JOHN MARTYN BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert (Windsong WINO 012)
Sensible young fogies might question why you’d want to buy a radio broadcast you could’ve plucked from the ether for free six years ago All bar three of the tracks on this Beeb compilation come from Glastonbury 86, topped and tailed by the tender. Om acoustic ‘Head And Heart from ’71, and an Echoplex city ‘Outside In’ from ’77 The Glastonbury gig is a monster Martyn’s fusion band lays down a BIG noise, rocketing the guitanst above the increasingly maudlin and mellowed-out matenal of his later years. to sing and play with passion and power, as he rages against going gently into the good night of rock’n’roll postenty Old rockers like ‘The Dealer’ are revamped, all sweat and muscle bassist Alan Thompson especially drops Into deep dark seismic rhythms while the pre-Gulf ‘John Wayne’ is as horrorful and ominous as ‘Over The Rainbow’ (yep. as in bluebirds) is yearningly soulful Fat and bald? Dunno Passionate, compassionate. As vicious and as loving, as sweet and as bitter as you need, a mapper of intimate tragedy and cosmic celebration? Damn right (7)
Andy Robson
Vox
1 June 1992
