalis and Miles Davis. I’m grateful to have finally got to see him at the Apollo in Oxford, only months before he died. Even past his prime, that performance was one of the most inspiring I’ve ever witnessed. His feel, timing and ability to be in the song was a rare thing indeed. As far as my favourite song on the album goes, it has to be May You Never. I’ve been learning to play it for 20 years and, despite many performances, I haven’t even come close to nailing it. That aside, I think it’s one of the neatest lessons for life, simply packaged in 2 verses, a chorus and a Martin guitar. Knowing what a git he was in real life (your more poetic appraisal as a complex character is much fairer) presents putting John Martyn on a pedestal as somewhat of a moral conundrum but Solid Air is up there with my all-time favourite albums. Your well-researched piece has offered me new insights to appreciate it even more, so thank you! It’s well written and sensitively produced, and I look forward to your next offering.
Always regarded John Martyn as a significant musician who transcended his folk beginnings. Listening to Solid Air at the time of its release gave the impression of an other worldliness, such was the distinctive sound and lyrics. Your well researched and presented video only deepened my appreciation for this artist.
Don’t Want To Know and May You Never are my favorites, but every track is great. Those just hit me the hardest on a melodic and emotional level. I used to not connect with the record when I was younger, but seeing this pop up in my feed made me revisit it tonight. I can’t believe what I was thinking years ago. It’s incredible. I went for a nice night drive to it and when I got to May You Never I teared up. So thanks for reminding me of it and pushing me to give it another try before even watching your video.
I first saw John when he was supporting Sandy Denny on tour when Solid Air was released. Went straight out and bought it, and then all of his album's. Loved Solid Air and The Man in the Station. The truly beautiful Small Hours, from One World, would probably be my favourite track.
Solid Air is a brilliant record. I love this late 60s early 70s wave of British songwriters. Such a rich era in music history. Big influence on me for sure.
I was fortunate to see John live several times. I remember best once at The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm - he was accompanied by double bass and tenor sax and it was completely mesmerising. He played Solid Air among others - the audience fell completely under his spell - absolutely unforgettable.
The artist I've seen live most over the years, from big rooms like the Oxford Apollo and The Anvil in Basingstoke to tiny stages like Southampton's both sadly lost Gantry and Polygon Club. At his best, he was utterly sublime and ethereal, at his worst, chaotic and cranky but still very, very good. On this album, Go Down Easy is the one for me but overall favourites are One World, Couldn't Love You More, and Small Hours. Why his music isn't covered more by other artists has always puzzled me. By the way, anyone who is a John Martyn fan should grab the chance to see The John Martyn Project. They are brilliant, in many ways as good as seeing the great man himself and on tour in the UK now.
I discovered John in the latter part of his career having never even heard of him beforehand, managed to see him 2 or 3 times, he was mesmerising, I loved him on acoustic guitar he carried you off into other realms of existence, I worked for a record label for a while who released a lot of his live shows and back catalogue but unfortunately never got the chance to meet him.
I saw John Martyn at the Rainbow Theatre when he played tracks from Solid Air. No recording can match the magic he created at that concert. A fantastic musician, even when stoned.
Back in about 1974 I thought that I knew a lot about music and "the scene ". A friend of mine asked me if I had heard John martyn. Even now I am deeply moved by his music and I have every album.
Thanks, 31:19 nice documentary and I do like Solid Air very much but for me his outstanding album is One World which seems to me to have broken ground especially in sound and lyricism. It’s nearly up there with What’s Going On- I never tire of them. Excited to learn that Martin was influenced by Sanders…John’s voice and Sanders saxophone style seem complimentary. In the end I wanted your film to be longer and extend into his later works. Highly informative and enjoyable. Steve😊
John Martyn is one of my favorite artists. Saw twice. Each was a solo gig. Met him backstage. Photographed him during his performance. So, this video by The Title Track is very much appreciated.
Excellent video, subscribed. Solid Air and Floyd's DSOTM were always part of my 70's late-night-curtains-closed-post-bong relaxing time. Saw him live in a school assembly hall in Swansea in 1990 or so and got to say "thank you for so much beautiful music" while he (and I, and quite a few others as I recall) were enjoying a pre-gig smoke in the car park. Beautiful man, incredible musician and songwriter. Favourite track on Solid Air? All of them, depending on my mood, as it is one of those faultless albums with 100% good songs and no fillers or duds. RIP John.
I wore out my tape playing "May you never" over and over. John has always touched a deep melancholy note in me, alongside a clear honesty! Glad to see he is again being brought forward. A unique and beautiful talent gone too soon.
Absolutely love this album and the even more experimental Inside Out that followed. Saw him live at the Town Hall in Birmingham in 1973 when he kept the audience spellbound with his music and humour..Released many great albums in the 70's culminating in the reflective Grace And Danger.He was totally unique ,and a great all round musician.
Hi, thanks. Very nice. In the 70's, a friend of mine, based in Brussels, heard that I was headed for Paris, and asked me to buy the brand new album "Inside out"... He already had albums of John (Solid air) and John Fahey amongst many others.... He eventually ended up as the singer of Telex....
I have been a huge fan of John Martyn's music since the early 70's. I find it impossible to pick a favourite track from Solid Air, as it changes from day to day. Today, I will go for Go Down Easy. Strangely enough, he spent the last few years in a small place in County Kilkenny, where my ex girlfriend came from! Thank you so much for putting this video together. I enjoyed it so very much!
