When I used to play this at KCSU at 1AM the phone would ring off the hook with people wanting to know "What WAS that." 18 minutes plus of John Martyn bliss with one of the greatest climaxes in all of music.
From John Martyn's concert on February 13th 1975 at Leeds University, playing in the Refectory (where The Who recorded the original Live At Leeds album). In the late 60's/early70s Leeds Uni had a whole host of famous names come to play (including Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley and the Stones. Mick Jagger was quoted as saying "everybody wants to play here"). If only they had had the foresight to invest in some state-of-the-art recording equipment ...
And you Google greatest guitarists and JM isn't in the top 5? As Eric Clapton said JM was "so far ahead of everything, it's almost inconceivable." I didn't find him until last year while watching Transatlantic Sessions. Since then....WOW!!!
This has a Santana like ecstacy and exuberance to it. What a lovely discovery (I have a couple of later albums, really want all these earlier ones now).
The hardest album I ever tried to track down in my life. It took me 25 years. John used to sell them out of his house and as I recall there were only 2,000 pressings. Much harder to find than The Verve's Voyage One.
I have one of those 2000. The story goes that John wanted to release it through the record company in the normal way. They wouldn't release it so he pressed them up himself, as a kind of protest I think.
@@DaveBessell No, island Records pressed the LPs (10,000 in total) but refused to distribute them because they thought there wouldn't be any profit in it - so John sold them all by mail-order from his home in Hastings. When it was all over he had to take a long break in the Caribbean (which is when he met Lee Perry).
@@peterfreeman6677 OH ok but that would be a strange move on islands behalf - to press them and then not distribute. If they were concerned about not making money that would be the one sure way to lose money. Anyway its a great record that really captures what John sounded like live at that time.
Two musical quotations come instantly to mind: "If you got ears/You gotta listen..." & "Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream...". Actual commentary risks trivializing what is here.
@@DaveBessell thanks, I realised that after going back to the kossoff/martyn tracks, which are very different. however, even with the echoplex, playing two different guitars would seem a tad difficult, so I assume the overdub was added later, right?
When I used to play this at KCSU at 1AM the phone would ring off the hook with people wanting to know "What WAS that." 18 minutes plus of John Martyn bliss with one of the greatest climaxes in all of music.
UNREAL. How can one possibly comment?
Best ever play on up there big man R.I.P JOHN
I went to see John Martyn play in a small pub in Scotland and he got thrown out his own gig for fighting with a man in the toilets.
A good gig, then :)
John was a force of nature
From John Martyn's concert on February 13th 1975 at Leeds University, playing in the Refectory (where The Who recorded the original Live At Leeds album). In the late 60's/early70s Leeds Uni had a whole host of famous names come to play (including Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley and the Stones. Mick Jagger was quoted as saying "everybody wants to play here"). If only they had had the foresight to invest in some state-of-the-art recording equipment ...
And you Google greatest guitarists and JM isn't in the top 5? As Eric Clapton said JM was "so far ahead of everything, it's almost inconceivable." I didn't find him until last year while watching Transatlantic Sessions. Since then....WOW!!!
magic!
This has a Santana like ecstacy and exuberance to it. What a lovely discovery (I have a couple of later albums, really want all these earlier ones now).
The ultimate chill out track. For me it's like Tangerine Dream without the synths :-D
bow in awe
Used to have this LP!
The hardest album I ever tried to track down in my life. It took me 25 years. John used to sell them out of his house and as I recall there were only 2,000 pressings. Much harder to find than The Verve's Voyage One.
I,ve got one when it first came out and i treasure it
I have one of those 2000. The story goes that John wanted to release it through the record company in the normal way. They wouldn't release it so he pressed them up himself, as a kind of protest I think.
@@DaveBessell No, island Records pressed the LPs (10,000 in total) but refused to distribute them because they thought there wouldn't be any profit in it - so John sold them all by mail-order from his home in Hastings. When it was all over he had to take a long break in the Caribbean (which is when he met Lee Perry).
10, 000 copies were pressed and they are now extremely rare collectors' items.
@@peterfreeman6677 OH ok but that would be a strange move on islands behalf - to press them and then not distribute. If they were concerned about not making money that would be the one sure way to lose money. Anyway its a great record that really captures what John sounded like live at that time.
I love this and I love that the cover of the LP is nicked from the whos live at leeds! similar cover...ballsy like the music contained with in.
Two musical quotations come instantly to mind: "If you got ears/You gotta listen..." & "Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream...". Actual commentary risks trivializing what is here.
wow what a find by the main man
despite john martyn using echoplex, there nevertheless seem to be two guitars on this track; so this would have to include paul kossoff.
Its an overdub, the second guitar is also John.
@@DaveBessell thanks, I realised that after going back to the kossoff/martyn tracks, which are very different. however, even with the echoplex, playing two different guitars would seem a tad difficult, so I assume the overdub was added later, right?
@@donkeyshot4932 yes added later - you can tell by the tone that the overdub was a direct recording straight into the tape machine or mixer.
what do we reckon, Echoplex EP1 or EP3?