16 Feb 1974
TWO comments made in the past by John Martyn, who appears on the Yes bill, have defined his work as well as any lengthy analysis.
Firstly, when talking about 'Head And Heart', a track from Bless The Weather, his third album, John said: "I am somewhere in the balance between them." 1) In other words Martyn aims to nourish both the cerebral and the emotional man.
03 Feb 1974
Cantautore scozzese, John Martyn è un tipico esempio di ibridazione tra folk revival e jazz inglese. Da solo o in compagnia della moglie Beverley ha inciso sette LP per la Island. La sua formazione artistica, le influenze di rilievo, la sua filosofia musicale, dal mito di Bob Dylan alla ricerca di un'area intimista ed assolutamente personale. I suoi più recenti dischi, «Solid Air» e «Inside Out» lo hanno fatto conoscere ad un pubblico più vasto. Ma il cantautore attende ancora una giusta valutazione nell'ambito della scena britannica.
01 Dec 1973
1967: "So there I was on this barge on the river wearing nothing but denims and a smile..." so runs the sleeve note on London Conversation, the first 'white' album on a thriving reggae label by an eighteen year old folk guitarist and singer.
18 Nov 1973
Presuming you don't know JOHN MARTYN, whose album Solid Air came out in February, we'd like to reintroduce him via his newest (and seventh) LP...
06 Oct 1973
Killeen has also put together an 'Island People' sampler LP, featuring cuts from all seven albums and designed for in-store play.
22 Sep 1973
JOHN MARTYN is one of the richest musical performers on the current scene. His roots meld traditional folk and blues aspects with the frontiers of jazz.
25 Mar 1973
During the tour of Traffic, Free and John Martyn a reporter researched the economics behind touring and promoting. The following part is particularly interesting because it shows a) that musicians tend to be too naive, b) John was right about his mistrust of the music industry, and c) Chris Blackwell cares about his artists.
30 Dec 1972
"I'm trying to pull electric music into acoustic and acoustic into electric," John Martyn told me earlier this year1. It's been said a million times before, easy words to find, but Martyn moves nearer to that end than any artist I've heard.
12 Feb 1972
■ JOHN MARTYN (City University, London, Thursday): Part folk singer, part rock and roller, John Martyn will titillate your ear and give food to your soul. The rock musician's nightmare is an acoustic musician who has mastered the use of electric guitar playing.
04 Dec 1971
John Martyn's family are very proud of him. And to show that they are, they travel great distances to see him when he does big concerts like the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.
