John Martyn

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Live At Leeds

UNIVERSAL

His label, Island, never wanted to release his latest deluxe LP.

In September 1975, John Martyn advertised in Melody Maker: "Look 'ere, I've made this album..." offering a limited edition LP, available only from his home by mail order. For £3 you got the LP in a plain sleeve stamped with the title, no tracklist, no explanations. Most of it wasn't made in Leeds. This version doesn't recreate the original, instead presenting for the first time all the extant material, including a rehearsal. It restores guest appearances by the former Free guitarist, Paul Kossoff, which Martyn initially saw fit to drop - his bluesy, overdriven sound being at odds with the prevailing woozy space-jazz, also slightly undermined now by extensive verbal sparring with bass player Danny Thompson and others between songs.

Jim Irvin