Saw Jon live a few times. The last time in Celtic Connections in Glasgow not long before he died. He was in a wheelchair & joked about being a ‘leg-end’. Bittersweet as always. When he played the first notes of Solid Air, the tears ran down my cheeks. Genius! 💙
Mayv You Never is one of those songs, that never gets old for me. it covers a large amout of life effortlessley and with a earnest plea for understanding. I can never get tierd of it.
Solid Air is one of the few albums in my collection that I consider "perfect": I cannot think of any way it could be improved. I saw John and Danny play more than once in Brighton in the early 70's when he was living in Hastings. He was a complex character and, perhaps, not a great role model, but his best music is timeless. Solid Air has been my first choice album since it was released.
These videos are making me appreciate these songs, albums and artists in a whole new way. Thanks mate! Keep them coming - would love a whole separate video on Nick Drake. My boyfriend introduced me to Northern Sky early on and have enjoyed discovering his music ever since. Looking forward to next drop.
John was GENIUS. I saw him live in Cambridge in the 80's, he takes one of the top 5 places in my music collection/best favourite artists of all time. I have 13 albums and still collecting his entire works til this day. RIP John and thanks for existing !
He is the master. His music represents all the good evenings of my art school days. I went recently to a tribute concert at Queens University Belfast, students union to hear a local guitarist I know called Ken Haddock and his band. It was amazing. I don't usually like hearing tribute to bands but this was a one off. Ken is a multi talented guitarist, big respect there, totally authentic and funny enough when I see pictures of an older John Martyn, they could be brothers. So I have been blessed to hear the best version of John Martyn here in the real "One World" as I could get. Wish he could have stayed here longer, but like the best people I have known that wasn't a choice.
I stumbled on the album about 20 years ago and May You Never hit a chord with me at the time and fell in love with the album and John as artist. Really enjoyed your video, really interesting, I knew he was a complicated man but this has really opened my eyes.
John Martyn & his music have been a big part of my life, I saw him many times, solo & with band. "One World" is my favourite John Martyn album with "Solid Air" a close second. "Go Down Easy" is an awesome track.
Thankfully I saw him with Danny Thompson. We must have worn the Solid Air vinyl thin along with his other masterpiece, Inside Out. All seems, and is, a long time ago. A great deal of solid air traveled through since then. Happy and sad days that the title track and May You Never always does justice to.
I don't even know where to start on this. For me, there is John Martyn then everyone else. I remember my surprise and delight when I heard he had received the OBE and my shock and sadness just a few weeks later when he died. I saw him more times than I can remember and even now, fifteen years on, the thought that I will never see him again still hurts. The tribute here from Danny Thompson says more than I ever could.
Thank you for this, the best overview of JM I've come across. I went to quite a few of John's gigs in the 70s - some sublime, some chaotic, but all very enjoyable. Sometimes he'd have a drink with us in the bar afterwards. What other performer would do that? He was unique.
John was a force of nature. I absolutely loved him - although I’m sure if I was to ever meet him he’d scare the bejesus out of me. His music is something else - always brilliant, always from the heart, always impeccable. I had the privilege of seeing him play at Newcastle Playhouse with his band (who were also quite outstanding) in the early 90s. I didn’t quite appreciate his earlier work at the time - my way in to John’s music was ‘Cooltide’ - which is wonderful. But, I have in more recent years discovered his earlier music - and it’s excellent. His mid 70s live echoplex performance of ‘Big Muff’ for instance is striking, and sounds amazing. I’ve never classed John as a folkie - his music is just as much jazz, or funk. I just see his music as being ‘great music’ - it doesn’t need a label.
I did meet him at a funeral, he was in a wheelchair, no legs, still scared the bejesus out of me...He sang a tribute to the deceased which was one of the most moving things I've ever heard.
At the beginning of the 80's ,John Martyn replaced his two tape Echoplex for a digital Korg SDD 3000. One World was the last album recorded with Echoplex.
I'm still happy i got to see John playing live in Cologne, and only then understanding the unusual open tuning he used on solid air (an aspect of John's creativity not touched in this video;)
Nice job on this video! Solid Air is a timeless classic, not a bad cut on it. Here, John has written a great batch of songs, but is starting to explore his jazz influences. You are spot on about the Pharoah Sanders influence. Listen to Pharoah Sanders' "Astral Travelling" and you can hear how it influenced the song "Solid Air". I have always loved John's singing and this is really the first album where he starts using his "saxophone" approach. John was a true innovator and has influenced many musicians that have followed him.
Great comment, on a hugely insightful and rather moving video. I'm going out on a limb here, which should be permissible between music lovers, but may I recommend something which uses a section of 'Astral Traveling' (sic) as a melodic base, but takes it into what may be unfamiliar realms to some John Martyn devotees. The tune in question is 'Got Me', by Ireland's Ricky Force (Criterion Records), and qualifies, for me at least, as an example of Martyn's 'higher order music'....
Great and interesting video, thank you! Solid Air is one of my top ten albums of all time! Saw John in concert in Sheffield in 1981. I will always remember it!
Great to see John Martyn and this masterpiece bring celebrated. I was fortunate to see him live in 1986 on the Piece by Piece tour. It would be great to see more videos on such classic albums as One World, Bless the Weather and the highly emotional Grace and Danger - the ultimate break up album.
Thank you very much, i've spend many nights in' Les Cousins' in the late 60's and early 70's And john Martin was one of my favourites!! Still listen to solid air!
This is a great video mate! There definately isn't enough content out there for the likes of John Martyn and Nick Drake or even Bert Jansch, keep it up my guy!
I bought it not long after it was released, but found it hard to get into. I got One World when it first came it and loved it every track. So then I went back to Solid Air. The only tracks I liked on first listening were May You Never and The Easy Blues, bit by bit everything was revealed, like a veil had been dropped from my eyes. I still prefer One World tho', Small Hours, oh yeah !!
