come off it, I've loved John Martin since I was a kid. Solid Air is seminal. And do you really think that he wouldn't be enjoying jokes about his exploding pancreas? Do you really think I'm being negative?
Oh novelty_bibble it's a shame you weren't taken earlier. But nevermind I'm sure John will have drunk the proceeds of your purchase with great pleasure.
Sad to see that my favourite Scottish musician has left us.
Saw him a couple of years back, in Derry, & I was delighted to see that he hadn't lost any of the magic.
I thought his reworked songs that night were almost better than his originals.
Only seen him once at the Kinnity Castle gig in August (2006?) just before Lúnasa came on stage. He was a great "one man" show. His powerful singing and unique guitar playing made me think of Fats Domino with a guitar rather than a piano. Another great performer who will be sadly missed.
I wasn't that great a fan of his records but saw him do a great concert in Subiaco in Western Australia in about 1977.
It was meant to be a double bill with him and Bert Jansch but Bert had "injured his hand" on the flight across from Adelaide or Melbourne, so John did both halves solo, pulling out every trick that he knew from folk club days to his then-current more ambient stuff, also padded it out with many anecdotes and jokes
our vocalist Peter Coughlan bumped into him a few times over the years and was at that Kinnity Castle gig (around three years ago) and had great crack with him and the Lunasa lads at breakfast
followed by an impromptu singing sesh in the front grounds where he was wheeling him around like a mad pair of lunatics
I couldn't agree with you more HG about Con Ryan and was therefore most disappointed the other day to read that the Hotel was possibly going into receivership. Con is a great supporter of things trad with sessions in the Hotel, etc but then I suppose it's to be expected from someone who's pretty handy on the banjo himself.
There was an (imho) unfortunate two-CD re-recording of a bunch of his songs a couple of years ago where he sounded like Phil Collins - perhaps that' s the one novelty bought. I didn't burn my copy, but I did conveniently lose it.
But Solid Air, One World, Bless the Weather... mostly I didn't know what he was on about (and couldn't make out the words half the time) but he kept me going through my teen years, and I was convinced there had to be a deep meaning to it all. A bit like Carlos Castaneda in that respect.
John was the first person I ever attempted to book, but, though he agreed to do the gig for nowt, we couldn't afford the train fare for him and Beverley. I'd already seen John playing an awesome gig as part of a line-up which also featured Roy Harper and Ron Geesin (the man probably best known for his input to Pink Floyd's 'Umma Gumma' and playing grand pianos from the inside).
Some three years later I found myself fixed up to interview him. This was during the time when John and Danny Thompson toured together. The pair were heavily into Scotch at the time (John had a bottle positioned next to his chair on stage) and, after a wonderful gig (most of 'Solid Air', as I recall) I conducted both the best and the worst interview of my career. It was the 'best' because of the crack and bedlam after the event - with even more Scotch - and the 'worst' because I couldn't recall a single word from the interview the following morning and discovered that my notepad consisted solely of rude allegations and drawings which John (or possibly Danny) had scrawled during the night. We met again some years later, but it was like a first meeting for the pair of us,
As a musician John was an absolute one-off - a tremendous guitarist, both acoustic and electric, a hugely imaginative innovator (his use of the Echoplex predated the widespread use of looping by some twenty years), a great writer and interpreter, a complete git and an absolute bastard, a lovely man and a tower of strength.
I met him again in the 80s and cherish the memories.
Grego - the reason why John might have sounded like Phil Collins is that said drummer actually produced two of his albums in the early 80s.
Some of the best drumming I've ever heard is on the track "when that hurt in your heart is gone", from Grace and Danger, And it's feckin Phil Collins. It's a measure of John Martin than that can happen.
From his obituary in the Guardian:
"...while touring his Sunday's Child album in 1975, accompanied by Thompson and former Free guitarist Paul Kossoff. The atmosphere grew fraught when Kossoff broke a bottle over his head..."
