One World
John Martyn
1977
Album Summary
One World is the seventh studio album by British guitarist and singer John Martyn, released in November 1977 by Island Records. The album, produced by Island owner Chris Blackwell at his Berkshire farm, was recorded with a myriad of musicians, including Steve Winwood, Danny Thompson, John Stevens, Hansford Rowe and Rico. The album followed a sabbatical where, at Blackwell's invite, Martyn holidayed in Jamaica in 1976 with his family, having become disillusioned with the music business. The trip helped revitalise his interest in music. The album combines Martyn's experimental tendencies with more pop-leaning material, with influences from the dub music of Lee "Scratch" Perry, with whom Martyn worked during the trip to Jamaica and co-wrote the song "Big Muff". The record features a relaxing, echoing sound with usage of Martyn's distinctive Echoplex guitar effects, while his lyrics discuss love, specific people and his disintegrating marriage. Some of the recording was achieved outdoors, with Island's mobile recording studio being used to operate a live feed across the farm's surrounding lake; microphones picked up the full ambience of the area, including natural reverb and surrounding geese and trains, helping contribute to the album's sweeping sound.Upon its release, One World received acclaim from music critics who hailed its inventive, unique sound and lyrics. Martyn toured in promotion of the album in late 1977, whilst a televised performance at the Collegiate Theatre, London in January 1978 helped the album becoming Martyn's first chart success, reaching number 54 on the UK Albums Chart. "Dancing" was released as the album's sole single a month later. In later times, the album has been credited for helping develop trip hop music. In 2004, a deluxe edition of the album was released by Island, containing bonus live material. The album is included in the music reference book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
WikipediaThis was an inspiration. There are problems with production that at points feels dated, but once I let this go and got past some of the more late 70s/ early 80s sounds, I felt uplifted and held by this album in a way I haven't by many albums. Small Hours blew me away, it's wonderful ambient guitar over a simple pulse beat, eventually leading up to a short song, before returning to guitar and sound was perfect. It's made me want to hear more.
This album was a 4 right up until "Small Hours." I've listened to it probably ten or more times in the last 24 hours. Easily becoming one of my favorite songs of all time. One of the most soothing, cleanest albums I've heard in a long time. Highlights: 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8.
There are some good sounds on this album, but it feels kinda sleepy to me... I also don’t dig his voice, but there are a couple good songs on this. Favorite Track(s): “Dealer” and “Couldn’t Love You More”
Make. It. Stop. Other than some instrumental work on "Small Hours", I couldn't wait for this album to be over. Anti-groove jazz.
No lo vi venir. Parece Nick Drake. Volverlo a escuchar para darle un rating más justo.
When his voice first came in, I hated it, and was preparing for an excruciating 40 minutes. But that was the only part where I noticed his voice stand out, and then in blended in to an ocean of excellence. This is the most surprising album I have had so far and is going on regular rotation.
An adorable dreamy piece of work. This was my 110th on this, and I loved every moment of it. 5 stars because there aren’t 6.
I reviewed John Martyn's Solid Air earlier in this project, and enjoyed it more than I was expecting. Based on that, I thought I knew what to expect with this record. And was pleasantly surprised again. Much of side 2 seems like a fairly natural progression from Solid Air. Similar smooth jazz/soul/funk/folk blend, now with a touch of latin rhythms on Certain Surprise, with Martyn's foggy voice woven beautifully through the arrangements. I love his voice, which he uses like an instrument, although sometimes his slurred diction slides almost into self-parody.Take it easy, John. But side 1 is a revelation. The heavy use of effects, especially delay, and dub production techniques (without being pastiche - this is definitely not reggae) is something quite fresh. Big Muff is co-written by Lee Scratch Perry! I can see the influence, without it sounding like a Lee Scratch Perry record per se. I really loved the songs on side 1. Discretely funky, weird sounding without being abrasive, without any histrionics. I can see how these tracks (especially Big Muff and Small Hours) are cited as influences on trip hop, especially Massive Attack. This album caught me by surprise, and I really enjoyed it. Haven't heard much quite like it, and it really grabbed me (especially side 1)
Sonido por completo etereo, suena como pop experimental. Tiene un problema en un bache a la mitad con dos canciones romanticas muy sosas que hacen que pierda un poco el concepto. Los sonidos de experimentación en guitarra y amplificadores no van a ser para todos pero a mi me encanto. La última canción fue lo mejor del disco. Impresionante pensar que es de 1977, casi se podría notar un atisbo de lo que va a llegar en unos años con new wave y sintetizadores.