Where do you start with John Martyn? One of my all time favourites. Solid Air was perfect album without a bad track on it. But I'd say much the same about albums like Bless the Weather, Inside Out and Sunday's Child. My appreciation started to fade a bit through the 80's, but still some classic great tracks like Big Muff. I loved his eclecticism and experimentation, as well as his passionate lyrics and vocals. Saw him live only once at Sydney Town Hall in Australia, and solo he was breathtaking, with as much impact as the best bands. I didn't know about the Pharaoh Sanders angle, but that makes sense. I always suspected his echoplex work was a big influence on the emergence of dub in reggae, through his friendship with Lee Perry during time that he spent in Jamaica. Now many years later I've become a late life student of guitar myself. One of my first aspirations was to develop a finger picking style myself, like John, Nick Drake, Davy Graham, Bert Jansch and all the other British fusionists. Still working on that.
Fabulous review, so well written and presented, and articulates much of what I feel about Solid Air but could never find the words - instant sub here, looking forward to more of this.
Love the format of your channel.Informative without distraction. As for Solid Air,I bought this when it came out and it blew me away..many a late night at friends flats listening to this superb album.
Well, I never thought I’d see a John Martyn review on YT! Tbh I never thought of him as a folk singer. It was just the part if the business that they slotted him into at the time.
Really appreciate the comment and sentiment mate. This video was certainly a labour of love for one of my favourite artists. Please hit that subscribe button for more videos like this in the future from the channel!
The first verse of Richard Thompson's wonderful song A Brother Slips Away is about John Martyn, written shortly after his death. The two were neighbours for a while in the 60s and hung out together. Thompson of course played on both Nick Drake's and Martin's albums.
Still one of my faves as an artist. First saw him at Glastonbury Festival 83. Caught him most years after that, until final gig in Bristol before his death. Particularly loved Shaw Theatre gig in London 86with Danny Thompson. Saw him in Manchester a few times in the 90s , always shifting his sound . Hard to pick fav albums but loved Inside Out and Grace and Danger in particular. Still play his music.
Excellent documentary, thank you. I saw one of shows at the ‘Edge’ in Toronto early 80’s. it was a small club and he did 5 nights there. Amazing show, spirituality uplifting.
Great ! The first time I saw him was in 1970 when he was the opener on an Island Records package, all dayer in Liverpool, with Free headlining. The next time was in 1975 in London when Paul Kossoff ( of Free ) came on for the last few tracks. PK was another friend of John's who died young, in 1976. Feel I must point out that it's pronounced " Mageeky " not " Mageachy " .......... Talking of Scotland, I just came across this story which you should find amusing : - ........ With Danny Thompson, supported by Hedgehog Pie. "It was the night of the Scottish Cup Final and Rangers had beaten Hearts 3-1. During the gig, John Martyn, who was accompanied by Danny Thompson, mentioned something about Celtic and the whole place erupted into something akin to Wild West brawl. I can't remember if order was restored or the gig continued, but years later, and just by chance I mentioned this incident to a guy whilst talking about music in general and John Martyn in particular. It so happened this guy was Mick Doonan who had played in Hedgehog Pie at that time. He remembered the night well and said when it all kicked off, John Martyn actually jumped down off the stage into the midst of the brawl and chinned a couple of students!"
Loved this. Thank you so much for the insight. I first became aware of John on a programme, I think, called Songwriters Forum, or similar which had a cruisey approach to the performances directly from the source (let me know the correct title if you know because I would love to find the series somewhere) the episode had Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray from The Beautiful South on it. After seeing his performances on that programme I looked into John’s music more which led me to Nick Drake ….. which led me to Joe Boyd ….. which led me to ….. so much more ……..
Thank you for the comment! Your comment reminded me that Joe Boyd has a new book coming out soon about world music - I'll be checking it out and it sounds like it would be right up your street.
As a young Canadian folk fan and aspiring songwriter myself in the 70s, May You Never was what I aspire to be as a performer. Go Down Easy is who I aspire to be as a human. Saw him solo in Toronto back then. Bless The Weather is still my fave album. I still play open handed with acrylic nails, which we didn't have yet back in the day. Finally found my Danny Thompson 7 years ago and got him recorded on my album in 2018 - live off the floor, no rehearsals, and chose 10 of the 22 we recorded over 3 studio sessions. Treeline; Back to the Roots. Haven't heard London Conversation or Stormbringer for half a century, so thanks for that!
Totally unique, both as a guitarist and a vocalist. And as a songwriter too. And when he didn't write his own, he made someone else's his, as in Excuse Me, Mister and Strange Fruit, for example. I've never got tired of listening to him, even after all these years.
'Complex"? Read Beverly Martyn's book if you think that lol. He ruined her career, he drank, he battered her. Yeah, complex. And then left all his money to some woman he hadn't known for more than a couple of years, leaving Beverly and his son in poverty.
great video! i produced three records with john and helped put together the tribute record. in my opinion, the most daring and sensitive artist ever....tools
Great video! Best video on John Martyn on TH-cam and one of the best music documentaries I’ve seen on TH-cam. I’d love to see a video on One World which I think is equally as good as Solid Air yet doesn’t get as much recognition. Tracks like Dancing and Couldn’t love you more and Small Hours don’t get enough recognition.
Thanks a lot for the comment Tom, much appreciated! I have a few videos planned next but I may return to John in the future as there really is so much to say about him and his music.
Thank you for posting. It's a great topic on John Martyn. I hope my comment doesn't come across as unappreciative. I understand how challenging it can be to achieve a satisfying sound technique in speaking. Otherwise, the sound mix and balance are great. Looking forward to the next episode.
