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Solid Air

 
Album Review: Solid Air
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Solid Air

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Sandy, Cruel Sister, One World, If You Saw Thro' My Eyes, Songs from the Shows, Five Leaves Left, Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, Shoot Out the Lights
  • Artist: John Martyn
  • Rating: StarStarStarStarHalf Star
  • Release Date: 1973 02
  • Total Time: 34:31
  • Genre: Folk

Review

Solid Air (whose title track was written for John Martyn's friend, songwriter Nick Drake) is one of the defining moments in British folk, in the same league as Fairport Convention's Liege & Lief, Richard & Linda Thompson's Shoot Out the Lights, and Michael Chapman's Rainmaker. Martyn stepped out of his comfort zone to record and produce it, including not only jazz and blues but rock and plenty of sound effects, and featuring Rhodes piano on some of its tracks, dismaying some fans while winning a ton more for its genre-blurring presentation. A number of its cuts -- such as the title track, "Over the Hill," "I'd Rather Be the Devil," and "May You Never" -- remained staples in his live sets until the end of his life. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track TitleComposersPerformersTime
Solid Air (Lyrics) John Martyn John Martyn (5:46)
Over the Hill (Lyrics) John Martyn John Martyn (2:51)
Don't Want to Know (Lyrics) John Martyn John Martyn (3:01)
I'd Rather Be the Devil Skip James John Martyn (6:19)
Go Down Easy (Lyrics) John Martyn John Martyn (3:36)
Dreams by the Sea (Lyrics) John Martyn John Martyn (3:18)
May You Never (Lyrics) John Martyn John Martyn (3:43)
The Man in the Station John Martyn John Martyn (2:54)
The Easy Blues John Martyn John Martyn (3:22)

Credits

Dave Pegg (Bass), John Martyn (Synthesizer), John Martyn (Vocals), John Wood (Producer), Simon Nicol (?), Fabio Nicoli (Sleeve Design), Brian Cooke (Back Cover), John Martyn (Harmonica), Dave Mattacks (Drums), Danny Thompson (Double Bass), John Martyn (Guitar), John Martyn (Guitar (Electric)), John "Rabbit" Bundrick (Keyboards), John Wood (Engineer), Neemoi Acquaye (Percussion), Brian Cooke (Photography), Richard Thompson (Guitar), John Webster (Cover Photo), Richard Thompson (Autoharp), Tristan Fry (Vibraphone), Sue Draheim (Violin), Simon Nicol (Violin), Simon Nicol (Mandolin), Richard Thompson (Violin), John Martyn (Producer), Danny Thompson (Bass), Sue Draheim (Mandolin), Tristan Fry (Percussion), Tony Coe (Saxophone), John Martyn (Keyboards), Simon Nicol (Autoharp), John Martyn (Guitar (Acoustic)), Richard Thompson (Mandolin)
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Artist: Solid Air
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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Pop Artists

Similar Artists:

5 Chinese Brothers, Shawn Colvin, Dar Williams, Jonatha Brooke, 10,000 Maniacs, Indigo Girls, The Story

Performed Songs By:

Sam Page
  • Genres: Folk
  • Representative Albums: "Local Color", "Tailgates & Subtitutes

Biography

Solid Air revolves around the nucleus of Sam Page and Allegra Broughton, musicians who first joined forces as a duo in 1983. Page contributes vocals and plays acoustic and electric bass, while Broughton also sings in addition to playing the guitar. The duo allowed their collaboration to evolve into a four-man band in 1990 with the addition of drummer Rick Cutler and Steve Barbieri, who sings and plays harmonica and guitar. Two years later, the band earned a nomination for San Francisco Weekly's Alternative Music Awards, also known as Wammies. Broughton, who pens many of Solid Air's songs, first stepped onto a stage in 1976, singing her own material. Page has collaborated with a variety of different artists, among them Steve Baughman, a Celtic musician; Platero, a band out of Paraguay; and Sarah Elizabeth Campbell, a singer/songwriter who hails from the Lone Star state. With their fellow Solid Air members, Page and Broughton have shared a stage with such artists as Maria Muldaur, Leon Russell, Arlo Guthrie, Louden Wainwright III, Taj Mahal, John Sebastian, the Sundogs, and Donovan. The band has performed at the Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle, and the Napa Valley Music Festival, the Strawberry Music Festival, and the Sausalito Art Festival, all in California, among other events. On the stage of the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse in Berkeley, the band opened for Peter Rowan, as they did for John Stewart and Karla Bonoff at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. ~ Linda Seida, All Music Guide
Wikipedia: Solid Air
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Solid Air
Studio album by John Martyn
Released February 1973
Recorded December 1972, Island and Sound Techniques
Genre Folk/Jazz
Length 34:31
Label Island Records
Producer John Martyn, John Wood
Professional reviews
John Martyn chronology
Bless the Weather
(1971)		 Solid Air
(1973)		 Inside Out
(1973)

Solid Air is a folk/jazz album released in 1973 by John Martyn on Island Records.

