UPDATED 09/11/2018 Following my post about John Martyn I was thinking about where I’d used his guitar style most, and it was probably this Robert Burns song. Here’s a live video, recorded at home where you can follow the guitar style if you’re that way inclined. Also updated: the Now page Here’s the studio version … Read more
In the early 1970s, inspired by the success of CBS’s The Rock Machine and The Rock Machine Turns You On, many record companies started putting out budget-price samplers. Island Records made some of the most popular samplers, and the Island samplers are still regarded with affection and listened to today. Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull, Traffic, … Read more
First of a series following from my Inspirations series, where I’ll offer a beginners’ guide to some of the artists I love. Three albums and five tracks. A virtuoso musician with a voice to melt the coldest of hearts. (John Hillarby) Three albums Solid Air (1973) The definitive John Martyn album, where he found his … Read more
This is part of a series of posts about the musicians who’ve inspired me. Today it’s about the wounded giant that was John Martyn. You know John? One summer when I was at Glasgow University, I worked lunchtimes in Glasgow’s first vegetarian restaurant, Gemini, on Sauchiehall Street. Sometimes after my stint I would stay and … Read more