UKC

I'm just ..ahem... acquiring some footage of John Martin off the torrents, (John Martyn at the BBC.)

Am I alone in funding him of of the great; "never got the recognition he deserved"? His biography; "Some people are crazy" is a fascinating read, a real self destructing hellcat, with immense talent.

When Ralph McTell heard that Martyn was going to have his leg amputated, he replied; "Can I have his foot-pedal board then?"

In reply to stroppygob:

What a singer! Greatly missed!

In reply to stroppygob:

He is well renowned as a legend by those who should know/care. I think there is a general blind spot the general public more widely for genius from those that linger amongst the skirts of the folk genre?

In reply to stroppygob:
I agree. Solid Air was a particularly great piece of work. He was also an amazing guitarist and I think that often got overlooked.

In reply to stroppygob:

had the opportunity to see him live in small venue in '97. the most moving gig I've ever seen. Great mother teresa joke (this was in eire), superb banter. perfect.

d

In reply to I like climbing:


I hadn't known about the link to Nick Drake until recently.

In reply to stroppygob:

I was listening to solid air yesterday at work. He was a great musician. Pretty influential too with his looping and layering of sounds. Friends of mine knew him well, and were at his wake, which sounded quite epic.. ..in the spirit of the man so to speak!

In reply to stroppygob:

I'm still getting used to not having him around.............

S

In reply to stroppygob:

His cover of glory box is a masterpiece too. Also amazing how solid air still holds up today

In reply to Kemics:

I wrote about his masterpiece - Grace and Danger - here:

http://devonrecordclub.com/2013/10/20/john-martyn-grace-and-danger-round-55...

In reply to tomrainbow:

Nice write up Tom, nothing much there to disagree with.

Some of his songs, "Over the Hill" for example, are so right and ubiquitous that they almost seem to be part of the old folk canon.

In reply to stroppygob:

Thanks for the feedback...I enjoy G&D more with every passing year. Must be old fart music!

In reply to tomrainbow:

Nice write up.

I saw him play Zeffirelli's in Ambleside back in '84.

A very intimate gig.

I've lost count of the number of mornings of my youth, when I woke up on the lounge floor with a shocking hangover and a vinyl copy of "The Electric John Martyn" going

click........click........click........click

on the turntable!

In reply to stroppygob:




No. Sorry, you're not special in this respect.
Personally I never really understood the whole "John Martyn never got the recognition he deserved" mantra. I barely know anything by him but I've known of him and his strong reputation, legacy (and personality) for many many years, which would suggest that his recognition is pretty widespread if it can reach me.

I think I only one track by him, which was on an Andy Kershaw compilation that I got in a charity shop. I don't say this to disrespect Martyn - quite the opposite! It is meant to illustrate my point, being that a total neophyte like me is already familiar with his fame/background

(the track on the compilation was this one: youtube.com/watch?v=jiYK7GlrUG4& )

In reply to Blue Straggler:
My pal's hubby was John Martyn's cousin and she said in person he was an extremely warm and caring man with a lovely sense of humour.His cousin Norry was the same but had real alchohol problems just like John did and died of cirrhosis of the liver.
His favourite John Martyn song was this one- youtube.com/watch?v=LOi_wxypeGc&

He was also the spitting image of him.

In reply to stroppygob:

I was lucky enough to see John Martyn twice before his passing. Once at the Airdrie Town Hall and once on the Renfrew Ferry, both were pretty special gigs. I can share his sentiment as alcohol is the one drug I wish I'd never tried.

In reply to stroppygob:

Always been a fan... so talented but on a self-destruct mission

In reply to stroppygob:

in case anyone hasnt heard it:

youtube.com/watch?v=pv2J09XgO2g&

possible one of the greatest covers of all time.

In reply to Kemics:

Love that.

In reply to stroppygob:

The fact that he wasn't mainstream was just a demonstration of the fact that he was his own man and didn't sell out. And thank God for that. Saw him a few times, once solo with the Echoplex and they are amongst the most memorable gigs of my life. I actually pity people who don't 'get' him. He was one of us.

In reply to stroppygob:

In a hundred years time when most of the music of the twentieth century has been forgotten about Jon Martyn will still be listened to and taken seriously.

In reply to Removed User:


Nicely put and I agree.

In reply to SeanB:

Ditto.

In reply to stroppygob:

Total genius