"Ain't No Saint: 40 Years Of..." by JOHN MARTYN Including Tracks from the Albums "London Conversation" (1967), "The Tumbler" (1968), "Stormbringer!" and "The Road To Ruin" (1970), "Solid Air" (1973), "Sunday’s Child" (1975), "One World" (1977) and more - featuring Members of Free and Led Zeppelin (September 2008 Universal/Island 4CD Box Set – Paschal Byrne Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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"…It's All For The Love Of You…"

September 2008's "Ain't No Saint..." 4CD box set offers up 61 tracks across a 40-year career (over 30 are previously unreleased). The 36-page booklet is a bit slapdash with regard to exacting details - so I've deciphered all the info contained within and without - and can now provide the following detailed breakdown for Universal-Island 530 798-7 (Barcode 600753079874):

Disc 1 (75:51 minutes):

1. Fairy Tale Lullaby (from "London Conversation", 1967)

2. Sing A Song Of Summer (from "The Tumbler", 1968)

3. Stormbringer (from "Stormbringer", 1970) John and Beverley Martyn

4. Tree Green (from "The Road To Ruin", 1970) John and Beverley Martyn

5. Head And Heart (from "Solid Air", 1973)

6. In The Evening (a "Solid Air outtake, also on the 2009 2CD DELUXE EDITION)

7. Solid Air (an Alternate version, also on the 2009 2CD DELUXE EDITION)

8. Keep On (a "Solid Air outtake, also on the 2009 2CD DELUXE EDITION)

9. The Glory Of Love (a "Solid Air outtake, also on the 2009 2CD DELUXE EDITION)

10. Go Down Easy (from "Solid Air", 1973)

11. Ain't No Saint (an "Inside Out" outtake, an instrumental)

12. Fine Lines (from "Inside Out", 1973)

13. Eight More Miles (a "Sunday's Child" outtake)

14. Call Me Crazy (from "Sunday's Child", 1975)

15. Black Man At The Shoulder (a "One World" outtake)

16. All For The Love Of You (a "One World" outtake)

17. Working It Out (a "One World" outtake)

18. Couldn't Love You More (from "One World", 1977)

6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15 to 17 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Disc 2 (79:29 minutes):

1. Advertisement (30-second Radio Spot for the March 1977 'Best Of' Island Records compilation "So Far So Good")

2. Small Hours - Instrumental [originally known as "Space Peace"] (a 10:18 minutes Alternate version, also on the 2004 2CD DELUXE EDITION of "One World"]

3. In Search Of Anna [credited on the box as "Anna"] (a 1979 Australian-only 7" single on Island Records K7450. Theme to a movie of the same name)

4. Lookin' On (from "Grace And Danger", 1980)

5. Amsterdam (from "Glorious Fool", 1981)

6. Hung Up (from "Well Kept Secret", 1982)

7. Acid Rain (from "Sapphire", 1984)

8. Who Believes In Angels (from "Piece By Piece", 1986)

9. The Apprentice (from "The Apprentice", 1990)

10. Hole In The Rain (from "Cooltide", 1991)

11. One World (alternate version from the re-recordings compilation "Couldn't Love You More", 1992)

12. Sunday's Child (a 1992 re-recording, an Alternate version)

13. Carmine (from "And.", 1996)

14. The Sky Is Crying (an Elmore James cover from "The Church With One Bell", 1998)

15. So Sweet (from "Glasgow Walker", 2000)

16. Back To Marseilles (from "On The Cobbles", 2004)

1 to 3 and 12 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Disc 3 (77:37 minutes):

1. Bless The Weather (Live at the Empire Theatre, Edinburgh, 22 August 1973)

2. Make No Mistake (Live at the Empire Theatre, Edinburgh, 22 August 1973)

3. So Much In Love With You (Live at Leeds University, 13 February 1975)

4. Spencer The Rover (Live at Leeds University, 13 February 1975)

5. My Baby Girl (Live at Leeds University, 13 February 1975)

6. You Can Deliver (Live at The Rainbow Theatre, London, 16 March 1975)

7. Solid Air (Live at The Rainbow Theatre, London, 16 March 1975)

8. I'd Rather Be The Devil (Devil Got My Woman) (a Skip James cover, Live at The Rainbow Theatre, London, 16 March 1975)

9. Outside In (Live at The Rainbow Theatre, London, 16 March 1975)

10. Advertisement (18-second Radio Spot for a Sunday Night concert in Birmingham)

11. Big Muff (Live at The Rainbow Theatre, London, 21 November 1977)

12. One Day Without You (Live at The Rainbow Theatre, London, 21 November 1977)

1 to 12 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

Disc 4 (79:44 minutes):