Thanks for the comment - a few people have mentioned the audio mix, something I will focus on for future videos to make for a better listening experience :-)
Excellent video and an honest portrayal of a very complex singer songwriter. Thank you. Any of Nick Drake's albums would be great, or Joni Mitchell's Blue or Ladies of the Canyon. Kate Bush's Aerial is another favourite. Bowie's Hunky Dory too. I could go on and on. I should check out others you might've covered some of these already. I also love Joan Armatrading's self-titled album. Another classic. Anyway thanks again.
John peel a a big fan of jonn martyn so in 76/77 i also bought ' solid air'. I saw some years back the documentary ' johnny too bad ' and it still resonates with me all these years later. A complex figure indeed and not altogether wholesome . Made great music an many a night returning from gigs in london put on solid air , jj cale . or jackson browne so as not to wake the neighbours
I loved this album and was surprised to hear you say it didn't sell well. I thought it was brilliant. Caught him at the Dallas Brooks in Melbourne and was not disappointed. Great review. Do get yourself a decent mic screen, your plosives are offputting.
Really enjoyed Solid Air review. I'm sure you've already been ask but please could you do the same with Grace and Danger. In my view one of the best albums ever.
Thanks Adrian - I have a few videos planned but I may return to John in the future, there is a huge outpouring of love for him in the comments section which is lovely to see...
Well done presentation! I always say that he was unique, in that he way the only one (to my knowledge) at the time who was doing what you could call folk/jazz fusion.
First time i saw him was 1987(i think) at Manchester International club. He introduced the support act as an up and coming prodigy we would be hearing from a lot more in the future. It was Tracy Chapman.
dave mattacks was with fairport for quite a long time, he is the drummer everyone thinks of when you say fairport convention, his first was Leige and lief an all time classic , he eas with them through the 70s...interestingly he also played on some records by oz folkies the bushwackers along with former Pretender Dave Farndon before he was a Pretender
What's your favourite track on Solid Air? I have a soft spot for Go Down Easy and The Man in the Station - they seem to indicate the softer side of John, which has always been the most appealing part of his sound to me. Small Hours is definitely my favourite of his, however. Drop your thoughts and memories of John's music below and let me know what you think of the video!
always loved go down easy also
Over The Hill ( I think that is the title).
May You Never
Jelly Roll Blues is my favourite. Firey and groove-filled playing with no small hint of John's bawdy nature in the lyics. But it's a close tie with the title track and May You Never.
Head and heart, glistening glindabourn ( spelt wrong lol) the gardeners, root love everything off inside out and Sunday's child tbh I like all of his stuff with acception of sapphire and the apprentice
I first heard John Martyn on the Old Grey Whistle Test in about 74/75ish when growing up in Monaghan, Ireland. He blew my mind with the echoplex. Never heard anything like it before. a couple of years later I met my beautiful wife at Stourbridge art college in 78. When she said she came from Hastings, I said John Martyn lives there and that was it. All the references in Solid Air about place are about Hastings. Over the Hill refers to pulling into the train station and going over the west hill to his house in Cobourg Place. A 'bar room fight' is almost certainly about the many rows he got into in my local The Lord Nelson in Hastings old town, a stone throw from his home. He was a cantankerous, argumentative bollocks but and I say this with consideration, he was a beautiful sensitive creative genius that to this day is still part of my life.
Ah Paddy...I'm so glad you posted this.
Mayo...fan of John Martyn.
Thank you.👍🏼👍🏼
My young fella introduced me to John Martyn, and does an as good as if not better version of over the hill.
Similar souls.
Yes he was all those things and more however he was definitely not a nice man
John Martin is one of my musical heroes, alongside Prince, Wynton Marsalis and Miles Davis. I’m grateful to have finally got to see him at the Apollo in Oxford, only months before he died. Even past his prime, that performance was one of the most inspiring I’ve ever witnessed. His feel, timing and ability to be in the song was a rare thing indeed.
As far as my favourite song on the album goes, it has to be May You Never. I’ve been learning to play it for 20 years and, despite many performances, I haven’t even come close to nailing it. That aside, I think it’s one of the neatest lessons for life, simply packaged in 2 verses, a chorus and a Martin guitar.
Knowing what a git he was in real life (your more poetic appraisal as a complex character is much fairer) presents putting John Martyn on a pedestal as somewhat of a moral conundrum but Solid Air is up there with my all-time favourite albums. Your well-researched piece has offered me new insights to appreciate it even more, so thank you! It’s well written and sensitively produced, and I look forward to your next offering.
Always regarded John Martyn as a significant musician who transcended his folk beginnings. Listening to Solid Air at the time of its release gave the impression of an other worldliness, such was the distinctive sound and lyrics. Your well researched and presented video only deepened my appreciation for this artist.
First class documentary. Saw him a few times. Complicated character. A genius. A beast. A poet. Miss him. We have his legacy.
Don’t Want To Know and May You Never are my favorites, but every track is great. Those just hit me the hardest on a melodic and emotional level. I used to not connect with the record when I was younger, but seeing this pop up in my feed made me revisit it tonight. I can’t believe what I was thinking years ago. It’s incredible. I went for a nice night drive to it and when I got to May You Never I teared up. So thanks for reminding me of it and pushing me to give it another try before even watching your video.
One of the all time great albums and so many now have never heard of it.
I first saw John when he was supporting Sandy Denny on tour when Solid Air was released. Went straight out and bought it, and then all of his album's. Loved Solid Air and The Man in the Station.
