Live At Leeds Deluxe Edition

23 Oct 2011
The Independent
Nick Coleman

John Martyn
Live at Leeds: Deluxe Edition (Island)

Recorded in early 1975 then privately released, then broadly unavailable for donkeys. Now revealed to have been live at Leeds only in part. No matter: it's a minor classic.

Martyn plus Danny Thompson and John Stevens extend the repertoire into new space, the beauty of the music and the beastliness of the banter sounding the same awkward notes now as then. Paul Kossoff played too but was then left off the original album for musical reasons: this outtake-laden double set demonstrates why.

Still, highly recommended.

Nick Coleman