John Martyn
The Man Upstairs
In Concert In Germany 1978 (Voiceprint)
Filmed for German TV for Rockpalast at Hamburg’s Audiomax venue during 1978, this 45-minute solo performance from Martyn emphasises what a fantastic live musician he is. Recorded four months after the release of One World, the intimate set he plays contains many classics from that album, as well as standards from Solid Air and others – and with only his battered Martin, a Fender amp and an admittedly impressive pedalboard for an acoustic player, he sets about mesmerising the crowd.
He does play an SG (or variant) for the Echoplex-laden Small Hours, but the main attraction is his eccentric and rhythmic acoustic fingerstyle, which despite the basic camerawork, is easy to follow for students of his playing. There are plenty of laughs too as tough love is administered to his guitar as a string breaks. Never afraid to improvise and invent new lyrics, chords and riffs on the hoof, Martyn’s effects explorations are rambling but impressive. And songs like Couldn’t Love You More and Solid Air benefit greatly from the starkness of their man-and-guitar renditions.
OB
Guitarist Magazine
1 April 2008