not a fan of his voice. a little like brian wilson but not as good. the sounds on smiling stranger are good though
This didn’t feel like a mediocre album of its era chasing the Beatles hype. No, it felt like a mediocre album from the 80s instead, when everyone was fascinated by bad “world music”. But hey, at least it’s ahead of its time I guess?
Forgettable. One World vocals sounded like an old man on quaaluds trying to sing with apple sauce stuffed in his mouth.
This album is really not my thing. Small Hours and Couldn't Love You More are pretty good, but I think my appreciation for the most divergent tracks is telling. The production is well-crafted in the sense that it's interesting, but I'm having a hard time figuring out what it adds up to. I feel like there's more artistic merit than the Supertramp record, but it's still a little indulgent and navel gaze-y. 1.5/5
I ended up listening to the Spotify suggestions for a long time after this ended
I'm a big fan of John Martyn, particularly around this point in his career. Such a unique hybrid of influences that is miles ahead of its time. Martyn has such a natural, casual soulfulness to him that it makes his more experimental tendencies go down easy. Love that they recorded parts of the album from across a lake to capture the natural reverb/echo. Yet another example of artists creating their best work while in remote country locations.
In July 1978 I was working for the Migrant Services Section of the Social Security Department, in Clarence St Sydney. One morning I received a phone-call from a mate who was a student at Sydney University, telling me to get my arse up to the Union Theatre (now The Footbridge) on campus, because John Martyn was playing a free concert at 1.00pm. As it turns out, this was part of a world tour to promote the album One World. I got there in time. John Martyn was late, and extremely hung-over, carrying what appeared to be an acoustic guitar with a plethora of wires coming off it (and no doubt a bunch of effects pedals). It was one of the great concerts I’ve ever attended. At the time I was only familiar with the 1970 album Road To Ruin, which he recorded with his wife, Beverley, & which is an all-time favourite of mine, so most of what I saw him play that day was unfamiliar to me, but he was in blistering form. And I imagine a lot of what he played came from this album. How lucky I was, because this is a great record. I can’t think of anything else that sounds like it. About 30 years later, a different mate gave me a dvd titled The Transatlantic Sessions, which features many great artists & includes an enthralling version of Big Muff with Martyn on guitar & Danny Thompson on double bass. Do yourself a favour & google it. This is the song he co-wrote in Jamaica with Lee Scratch Perry the year before he made the album. You also hear the great reggae trombonist Rico Rodriguez on Certain Surprise. I love the fact that Chris Blackwell set up mikes in the middle of a lake on his property(where the lp was recorded) to catch whatever noises nature was providing at the time. This was way ahead of its time. Love it.
Genius. Small Hours is in my all time top ten tracks. The live version (I think I saw him perform it 6 times) of Big Muff was spellbinding, A very, very sad end to possibly the best British unsung hero of contemporary music (along with Roy Harper and Nick Drake).
Good album went a bit too 70s funk for my liking for this style. Some instrumentation felt a bit too forced especially earlier on in the album. Some great arrangements though.
Este es el tipo de Jazz que si me gusta, no tan experimental, nadie quiere sobresalir y a buen tempo. Solo conocía Dealer que no sabía que se llamaba así.
Really interesting, as ever for John. Worth the price of admission for the final track "Small Hours" alone.
