Tag Archives: John Martyn
1975 COUNTDOWN | #75 — #66
Welcome to the sixth annual 50 year countdown. Beginning in 2020 with 70 FROM ’70 we’ve sampled music from each year and attempted to find the ‘keepers’. This year is no exception, though the fragmentation of rock music into sub-genres makes any attempt at ranking increasingly fraught. In this initial set we have keyboard-based prog, […]
1973 COUNTDOWN: #5 — 2
5 JOHN MARTYN — SOLID AIR In the fist draft of the 73 From ’73 list, Solid Air was somewhere in the 30s. That was based on memory; I hadn’t spun it for a few years. Listening again, I was entranced. Such variety of mood and texture, held together by Martyn’s gravely voice and exceptional […]
1973 COUNTDOWN: #50—41
50 RINGO STARR — RINGO Forget “Now and Then”, this was the last Beatles record. It has songs by John, Paul, George, and of course Ringo. They are all alive, and all play and sing. As do guests including Harry Nilsson, Marc Bolan and members of The Band. Good songs, great atmosphere, and Ringo’s amiable vocals […]
COVER ART | ON THE CHAIR III
Some recent spins. As usual, a mixed bag of styles and eras, and some striking cover art. * Over the years, several people whose tastes I respect have expressed a deep love of this album. Although it wasn’t part of my past and is thus free of nostalgic ballast, it is a fine example of […]
1971 COUNTDOWN: #55 — #50
55 ROY HARPER — Stormcock Roy Harper could aptly be described as a poet-troubadour, a storyteller and wordsmith who uses music as the carrier wave for his images, thoughts, and observations. This fascinating album consists of four extended songs in the progressive folk style and is considered amongst his best works. Listeners may hear connections […]
SEEKERS, CATS AND CONVERSATIONS
When looking back at a year in pop, there’s a strong pull to pick out the gems, the keepers, the game-changers. All well and good, but such a focus ignores what the record buying public actually forked out for. Recall how The Beatles crowning achievement “Strawberry Fields” b/w “Penny Lane” was kept from the UK […]