John Martyn - Hurt in Your Heart - GuitarTalk Community

John Martyn - Hurt in Your Heart

Riaan-Combrink

Seeing that so much has been written about John Martyn on GFSA lately (and I never knew much of his music), I've been listening lately. Bought a live DVD (London, 1984) today.

Found this great little vignette on Youtube tonight. Five minutes long,but IMHO packs a powerful punch. If you've ever doubted the connection between emotion and music, watch this:

John Martyn appeared in this series of six programmes presented by Phil Cunningham. John appeared in the programme broadcast on Saturday 10th November 2007 on BBC2 in Scotland at 8pm with a repeat the following Tuesday at 7pm. The series is about Love and Loss, and how we express our feelings and emotions through music. John performed Hurt In Your Heart and you can see it here.

Here's a clip from the DVD I bought ...

AlanRatcliffe

I think most Sarf Effricans will need a Glaswegian to English translator for the interview sections though. ?

Bob-Dubery

Oh THAT Phil Cunningham. He's a great muso - though not famous for guitar playing. His main areas of expertise are accordion (I know some people are deeply allergic to the squeezebox, but I think it's pretty cool), the piano and the mandola. For several years he's been working with Shetland fiddle maestro Aly Bain. He also does a lot of arranging and musical director gigs for TV and in the world of Scottish folk-rock - EG Eddie Reader.

Bob-Dubery

Riaan C wrote: Seeing that so much has been written about John Martyn on GFSA lately (and I never knew much of his music), I've been listening lately. Bought a live DVD (London, 1984) today.

Found this great little vignette on Youtube tonight. Five minutes long,but IMHO packs a powerful punch. If you've ever doubted the connection between emotion and music, watch this:

No doubt that Martyn made a lot of music that came directly from the heart. When Cunningham says that "some people keep diaries, John Marty makes records" he is actually quoting Martyn directly.

One of Martyn's great emotional outpourings is "Solid Air" which was written for and about Nick Drake who was in the grips of a terrible depression at the time (and would eventually take his own life).

The album of the same name is a great place to start if one wants to explore Martyn's music. It also has huge dollops of fantastic bass playing by Danny Thompson. Martyn and Thompson went on to form a fantastic (and notorious) performing duo.

Bob-Dubery

Riaan C wrote: Found this great little vignette on Youtube tonight. Five minutes long,but IMHO packs a powerful punch. If you've ever doubted the connection between emotion and music, watch this:

I don't think music has to be informed by the artist's emotion, but it certainly can be. And I think it's a risky game. Richard Thompson (a contemporary and one-time label mate of Martyn's, and who worked on some of his early records) once commented on the lot of the performing songwriter:
"It’s the weird thing about being a songwriter as opposed to being a lot of other things. You know, as a painter you paint a picture and somebody buys it and sticks it in a museum in New Zealand and then you might never see it again. It’s gone and you move on and your old work becomes just a memory. If you’re a songwriter, then you may have written a song thirty years ago but the audience might drive you to perform it forever. So you’re in the position in an evening’s performance where you’re taking songs from 30 years ago, 25-20-15-10-5, one year, six months ago, you’re taking this whole range of songs from all points in your so-called career and you’re blending them all simultaneously. And that’s a weird thing to do. That’s a very strange thing to do. So you’re constantly being reminded of your own past, of your youth, your naivety."

So you might pour the emotion of divorcing a woman you loved very much into a song in the late 70s, and still be playing it 30 years later. Which may not be a healthy thing to do - especially if you try to put some real emotion into the performance each time.

It might also be hard for the current missus to understand.

Bob-Dubery

Riaan C wrote: Seeing that so much has been written about John Martyn on GFSA lately (and I never knew much of his music), I've been listening lately. Bought a live DVD (London, 1984) today.

Thanks for sharing those two great clips with us Riaan. The DVD you bought - is it titled "The Man Upstairs"?

FatBoy

Thanks Riaan! These clips are really awesome! I will have to look into this man some more!

Riaan-Combrink

Bob Dubery wrote: The DVD you bought - is it titled "The Man Upstairs"?

It's titled Live at the Camden Palace Theatre London, and was recorded in 1984.
http://cgi.ebay.com.my/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370154058877&ih=024&category=2303&ssPageName=STORE?ROMOBOX:NEWLIST

It was apparently re-released under a different cover (controversially showing a picture of a more contemporary Martyn) in 2001 without stating its a re-release of the Camden DVD. But both are apparently identical discs:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Martyn-Live-London-DVD/dp/B00005KIVX

From what I've read, the Live at the BBC DVD is apparently superb. I'm a total Martyn newbie (having known the name, etc, but never bought the music). Was really your posts, Bob, that drew my attention to him, and of course the fact that he passed away recently. Was shopping in a local Cash Crusaders yesterday, and saw the DVD, second-hand but pristine, for R 49,99! Also got Little Britian - Live for R 59,99, so a good day.