A chill, jazzy, moody album. I like the instrumentation more than the vocals, but the low growly vocals ain't bad either.
I wasn't sure I liked this album at first but it has some really delightful moments and I think that if I listened to it more I would get into it. I can see how this artist might have contributed to the musical styles of artists I listen to regularly today.
Distinctly generic until Small Hours, which hits different from the rest of the album and drags this sucker out of the muck.
I rly fuck w this, hes showed up in music recommendation sites when i enter music i like but ive never rly given him the time, but today i did (funnily enough i was looking at this album specifically before i checked here lmao) yeah pretty poggers pogchamp imo, listened to it twice today and plan to listen more
Love it. Completely new to me. Mixing blues, jazz, reggae, and world beat. And all the sweet guitar riffs and effects. My only criticism is I’m not in love with his voice. Maybe it would grow on me. 4.0
Unusual combo of funk, jazz, blues, and Dr. John. Dude can noodle, too. Dig it.
Very interesting, like early Sade and precursor to elevator music but in a good way.
I hadn't listened to John Martyn before, a really great discovery. Textured sound, many layers and influences, takes you to unexpected places, ahead of his time. Will definitely explore more of his work
Dangerous, psychedelic yacht rock that morphs into early post-rock by the end? I'm a fan.
For the first time in this project, I was very positively surprised by an artist I had never heard of before. This is very intriguing to listen to, with its wild mix of different styles and his very unique voice.
This was really cool to find. I've never heard of this guy. Seems super ahead of its time and influential.
I like everything going on except the vocals. They sound weak and winded. Like the guy just ran 6 flights of stairs to get to the studio. Big Muff is a good tune. I am really torn on this album, but I think there is enough here to merit me coming back to it.
Man, I loved hearing this album. I knew and loved the tracks Couldn't Love You More, and Small Hours already, but it was excellent to hear all the album cuts. Dude's voice was a jazz instrument, and his playing acoustic-like-it's-an-electric guitar playing is pioneering and totally cool too. Gonna deep dive his catalogue now. THIS is the reason I'm on this listening journey!
Such a unique album, nothing immediately stood out but I didn't feel the need to skip a single song. I should definitely give it some more listens in the future.
I had never heard of John and didn’t know what to expect. Clearly dated but a cool mix of guitar, funk, psychedelic. Enjoyed it.
Very interesting work. Rare to see someone’s 7th record on here. Also had heard of the song recorded across a lake before but hadn’t heard it
Some really lovely stuff on here, from early on in his time, an album I definitely wouldn't have heard if it wasn't for this.
What a surprise. I love the mellow production and vocals, paired with all kinds of different sounds, and the ambience peace at the end. All in a perfect run time.
"One World" is the seventh studio album by Scottish guitarist and singer Iain David McGeachy known professionally as John Martyn. The album was recorded outdoors at Island record owner Chris Blackwell's (also the producer) Berkshire Farm. Martyn had become disillusioned with the music industry but was revitalized after a prior trip to Jamaica and meeting and playing with various people including Lee "Scratch" Perry who co-wrote a song appearing on the album. Also appearing on the album are musicians Steve Winwood (various instruments), Danny Thompson (bass), Hansford Rowe (bass) and Rico Rodriguez (trombone). This music style is very unique incorporating various guitar effects including echoing, heavy bass, Moog synthesizer and influences from dub music and Lee Perry. It sounds like a mixture of pop, jazz, experimental and world music. This album is credited as originating trip-hop. "Dealer" begins things and right away there's a lot going on. Prominent bass. The Moog synth. Reverb guitars. Flutes. Martyn's scratchy voice. Kind of funky and World music sounding. I think obviously about a drug dealer. "Smiling Stranger" is another "big" sounding song. Guitar with the effects. Sax and strings are also added. Never trust a smiling stranger. "Big Muff" was co-wrote with Lee "Scratch" Perry and we have reverb heavy guitar. A great groove with the bass. The second side is love song focused. "Certain Suprise" is samba-esque and very smooth jazz. More strings and a trombone. "Dancing" was the only single and has a swinging rhythm. A plea to his wife and sounds like latter-day Peter Gabriel. The nearly nine-minute "Small Hours" concludes the album. Very ambient. You hear water. You hear geese sounds. More of his echo guitar. Very chill. This is my first venture into John Martyn. A lot going on musically and the future influence is apparent. A great sounding and orginal album. Recommended for anyone willing to venture into jazz, ambient, dub, world and other experimental musical styles.