Contemporary reviews were favourable with music paper Sounds declaring that "'Solid Air' flows beautifully and shows the entire spectrum of music that John Martyn has at his fingertips." [1] The album has continued to receive acclaim and is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery.[2] The album was rated as the 67th Greatest British Album Ever by the British music magazine Q, and was also included in their list of Best Chill-Out Albums Of All Time.

'Solid Air', the title track, was dedicated to a friend of Martyn's, Nick Drake. Drake died of an antidepressant overdose 18 months after the album was released. Martyn said of the track "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."[1]

'May You Never' became something of a signature song for Martyn, becoming a staple of his live performances. Released in November 1971 as a single in an early form, the song was re-recorded during the 'Solid Air' sessions.[3] Eric Clapton covered 'May You Never' on his 1977 album Slowhand. When Martyn was presented with a lifetime achievement award by Phil Collins (a collaborator of Martyn's) at the 2008 BBC Folk Awards, Clapton sent a message saying that he was "so far ahead of everything else it was inconceivable" and acknowledged the extent of his influence on "everyone who ever heard him."[4] [5] Martyn and his band, including John Paul Jones on Mandolin, played 'May You Never' and 'Over The Hill' at the Awards Ceremony.[6]

In 2006, Martyn performed the album live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series.

A double CD reissue curated by John Hillarby was released in 2009, including several alternate studio and live versions.

The album cover is an example of schlieren photography demonstrating the 'solid' nature of air.

Contents

Track listing

All tracks by John Martyn unless noted otherwise.

  1. "Solid Air" – 5:46
  2. "Over The Hill" – 2:51
  3. "Don't Want To Know" – 3:01
  4. "I'd Rather Be The Devil" (Skip James) – 6:19
  5. "Go Down Easy" – 3:36
  6. "Dreams By The Sea" – 3:18
  7. "May You Never" – 3:43
  8. "The Man In The Station" – 2:54
  9. "The Easy Blues" – 3:22

Bonus track

  1. "I'd Rather Be The Devil" (Recorded live in 1975)

2009 Deluxe Edition Track listing

Disc 1 (Remastered Original Album)

  1. "Solid Air"
  2. "Over The Hill"
  3. "Don't Want To Know"
  4. "I'd Rather Be The Devil"
  5. "Go Down Easy"
  6. "Dreams By The Sea"
  7. "May You Never"
  8. "The Man In The Station"
  9. "The Easy Blues/Gentle Blues"

Disc 2 (Outtakes, Demos and Live recordings)

  1. "Solid Air" (Alternate Take)
  2. "Over The Hill" (Alternate Take)
  3. "Don't Want To Know" (Alternate Take)
  4. "I'd Rather Be The Devil" (Alternate Take)
  5. "Go Down Easy" (Alternate Take)
  6. "Dreams By The Sea" (Alternate Take)
  7. "May You Never" (Alternate Take)
  8. "The Man In The Station" (Alternate Take)
  9. "The Easy Blues/Gentle Blues" (Alternate Take)
  10. "Keep On"
  11. "Never Say Never" (Demo)
  12. "In The Evening"
  13. "May You Never" (Single Version)
  14. "The Easy Blues" (Live)
  15. "May You Never" (Live)
  16. "I'd Rather Be The Devil" (Live)

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.johnmartyn.com/?location=/web/1960s%20and%201970s
  2. ^ http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/steveparker/1001albums.htm
  3. ^ http://www.johnmartyn.com/?location=/web/Singles
  4. ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4389429/John-Martyn.html
  5. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/02_february/05/folk.shtml
  6. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/events/folkawards2008/report.shtml

External links

v • d • e
John Martyn
John Martyn studio albums
London Conversation (1967) • The Tumbler (1968) • Bless the Weather (1971) • Solid Air (February 1973) • Inside Out (October 1973) • Sunday's Child (1975) • One World (1977) • Grace and Danger (1980) • Glorious Fool (1981) • Well Kept Secret (1982) • Sapphire (1984) • Piece by Piece (1986) • The Apprentice (1990) • Cooltide (1991) • Couldn't Love You More (1992) • No Little Boy (1993) • And (1996) • The Church with One Bell (1998) • Glasgow Walker (2000) • On the Cobbles (2004)
Albums with Beverley Martyn
Stormbringer! (February 1970) • The Road to Ruin (October 1970)
Live albums
Live at Leeds (1976) • Philentropy (1983) • Foundations (1987) • Live (1994) • The Battle of Medway: 17 July 1973 (2007) • The Simmer Dim (2008) • The July Wakes (2008; recorded 1986)
Compilations
So Far So Good (1977) • The Electric John Martyn (1982) • Sweet Little Mysteries: The Island Anthology (1994) • Late Night John (2004) • Anthology (2007) • Ain't No Saint (2008)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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Album Review. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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