1. Dealer (Live at The Rainbow Theatre, London, 21 November 1977)

2. Smiling Stranger (Live at The Rainbow Theatre, London, 21 November 1977)

3. Johnny Too Bad (Live at BBC Bristol for "A Little Night Music" Television Show, 12 August 1981)

4. Hurt In Your Heart (Live at BBC Bristol for "A Little Night Music" Television Show, 12 August 1981)

5. John Wayne (Live at The Montreaux Jazz Festival, 18 July 1986)

6. Angeline (Live at The Montreaux Jazz Festival, 18 July 1986)

7. Mad Dog Days (Live at The Montreaux Jazz Festival, 18 July 1986)

8. The Moment (Live at The Town & Country Club, London, 12 November 1986)

9. Fisherman's Dream (Live at The Town & Country Club, London, 12 November 1986)

10. Sweet Little Mystery (Live at BBC Television Show "Later With Jools Holland", 5 November 1992)

11. May You Never  (Live at the BBC Television Show "Later With Jools Holland", 5 November 1992)

12. Step It Up (Live at the BBC Television Show "Later With Jools Holland", 1 June 1996)

13. Sunshine's Better (Live at the "Andy Kershaw Show" for BBC Radio 1, 12 August 1996)

14. On For The Road (Live at BBC Television Show "Later With Jools Holland", 14 May 2004)

15. Over The Hill (Live at the BBC's "Radio 2 Folk Awards" Show, 6 February 2008)

1 to 15 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED; 15 features JOHN PAUL JONES of LED ZEPPELIN on Mandolin

The first 2 CDs provide a career retrospective of at least one song from all 22 of his studio albums (1967 to 2004) while Discs 3 and 4 are entirely made up of live and unreleased performances (1973 to 2008). The whole set has been remastered by PASCHAL BYRNE who did such a beautiful job on 2009's DELUXE EDITION of "Solid Air" (see separate review) - and the audio quality here is equal to that gem - especially on the earlier more folky tunes - warm and airy - just a gorgeous listen.

JOHN HILLARBY, long-time archivist and friend of Martyn has written the liner notes and cherry-picked the tracks. And while some of the choices are inspired (the rarely heard "Hung Up" from Well Kept Secret), others left me cold - even baffled. Why the ordinary "Back To Marseilles" from 2004's "On The Cobbles" when you could have ended disc 2 with "Goodnight Irene" with Mavis Staples. And do we need yet another 1992 alternate take of "Solid Air" (even if it is previously unreleased) when the live version of it on 1981's "Philanthropy" trashes it so completely. And why not decent tracks off "Piece By Piece" like "Lonely Love" or the title track or even a remaster of "Tight Connection To My Heart" - a rare non-album Dylan cover version on the "Angeline" CD single from 1986? Box sets are made for these sorts of things.

But there are gobsmacking gems on here to entice even the most weary listener; the ultra-rare and excellent "In Search Of Anna" - an Australian-only 7" single from 1979 finally gets a CD release - while "In The Evening" and "All For The Love Of You" (lyrics above) represent truly beautiful outtakes from "Solid Air" and "One World" respectively. And I never tire of "Hole In The Rain", "Carmine" or "So Sweet". His Nineties and 2000's stuff is superlative and never given enough room to shine.

Disc 3 and 4 are a mixed bag of the lovely (deliciously delicate versions of "Angeline" and "Sunshine's Better") running alongside the indulgent (13 minutes of "Inside Out") and the manic, but strangely powerful "John Wayne". And these live tracks also show a side to Martyn that needed serious acknowledgment - his ability with a full band to morph his older folk-acoustic songs into full-on modernized soulful versions which were often just as good as the originals - just updated in a fashion. It ends with John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin joining him on Mandolin on "Over The Hill" at the BBC's Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2008 - you can feel the audience's affection.

So there you have it - although "Ain't No Saint" is sometimes sloppy and disappointing in places - it's utterly captivating and life affirming too. And with his sad passing in early 2009 - you'll be glad you invested in it and left with a poignant feeling of true greatness lost...

"Sunday's Child" by JOHN MARTYN - January 1975 UK LP on Island Records (2005 UK Island Masters 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry of his 1975 LP on Island Records...

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"...I Believe You Can Make Me Feel Better..." 

In a 10-year period between 1967 and 1977 - John Martyn (onew of the UK's finest Folk-Soul troubadours) made so many albums that it was all too easy to 'not notice' the rough diamonds amongst the polished paste.

