Search - John Martyn :: In Session at the BBC

May you never lay your head down without a hand to hold

Junglies | Morrisville, NC United States | 10/27/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased this album to maintain my collection of Martyn's output. Already he must be approaching the numbers of albums of Marc Bolan/T. Rex and Jimi Hendrix before venturing beyond the stratosphere into Grateful Dead territory.



I say that not as a criticism but as a compliment. Indeed John Martyn is very much like the Dead in his ability to provide us with variations on his material which add so much to the original compositions.



As to this album, I love each of the songs and arrangements on it and cherish their being made available at long last from the BBC archives. It is only a pity that John Peel could not be around to see these hit the light of day.



Each track on it's own is a testament to the talents of John Martyn as singer, songwriter and musician. Unfortunately, my only criticism of the album is that the order could have had a greater coherence and some attempt made to place the songs into a sequence of development. To me it makes no sense to begin the album with electric Martyn and to be followed a few songs later by the acoustic almost folkie Martyn.



That is the only flaw on an album which will be purchased mainly by completists which is a great shame.



John Martyn is a musician's musician and who'se influence extends far into many areas of the popular idiom. It is always a pleasure to hear him perform his work and I long for the day when he will visit this republic's shores in the future."