Hold Me could come straight from Solid Air, at least in basic construction, a typically musing song of what if, and it fascinating to see what has been done to it. Perhaps the only song with much overt evidence thereof, Martyn gets to play some wonderfully apt guitar in the middle eight, the style inescapably his. Upo is an upbeat bit of bossa nova that I should probably loathe, but, you know, it sort of works, and so it’s a yes from me, the sax, from Tully, a delight. Just don’t say Lionel Richie again. Left technical college in Newark in July 1983 and spent a year self-employed building flight cases and speakers. Moved to London in 1984 and joined guitarist’s Dominic Miller’s band ‘Iguaza’. Played on his album ‘Iguaza’ and did the Edinburgh Festival with the band which included playing on BBC Radio 2, Brian Mathew’s ‘Round Midnight’. Depending on when John Martyn’s music entered your life, that’s likely the period that means the most to you. With the various BBC music compilations that litter sundry TV stations nowadays, I’d say there’s a fair few that know him solely for Old Grey Whistle Test appearances, armed with echoplex and acoustic (sometimes Danny Thompson on double bass), blasting out what were already progressive folk classics. For me, it was the late ‘70s when they played ‘Dancing’ on Radio 1, for my mate Gary and I it foretold the life we perceived waiting for us on leaving school and pretending to be all grown-up.

Easing in with acoustic numbers it takes a wee while for it to all come together, the addition of full band, then guest artist etc. ‘May You Never’ feels too early in the set, and a little rushed, but big heavy numbers like ‘Dealer’, ‘Big Muff’, ‘Johnny Too Bad’ and even ‘John Wayne’ have an unexpected sense of presence about them that other listeners will hopefully find as rewarding as I did. Where, previously, the angry guttural howls of songs ‘Big Muff’ implied what they were about here I appreciate what the clearer words are actually about. Similarly, as the songs progress across the two records, the improvisations stretch out, with some evocative arrangements. Self-penned, bar Foster Patterson’s Patterns In The Rain, The Apprencice itself was superior to his preceding Island output, without quite supplanting the magnificence of his glory days. The synth wash dates it, but Martyn’s vocals are clear, and the songs are carefully crafted. He’s unusually upbeat in Live On Love, but he’s quietly angry on Income Town and Upo glides serenely, propelled by his trademark hidden, nagging melodics. Deny This Love was remixed and released as a single (the cappella introduction being lost) with a live version of The Apprentice on the B-side. Both songs are added as bonus songs to this expanded release as are three songs recorded during John’s extended 1990 Apprentice Tour with Alan Thomson on bass, Spencer Cozens on keyboards, Arran Ahmun on drums and Dave Lewis on saxophone. The highly regarded sound engineer, Dallas Simpson, has carefully and sympathetically remastered the original album and bonus songs.

John Martyn's final recordings to be released". The Guardian. 27 April 2011 . Retrieved 19 July 2020. In the late 1980s, Martyn cited Grace and Danger as his favourite album, and said that it was "probably the most specific piece of autobiography I've written. Some people keep diaries, I make records." [17] The album has since become one of his highest-regarded, prompting a deluxe double-disc issue in 2007, containing the original album remastered.

Martyn once said that he wanted to stop working at 35 because, “I don’t see myself staggering about ’till I drop,” but as he approaches 42 with an intensive 3 month tour ahead he shows no signs of letting up and “The Apprentice” indicates that he has lost none of his ability to lift the heart and touch the mind, believing as he does that “Music is an emotional communication and should be used as such.” The most concise summary remains that written by The Guardian’s music critic: “John Martyn strikes the perfect balance between virtuosity and simplicity, romance and realism, nostalgia and modernism. Put simply, he is in a league of his own.” The "Grace & Danger: A Celebration of John Martyn" tribute concert held on 27 January 2019 at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall marked the tenth anniversary of his passing. [35] Curated and hosted by Danny Thompson, artists including Eddi Reader, Eric Bibb and Paul Weller performed "to do full justice to a selection of Martyn's finest songs and channel some of the great man's spirit". [36] Discography [ edit ] Studio albums [ edit ] YearAs well as signalling John Martyn’s return to the fray, The Apprentice marks the end of a lengthy association with Island Records. Yet neither break seems to have done him any harm. He is now what he’s always been: a master of his craft, a class act. That’s rare indeed.**** The Apprentice in Concert (John Martyn & Band with Dave Gilmour at Shaw Theatre, London, 31 March 1990) (2006) (DVD release of 1990 The Apprentice Tour)

By 1970 Martyn had developed a wholly original and idiosyncratic sound: acoustic guitar run through a fuzzbox, phase shifter and Echoplex. This sound was first apparent on Stormbringer! released in February 1970. Due to his father’s involvement and love of jazz, the first music Miles listened to was jazz. Later influences developed more specifically in bands and players, like Miles Davis, Weather Report, Egberto Gismonti, Al Jarreau, Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny and the late Jaco Pastorius.

More so than live CD’s and DVD, what ties this whole collection together is the extensive sleeve notes booklet written by John Hillarby. He knows his subject well. Historical details are doled out, snippets from interviews gone by and anecdotes by others are present and correct.

The River’ snakes in sultrily, getting ever more sensual albeit in a dignified manner. Martyn tells us he works on the river, the sheer graft he discusses one perceives less the bargeman’s duties and as metaphor for life, in that he’s been undergoing self-improvement. It grooves in a jingle-jangle mode, again rejoicingly, the love he’s found making him strive to be a better man.Dealing with “Live At Leeds” and excessive touring drove Martyn to take a sabbatical for most of 1976, spending 4 fruitful months in Jamaica (“Like Glasgow transported to paradise!”) where the Island Records connection was utilised and Martyn recorded with Burning Spear’s Max Romeo and dub master Lee ‘Scratch Perry.’ John signed to Permanent Records and The Apprentice was released. A confident and fresh sounding album of varied material from the fierce funky disco beat in Deny This Love with crashing synthesizers and samples, to the more understated instrumentation on The River, Send Me One Line, Look At That Girl and the vastly underrated The Moment (only available on CD having been left off the vinyl release). Look At The Girl is written about John’s now grown up My Baby Girl Mhairi and Income Town, apparently live from the mythical The Green Banana in Toronto is in fact dubbed. Typical of the man’s sense of humour! Mike Harding introduced an hour-long tribute to Martyn in his BBC Radio 2 programme on 25 February 2009. A tribute album, Johnny Boy Would Love This, was released on 15 August 2011, comprising cover versions of his songs by various artists. [18] [34] While The Apprentice was a turning point for Martyn’s career, it’s not exactly a landmark gig, even with the inclusion of Gilmour. With its less-than-great picture quality, it’s in no danger of overshadowing the handful of alternatives available at the moment. It’s a sparse setting for this deleted concert from 1990, recorded at London’s The Shaw Theatre, as part of the tour for The Apprentice album he released that year.