Live From London (VHS)

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27 Mar 1984
The Bottom Line:

Good electric eighties performance, parts of which were recyled too often.

Recorded 23 November 1984 in London, Camden Palace. Interesting show, with an early version of John Wayne, an uptempo version of Lookin' On, a rare live version of Sapphire and some huge guitar noise on Root Love. My personal favourite is Big Muff; the guitar solo is awesome and somehow the whole song seems to be the invention of trip hop.

Introduction consists of 45 seconds of typical pop scene Live from London title music.

Line-up: Foster Paterson (keyboards and bass synthesiser), Jeff Allen (drums) and Danny Cummings (percussion). The tape sleeve falsely credits Danny Thompson for percussion.

The VHS tape was repackaged in 1987 for Channel 5 (Polygram music video) with roughly the same cover.

The same show has been released on two different DVDs, one of which is titled Live In Concert.

coverIn 1988 Castle Communications recycled some Camden palace material on two Sony compilation videos. Don't Want To Know (track #1) and One World (track #8) were used on Guitar Men. (Don't Want To Know got a false title on the sleeve: The Guitar Men.) Other featured artists are Snowy White, Wishbone Ash, Steve Marriott and Ten Years After. Snowy White and Steve Marriott are interviewed, too. The 60 minute video tape was released as "Sony Video LP."

coverSweet Little Mystery (track #3) and Could've Been Me (track #5) ended up on a 1987 sampler called Statesmen Of Rock (HEN 2 215). This item (called The New Statesmen of Rock on the tape) also contains a live cover version of Man In The Station by Ian Matthews and band. Other featuring artists are Steve Marriott, Steve Harley and Gary Numan. There is a shorter 30 minute 'Famous Highlights' version by the same title and different cover, with only Sweet Little Mystery on it (CV 7026).

coverThe same Martyn tracks were also recycled on yet another Sony Sampler We Like The Blues vol II. On the latter other featuring artists are the Climax Blues Band, Snowy White, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Dr John with Chris Barber's New Orleans Jazz Band.

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Credits: 
Production: Phillip Goodhand-Tait
Director: Don Coutts
Copyright: Trilion Pictures
Stills photographs: Robert Barber
Carriers: 
VHS: Polygram 041 351 2 (55 minutes)
VHS: Channel 5 CFV 04202 (1987)
Betamax: Polygram 041 351 2