Wending my merry way home from the Albert Hall and a very special performance by John Martyn - the whole of the Solid Air album, plus a few other beautiful songs.
He opened with Cooltide, a tune I really love and which is welded for me to sunset on the Nile - i took it with me on a leisurely cruise up the nile to Aswan with my mum, mr first experience of Africa.
The highlight of Solid Air was the outstanding Don't Want to Know. The man is not only a master of lyrics of great simplicity and substance, but he also has a vocal and instrumental styling which is entirely unique.
And as for the song Solid Air, it's difficult to listen to without thinking of Nick Drake and what a contrast - Nick frozen in eternal youth and John battling on bravely through the wear and tear of aging. And then you think of those Romantic curls on the cover of London Conversation. What a long and winding road...
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2 comments:
I had considered going myself but have seen JM at least a dozen times! I find Solid Air curious. It is not in my top three JM albums and yet it is by far his most well known. He claims that the royalties he earns from Clapton's cover of May You Never are greater than all his other music put together, Probably not true but his music is criminally underrated. He managed to maintain quality output until the early '90's (Cooltide and The Apprentice were the last good ones). So a good 25 year career of composition and he still cuts it live.
Did you know that the superb 'Angeline' was the first ever CD single?
Nope, so I've already learnt something today and it's not even 10 o'clock. It's a great, passionate song.
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