The truly beautiful Small Hours, from One World, would probably be my favourite track.
Wow! What a gig to see, I’d have loved to see those guys live. Too young but now in my middle age and Johns music is so important to me.
Yes....'small hours' wasn't mentioned-or his 'dispute' with Sid Vicious(Sid lost).
Solid Air is a brilliant record. I love this late 60s early 70s wave of British songwriters. Such a rich era in music history. Big influence on me for sure.
I've listened to this album many many times, but having the context explained so well has made me appreciate it all the more. Thanks man!
No problem, thanks for the view!
This album on acid was life changing. Absolutely soul searing.
I was fortunate to see John live several times. I remember best once at The Roundhouse in Chalk Farm - he was accompanied by double bass and tenor sax and it was completely mesmerising. He played Solid Air among others - the audience fell completely under his spell - absolutely unforgettable.
When I saw him, he brought on Paul Kossoff who sadly died a few months later.
The artist I've seen live most over the years, from big rooms like the Oxford Apollo and The Anvil in Basingstoke to tiny stages like Southampton's both sadly lost Gantry and Polygon Club. At his best, he was utterly sublime and ethereal, at his worst, chaotic and cranky but still very, very good. On this album, Go Down Easy is the one for me but overall favourites are One World, Couldn't Love You More, and Small Hours. Why his music isn't covered more by other artists has always puzzled me. By the way, anyone who is a John Martyn fan should grab the chance to see The John Martyn Project. They are brilliant, in many ways as good as seeing the great man himself and on tour in the UK now.
I discovered John in the latter part of his career having never even heard of him beforehand, managed to see him 2 or 3 times, he was mesmerising, I loved him on acoustic guitar he carried you off into other realms of existence, I worked for a record label for a while who released a lot of his live shows and back catalogue but unfortunately never got the chance to meet him.
I saw John Martyn at the Rainbow Theatre when he played tracks from Solid Air. No recording can match the magic he created at that concert. A fantastic musician, even when stoned.
That must have been when he was support for Traffic because I was there too.
Back in about 1974 I thought that I knew a lot about music and "the scene ". A friend of mine asked me if I had heard John martyn.
Even now I am deeply moved by his music and I have every album.
Thanks, 31:19 nice documentary and I do like Solid Air very much but for me his outstanding album is One World which seems to me to have broken ground especially in sound and lyricism. It’s nearly up there with What’s Going On- I never tire of them. Excited to learn that Martin was influenced by Sanders…John’s voice and Sanders saxophone style seem complimentary. In the end I wanted your film to be longer and extend into his later works. Highly informative and enjoyable. Steve😊
Thanks a lot Steve, glad you enjoyed the video. I was also surprised by the influence of Sanders on this album and generally on John!
John Martyn is one of my favorite artists. Saw twice. Each was a solo gig. Met him backstage. Photographed him during his performance. So, this video by The Title Track is very much appreciated.
P.S. I first became aware of John Martyn thanks to FM radio playing the title track "Solid Air".
Excellent video, subscribed. Solid Air and Floyd's DSOTM were always part of my 70's late-night-curtains-closed-post-bong relaxing time. Saw him live in a school assembly hall in Swansea in 1990 or so and got to say "thank you for so much beautiful music" while he (and I, and quite a few others as I recall) were enjoying a pre-gig smoke in the car park. Beautiful man, incredible musician and songwriter. Favourite track on Solid Air? All of them, depending on my mood, as it is one of those faultless albums with 100% good songs and no fillers or duds. RIP John.
I wore out my tape playing "May you never" over and over. John has always touched a deep melancholy note in me, alongside a clear honesty! Glad to see he is again being brought forward. A unique and beautiful talent gone too soon.
Absolutely love this album and the even more experimental Inside Out that followed. Saw him live at the Town Hall in Birmingham in 1973 when he kept the audience spellbound with his music and humour..Released many great albums in the 70's culminating in the reflective Grace And Danger.He was totally unique ,and a great all round musician.
Hi, thanks. Very nice. In the 70's, a friend of mine, based in Brussels, heard that I was headed for Paris, and asked me to buy the brand new album "Inside out"... He already had albums of John (Solid air) and John Fahey amongst many others.... He eventually ended up as the singer of Telex....
Great video sir. Such a great time for music. So much turmoil. So much beauty. Thanks so much.
I have been a huge fan of John Martyn's music since the early 70's. I find it impossible to pick a favourite track from Solid Air, as it changes from day to day. Today, I will go for Go Down Easy. Strangely enough, he spent the last few years in a small place in County Kilkenny, where my ex girlfriend came from! Thank you so much for putting this video together. I enjoyed it so very much!
Saw Jon live a few times. The last time in Celtic Connections in Glasgow not long before he died. He was in a wheelchair & joked about being a ‘leg-end’. Bittersweet as always. When he played the first notes of Solid Air, the tears ran down my cheeks. Genius! 💙
Mayv You Never is one of those songs, that never gets old for me.
it covers a large amout of life effortlessley and with a earnest plea for understanding.
I can never get tierd of it.
Solid Air is one of the few albums in my collection that I consider "perfect": I cannot think of any way it could be improved. I saw John and Danny play more than once in Brighton in the early 70's when he was living in Hastings. He was a complex character and, perhaps, not a great role model, but his best music is timeless. Solid Air has been my first choice album since it was released.
He was a terrible husband and a thoroughly unlikeable man
These videos are making me appreciate these songs, albums and artists in a whole new way. Thanks mate! Keep them coming - would love a whole separate video on Nick Drake. My boyfriend introduced me to Northern Sky early on and have enjoyed discovering his music ever since. Looking forward to next drop.