Yes, I bet it did get a bit strained at that point.
and ta grego for linking those in _ it may be worth a link to one of todays 'obituries' in the guardian, the independent or the times, a smaller account in the irish independent _ again Davey Graham is credited in a couple
*instantly drawn in by 'Spencer the Rover' off one of her parents records, my wife saw him at Keele University, Staffordshire in the late-1970's where he performed with a black musician but she can't recall what he played _those hazy college days
a few years or so later we met and she got me hooked too on 'Spencer . . . ' (off Sunday Child 1975) which to me was a powerful awakening with english folksong, following a childhood of irish
then by chance around that time, a brief collaboration with irish rock vocalist Dave Harvey had us doing it (our favourite along with 'If i were a carpenter') at floor spots and sessions around New Cross, noteably The Amersham Arms every tuesday
'It is the best of all trades, to make songs, and the second best to sing them.'
Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) French-English writer and M P
Can I be a dissenting voice on this ?
Here is a man whose vocal delivery got worse and worse over the years, whose lifestyle killed him, and whose version of Spencer the Rover completely overshadowed the 'original' version by the Copper Family - just try Googling StR and see how much John Martyn you get to Coppers'.
PS Does anyone have a link to a third version of Spencer, probably from the North Country somewhere ?
Googled...he came up top of the list.
Gentle souls who dedicate their lives to music overall really, aren't they.
In his own words: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk8OsZESTxg
I loved his sense of self-deprecation. When a concert audience in Sydney was amazed at his beautiful guitar playing he just drawled:
"I'm not that clever but I can play fings"
[and then someone in the crowd handed him a joint and away he went again ...]
His vocal delivery got better, he didn't care about the words.
His lifestyle killed him? If you live to 110, it's still your lifestyle that kills you.
Oh woe is him, he made a better version of a song than someone else.
Thanks for the suggestion, I haven't got that one of Robin's. His brother used to live about a mile from me, and, many years ago, we met walking up and down our High Road on a Sunday morning, him looking for a cabbage, and me dressed in an unfamiliar suit for the christening of a friends' baby, looking for a box of chocolates.
The sight of me cracked him up.
John Martyn R I P
John Martyn R I P
end of another chapter in the history of the music we love
# Posted on January 29th 2009 by lisaniska
Re: John Martyn R I P
That is so sad. RIP indeed.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by grego
Re: John Martyn R I P
he'd still be here if he hadn't of got legless every night
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: John Martyn R I P
You had better hope he is really dead llig or he will be looking for you!
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by flossie
Re: John Martyn R I P
aye, he'll be hopping mad
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: John Martyn R I P
No, he will run you over in his wheelchair. And believe me you wont here him coming til it's too late.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by flossie
Re: John Martyn R I P
Ligg Leahcim...
Fairly new to this forum - but I can't help but notice the "negative" slant you tend to take when replying to/on threads...
Whats the reason?
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by Ciarán.
Re: John Martyn R I P
come off it, I've loved John Martin since I was a kid. Solid Air is seminal. And do you really think that he wouldn't be enjoying jokes about his exploding pancreas? Do you really think I'm being negative?
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: John Martyn R I P
Oh llig watch out your spleen is about to explode! In a very positve way of course.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by flossie
Re: John Martyn R I P
I bought his "best of" and i thought it so bad i actually burnt it.
regardless, its a shame when anyone is taken early
llig, you are being a tad juvenile
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by novelty_bobble
Re: John Martyn R I P
so what
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: John Martyn R I P
Oh novelty_bibble it's a shame you weren't taken earlier. But nevermind I'm sure John will have drunk the proceeds of your purchase with great pleasure.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by flossie
Re: John Martyn R I P
Oh sorry, sorry, sorry it's just the bushmills talking.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by flossie
Re: John Martyn R I P
I think John would have had a similar excuse but with no apologies.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by flossie
Re: John Martyn R I P
He was the man!
Novelty, burning a John Martyn was far more juvenile than llig's humour.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by BegF
Re: John Martyn R I P
not really.
it was quite cathartic
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by novelty_bobble
Re: John Martyn R I P
then give it away.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by BegF
Re: John Martyn R I P
Sad to see that my favourite Scottish musician has left us.
