Search - John Martyn :: Grace & Danger

Not one of Martyn's best...

B. Bowman | Jersey, United States | 05/27/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I have heard others say that this album is considered to be one of John Martyn's masterpieces along with "Solid Air" and "One World", but I have to disagree. This disc does have some high points, but overall I don't find it to be one of Martyn's stronger albums as a whole. I had high expectations for this disc because so many recording artists have made incredible albums while going through the pain of a divorce as Martyn was while recording this. Dylan's "Blood On The Tracks", Van Morrison's "Veedon Fleece" and even Martyn's co-producer on this one, Phil Collins' "Face Value" were all products of divorces, for example. Martyn definitely sounds at his most lost and alone on this disc, but some of the songs are below par for an artist as talented as he is. The title track sounds incredibly dated today with it's cheesy synthesizer arrangement, and songs like "Hurt In Your Heart" and "Baby Please Come Home" just don't seem to go anywhere. The production also seems to push Martyn's typical slurred vocals into the back of the mix, which I didn't particularly find effective either. However, "Some People Are Crazy" is a great song, and has remained one of my favorites off this disc. Martyn's interesting choice of covering the Slickers' classic "Johnny Too Bad" is also one of the better tracks on the album. I don't think this disc warrants such a high price (definitely not the ridiculous $43.00 that the most recently released version costs), and I wouldn't recommend it for a newcomer to John Martyn's music. I have almost all of his albums and this is the one that I listen to the least. If you are a fan of Martyn's and have to have this one I would suggest buying a used copy and testing the waters that way."

Some simplicity & complexity gives this album fuel

Darren S. Wools | minneapolis | 02/05/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"John Martyn is a very underated acoustic guitarist & also has some pretty technical electric rhythm guitar patterns as well. Phil Collins plays drums here & his drumming is very light & jazzy but still retains his trademark complex patterns. It's rare to hear Collins play so light but he really uses alot of hi-hat, rim-shots, & even some brushes. It's a testament to how Collin's adapts his playing to the musician he's playin with & sets the mood. Again, the album, just like any that Collins is involved with, revolves around his sound & rhythm. Collins also lends some backing vocals which, in 1980, is probably a glimpse of what's to come. John Giblin also associated with Collins & Brand X does a nice job on bass & plays alot of fretless bass here. Tommy Eyre plays keyboards but they're fairly muted & unsubstantial. Eyre does a nice job with electric piano bits especially on sweet little mystery. Martyn does a good job setting a mood & here the mood is sadness set around his impending marriage split which also is probably helped by Collins who was also divorcing at this time (1980). My favorites are sweet little mystery & save some. By this one. It's a good mixture of jazzy rock with good production. There is also enough sapce for each musician to do their stuff"