Thank you, I may well do a video on Nick Drake in the future - Northern Sky is one of my favourites by him, your bf must have great taste!
John was GENIUS. I saw him live in Cambridge in the 80's, he takes one of the top 5 places in my music collection/best favourite artists of all time. I have 13 albums and still collecting his entire works til this day. RIP John and thanks for existing !
Fabulous, thank you. That was a very well researched and entertaining half an hour, I look forward to more of your films.
He is the master. His music represents all the good evenings of my art school days. I went recently to a tribute concert at Queens University Belfast, students union to hear a local guitarist I know called Ken Haddock and his band. It was amazing. I don't usually like hearing tribute to bands but this was a one off. Ken is a multi talented guitarist, big respect there, totally authentic and funny enough when I see pictures of an older John Martyn, they could be brothers. So I have been blessed to hear the best version of John Martyn here in the real "One World" as I could get. Wish he could have stayed here longer, but like the best people I have known that wasn't a choice.
I've been a fan of Nick Drake for some time and had not heard Martin...will definitely have to give Solid Air a listen.
RIP John. The soundtrack of my life.❤
Soundtrack of my first love, saw him live with Danny, he seemed to have a permanent residency at Essex University. Thanks good video.
It has been one of my all time favorites since it's release, and I never go too long without playing it.
Played this album bald , never knew back then it was about Nick Drake.
I stumbled on the album about 20 years ago and May You Never hit a chord with me at the time and fell in love with the album and John as artist.
Really enjoyed your video, really interesting, I knew he was a complicated man but this has really opened my eyes.
John Martyn & his music have been a big part of my life, I saw him many times, solo & with band. "One World" is my favourite John Martyn album with "Solid Air" a close second. "Go Down Easy" is an awesome track.
Thankfully I saw him with Danny Thompson. We must have worn the Solid Air vinyl thin along with his other masterpiece, Inside Out. All seems, and is, a long time ago. A great deal of solid air traveled through since then. Happy and sad days that the title track and May You Never always does justice to.
This was an excellent narration, very interesting and informative, thank you.
I don't even know where to start on this. For me, there is John Martyn then everyone else. I remember my surprise and delight when I heard he had received the OBE and my shock and sadness just a few weeks later when he died. I saw him more times than I can remember and even now, fifteen years on, the thought that I will never see him again still hurts.
The tribute here from Danny Thompson says more than I ever could.
OBE!!?? Wow I wonder who was responsible for that…
An absolutely mesmerizing, timeless album. Brilliant.
Great video, well done. I always felt that John never reached his potential and was possibly never fulfilled. But what a talent!
Thank you for this, the best overview of JM I've come across. I went to quite a few of John's gigs in the 70s - some sublime, some chaotic, but all very enjoyable. Sometimes he'd have a drink with us in the bar afterwards. What other performer would do that? He was unique.
Thank you Cliff for your kind comment, glad you enjoyed the video. Sounds like you have some great memories of John.
John was a force of nature. I absolutely loved him - although I’m sure if I was to ever meet him he’d scare the bejesus out of me. His music is something else - always brilliant, always from the heart, always impeccable. I had the privilege of seeing him play at Newcastle Playhouse with his band (who were also quite outstanding) in the early 90s. I didn’t quite appreciate his earlier work at the time - my way in to John’s music was ‘Cooltide’ - which is wonderful. But, I have in more recent years discovered his earlier music - and it’s excellent. His mid 70s live echoplex performance of ‘Big Muff’ for instance is striking, and sounds amazing. I’ve never classed John as a folkie - his music is just as much jazz, or funk. I just see his music as being ‘great music’ - it doesn’t need a label.
I did meet him at a funeral, he was in a wheelchair, no legs, still scared the bejesus out of me...He sang a tribute to the deceased which was one of the most moving things I've ever heard.
At the beginning of the 80's ,John Martyn replaced his two tape Echoplex for a digital Korg SDD 3000. One World was the last album recorded with Echoplex.
@@zivkovicableJohn Martyn did not have both legs amputed. Just one.
I'm still happy i got to see John playing live in Cologne, and only then understanding the unusual open tuning he used on solid air (an aspect of John's creativity not touched in this video;)
Great video, interesting new insights. Solid Air and One World were perfectly of their time. Thanks for this.
Nice job on this video! Solid Air is a timeless classic, not a bad cut on it. Here, John has written a great batch of songs, but is starting to explore his jazz influences. You are spot on about the Pharoah Sanders influence. Listen to Pharoah Sanders' "Astral Travelling" and you can hear how it influenced the song "Solid Air". I have always loved John's singing and this is really the first album where he starts using his "saxophone" approach.
John was a true innovator and has influenced many musicians that have followed him.
Great comment, on a hugely insightful and rather moving video. I'm going out on a limb here, which should be permissible between music lovers, but may I recommend something which uses a section of 'Astral Traveling' (sic) as a melodic base, but takes it into what may be unfamiliar realms to some John Martyn devotees. The tune in question is 'Got Me', by Ireland's Ricky Force (Criterion Records), and qualifies, for me at least, as an example of Martyn's 'higher order music'....
Great and interesting video, thank you! Solid Air is one of my top ten albums of all time! Saw John in concert in Sheffield in 1981. I will always remember it!
Great video. I love solid Air, but for me One World is his best album.
Great to see John Martyn and this masterpiece bring celebrated. I was fortunate to see him live in 1986 on the Piece by Piece tour. It would be great to see more videos on such classic albums as One World, Bless the Weather and the highly emotional Grace and Danger - the ultimate break up album.