Had never heard of John before and really liked this one, will be revisiting!
Another album by a British musician I had never heard of. This was definitely an interesting discovery! I would characterize this as soft, mellow, experimental prog-jazz-folk-rock? Whatever it is, it's cool, and I like it. Very cool guitar playing. I would absolutely listen to this again. Love the album art too.
John Martyn was ever one of the most questing of the folkies, and on this album there's nary a hint of music associated with the real ale brigade. True, the spinning, swirling Echoplex guitar and slurred vocals heard on Solid Air are still in place; but if this isn't quite as accomplished as his best album, it's more expansive. Alongside some slightly New Wave touches we have a kind or soul-folk on 'Certain Surprise' and, perhaps most gorgeous of all, whalesong guitar on the meditative 'Small Hours', underpinned by a subtle heartbeat percussion. Lovely stuff. I hope Solid Air is on this app.
Nice. Ahead of its time sonically speaking, with a few catchy hooks and a lot of interesting moodpieces. Besides, I can't help feeling *One World* fares slightly better than *Solid Air* today. Oddly enough, it's songs from that latter record that have the largest number of streams on Spotify--they are indeed very nice cuts, but as far as whole albums go, *Solid Air* still sounds like a patchy affair to my (limited?) ears. Conversely, *One World* offers something that's both adventurous and cohesive in terms of sound and songwriting. I did a quick search online to see if I could buy this album. It seems it is extremely hard to find today, and this in any format. Bummer. Chances are that I'll be less inclined to revisit it if I don't own a physical copy of it. Still, I'm including it in my list of essential records. This is where this app is pretty useful. It can help you single out albums that deserve to be a little more popular than they already are. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: less than 700, I've temporarily lost count here Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: approximately a half so far (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: a quarter Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): the last quarter
Interesting album, enjoyed the listen, would probably listen to more from Martyn
Somehow I had never heard of Mr. Martyn before. I'll definitely listen to more of his music in the future.
It was alright, I definitely was not blown away by it, and I definitely won't listen to it again.
Pretty interesting, funky ass bass. No standout songs for me, but makes nice background listening.
Got some like ZZ Top vibes from this album. Pretty good album, it's like smooth jazzy / soul. It kinda felt like John Martyn was whispering sweet nothings into my ears for the entirely of the album. Oh. OH. This is fuckin' music, isn't it?
There are parts of this album that I like *a lot*. Especially the parts where John Martyn isn't trying to sing. When his voice blends in with the music, it's really good. When he grates, it's REALLY grating. Luckily, that doesn't dominate most tracks, and I enjoyed the album overall. 3 stars.
i really like the noodling and atmosphere on small hours to finish the album. the rest is fine... seems like a sedated eric clapton or joe cocker.
C’estbon dans l’ensemble mais ondirait je m’attendait a plus pour un guitariste. 3.15
- Learned about the genre "folk-jazz" - it's got some funky prog in it but the vocals and mellow melodies are along the line with folk. Very interesting mixture of genres, almost feels surreal. - Good album but not hooking me, which somewhat has to do with the raspy voice
Not as good as Penguin Orchestra Cafe, but I liked it and the album cover was dope
I enjoyed it at times. Very very mellow. His vocal style was sort of different, I’m not sure in a way I appreciated. The last track seemed a very odd addition.