Most music fans will be aware of his acknowledged masterpieces - 1973's "Solid Air" and 1977's "One World" – but they miss out on the truly lovely Folk simplicity of his October 1967 Mono debut "London Conversation" (see review) and the gorgeous Nick Drake vibe that flows off his equally forgotten November 1971 album "Bless The Weather". But there’s also "Sunday's Child" - his unfairly ignored LP from early 1975. Featuring some of his loveliest songs - "You Can Discover", "Lay It All Down" and a spine-tingling rendition of an English Traditional "Spencer The Rover" - sat alongside Jazzier pieces like "Call Me Crazy" and the straight-up Pop of "Clutches" – the whole record is a wonderful fusion of trippy Acoustic warmth, Funky-Rock and Echoplex Folk-Soul. There is only one bum note for me (a misplaced Rock song called "Root Love") – but apart from that – it’s another gem from JM...

Recorded in August 1974 at Island's Studios in Hammersmith and released January 1975 - few people outside of diehard fans seemed to heed its release. It was his sixth studio LP (not counting his own privately pressed live album "Live At Leeds") for the ever patient Island Records but the public just weren’t buying in sufficient numbers to make a real break through. Hell even something as obviously brilliant and tuneful as the "One World" LP that hit the UK shop racks in November 1977 would have to wait until February 1978 to chart - and even then it was for only one week at No. 54. 

Martyn toured and promoted the "Sunday's Child" album extensively - joined on stage most nights by his Double Bass playing rhythm section and integral piece of his sound - Danny Thompson. Even Paul Kossoff of Free legendarily pulled out his axe on occasion on that tour (struggling as he was with drug addiction even then). Musically "Sunday's Child" saw Iain David McGeachy in a really good place - married with a daughter and another child on the way (his son would be born after the album’s release in May 1975) - his contented family vibe oozing off tracks like the gorgeous "Lay It On Down" (lyrics from it title this review) and "You Can Discover". 

Time to get to the CD Reissue details...

UK released November 2005 - "Sunday's Child" by JOHN MARTYN on Island Masters IMCD 323 (Barcode 602498307359) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster that offers the 11-track 1975 LP bolstered up with 7 Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks and plays out as follows (63:16 minutes):

1. One Day Without You
2. Lay It On Down
3. Root Love
4. My Baby Girl
5. Sunday's Child
6. Spencer The Rover
7. Clutches [Side 2]
8. The Message
9. Satisfied Mind
10. You Can Discover
11. Call Me Crazy
Tracks 1 to 11 are his 8th studio album "Sunday's Child" - released January 1975 in the UK and USA on Island Records ILPS 9296 (same catalogue number for both countries - it didn't chart in either). Produced by JOHN MARTYN - all songs written by JM except "Spencer The Rover" and "Satisfied Mind" which are Traditional Song cover versions.

BONUS TRACKS (all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED):
12. Ellie Rhee - recorded 26 August 1974 at Island Studios in Hammersmith, London
13. Satisfied Mind (First Mix) - recorded 25 August 1974 at Island Studios in Hammersmith, London
14. One Day Without You
15. You Can Discover
16. My Baby Girl
17. The Message
18. Spencer The Rover - Tracks 14 to 18 recorded 7 January 1975 for a BBC Radio 1 'John Peel Session'

Musicians:
JOHN MARTYN - Guitar, Moog, Clavinet and Lead Vocals (Duet Vocals with Beverly Martyn on "My Baby Girl")
JOHN "Rabbit" BUNDRICK - Piano, Kesh Sathie and Tablas
DANNY THOMPSON - Double Bass
AL ANDERSON - Electric Bass on "One Day Without You"
TERRY WILSON - Electric Bass on "Clutches"
LIAM GENOCKEY - Drums
TONY BRAUNAGEL - Drums on "Clutches"

Compiled for CD by Mark Powell of Esoteric Recordings - the 12-page colour booklet has new liner notes from noted Martyn expert JOHN HILLARBY. They go into a brief history of his career with Island Records (who stuck with him to 1986) - the before, during and after of the album and his sad demise in 2009 - as beloved as ever by fans and those within the music business. There are photos of Martyn in various live poses (usually with his Acoustic Guitar) and a fabulous new PASCHAL BYRNE Remaster that makes everything sing. This is a beautiful sounding CD...and one that comes with genuinely excellent and exciting Bonus Tracks too.