Cheers Rob, I have a few videos planned but I may return to John for a future video - lots to say about him!
Thank you very much, i've spend many nights in' Les Cousins' in the late 60's and early 70's And john Martin was one of my favourites!! Still listen to solid air!
Thank you Robert, I am jealous you got to enjoy Les Cousins in its heyday!
This is a great video mate! There definately isn't enough content out there for the likes of John Martyn and Nick Drake or even Bert Jansch, keep it up my guy!
Thank you Abraham, I appreciate your comment!
Excellent documentary. My favourite tracks are Solid Air, Don't Want to Know, The Man in the Station. Absolutely Love this album 🥰
I bought it not long after it was released, but found it hard to get into. I got One World when it first came it and loved it every track. So then I went back to Solid Air. The only tracks I liked on first listening were May You Never and The Easy Blues, bit by bit everything was revealed, like a veil had been dropped from my eyes. I still prefer One World tho', Small Hours, oh yeah !!
Where do you start with John Martyn? One of my all time favourites. Solid Air was perfect album without a bad track on it. But I'd say much the same about albums like Bless the Weather, Inside Out and Sunday's Child. My appreciation started to fade a bit through the 80's, but still some classic great tracks like Big Muff. I loved his eclecticism and experimentation, as well as his passionate lyrics and vocals. Saw him live only once at Sydney Town Hall in Australia, and solo he was breathtaking, with as much impact as the best bands. I didn't know about the Pharaoh Sanders angle, but that makes sense. I always suspected his echoplex work was a big influence on the emergence of dub in reggae, through his friendship with Lee Perry during time that he spent in Jamaica. Now many years later I've become a late life student of guitar myself. One of my first aspirations was to develop a finger picking style myself, like John, Nick Drake, Davy Graham, Bert Jansch and all the other British fusionists. Still working on that.
Solid Air one of the best albums ever a masterpiece ! Seen John and Danny Thompson in 73 /74 playing this album live 🎸😎🎸 BB
This is amazing information on John Martyn I’ve seen
Thanks 🙏
Fabulous review, so well written and presented, and articulates much of what I feel about Solid Air but could never find the words - instant sub here, looking forward to more of this.
Thanks very much for the comment and sub!
Love the format of your channel.Informative without distraction.
As for Solid Air,I bought this when it came out and it blew me away..many a late night at friends flats listening to this superb album.
Well, I never thought I’d see a John Martyn review on YT! Tbh I never thought of him as a folk singer. It was just the part if the business that they slotted him into at the time.
I didn't know much about John Martyn but your excellent, well produced video has been fascinating. I look forward to further videos!
Really appreciate the comment and sentiment mate. This video was certainly a labour of love for one of my favourite artists.
Please hit that subscribe button for more videos like this in the future from the channel!
The first verse of Richard Thompson's wonderful song A Brother Slips Away is about John Martyn, written shortly after his death. The two were neighbours for a while in the 60s and hung out together. Thompson of course played on both Nick Drake's and Martin's albums.
Still one of my faves as an artist. First saw him at Glastonbury Festival 83. Caught him most years after that, until final gig in Bristol before his death. Particularly loved Shaw Theatre gig in London 86with Danny Thompson. Saw him in Manchester a few times in the 90s , always shifting his sound . Hard to pick fav albums but loved Inside Out and Grace and Danger in particular. Still play his music.
Excellent documentary, thank you. I saw one of shows at the ‘Edge’ in Toronto early 80’s. it was a small club and he did 5 nights there. Amazing show, spirituality uplifting.
It's gotten to the point where rather than be annoyed with the microphone popping... I am just glad it's not a soulless computer voice
Saw John open for Traffic, enjoyed his echoplex folk so picked up Solid Air.
I cant emphasise how much this enthralled me. saw him open air theatre Regents park
Thanks very much Michael, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Great ! The first time I saw him was in 1970 when he was the opener on an Island Records package, all dayer in Liverpool, with Free headlining. The next time was in 1975 in London when Paul Kossoff ( of Free ) came on for the last few tracks. PK was another friend of John's who died young, in 1976. Feel I must point out that it's pronounced " Mageeky " not " Mageachy " .......... Talking of Scotland, I just came across this story which you should find amusing : -
........ With Danny Thompson, supported by Hedgehog Pie. "It was the night of the Scottish Cup Final and Rangers had beaten Hearts 3-1. During the gig, John Martyn, who was accompanied by Danny Thompson, mentioned something about Celtic and the whole place erupted into something akin to Wild West brawl. I can't remember if order was restored or the gig continued, but years later, and just by chance I mentioned this incident to a guy whilst talking about music in general and John Martyn in particular. It so happened this guy was Mick Doonan who had played in Hedgehog Pie at that time. He remembered the night well and said when it all kicked off, John Martyn actually jumped down off the stage into the midst of the brawl and chinned a couple of students!"
great work! thank you. I could never pick a favourite on Solid Air, too much quality. Johnny too bad, Johnny too genius. I wish you success.
Loved this. Thank you so much for the insight.
I first became aware of John on a programme, I think, called Songwriters Forum, or similar which had a cruisey approach to the performances directly from the source (let me know the correct title if you know because I would love to find the series somewhere) the episode had Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray from The Beautiful South on it.
After seeing his performances on that programme I looked into John’s music more which led me to Nick Drake ….. which led me to Joe Boyd ….. which led me to ….. so much more ……..
Thank you for the comment! Your comment reminded me that Joe Boyd has a new book coming out soon about world music - I'll be checking it out and it sounds like it would be right up your street.
I was introduced to john in 1986....saw him many times over the years ...
