Strictly speaking, I'm of the cassette generation. Accidentally putting your Walkman in the wash, winding up slack in tapes with a biro, that sort of thing. That said, I learned the guitar by borrowing licks from my parents' vinyl. Cream, Free, Hendrix, Zep, plus less 'obvious' stuff I guess - Fairport Convention, John Fahey, Davey Graham. And John Martyn.
A while back I was given some vinyl that's incredibly precious to me for personal reasons so I bit the bullet and bought a deck. Pleased to report the muscle memory of dropping the stylus on the record never goes away.
TL;DR - I bought a copy of John Martyn's 'Solid Air'. If you've never heard this album, listen to it! If you know it, listen to it again! If you've got any suggestions of his other stuff, hit me up!
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I could go on - I'm a John Martyn fanatic. Saw him play over 30 times - my favourite ever musician.
The song May You Never can not only still reduce me to tears, but it's also a fantastic performance, recorded in a basement studio in one take in the middle of the night.
@richardhomer - good man, I bet he was a compelling live act. I know it's a rogue's trick, but if you had to name one album other than 'Solid Air', what would you go for? I love discovering stuff through a recommendation...
I met him a few times - he wrote out his trademark CFCCGD tuning on a CD booklet for me. Contrary to his reputation, he was very charming....
btw - the story goes he earned more from the EC cover of May You Never than he did from his own record sales.
I only saw John Martyn play once. He did a gig at Surrey Uni at Guildford sometime in the mid 70s: a mate was studying there and invited me down. JM was so out of his tree that a roadie literally had to prop him up with mic stands to stop him sliding to the floor in a heap. He still managed to play and sing beautifully.
Bless The Weather is next on your new deck sir.
http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/61134/sarge/p1
From a post I made on 'Celtic Guitar Talk' forum - now defunked -
As a teenager (and mad for the music) in the '60's,
one afternoon in Edinburgh I found myself on the sloping banks of Princes Street Gardens with my Spanish guitar I noticed I had been joined slightly further down the bank by another guitar player but this guy could play, weird and wonderful things were flying out of his guitar, he had frizzy hair an embroidered Indian cheese cloth top bell bottom jeans and sandals - “a real Hippy “ I thought, I joined him and asked if he could show me what on earth he was doing with the guitar - he did, it was DADGAD and other D tunings, we played for a couple of hours then he asked me if I knew of anywhere he could play that weekend (this being a Friday afternoon) I suggested we meet up that evening and I would take him round “the scene” in return for his kindness - we did for that whole weekend. I had no idea who or what this person was but I knew he was extraordinary, that weekend was an awakening for me. He was on his way back to Glasgow ‘hitching’ from London where he had just recorded his first album London Conversation, it was John Martyn.
a good few years later I was watching the Whistle Test (didn’t we all?) - and this came on, I was fulfilled !
my most fav song of his is -
I was was lucky enough to learn my first guitar steps on me dad's D35. These days (quarter of a century later) it's just the right side of reliced - it's light and resonant and the ebony fretboard is slightly greasy and black as the night sky. It's my favourite guitar. It's also the single most revealing instrument you'll ever play. Despite its bulk you simply cannot hide bad playing behind it. I can't begin to imagine consuming my own body weight in booze and cocaine and playing it live on national television with that soul and depth. Wonderful.
Disclaimer - I'm guessing by the lack of fretboard binding on Martyn's guitar it's a 28 or 18
@richardhomer am I being unfair to Clapton? As a self-confessed Martyn fan, where do you stand on his cover version? I'm interested to know.
John was quite friendly with EC - he rerecorded Couldn't Love You More with a band for the Glorious Fool album with EC playing lead.
John was a unique talent - he dabbled in so many styles - Grace & Danger was almost Weather Report-esque - Glorious Fool was quite electronic, And (from the mid-90s) used Hip Hop beats - he never stood still musically but always sounded like himself.
I loved him.
JM was a huge influence on - dA maN as seen here early on in his shot but beautiful life -
before www etc he had JM's tunning's sussed
I can forgive MH for being such a guitarist -but not for being able to sing as well and so well, dam
heres the pickup he's playing through -
http://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/RYcAAOSwopRYgQC7/s-l1600.jpg