I'm really intrigued by his voice. The 84 concert is not widely regarded as a classic - was in the destructive period already: smokes and drinks on stage, sweats profusely, all bass is sequenced, fairly short (57 minutes), but I watched it in dismay. If this is a bad Martyn, I can't wait to see the good one! And of course, this is all electric, whereas there's the whole other side to discover as well.

Read an extract from Lee Barry's 2006 biography, Grace and Danger. The extract relates to the Thompson period you refer to, and it seems a fascinating read. On the wishlist for sure.
http://books.google.co.za/books?id=biKfWhJijIAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=john+martyn&ei=4GCqSZ_kG5aQyATsyaW2CA#PPP1,M1

Fritz Brand wrote: Thanks Riaan! These clips are really awesome! I will have to look into this man some more!

Cool, Fritz. I'm just starting the journey. Was Bob D that piqued my interest in the guy. Isn't Youtube great in this regard? Instant access to stuff you're looking for so that you can narrow down the search for what to buy.

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: I think most Sarf Effricans will need a Glaswegian to English translator for the interview sections though. ?

Alan, I see the guy who posted the clip actually suggested someone try to add subtitles to the video for that very reason!!

Here's John's full videography according to the official website:
http://www.johnmartyn.com/?location=/web/Videography

Bob-Dubery

Riaan C wrote:
Read an extract from Lee Barry's 2006 biography, Grace and Danger. The extract relates to the Thompson period you refer to, and it seems a fascinating read. On the wishlist for sure.
http://books.google.co.za/books?id=biKfWhJijIAC&printsec=frontcover&dq=john+martyn&ei=4GCqSZ_kG5aQyATsyaW2CA#PPP1,M1

I have often read that Martyn's best work, and especially his best live work, was all done with Danny T. I don't know his catalog well enough to confirm that, and even then it might be a bit of an artificial limit, but there is no doubt that Martyn and Thompson were a pretty special musical partnership. Both of them have talked along the lines of finding something in that partnership (and often in concert it was just the two of them) that they never had with anybody else. Which is pretty interesting when you consider who Danny Thompson has played with (IE loads of people, and some of the very best guitarists to come out of the British folk-rock scene).

There are many stories of fist fights, drunkenness and hell-raising, and I'm sure that most of them are true. But the thing they should be remembered for (and, to be fair, are remembered for amongst all the other stuff) is the musical chemistry.

Bob-Dubery

Riaan C wrote:
Bob Dubery wrote: The DVD you bought - is it titled "The Man Upstairs"?
It's titled Live at the Camden Palace Theatre London, and was recorded in 1984.
http://cgi.ebay.com.my/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370154058877&ih=024&category=2303&ssPageName=STORE?ROMOBOX:NEWLIST

I managed to get myself a copy of "The Man Upstairs" (the title is taken from the lyrics of his song "Big Muff"). It's a solo show, filmed in Germany in 1978.

I was going to say that he plays mostly acoustic. But what's "acoustic"? Mostly he plays a Martin - looks like a D-28 - but it has two pickups fitted, and he's plugged into several effects. Some songs are played just on the guitar with no effects. Some of the most interesting stuff is when he gets the echoplex (old 60s/70s tape echo unit) going and lays down riffs and rhythm parts and then plays over the repeats of those. There's a Gibson SG with "soap bar" pickups involved as well.

He's some player, but interestingly the overall impression is not of a fab player, but of a musician who just happens to have a guitar at his disposal.

What's truly depressing (in terms of stacking oneself up against the musicianship on display) is that he's drunk. He confesses to the audience that "I've had a couple" and he's chugging beers like crazy in between songs. And yet he still delivers.

Very interesting. Nobody else sounds like this. Pretty intense at times.

aubs1

Hey Riaan, I listened to the second clip, really cool, I like this guy. Must admit, it's the first time i've heard his stuff. For a second there at the beginning, I thought, wow, he sounds a bit like Michael McDonald (one of my all time favs), but then, hey, definately not, but still brilliant.
Gonna go out and get some of his CD's. Which would you recommend? This live one sounds good, hope I can find it.

Riaan-Combrink

aubs1 wrote: Gonna go out and get some of his CD's. Which would you recommend? This live one sounds good, hope I can find it.