Saw him a couple of years back, in Derry, & I was delighted to see that he hadn't lost any of the magic.
I thought his reworked songs that night were almost better than his originals.
Exploding Pancreas? .......... Exploding the myth: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080120172621AACqJkV
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by Ptarmigan
Re: John Martyn R I P
Only seen him once at the Kinnity Castle gig in August (2006?) just before Lúnasa came on stage. He was a great "one man" show. His powerful singing and unique guitar playing made me think of Fats Domino with a guitar rather than a piano. Another great performer who will be sadly missed.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by Bannerman
Re: John Martyn R I P
I wasn't that great a fan of his records but saw him do a great concert in Subiaco in Western Australia in about 1977.
It was meant to be a double bill with him and Bert Jansch but Bert had "injured his hand" on the flight across from Adelaide or Melbourne, so John did both halves solo, pulling out every trick that he knew from folk club days to his then-current more ambient stuff, also padded it out with many anecdotes and jokes
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by Bren
Re: John Martyn R I P
our vocalist Peter Coughlan bumped into him a few times over the years and was at that Kinnity Castle gig (around three years ago) and had great crack with him and the Lunasa lads at breakfast
followed by an impromptu singing sesh in the front grounds where he was wheeling him around like a mad pair of lunatics
Con Ryan, fair play to him, ran a tidy ship then
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by hungry grass
Re: John Martyn R I P
I couldn't agree with you more HG about Con Ryan and was therefore most disappointed the other day to read that the Hotel was possibly going into receivership. Con is a great supporter of things trad with sessions in the Hotel, etc but then I suppose it's to be expected from someone who's pretty handy on the banjo himself.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by Bannerman
Re: John Martyn R I P
There was an (imho) unfortunate two-CD re-recording of a bunch of his songs a couple of years ago where he sounded like Phil Collins - perhaps that' s the one novelty bought. I didn't burn my copy, but I did conveniently lose it.
But Solid Air, One World, Bless the Weather... mostly I didn't know what he was on about (and couldn't make out the words half the time) but he kept me going through my teen years, and I was convinced there had to be a deep meaning to it all. A bit like Carlos Castaneda in that respect.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by grego
Re: John Martyn R I P
Danny Thomson always refered to Solid Air as Sausages, 'cause that's what the thought the words were.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: John Martyn R I P
Gone home - over the hill, in a very large puff of smoke, God bless his cranky soul.
What a musician, tho, and a great performer.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by RockyRoader
Re: John Martyn R I P
Some people draw conclusions like curtains.
Don't they draw them tight. Don't they draw them tight.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: John Martyn R I P
John was the first person I ever attempted to book, but, though he agreed to do the gig for nowt, we couldn't afford the train fare for him and Beverley. I'd already seen John playing an awesome gig as part of a line-up which also featured Roy Harper and Ron Geesin (the man probably best known for his input to Pink Floyd's 'Umma Gumma' and playing grand pianos from the inside).
Some three years later I found myself fixed up to interview him. This was during the time when John and Danny Thompson toured together. The pair were heavily into Scotch at the time (John had a bottle positioned next to his chair on stage) and, after a wonderful gig (most of 'Solid Air', as I recall) I conducted both the best and the worst interview of my career. It was the 'best' because of the crack and bedlam after the event - with even more Scotch - and the 'worst' because I couldn't recall a single word from the interview the following morning and discovered that my notepad consisted solely of rude allegations and drawings which John (or possibly Danny) had scrawled during the night. We met again some years later, but it was like a first meeting for the pair of us,
As a musician John was an absolute one-off - a tremendous guitarist, both acoustic and electric, a hugely imaginative innovator (his use of the Echoplex predated the widespread use of looping by some twenty years), a great writer and interpreter, a complete git and an absolute bastard, a lovely man and a tower of strength.
I met him again in the 80s and cherish the memories.