The album opens on a great one-two sucker punch of winning melodies - "One Day Without You" and the immensely touching "Lay It All Down". John Martyn's style at this time had been honed right from 1971 through to "Solid Air" in 1973 - a sort of half Folk-half Jazz feel - all Acoustic Guitars heavily strummed while a funky rhythm section headed up by Upright Bass genius Danny Thompson. I love these songs (especially "Lay It All Down" where he sex-slurs that deep voice of his into a sensual drawl that would make audience knicker-elastic melt at ten paces. 

But then he does what he did on too many albums - he throws in something way too harsh and out of step with the other songs. In this case it's the brash and cynical Hard Rock of "Root Love" - a poor riffage tune that I can't abide even now - 41 years after the event. Side One thankfully gets rescued by a trio of sweethearts - a ballad to their daughter Mhairi (who was born February 1971 and is pictured on the rear sleeve of the original vinyl LP), the sexy Funk of "Sunday's Child" and the gorgeous Traditional acoustic amble of "Spencer The Rover" - a song he wrestled out of Robin Dransfield in the mid Sixties at the Glasgow Folk Centre when he accosted the Guitarist post gig and forced him to teach a 16-year old Martyn the song.

Side 2 opens with the Little Feat boogie funk of "Clutches" - and again - even though it's good - it feels slightly out of place on a largely mellow album. Back to business with "The Message" that incorporates the Traditional Folk ditty "Marie's Wedding" into its lovely rhythms and lyrics. Written by Joe 'Red Hayes and Jack Rhoads - Country superstar Porter Wagoner had a hit in 1955 on RCA Victor with "Satisfied Mind" - here Martyn slows it down into a creeping Blues song - a troubled mind longing for peace (a bit like himself I'm guessing). The Byrds, Dylan and Tim Hardin have covered “Satisfied Mind” amongst many others.

Fans adore "You Can Discover" - a great Martyn groove that turns up on Best Of's and Anthologies - and surely one of the LPs real highlights (the Remaster has brought out Bundrick's piano playing). It ends well. Just when you think you know the measure of the seven and half minute "Call Me Crazy" (Funk Rock) - about 4:20 minutes in - it suddenly grinds to an almost halt and you get an Acoustic three minutes of astonishing beauty. Plucked guitar strings rattle and shimmy - his Acoustic Guitar plugged into an echo chamber while Danny Thompson runs up and down the frets of his Double Bass caressing sliding refrains. It's like a precursor to the beautiful "Small Hours" eight-minute Echoplex and workout on "One World". Fabulous stuff...

Fans will flip for the truly gorgeous "Ellie Rhee" - an entirely Acoustic Folk song dating from the American Civil War with a properly lovely feel and melody. Hillarby reproduces its lyrics in the booklet on Page 10 and it should have replaced the awful "Root Love" on Side 1 in my books. The 'First Mix' of "Satisfied Mind" is superb too but I can hear why the released version was instead. The excellence continues with five recorded for John Peel's Radio 1 show in January 1975. Good news on all fronts - the Audio is shockingly good even if there is a little wobble here and there (especially on "The Message") and the performances (largely Acoustic) are thrilling. He slays "One Day Without You" as he plucks and slaps his Guitar's scratch plate. An equally pretty "You Can Discover" follows but an overloaded tape distortion does for a beautiful version of "Spencer The Rover" - a song that often made me cry and leaves you wondering how come no-one noticed this quality back in the day?

Would it have been different if he'd included "Ellie Rhee" and dropped the 'too heavy' "Root Love" - a song that confused listeners and killed the mood before it had a chance to blossom. Whatever way you look at it I've always felt "Sunday's Child" was a couple of whippets short of a Folk-Soul masterpiece and this wickedly good (and dirt cheap) CD only hammers that home.

"...As valiant a man as ever left home..." he sang on the beautiful "Spencer The Rover". Gorgeous and then some...be with the angels you songsmith hero...

"London Conversation" by JOHN MARTYN (November 2005 Universal/Island 'Expanded Edition' CD Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...My Young Love Said To Me..." 

At the sprightly age of 18 – the young Scottish Folk Troubadour Ian David McGeachy signed to the roster of Chris Blackwell's eclectic and brilliant Island Records and became the first white artist to do so. Remodelling his new surname on a Martin Acoustic Guitar (changing the 'i' to a 'y') and just one month after his 19th birthday – his debut album "London Conversation" was released in Mono in October 1967 to a rapidly changing musical landscape.

