29 Jan 2023
It has been 14 years that John passed away. He still manages to attract new listeners and every last weekend of January, fans, friends en family come together in the Clutha (Glasgow) to enjoy music and each others company. This year was no exception.
20 Jul 2022
While searching for an old concert in Barnstaple, I stumbled upon a remark by DJ Wendy May: "After extensive touring and some John Peel sessions they eventually signed to Phonogram and made an album in 85, which featured the legendary John Martyn on guitar." She is referring to a band called the Boothill Foot-Tappers. They made exactly one album that surfaced October 1985: Ain't That Far From Boothill. It was released by Mercury (MERH 76) and John is indeed credited for Guitars on a track called Stand Or Fall (side B, track #3).
No idea why this track was never mentioned in the older discographies before. It has been included here in the Collaborations section and I also found a review.
01 Jan 1993
This picture was shot for Permanent Records. Probably around the time they released Couldn't Love You More (September 1992). It was not used until April 1997 though, for the cover of The Very Best Of.
13 Nov 1982
War hero Thomas McGeachy lived with danger long after he hung up his rifle. But the 64-year-old ex-commando was blissfully unaware of the potentially-explosive situation for 40 years.
29 Nov 1980
So there was this Scotsman, Irishman and Englishman propping up the bar in a shabby pub in the heart of Glasgow. The Irishman, whose name escapes me, and his Scottish pal, John Martyn, are heading steadily out of the realms of dreary sobriety towards that state of intoxication which Martyn, in his brick thick Glaswegian brogue, refers to simply as a "hoolie".
GOOD TIME AT MAYNE HALL
Few people see the ashes of total and utter chaos from which the phoenix that is a concert arises. On Sunday, 21st August I was privileged enough to witness this miracle. The concert was the Jansch / Martyn configuration with the local support of Dodsworth and Sullivan.
This tune was composed by Spencer the Rover
As valiant a man as ever left home
And he had been much reduced
Which caused great confusion
And that was the reason he started to roam
The tour program counts 16 pages. The first page is for record company advertisements, page 3 gives the tour dates, and page 4 a peculiar advert for the 'Moke Californian' buggy. The following pages are for John's career description, carrying six Island publicity photos. One additional page features eight review clippings and another page an advert for a 'Salute to Satchmo' jazz tour with the Graeme Bell Band. Supporting act Margret Roadknight gets a page towards the and and the booklet closes with tour production credits and a TAA airline ad.
"Actually," admits John Martyn, as he gives in to one of the great groundswells of spluttering, infectious laughter that carry along his speech, "I see myself as a dignified observer of the music business. I feel a bit like a voyeur sometimes. I just flit in and out. I really" -now he's offering great howls of very honest laughter- "don't want much to do with it."
Consideratissimo dai critici, sregolato nella vita («bevo troppo, so che non dovrei, ma oramai è tardi per cambiare...»), Martyn è uscito con un Lp con cui rilancia la chitarra elettrica dopo anni di esperimento sull'acustica.
Glorious Fool (WEA) is a case of one step forward and two steps back for John Martyn.
Still, highly recommended.
altered states
Words: Andres Lokko
Photography: Rachel Lipsitz
Soulmates don't always feel the need to tell each other their feelings. It would take the singer-songwriter John Martyn the best part of four decades to let Danny Thompson know, "You're my best friend."
His 25th album is John Martyn's best for some time, a relaxed, summery affair on which the songs seem to evaporate in their warm surroundings, leaving just Cheshire Cat suggestions of emotions and Martyn's balmy baritone humming like a cloud of insects.
Whatever there was in the water at Cousins -heart of 60s London's folk music happenings- it was potent stuff that helped spawn a scene.
