BBC4 tonight - Johnny Too Bad: John Marytn

[Tom Pynchon's Photo]

Tonight BBC4 has a docu on John Martyn - a man who is one of our greatest singer/songwriters - whose albums like Bless The Weather, Solid Air, Sundays Child, Inside Out, Grace and Danger, One World, Cooltide, The Apprentice, Glasgow Walker, and On The Cobbles (and And) should be a mainstay of every music fan.

I know amongst you whores there is a lot of Nick Drake fans who bemoan how he was overlooked during his lifetime.  Not only was John one of Nicks closest friends (or as close to Nick as anyone could be to Nick ) but the title track of Solid Air was written (and released) for Nick, 18 months before he died, and called out for him to make contact to those who loved him with the words, "I know you, I love you, I can be your friend I can follow - even through solid air."

This man, John Martyn, is quite simply a genius. And he only has one leg.He did have two but one of them had to be cut off. And on the documentary tonight - you can see him have that one he had to loose be estranged from him.! Cool eh !

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

I don't know much about him, but he's on Later with Jools Holland tonight as well.

[alan strang]

Tonight BBC4 has a docu on John Martyn - a man who is one of our greatest singer/songwriters - whose albums like Bless The Weather, Solid Air, Sundays Child, Inside Out, Grace and Danger, One World, Cooltide, The Apprentice, Glasgow Walker, and On The Cobbles (and And) should be a mainstay of every music fan.

If this doc doesn't feature Beverley then they can stick it right up their bums. "Sweee-eeet hon-ess-teeee..."

There's a John Martyn Whistle Test special on BBC4 tomorrow too.

[sproggy]

I caught the re-run late last night on B4 by accident.  I had never heard of John Martyn before catching this, just flicking through the channels before deciding to turn in for the night and heard his voice and amazing acoustic.  I ended up watching the whole programme.

I'm interested in getting hold of some of his music to listen to, any recommendations to start me off?

[Tom Pynchon's Photo]

I caught the re-run late last night on B4 by accident.  I had never heard of John Martyn before catching this, just flicking through the channels before deciding to turn in for the night and heard his voice and amazing acoustic.  I ended up watching the whole programme.

I'm interested in getting hold of some of his music to listen to, any recommendations to start me off?

Check out, as already stated, Solid Air, Bless The Weather,Sundays child, Inside Out, One World, Grace and Danger,  Cooltide, The Apprentice, No Little Boy, Live at Leeds, Live in Milan, And, Glasgow Walker and On The Cobbles.

Don't both with Well Kept Secret - it's fucking awful. Sapphire ain't too hot either.

He did two albums that are good with his first wife Beverley. Those were Stormbringer and Road to Ruin. I mention these just so I can mention that, from watching the documentary, she is no longer the windswept beauty of folk music she once was and has turned into a loookalike of Mrs Doyle (from Father Ted)

I guess that must have been the sweet little mystery in her eye, the sweet little mystery that made John cry.

[Spaced Cadet]

What was the track that Ralph Mctell was talking about, it sounded beautiful. It's was delay guitar and just a primative drum machine in the background. I think it was from the One World album. I really want to hear it again, sorry the descriptions a bit vague, anyone help?

[poison popcorn]

i think that one's called "small hours"

very nice it is too...

[benthalo]

The Whistle Test repeat was smashing. 10/01/78, tx date fans.

[Spaced Cadet]

i think that one's called "small hours"

very nice it is too...

Cheers poison popcorn, another album to the every evolving list!

[The Region Legion]

So um.. what's Johnny Toobad got to do with this?

[poison popcorn]

johnny too bad was a song of his (or actually if i recall it's a cover, can't remember who by originally, it said on the documentary.)

oh balls, missed the whistle test thing, never realised it was from so long ago, i thought it would probably be the one from some time in the 80's which i got on vid. now i think of it, i'm not sure it was even the whistle test...

[Spaced Cadet]

So um.. what's Johnny Toobad got to do with this?

I heard the line in one of the songs he was doing with the full band line up, in one of the clips from the '80's on the documentary.

[Tom Pynchon's Photo]

So um.. what's Johnny Too bad got to do with this?

It was a song by a Jamacian band called The Slickers, and was recorded by John on his album about marriage break up, heartache etc called Grace and Danger.

I believe every member of The Slickers ended up shot dead.

www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/hardertheycome/johnnytoobad.htm

www.johnmartyn.net

www.johnmartyn.nl