rigorousintuition.ca

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John Martyn 11th September 1948 - 29th January 2009

With heavy heart and an unbearable sense of loss we must announce that John died this morning.
http://www.johnmartyn.com/

As he wrote for (or of?) Nick Drake: -

You've been taking your time
And you've been living on solid air
You've been walking the line
And You've been living on solid air
Don't know what's going wrong inside
And I can tell you that it's hard to hide when you're living on
Solid air.

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John Martyn never seemed to enjoy peace much, for himself at least, so it would be wrong to wish him rest within it. But hopefully he's with Nick Drake again, or will be shortly.

Looking on the bright side of things, at least he finally got away from Phil Collins.

Time to put John and Nick back together again anyway, where they should've been all along.

Solid Air, John Martyn:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=kPb1OX8bbeY

Nick Drake, Time Has Told Me:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=t5HsQsmJsRY

September and November 1975 saw John touring again and by the end of the year he was totally exhausted.
He decided to take a sabbatical and using all his savings he visited Jamaica where he met Lee 'Scratch' Perry.
Encouraged by Perry he soon started playing again in sessions and appeared on Burning Spears' Man In The Hills.
The sabbatical continued through most of 1976, "I honestly believe I would have gone completely round the bend had I not gone and done that."
Paul Kossoff died in March 1976 and John wrote Dead On Arrival about the loss of his friend, a song that he performed later that year, but as yet remains unreleased, as does One For The Road, which John performed on the same tour.

John's time in Jamaica clearly influenced his next album, One World, which sold well charting at number 54 and became a true favourite with the critics and fans alike.
In the summer of 1977, Chris Blackwell asked producer Phil Brown to work with John, and the Island Records mobile studio was set up on Saturday the 16th of July 1977 and One World was recorded in three weeks in the courtyard of a house in Teale, Berkshire.
The house was in the middle of a lake and equipment was set up on each side of the lake so that it picked up the sound of water lapping, and a distant 'strangled' sound on the guitar which was perfect for lead solos.
Most of the recording was carried out between 3am and 6am and these quiet hours before dawn created the most magical atmosphere for recording, resulting in two of John's most popular songs One World and Small Hours.
An album of contrasting music from Big Muff, which was co-written by dub master Lee 'Scratch' Perry, to the enchanting Couldn't Love You More and the echoplex extravaganza Small Hours.
"Guaranteed to chill your spine." - said Melody Maker.

Lee Scratch Perry comes into everything eventually, but I'm not qualified to talk about him, as I showed with my belief that he had converted to Catholicism (cos he said so). What's more, I believed he'd converted from voodoo (cos he said so).

I saw him on Current TV recently, and it was the usual questions: - "How come you're so crazy? Like, what's it like, just being so insane?"

For some reason, and for perhaps the first time outside his musical or his personal life, I believe he gave a straight answer to an unworthy questioner: - "I act the fool so that the real fools will leave me be."

He said it like Lee Scratch Perry, of course, (it was even subtitled) but that's what he said. And he looked sad for at least half a second after saying it. How old is he, by the way?

Anyway, it hurt, because I'm one of the real fools he wanted rid of, or at least to keep outside his sphere. I bought the crazy magic-man bullshit wholesale (he is a crazy magic-man, of course - but far from crazy) and I bought the voodoo-to-Catholic pish as well. From a Rasta!

Ah well. Serves me right. It's still funny.

Anyways, since anyone wanting John Martyn can find him easy enough, here's some of John Martyn's mentor instead:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Zch5NQcmW ... re=related

Dang. I worked with him a few times in the early 90s.
Did 300 shows a year but I remember his specifically like it was yesterday.
He played a two-nighter at my venue so I played him the tape of the first night at second night's sound check. He was amused and pleasantly surprised.

One of the warmest and coolest guys I remember in my previous career.

Universe bless John Martyn.

A great musician. Played tapes of him live several hundred times.

Hugh Manatee Wins wrote:Dang. I worked with him a few times in the early 90s.

One of the warmest and coolest guys I remember in my previous career. (emphasis IanEye)

Universe bless John Martyn.

bump.