[…]
Solid Air. John Martyn, Island SW-9325: A distinct disappointment. John Martyn, whose past work revealed him to be a sensitive and literate song-writer-performer, has given us a lifeless, uneven, and thoroughly forgettable album. The material begs for variety, subtlety and dynamic balance but instead settles for a combination of voluminous output and forced surrealism. Another annoying quirk in Martyn's performance is his seemingly dogged attempt to make each vocal inaudible. On the basis of this poor excuse, that would seem to be the least of his problems. — J.B.
sitenotes:
This Californian review is unique in its stupidity and so absurd it becomes funny. It was printed in the Los Angeles Times of Saturday 26 May 1973.