Grego - the reason why John might have sounded like Phil Collins is that said drummer actually produced two of his albums in the early 80s.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by Floss the Tethers
Re: John Martyn R I P
Some of the best drumming I've ever heard is on the track "when that hurt in your heart is gone", from Grace and Danger, And it's feckin Phil Collins. It's a measure of John Martin than that can happen.
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: John Martyn R I P
In case people aren't familiar with the man's music, here's a few Youtubes from the old OBE discussion:
Solid Air: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg_Utj4Aljc
May You Never: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=LOi_wxypeGc
Small Hours: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=pYLVM560Fok&feature=related
Spencer the Rover: http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=x1XTOAcnWJY
# Posted on January 30th 2009 by grego
Re: John Martyn R I P
From his obituary in the Guardian:
"...while touring his Sunday's Child album in 1975, accompanied by Thompson and former Free guitarist Paul Kossoff. The atmosphere grew fraught when Kossoff broke a bottle over his head..."
Yes, I bet it did get a bit strained at that point.
# Posted on January 31st 2009 by DaveL35
Re: John Martyn R I P
nice one Floss the Tether
and ta grego for linking those in _ it may be worth a link to one of todays 'obituries' in the guardian, the independent or the times, a smaller account in the irish independent _ again Davey Graham is credited in a couple
*instantly drawn in by 'Spencer the Rover' off one of her parents records, my wife saw him at Keele University, Staffordshire in the late-1970's where he performed with a black musician but she can't recall what he played _those hazy college days
a few years or so later we met and she got me hooked too on 'Spencer . . . ' (off Sunday Child 1975) which to me was a powerful awakening with english folksong, following a childhood of irish
then by chance around that time, a brief collaboration with irish rock vocalist Dave Harvey had us doing it (our favourite along with 'If i were a carpenter') at floor spots and sessions around New Cross, noteably The Amersham Arms every tuesday
'It is the best of all trades, to make songs, and the second best to sing them.'
Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) French-English writer and M P
John had both of them
# Posted on January 31st 2009 by lisaniska
Re: John Martyn R I P
John Martyn was a great talent, and it's sad to hear of his passing. One of these days I'll finally learn how to play 'May you Never' on guitar...
# Posted on January 31st 2009 by Craic Addict
Re: John Martyn R I P
Can I be a dissenting voice on this ?
Here is a man whose vocal delivery got worse and worse over the years, whose lifestyle killed him, and whose version of Spencer the Rover completely overshadowed the 'original' version by the Copper Family - just try Googling StR and see how much John Martyn you get to Coppers'.
PS Does anyone have a link to a third version of Spencer, probably from the North Country somewhere ?
# Posted on January 31st 2009 by Guernsey Pete
Re: John Martyn R I P
Googled...he came up top of the list.
Gentle souls who dedicate their lives to music overall really, aren't they.
In his own words:
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk8OsZESTxg
Would have been nice to know him in person.
# Posted on January 31st 2009 by Duijera Dubh
Re: John Martyn R I P
I loved his sense of self-deprecation. When a concert audience in Sydney was amazed at his beautiful guitar playing he just drawled:
"I'm not that clever but I can play fings"
[and then someone in the crowd handed him a joint and away he went again ...]
# Posted on January 31st 2009 by dogbox
Re: John Martyn R I P
His vocal delivery got better, he didn't care about the words.
His lifestyle killed him? If you live to 110, it's still your lifestyle that kills you.
Oh woe is him, he made a better version of a song than someone else.
# Posted on January 31st 2009 by llig leahcim
Re: John Martyn R I P
Pete: could it be you mean
Spencer the Rover from Robin Dransfield's solo LP on Topic Records - 'Tidewave', released 1980.
# Posted on January 31st 2009 by kuec
Re: John Martyn R I P
Thanks for the suggestion, I haven't got that one of Robin's. His brother used to live about a mile from me, and, many years ago, we met walking up and down our High Road on a Sunday morning, him looking for a cabbage, and me dressed in an unfamiliar suit for the christening of a friends' baby, looking for a box of chocolates.
The sight of me cracked him up.
# Posted on February 2nd 2009 by Guernsey Pete