Great Albums: Solid Air

~ beetleypete

By 1973, I had managed to mostly avoid Folk Music. With the exception of Bob Dylan, and a few emerging British progressive bands, I rarely listened to either Folk or Traditional music, of any kind. So, I had never heard of John Martyn, a British Folk singer from Scotland. Until one night when I visited the home of a close friend, a man who played guitar in a band himself, and boasted an eclectic taste in music.

He was excited to get me to listen to a new album he had just acquired, and gave me the cover to read, as he lined it up on the turntable. I skimmed over the sleeve notes with little interest, as I had never heard of the man who had made this record. But I respected my friend’s judgement, and sat back to hear what all the fuss was about.

The first track had the same title as the album, and I immediately realised that this was indeed something wonderful, and very different to so much around at the time.

By track five, I was completely hooked, and I knew that I would be in the record shop the following day, to buy my own copy. There was a merger of multiple genres going on. Songs that felt like Jazz and Blues rolled into one, with the Folk background evident, but not intrusive.

It didn’t flag at all, not a single duff track. Some songs were faster than others, but the spirit of Martyn could be felt in every line. By track seven, I was swept away by this new sound, and that track delivered a touching and poignant love song. I was smiling at my friend and his girlfriend, and they was smiling back.
We all knew that was a very special moment.

The album brought a new audience to John Martyn, and great critical acclaim too. He received a lifetime achievement award in 2008, and continued to tour and perform until his death in 2009, aged just 60.

31 thoughts on “Great Albums: Solid Air”

    1. I like to put in some context, Dani. When I call a song ‘significant’, or an album ‘great’, I think it’s good to add some background as to why I think so.
      Great to see you back. 🙂 x
      Best wishes, Pete. x

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  9. Coming originally from Germany, I have a special liking for folk music, as it was part of our music instruction. When Elvis was stationed in Germany, he tapped into this genre of music and had a great success with ‘Muss I denn, mussI denn’. I still occasionally play this and other tunes on my harmonica. Have a great day, Pete!

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  11. Tricky labels. I think of folk as sea shanties and legendary ballads. John Martyn I’d call a singer-songwriter, and very innovative. His voice is unusual, at times, improvisational like a Jazzist. His parents were opera singers. Anyway, my pedantry is by the by. Another superb album, and this one I play often.

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    1. Thanks, BF. Not my label of course. He was always said to be a ‘Folk singer’ up to (and often including) this album, and his lifetime award was for Folk Music. I agree that this is more of a Jazz fusion. Perhaps that’s why I liked it so much.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  12. I think I’ve told you before that I enjoy all types of music. Dad introduced me to everything from Ragtime, to Jazz to opera and Big Band, plus (of course) I had my own teenage music stations – so I enjoyed folk music as well. Whatever mood I happened to be in – that’s what I listened to.

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  13. I’m glad you like this Pete. I’m a big fan of John Martyn’s and was lucky enough to see him live in Sydney about 40 years ago. I couldn’t believe the complexity of the sounds from one man with an acoustic guitar.

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