07 Apr 1990
[...]
Now that JOHN MARTYN is seemingly back in circulation via a new album and tour, could you ask him for a list of his favourite albums?
J. Wilson, Frome, Somerset
■ No trouble. As a true believer in Martyn's genius since the days of London Conversation, it's a pleasure to mention the Glaswegian's name on this page. Faced with selecting ten all-time faves, Martyn hummed and hawed a bit but finally came up with the following listing:
1 On The Corner - Miles Davis (CBS)
2 Tribute To Jack Johnson - Miles Davis (CBS)
3 In A Silent Way - Joe Zawinul (CBS)1
4 Lady In Satin - Billie Holiday (CBS)
5 Feats Don't Fail Me Now - Little Feat (Warner Bros)
6 Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles (Parlophone)
7 First Book Of Debussy Preludes - Claudio Arrau (Philips)
8 Le Mystere Des Voix Bulgares - Various (4AD)
9 Folk, Blues And Beyond - Davey Graham (Decca)
10 Greatest Hits - Chuck Berry (Chess)
sitenotes:
1 This title is unclear; In A Silent Way is a Miles Davis album from 1969 on CBS. But the title track was written by Joe Zawinul and he recorded his own version of it for his 1971 album Zawinul (Atlantic). Since John was also a Weather Report fan, both albums could be meant but as John owned a copy of the Miles Davis item, it is safe to assume he is referring to that one.
In general John did not put much thought into answering this kind of questions. And his taste was likely to vary, dependent on his mood. Sgt Pepper's is also probably a filler.
This snippet featured in NME's Fred Fact page of 7 April 1990 (page 54), where readers asked Fred Dellar trivia questions.
Material dug up by John Neil Munro.