Hi Aubs. Glad you enjoyed it.

I'm really not an authority on Martyn, owning only the DVD from which I posted that clip.

Earlier in this thread Bob Duberry (who actually made me aware of Martyn in some other posts) recommended Solid Air as perhaps the best album to start off on. The tracks on both these clips are from that one, so it seems a good call. All the reviews I've read seem to indicate that as his magnum opus, too. Gotta love this from Q Magazine:

Recorded in 1972, Solid Air was released in February 1973 and was regarded by many as John's best album to date. The album received tremendous reviews, "once in a while you hear a song that finds its way deep into your memory, and you find yourself humming along. This album has more than its share of fine songs like that, but noticeably Go Down Easy and May You Never." Twenty Six years later in 1999 Solid Air was voted as one of the best chill-out albums of all time in Q Magazine, "With mellow jazzy flourishes and warm acoustic sounds, Solid Air is the musical equivalent of a reassuring hug...the man Beth Orton calls The Guv'nor achieved the impossible: he made a quiveringly sexy folk record."

DVD wise, I believe Live at the BBC is better than the 84' Camden concert, so try and grab that one if you can.

I found this introduction to John Martyn on his website infromative too. They also discuss most of the albums, and there's a link to his full discography. Perhaps Google some of the titles and you'll be able to read reviews of them individually:
http://www.johnmartyn.com/?location=/web/Introduction

Also have a look at this lovely clip Bob posted earlier (also from Solid Air):
http://www.guitarforum.co.za/youtube-guitar-videos/may-you-never-john-martyn/

I'm definitely going to get Solid Air as my first CD. Here's a classic Martyn quote:

"I like doing as much new stuff as I can...the thing is, there's still a demand for older material. One time, this woman came bursting into my dressing room after a show and screamed,'Seven Pounds Fifty and no f%$#@king Solid Air ? It's a disgrace !" - Magnet

That lady probably knew something we should discover! ?

Just note that a 'Remastered and Expanded' version was released in 2000. I'm hunting for that. Here's the liner notes from the album (cool read):
http://www.johnmartyn.com/?location=/web/Liner%20Notes%20-%20Solid%20Air

Riaan-Combrink

Sorry, forgot to link to the albums page on Big Muff. This is an incredible John Martyn fansite, by the way.

http://www.johnmartyn.nl/

aubs1

Hey Riaan, thanx a mil, I really really like this guy! I listened to the clip that Bob posted, (played it load), geez, Kathy Mattea's harmonies with him gave me goose-flesh! I cannot listen to music softly. Thanx again for all that info. Will keep you in the loop when next I go shopping for CDs and/ or DVDs.

When next I'm in CT will look up Synchronicity and come listen.

Riaan-Combrink

aubs1 wrote: When next I'm in CT will look up Synchronicity and come listen.

That's cool! We will be scaling down performances over the next few months though, as the female lead singer is in the - erm, family way!! ?

Bob-Dubery

Riaan C wrote:
Also have a look at this lovely clip Bob posted earlier (also from Solid Air):
http://www.guitarforum.co.za/youtube-guitar-videos/may-you-never-john-martyn/

That's probably Martyn's best known song, and certainly the one that made him the most money (courtesy of Eric Clapton who recorded it for his Slowhand album).

The bass player is Danny Thompson. Danny T is a key figure in the Martyn story. A marvelous player in his own right, he and Martyn enjoyed a very special musical chemistry that, I believe, neither of them had with anybody else they played with. So I'd recommend looking for the earlier albums and especially the ones with significant input from Danny Thompson - which brings us back to Solid Air.

Riaan C wrote: I'm definitely going to get Solid Air as my first CD. Here's a classic Martyn quote:

"I like doing as much new stuff as I can...the thing is, there's still a demand for older material. One time, this woman came bursting into my dressing room after a show and screamed,'Seven Pounds Fifty and no f%$#@king Solid Air ? It's a disgrace !" - Magnet

That lady probably knew something we should discover! ?

Just note that a 'Remastered and Expanded' version was released in 2000. I'm hunting for that. Here's the liner notes from the album (cool read):
http://www.johnmartyn.com/?location=/web/Liner%20Notes%20-%20Solid%20Air

My copy of Solid Air is the remastered etc version. The "expansion" amounts to one extra "in concert" take of "I'd Rather Be The Devil" which is not hugely different from the version that appears on the album. The CD does sound pretty good, but then John Wood was the engineer (see discussions about Nick Drake, Wood engineered all the Drake albums) and he was responsible for some very fine recordings.