Over The Hill

In Remembrance Of John Martyn (1948-2009)
Friday, March 13, 2009

For me, there runs a lamentable undercurrent of regret to find myself only now extolling the virtues of the late John Martyn, when perhaps I could (and should) have sang his praises within these pages months ago. Wouldn't a more reverential way to champion an artist that one admires be to pay respect while they are still alive and productive, rather than eulogizing their contributions in aftermath of passing from this mortal coil? Truth to told, Martyn was in fact on my short list for inclusion here at Birds With Broken Wings, but time, fate, distractions, and the unforgivable sin of procrastination foiled my intentions. Today however, I'll now state what I've always held true regarding John Martyn, and that is that he was an artiste in the most complete sense of the word. An extremely gifted songwriter and guitarist who consistently pushed the boundaries of his craft, sometimes resulting in spectacular genius, while other times ending in dismal failure. And as many gifted creators are, he was also self destructive, battling a crippling, lifelong romance with the demon alcohol. His excessive drinking often lead to on-stage moments of musical brilliance, punctuated by the drunken antics and incoherent ramblings of a hopeless Sterno bum. But he understood and acknowledged the severity of his addiction, once stating, sounding very much like 'the ever tortured artist,' "If I could control myself more, I think the music would be much less interesting. I'd probably be a great deal healthier, not to mention wealthier, but I'd have had far less fun, and I'd be making incredibly dull music." Yet despite his unquenchable thirst for the grain, Martyn managed to produce 20 some odd recordings during his career, not all of them wonderful, but each of them deeply personal, and always holding more than a few magical moments.

John Martyn was mostly (and mistakenly) considered a folkie, but only by those who were only marginally familiar with his oeuvre. Though his beginnings were decidedly folk oriented, a more accurate description of him would be that of a 'folkie with a jazz soul.' If you were to follow the arc of his musical development, one can plainly hear his rapid progression from a traditional troubadour and country bluesman, to a jazz infused acoustic guitarist who utilized electronic effects to create electro/acoustic sound paintings that were not so much experimental, as they were simply evocative. From early on, his laconic, smokey, slurred vocals, combined with his intricate finger-picked guitar mastery, he displayed a uniqueness that easily set him apart from his contemporaries. As he refined his approach, one of the additions he made to his kit bag was the use of an Echoplex. It seems he had heard a sound on a record that had a profound affect upon him, and little did he know that it would also affect the nature of the musical direction that he was to take from that point forward. The artist, and name of that recording was Pharoah Sander's 'Karma.' Martyn, then 21 years of age stated, "It was like a bolt of lightning! I'd never heard someone play so emotionally, and with that sense of humanity. The only reason I bought the Echoplex was to try and imitate Sander's sustain on my guitar." The second addition to his arsenal was teaming up with bassist extraordinaire, Danny Thompson, which led to the creation of some very powerful music as the two of them fed off each other's intrinsic musicianship. In the process, and well beyond, Martyn explored folk, jazz, blues, electronics, and pop, to create a sound and style that his peers just simply couldn't touch. Although the two men had worked together extensively over the years, their interplay is best demonstrated on three of Martyn's lesser know recordings, 'Live At Leeds,' 'Germany 1986,' and 'The Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal 1986,' the latter with drummer, Arran Ahmun. All are exemplary examples of their sterling musicianship and interaction. Thompson explained the chemistry saying, "When you finished a gig, John wouldn't say 'You know, on that second number, Danny, we should've...,' or before a show he wouldn't announce 'what we''ll do is...,' or 'and in the third number we...,' John would just do what he did and I would follow, and then I would take the lead and he'd follow me. It was a perfect relationship that reached incredible highs because of its uniqueness and spontaneity."

One of Martyn's more experimental recordings was 'One World.' Released in 1977, the story behind the record is as interesting as the date itself. Created in the courtyard of an island home situated in the middle of a small English lake, equipment was set up on either end of the body of water to incorporate the calming sound of waves lapping at the shores, and to additionally include the flock of geese that called the body of water home. The lake also served to reflect back the amplified music, creating a 'strangled' quality to the guitar solos, resulting in a most unusual sounding LP. There is also a companion piece, 'Another World' that contains instrumentals and material not included on the official release which informs us that the all of the sessions were recorded exclusively between the hours of 3am to 6am. Unfortunately, you'd need to possess the U.K. mix of 'One World,' as the version released here in the States was entirely remixed having been deemed to contain 'no commercial content.' Not surprisingly, Martyn moved towards decidedly more mainstream recordings after this, perhaps at the urging of his label, or maybe to finally earn a bit of money, and perhaps to gain some well deserved recognition from the buying public. More surprisingly however was that despite his distinct and incredible guitar chops, Martyn later in his career occasionally dropped the instrument all together to produce keyboard based recordings. These were perhaps less satisfying musical excursions, but as always, each were filled with some unexpected magic, as well as the unique imprint of his sound and talent.

Not surprisingly, Martyn's alcohol abuse took its toll as the years went on. Ongoing health problems resulted in complications that left him bloated beyond recognition, and required the amputation of a leg, forcing him to remain confined to a wheelchair in his final years. Unfettered however, he soldiered on, continuing to make music while suffering his myriad of handicaps. In fact, according to a December 2008 article in the England's 'The Sun,' Martyn was scheduled to record this very year with his inspiration, Pharoah Sanders. Regrettably, that session will never came to pass. John Martyn passed away in his hospital bed somewhere in the Republic of Ireland on January 29, 2009 at the age of 60. And I sincerely doubt that Martyn went 'gentle into that good night.' Such was the man. But you'll be missed, John.

About The Music

Two sets by John, one acoustic, one electric. Both are distinctly different in their approach, but each contain the unique ingredients that make Martyn's music so personal and unequalled.

Mostly Acoustic, And Late Night

1.) Over The Hill
2.) Solid Air
3.) Glistening Glyndebourne
4.) I Don't Want To Know
5.) One Day Without You
6.) Lay It All Down
7.) Man In The Station
8.) Spencer The Rover
9.) Inside Out
10.) Fine Lines
11.) Ways To Cry
12.) May You Never
13.) Bless The Weather
14.) Certain Surprise
15.) Small Hours
16.) I'd Rather Be The Devil (Pt.2)


Mostly Late Night, And Electric

1.) Could've Been Me
2.) On The Cobbles
3.) Some People Are Crazy
4.) Angeline
5.) Over The Rainbow
6.) You Know
7.) Amsterdam
8.) One World
9.) Live On Love
10.) Look At That Girl
11.) Hold Me
12.) Never Say Never
13.) Hung Up
14.) The Moment
15.) Couldn't Love You More
16.) Pascanel (Get Back Home)
17.) Please Don't Fall In Love With Me



Source material for 'John Martyn: Late Night, Acoustic & Electric' comes from the following recordings:
Bless The Weather (1971)/Solid Air (1973)/Inside Out (1973)
Sunday's Child (1974)/Live At Leeds (1976)/One World (1978)
Grace And Danger (1980)/Glorious Fool (1980)/Well Kept Secret (1982)
Sapphire (1985)/Piece By Piece (1986)/The Apprentice (1990)
No Little Boy (1993) and On The Cobbles (2004)

For more information on John Martyn, please visit his website JohnMartyn.com