A lesser man might have taken his audience slowly, by easy stages, through from his acoustic beginnings onto his electronic now. After all, moving from wooden sounds to solid state electricity has always been a hard road, and has floored many a great talent before him, who has had to wait a while until his audience catches up with him.
IT'S AN ENCOURAGING sign of recognition that a John Martyn concert can be advertised as sold-out a week before it takes place.
JOHN MARTYN has more musical riches than most of the people from the Top 10 put together.
Two acoustic tracks with Danny Thompson recorded in BBC London studio.
13 Oct 1973
Found myself talking to John Martyn over the phone this week. I still don't know why. They phoned me up and said the interview's cancelled, can you do it over the phone?
13 Oct 1973
JOHN MARTYN, Sunday Colour supplement smart in a white three-piece suit, is sitting in a newly-painted Sunday Colour supplement shining room in Island Records offices.
This one page advert was printed in Melody Maker of 6 October 1973 (page 21). It contains 23 tour dates, most of them with Danny Thompson.
A new album | John Martyn Inside Out
Album No ILPS 9253, Cassette No ZCI 9253 and Cartridge No Y8I 9253
Produced by John Martyn
01 Oct 1973
SS:- What sort of things have influenced you?
JM:- Alcohol, drugs, everyday life and all the music I've ever heard. I don't have any major influences at the moment. I can tell you the records I listen to more than any others, Alice Coltrane1 mostly. If I want to dance and get drunk I listen to Tamla [Motown records] and I listen to Stevie Wonder if I want to bop about and get nicely stoned; I feel most comfortable, most harmonious, must musical with Alice Coltrane, that's really the one that's on all the time. My desert island disc. And also Leon Thomas' record, the one with Wayne Shorter.... oh, and Weather Report are the best band in the world. Just exceptional.
JOHN MARTYN:
"Inside Out" (Island)
YOU COULD SAY that the post decadence rock scene is structured rather like the society of ants: a hangover of old drones twittering away behind last year's plump queens - and a few lean workers here and there trying to rebuild the crumbling territory.
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.
