Reviews (page 6 of 7)
HATE the sound design on this one, sounds terrible
The music isn’t bad, really. The final track even bumps the score by a whole point, but there’s no getting around the profoundly unique vocal delivery on offer here. Likely holding a grudge since the ten plagues of Moses, John Martyn pries open his own sarcophagus, unleashing his bars before an unsuspecting populous (my ears).
Some parts I did not like particular well. Others were tolerable. Felt like the album never really started
A peculiar mix of disparate elements that doesn't really gel. Martyn uses that faux-tough gruff vocal affectation common to 70s rock singers on top of music that is a mix of folky guitars, soft rock electric pianos and dated synthesizer sounds. A few of the tracks build up a head of steam (such as "Dealer") and others experiment with dub production techniques (such as "Smiling Stranger") but that none of that is enough to elevate this album out of mediocrity.
The music was fine, but on many of the songs the guy's voice was nearly unbearable. This is best forgotten to the ages.
It isn't bad for a rainy day, it was relaxed and chill and went with my mood. It is fluid and smooth, but nothing really grabbed me. I want to almost call it yacht rock but I want to be a little happier and upbeat on a yacht. His voice was different and interesting, but it also became mumbly and hard to understand at times.
He sings with such restraint in his voice that it somehow felt like work to listen to this. I guess some of the instrumentation was cool, and he has a nice voice, but it felt like too much of a slog for me to really enjoy.
What am I missing? Why is this here?
Not much my vibe
Martyn shifts from his folk/rock roots into a more commercial pop sound and even experiments with dub on this album. Full of mood swings and is a record you can chill out to but ultimately it is pretty forgettable.
I didn't really vibe with this one. The vocals were pretty bad and the music was extremely dated, but not in a good way.
It's competent enough, but it troubles my ears. And I docked it an extra star because its inclusion on this list suggests it influenced all the other dickheads who try to sound like this.
ngl that last track really chilled me out. other than that this was a drugged out fart bomb.
If someone put this album on, I wouldn't mind, except for the fact that we could instead spend our time listening to way better music instead. It's not good, but it's inoffensive.
Packt mich nicht. 2,3
Ret anonym.
😴
John Martyn, die naam komt me ergens bekend voor. Oh ja, van voormalig Fairport Convention. En we hebben al een eerder album gehad, wat ik een 4 gaf, maar het zegt me niks meer. Verder ga ik er wederom blanco in. De bluesy invloeden zijn fijn, de stem klinkt doorrookt, doordronken en doorgesnoven. Breekbaar. Alsof hij op zijn 90e daar zit, terwijl hij in werkelijkheid nog geen 30 was. Holy shit. Dan ben je goed naar de tering gegaan. De nummers klinken me onaf in de oren. Het is allemaal het begin van een refrein, een losse bridge of een half coupletje. Waar ik positief verrast was door het eerdere album, kan ik hier niet inkomen. Loshangend zand van een man in crisis. Alleen de een na laatste track Dancing klinkt plots supermodern in de oren. Door die galmende gitaren had dit zo in de 00s of 10s uitgebracht kunnen zijn. Een positieve uitschieter, al krikt dat de score niet per se op.
2 Stars (5/15)
I'm biased against a lot of older music. Occasionally I find something I like. This one doesn't buck the trend for me. Its listenable, not something I would ever seek out or pick for myself. Feels like the singer is mumbling most of the time. Lyrics arent particularly insightful. Honestly album would sound better without any vocals. 2/5
Unremarkable album.
I quite like a few of his other songs but this album did not appeal to me at all. Didn't enjoy his vocals, or the attempts at ambient and jazz.
Boring
Really tried with this one because Martyn is an influence on The Verve apparently, and The Verve are one of my heart-bands. But this just isn't for me.
What is the ceiling for an album in which fancy-pantsing is unironically rhymed with dancing? I really like that they recorded this album from a distance on a lake so you can actually hear geese honking in the background. That said I don't really like the songs very much.
Kim said, "I don't think this is so different than Dire Straits." I can't rightfully dock Martyn points for that off base comment but I think it is solid grounds for divorce. I don't really like this album.
Rating: 5/10 Meh.
2 stars. Not my thing but it was nice sounding.
nuh uh
Not my music, and def won’t listen to again. With that said, some songs were better than others and great background music to my homework.
You know when you're in a foreign airport or train station and you hear an announcement over the tannoy in a language you don't understand, so your brain treats it as background noise and it just blends in with the wider soundscape? John Martyn's voice induces the same effect in me. He just sounds like he's far away for some reason, and my brain chooses not to focus on whatever he's singing. It's very odd. Aside from that, this music also just doesn't really do much for me. An inoffensive but utterly forgettable album
Froggy voiced, similar to Joe Cocker Jazz synth pop. Echoing guitar reminiscent of Eddie Hazel. I can see how some of the sounds and techniques could influence music yet to be created.
I already had his Solid Air album as part of this project before. Which I loved. One of my discoveries in the 1001 project. This one though... It's fine, but I have no idea why it's on the list; it doesn't stand out in any way, really.
Everytime I see this artist's name, I think it's "Martyr" and have to do a double take. Now I feel like a martyr after listening to this album.