A brilliant artist
I play solid air to this day
THANK YOU. One of my favorite singer songwriters of all time an dim so glad there's a deep dive full length video on his genius.
I tried to do him justice, but I'm sure I could do more videos on his other albums too. Thanks for tuning in!
Excellent video, thanks! Never heard of John Martyn, algorithm fed me this as I'm a big Nick Drake fan. Will definitely be checking him out
Two sides of the same coin,or so it seems to me.
Saw him a few times at the Leas Cliff Hall, even passed him up a spliff on-stage on one of them.
Such an underappreciated talent.
Brilliant video, I’ve been googling all the artists that you say influenced John, fascinating.
As a young Canadian folk fan and aspiring songwriter myself in the 70s, May You Never was what I aspire to be as a performer. Go Down Easy is who I aspire to be as a human. Saw him solo in Toronto back then. Bless The Weather is still my fave album. I still play open handed with acrylic nails, which we didn't have yet back in the day. Finally found my Danny Thompson 7 years ago and got him recorded on my album in 2018 - live off the floor, no rehearsals, and chose 10 of the 22 we recorded over 3 studio sessions. Treeline; Back to the Roots. Haven't heard London Conversation or Stormbringer for half a century, so thanks for that!
No "fretwork" by Danny Thompson 22:29! Nice work, I went back in time...
Small hours hits me like no other
Totally unique, both as a guitarist and a vocalist. And as a songwriter too. And when he didn't write his own, he made someone else's his, as in Excuse Me, Mister and Strange Fruit, for example. I've never got tired of listening to him, even after all these years.
Thank you for posting this
My pleasure Siobhon, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
Please hit the subscribe button for more like this from the channel :-)
'Complex"? Read Beverly Martyn's book if you think that lol. He ruined her career, he drank, he battered her. Yeah, complex. And then left all his money to some woman he hadn't known for more than a couple of years, leaving Beverly and his son in poverty.
great video! i produced three records with john and helped put together the tribute record. in my opinion, the most daring and sensitive artist ever....tools
That's awesome, really appreciate you tuning in!
Loved the full album
Years ago a friend gave me a tape with this on one side, and Spiritulised on the other. Played that tape a thousand times.
Great video! Best video on John Martyn on TH-cam and one of the best music documentaries I’ve seen on TH-cam. I’d love to see a video on One World which I think is equally as good as Solid Air yet doesn’t get as much recognition. Tracks like Dancing and Couldn’t love you more and Small Hours don’t get enough recognition.
Thanks a lot for the comment Tom, much appreciated! I have a few videos planned next but I may return to John in the future as there really is so much to say about him and his music.
Excellent production and content but "Glindyborn" was jarring. Subscribed.
Thank you for posting. It's a great topic on John Martyn. I hope my comment doesn't come across as unappreciative. I understand how challenging it can be to achieve a satisfying sound technique in speaking. Otherwise, the sound mix and balance are great. Looking forward to the next episode.
Thanks for the comment - a few people have mentioned the audio mix, something I will focus on for future videos to make for a better listening experience :-)
Excellent video and an honest portrayal of a very complex singer songwriter. Thank you. Any of Nick Drake's albums would be great, or Joni Mitchell's Blue or Ladies of the Canyon. Kate Bush's Aerial is another favourite. Bowie's Hunky Dory too. I could go on and on. I should check out others you might've covered some of these already. I also love Joan Armatrading's self-titled album. Another classic. Anyway thanks again.
Thanks for your comment - some great suggestions here, all of which I've been thinking of for future videos. Stay tuned!
Saw him several times live in glasgow in the seventies he was amazing
John peel a a big fan of jonn martyn so in 76/77 i also bought ' solid air'.
I saw some years back the documentary ' johnny too bad ' and it still resonates with me all these years later.
A complex figure indeed and not altogether wholesome .
Made great music an many a night returning from gigs in london put on solid air , jj cale . or jackson browne so as not to wake the neighbours
An excellent analysis and presentation. More please.
Thanks a lot - more videos to come!
I loved this album and was surprised to hear you say it didn't sell well. I thought it was brilliant. Caught him at the Dallas Brooks in Melbourne and was not disappointed. Great review. Do get yourself a decent mic screen, your plosives are offputting.
Great video! May I ask what the guitar instrumental is that starts at 3:58? I'm not sure I've heard it before.
Really enjoyed Solid Air review. I'm sure you've already been ask but please could you do the same with Grace and Danger. In my view one of the best albums ever.
Thanks Adrian - I have a few videos planned but I may return to John in the future, there is a huge outpouring of love for him in the comments section which is lovely to see...
Well done presentation! I always say that he was unique, in that he way the only one (to my knowledge) at the time who was doing what you could call folk/jazz fusion.
First time i saw him was 1987(i think) at Manchester International club.
He introduced the support act as an up and coming prodigy we would be hearing from a lot more in the future.
It was Tracy Chapman.
Brilliant documentary. Subscribed 👍
Thanks a lot Charlie!
Very interesting and well done. Might I suggest in future videos you address the problem with your plosives (especially the Ps). Thank you.
dave mattacks was with fairport for quite a long time, he is the drummer everyone thinks of when you say fairport convention, his first was Leige and lief an all time classic , he eas with them through the 70s...interestingly he also played on some records by oz folkies the bushwackers along with former Pretender Dave Farndon before he was a Pretender
‘Gline - born’ rather than ‘Glin - de - born’ @21:38ish l thank you as the maestro would say!❤
Haha! Yes, The only minor fault in this otherwise excellent tribute.
@@trevorhoward2254 And the CH sound in McGeachie is pronounced as in loch, not chair ☺
Okay. Two minor faults.