Recorded at the Pye Studios in London and criminally forgotten now - it reputedly cost a paltry £157 to make - and thus began a love affair with that brilliant record label and his public that lasted into the late 1980s and beyond. In fact I've always felt that his music in the 90s and 00s was even more brilliant than his revered 60ts and 70ts output (his loss in January 2009 was a bitter blow to many music lovers). John Martyn's Folky debut LP has always been notoriously difficult to find on original vinyl (let alone repress) - so its CD reissue here under the 'Island Remasters' label-imprint is both welcome and beautifully done. Here are the chimney-pot chitchats and wee bonnie ballads...

UK released November 2005 – "London Conversation" by JOHN MARTYN on Universal/Island Remasters IMCD 319 (Barcode 602498307335) is an Expanded CD Remaster (one added bonus track) and plays out as follows (42:04 minutes):

1. Fairy Tale Lullaby [Side 1]

2. Sandy Grey

3. London Conversation

4. Ballad Of An Elderly Woman

5. Cocain

6. Run Honey Run

7. Back To Stay [Side 2]

8. Rolling Home

9. Who's Grown Up Now

10. Golden Girl

11. This Time

12. Don't Think Twice, It's Alright

Tracks 1 to 12 are his debut studio album "London Conversation" – released October 1967 in the UK on Island ILP 952 (Mono only). Theo Johnson produced the album (it received no US release).

BONUS TRACK:

13. She Moved Through The Fair – Previously Unreleased Session Outtake

The 12-page booklet has new liner notes from JOHN HILLARBY – a man who has kept the JM light lit for decades now. There's a two page photo spread of the rear sleeve with John sat between chimney pots playing his Acoustic Guitar and looking 'so' young. It’s sad to think that Hillarby mentions the Traditional 'Cocain' and the Bob Dylan cover of "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" as 'remaining favourites with him' because of course when he wrote the liner notes in September 2005 – John Martyn was still with us (living in Ireland). Compiled by Mark Powell of Esoteric Recordings fame – the big news is a fabulous Remaster by PASCHAL BYRNE (Tape Research by Zoe Roberts) that really brings out the Folk beauty and purity of the recording. With just an Acoustic Guitar and his Voice for the bulk of the tracks – "London Conversation" is a long way away from 1973's trippy "Solid Air" or 1977's gorgeous "One World" with its echoplex guitars and space Folk-Rock soundscapes – but I find its Folky simplicity 'beautiful' to the nth degree. These are sweet and lovely melodies – and even at 19 – his voice was so expressive and Soulful.

It opens with the impossibly pretty "Fairy Tale Lullaby" – the acoustic guitar sweet and warm – as it is on "Sandy Grey" – a love song written in anger about Nick Drake by Robin Frederick (mistakenly credited to JM on the LP). "London Conversation" is another gorgeous transfer – no hiss – just air and his voice as the strings rattle. "Ballad Of An Elderly Woman" and "Run Honey Run" have great stories to each – "...Well I wish I could think of some cliché to mouth to make our parting scene less sad..." Side 2 opens with "Back To Stay" – a sweet rolling JM ballad that reminds me of "May You Never". His Sitar playing on "Rolling Home" is impressive (the only track to feature the instrument) while one of the album's hidden nuggets is "Who's Grown Up Now". Both it and "Golden Girl" are JM originals - yet they sound old – like they’ve always been with us. And while the Dylan cover is inevitable (and rather tastefully done too) – what blows me away is the gorgeous and Previously Unreleased session outtake "She Moves Through The Fair" – a Traditional that stretches back centuries. The lyrics have always moved me – "...it will not be long love...till our wedding day..." Simple Minds turned it into "Belfast Child" on their superb 1989 album "Street Fighting Years".

In the last few years - the album has seen renewed interest. July 2014 saw a reissue on heavyweight 180grams vinyl of the LP using the Paschal Byrne remaster - while 18 April 2015 saw "Cocain" b/w "London Conversation" issued as Record Store Day 45 in the UK on Island 472-010-2.

"London Conversation" is forgotten now and he would follow it with "The Tumbler" in December 1968 – another Folk album affair – but this time with some Blues and his own songwriting magic on stuff "Fly On Home" (which is actually very Nick Drake with Harold McNair’s flute additions).

Sometimes things are beautiful precisely because an artist keeps it simple – song, voice and guitar - no clutter. John Martyn was always capable of moving the masses and even as a naïve lad of 19 living in a London flat living on Tea and Toast to survive - I'm sure that's what Chris Blackwell saw and heard when he signed someone so young. Talent, talent, talent - and a huge Celtic soul. I miss him...

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