Six Definitive Songs: The ultimate beginner’s guide to John Martyn
Iain David McGeachy was better known by his stage name John Martyn. The iconic Scottish progressive folk artist was one of the most well-respected musicians of the 20th Century and recorded an impressive 23 albums across a 40-year career.
Martyn began his career as a traditional folk musician, being influenced by the genre on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, but by the time his career was in full swing in the 1970s, he began experimenting with jazz and rock sounds, incorporating the use of guitar effects and keyboards.
Across Martyn’s catalogue, there always seemed to be the theme of love present and his tender yet gravelly vocals lent themselves perfectly to the expression of love’s longing. His career was often tainted by a penchant for alcohol and drug abuse, although it never stopped him from writing and recording music.
Here, we detail the six definitive songs of John Martyn’s career, so without further ado…
John Martyn’s six definitive songs:
‘Bless The Weather’ (1971)
While Solid Air is Martyn’s most popular album by a stretch, its predecessor, Bless the Weather, showed the kind of songwriting that would set him apart from his contemporaries. Much of the album explores Martyn and his wife’s move from London to Hastings Old Town.
A standout track from the record is its title track. ‘Bless the Weather’ is a beautiful love song in which Martyn thanks fate (represented as the weather) for bringing his wife into his life whilst cursing the very same luck that can tend to take our loved ones away from us. A beautifully tender track.
‘May You Never’ (1971)
While ‘Over the Hill’ expresses Martyn’s love for his wife, ‘May You Never’ is indicative of the affection he feels for his close friends. The song is a love letter of good wishes to his friends, who he longs to see happy and free from suffering.
The song became a fan favourite of Martyn’s live shows, and an early version had been released a year before the full album was shared. The song held such significant weight in the 1970s that Eric Clapton recorded a version released on his 1977 album Slowhand.
‘Solid Air’ (1973)
Martyn’s most significant album is certainly his fourth studio effort Solid Air and the title track is one of the best efforts on the record. It features the gorgeous instrumentation that Martyn is renowned for – the finger-picked acoustic guitar and delicious bassline.
Martyn wrote the song for his friend Nick Drake and said of it, “It was done for a friend of mine, and it was done right with very clear motives, and I’m very pleased with it, for varying reasons. It has got a very simple message, but you’ll have to work that one out for yourself.”
‘Over The Hill’ (1973)
‘Solid Air’ is followed by the more upbeat track ‘Over the Hill’, which sees Martyn long for home after a relentless touring schedule. His lifestyle of smoking weed and snorting coke has left him tired, and there’s only one place for him to recuperate his senses: his home.
Again, we see the effortless guitar playing that Martyn possesses, this time in a more country/folk style. The instrumentation gives the song a positive mood as we imagine him finally climbing up the hill that sits above his house and the relief he feels at finally being able to put his feet up and spend time with his wife.
‘Couldn’t Love You More’ (1977)
Love had always evidently been a profound source of inspiration for Martyn then, and he expressed it in its full glory on the fifth track from his 1977 album One World. The album preceded Grace and Danger, so perhaps the feeling that his relationship with Beverley was coming to an end is present in One World’s tracks.
‘Couldn’t Love You More’ is an exploration of the idea of unrequited love. It features the distinctive guitar playing of Martyn, accompanied by his uniquely growled vocals, while the keyboard tone is of particular beauty. It’s a Martyn classic that is certainly deserving of its place among his best songs.
‘Some People Are Crazy’ (1980)
Yet that fate did take Martyn’s wife away from him. His 1980 album Grace and Danger was written and recorded while he had been in the process of separating from his love Beverley. The album featured Phil Collins on drums, who had also been going through a divorce at the time.
The album’s opener is ‘Some People Are Crazy’, which sees Martyn acknowledge the fact that sometimes people either take to a person or they “can’t stand his face”. Perhaps it was influenced by the confused feelings that Martyn had been experiencing as a result of his breakup. The song represented a shift in sound for Martyn, more electric and with a focus on bass and keyboard rather than guitar.
