Solid Air | Live At The Roundhouse (2CD)

15 May 2007
The Bottom Line:

CD release of DVD release.

Recorded at the Roundhouse, London, Saturday 3rd February 2007. In the best JM tradition sound quality is exquisit, and that includes the bass.

Contains a 20 page booklet with concert photographs. The stills are the same as included in the DVD booklet.
There are lots of credits too. First the important ones.

Band
John Martyn - guitars and vocals
Alan Thomson - bass and mandolin
Spencer Cozens - keyboards
Arran Ahmun - drums and percussion
Martin Winning - saxophone

Track listing

CD1
nr track time comments
01 Cooltide 9:04 "It's a bit cleaner then it was, the last time I was here." Dirty solo.
02 Glorious Fool 8:53 "I wrote this for that clumsy fool, Reagan. President Shrub is making all the same mistakes, it's ridiculous. Little shrubby boy with his hat under his arm and his bomber jacket. He looks great, doesn't he? I love it, I don't know. Boy, you're a cool one boy - drums please!" Another dirty solo.
03 Couldn't Love You More 5:59 "Yeah, the miserable little shrub.1"
04 Lookin' On 10:20 "Thank you." (Someone has thrown a bunch of yellow roses on stage)
05 Dreams By The Sea 6:07 "Part two. Sooolid, sooolid - Now to the business at hand. They tell me I'm supposed to play the entire kit and caboodle of Solid Air. Which is true, I wouldn't have a problem with it but... but, but, there's a caveat here... It's not in the same order as it is on the album. So purists, forget it. Otherwise we'd have roadies running around with guitars every ten seconds. It would really drive you potty. So it's chin up, on with the bijoury. What is it? Thirty-three years ago now..."
06 The Man In The Station 6:09 "That one doesn't come out much. [in reply to a heckler:] Coming at you, coming at you. Fast as I can, fast as I can." [starts impersonating a cat during the intro] "Gotta be the finest thing that ever rolled | Catching the next train home."
07 Over The Hill 3:13 John switches to acoustic, Alan Thomson plays the mandolin, Arran switches to bongo. ["Oof. It's quite work intensive, this, you know. As long as the pick doesn't drop from my nervous fingers, which it occasionally does. I'm not used to using a flat pick much. In fact, not at all..." And afterwards: "A somewhat chancy affair," referring to the tight rhythm.]
CD2
01 Don't Want To Know 5:18 ["I beg your pardon?" in response to hecklers shouting requests; "I didn't hear what you said but.. No I'm stuck. I'm in a mind set, man.. I'm focusing.. They told me the gig was to play Solid Air, so that's what I'm doing." During the intro: "I swear somebody keeps moving the frets."]
02 May You Never 4:36 Starts solo acoustic with loud cheers; the band joins for the final verse.
03 The Easy Blues | Gentle Blues 5:14 The Easy Blues starts solo acoustic of course but the bass and drums join in, too. Gentle Blues is less gentle than on the album.
04 I'd Rather Be The Devil 7:02 Rather round sounding acoustic echoplex guitar. "Oh yeah - I think."
05 Go Down Easy 4:21 "Plug it in.. Speech!" Beautifully fragile, somewhat out of breath.
06 Solid Air 8:20 "Well by some sort of contorted logic, we're back to the title track, man. This is one for Nick Drake and I wish he was here." Great bass solo.
07 Rock, Salt And Nails 5:23 Without guitar. "Right. I am going to gargle just a couple of night caps for myself." To a heckler: "I think not, dear boy, no I think not. I've got a couple of silly songs." To the audience: "I love you too, I truly do. Without you I couldn't do anything! It's true, all this wouldn't exist, you know what I mean; it's the absolute truth. – I hate saying shit like that, don't you? - Anyway: Alan Thomson, bass; Martin Winning, on the saxophone; Arran Ahmun, on the drums; Spencer Cozens as ever, God bless him, on the thingamabobs, keyboards. Thank you once again for coming."
08 Never Let Me Go 5:15 "Thank you!" to a roaring crowd.

sitenotes:
1 A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 meter (15–20 feet) tall.

Some more credits:

Video
Directed by Gavin Taylor
Produced by Damian Darlington
Executive producer Chas Cole
Edited by Bryan Kolupski

Concert production
Production Manager - Neil Brighouse
Lighting Director - Steve Swift
Front of House Mixing - Leigh Hunt
Monitor Engineer - Andy Greenwood
Backline Technician - Gary Farrell
Tour Manager - Roy Corkill
PA & Monitors - Brittania Row | ESS PA
Backline Driver - Tim Divine
Assistant to John - Teresa Walsh
John's Driver - George McCallum
Promoter - CMP Entertainment

Concert Video Production
Technical facilities - Arqiva Outside Broadcasts
Unit Manager - Chris Butler
VTR - Eric Ions
Vision Engineers - Toby Rolph, John McCallum
Jib Operator - Kevin French
Jib Assistant - Paul Davis
Camera Operators - Peter Johnson, Peter Edwards, Phil Piotrowsky, Keith Bradshaw, Sam Keogh
Camera Assistant - Peter Smith
Sound Engineer - Bryan Sadler
Sound Assistant - Jim Ogden
Production Assistant - Lulu Heggarty
Audio Recording Engineer - Kevin Toms
Recording Mobile - Studiocare

DVD Production
Audio Mixed by - Gareth Darlington
Mastering Engineer - Nick Watson
Still Photography by - Elliott Franks
Titles and Graphics by - Bryan Kolupski
Sleeve and Cover Design by - Switch Media

Credits: 
Audio mixing: Gareth Darlington
Mastering: Nick Watson
Photography: Elliott Franks
Artwork: Switch Media
Carriers: 
2CD: CMPCD2