Piece By Piece

24 Feb 1986
The Bottom Line:

Foster Paterson's finest hour and Island's last massive attempt to push Martyn into the mainstream of popular music.

Recorded and mixed at Ca Va Sound Workshops, Glasgow, Scotland.

First CD release July 1986, same CD rereleased April 1990.

The first CD release was a bit confusing because it was simultaneously released as the original album and as a 'compilation' with the four bonus tracks. Catalogue numbers, covers and barcodes were the same and both CD's were mastered by Nimbus, England, with identical pressing or mastering numbers. (Other copies were mastered by PDO however and suffer from bronzing.) The Nimbus pressing has one dot pressed behind the album number, the compilation bears three dots. Like the original UK releases, the German compilation has got a white Island back cover instead of a black one.

Big Talk

Piece By Piece got unusually good promotion with a fine press kit, a touring program and lots of merchandise. Several singles in various formats accompanied the album and promotional vinyl singles have been reported from as fas as Canada, Spain and Australia.
In a short introduction to JM in the Dutch Vinyl magazine published October 1985, editor in chief Joost Niemöller made an interesting remark while apparently referring to Piece By Piece: "His latest album, Big's Talk, has already been finished, but Island postponed the release until January 1986 because then twenty years of John Martyn can truly be celebrated. Expectations about this record are high."

Mold numbers
ILPS 9807 A - 1U - 1 - 1 X1 SOUND CLINIC and
ILPS 9807 B - 1U - 1 - 1 X1 JONZ (referring to sound engineer John Dent, 1954-2017)

Carriers: 
Vinyl: Island ILPS 9807
Vinyl: Island 90507-1 (US)
Vinyl: Island ISL 1083 (Canada)
Vinyl: Island L 38516 (Australia)
Vinyl: Island 826788-1 (France)
Vinyl: Island 207 634-630 (Germany, Holland)
Vinyl: General Music Co BAN 129807 (Israel)
CD: Island IMCD 68 (826 788-2) (April 1990)
CD: Island IMCD 68 (826 788-2) (April 1990)