Could not get into this, his voice is just not for me.
I don't think I hate it, but the suaveness just lingers in my mind long after I've heard the album
I’m not sure what I expected of this album, but it sounded like that background type of music you’d hear in a dentist. Something like Smooth FM. I understand that a lot of people like this kind of music, but it was played non-stop when I was a teenager working in Pizza Hut and Asda, so this whole vibe just always raises my hackles. It isn’t a terrible album by any means, but it’s just not for me. I guess it’s like if Smooth Fm allowed the distortion to be turned up from 0 to 1.
Good lord, another dull album, thats 3 in less than a week now. Its really sapping my desire to continue this project... Anyways, this is 8 songs that seemingly never end, mostly forgettable until the last song "Small Hours"... "Big Muff" was interesting, but died by not having one single ounce of distortion pedal on it... (checks notes) Nevermind, it was about a different kind of Muff.
Eh
It’s quite rambley and not exactly easy to follow because for me it just sounds like just a bunch of sounds
nice acoustic album, but I don't think it was my jam
Meh, just meh. 38 uneventful minutes. Well I guess the last song was kinda fun but that’s about it. 2 stars
DO NOT let Nolan find this rock/jazz fusion album. We need him back on the Modest Mouse bad
Hey Aquaman. That’s my favourite Methro Tull song. Well, second favourite. Right after that 38 minutes song they did about being reincarnated as a starfish but retaining your human brain through some sort of cosmic mistake. Eternally locked inside a gelatinous star in the middle of the ocean. Can’t believe that one charted! ‘94 was a hell of a year. Anyway, this album here? Never heard of it in my life. It could be anything from 80’s pop ballads, to psychedelic show tunes. Maybe some combination of both. I waited days between writing that opening missive and actually listening to this thing. Apparently I needed time to mull. Let’s get this over with. Dealer - Funkyyy OH GOD. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcome Johnny M and the tracheostomy players. Raspy doesn’t begin to describe this vocal delivery. Say no to cigarettes, young fellas. One World - Says you. The unfortunate reality of one world, is you have to share it with guys who will imagine a song, write it, practice it, pay for studio time, and sing like this in front of real people. All the while I need coaching to book a hair appointment. Life never has been fair. This sounds like Sadé being sung in a drunken fashion by a disgruntled philosophy professor at a poorly funded college’s campus bar karaoke Tuesday. Hope that paints a picture for you. Smiling Stranger - Alright. This one kind of won me over. This album is hilarious and this song actually goes pretty hard. Big Muff - Gross. I hated typing those words, let alone hearing them belted out in a falsetto from da funkiest white boi on campus. I have been lost. I mean I’m having fun, but this sucks. Couldn’t Love You More - Whoa. Does this mean that he loves the subject of the song the most possible OR is it past tense, saying “hey pal, couldn’t love you any more, sorry.” This was truly awful. Once again, in a mostly funny way, although it was a little sad. This is obviously a guy in the throes of some addiction. Certain Surprise - This sounds like if you fed Nick Drake a steady diet of acid and speed and taught him about vocal jazz. How does that sound to you? If you said upsetting and hilarious, you just won a million dollars. Please contact uhh what was that address? Dancing - Adult partier anthem. A tribute to sadness, and the desperate clawing at a faded youth that dissipates with each strand of hair that meets its final rest on the pillow. Small Hours - Is this the party anthem redux?? No, it’s a 9 minute closer. Strap in, this should be good. We’re about halfway and nothing has happened. It’s quiet, fairly nice, but mostly boring. I do love the geese ad libs. Oh and now it’s over. That stunk. Man this is a tough one. I had a blast. I felt like I was permanently laughing while this thing was playing. I was laughing at it, but I was still laughing. How can I hate something that brought so much joy? Well, it’s very easy for me as I am a generational hater. This album sucks, but it sucks in such a way that I was never angry or bored. That has to be worth something! It’s worth about a 2, and a half”on to the next one.” Now that’s over with, I’m about to drop a couple tabs and get transported into the body of a sea star. Tally ho. 2 HIGHLIGHTS: Smiling Stranger
Boring
This record did nothing for me. Somewhat boring, and the voice was a bit annoying.
This is not for me. I guess I'll give it props because it is certainly unique and he is doing some interesting things, but the fusion folk scene is not my thing.
Solid Air was considerably better. I was really looking forward to this too. Dealer is really good, but the rest fade into a middle-of-the-road, boring, monotonous easy-listening slow jam.
I started off enjoying this album, but that may have been relative to the albums that have been served up lately. Very soon it developed into a ‘I have changed my mind’ situation and ended in a ‘no thanks’
Bit wanky isn’t it? The track that stuck out was Big Muff (who knew anyone could sing about a big muff for 6.5 minutes?!) and I didn’t mind the instrumental at the end
Without the vocals, this would be a 4-star album. With the vocals, it’s a difficult listen.
não foi uma experiência muito boa eu poderia ter morrido sem ter escutado esse álbum pprt
Relaxing but barely noticed it when I was doing discharge summaries.
The ambience and musical style are really cool. His voice is pretty off-putting to me though. It kind of ruins the vibe. If he was a little less Kermit-y, this would probably be a completely different rating for me. The singer, in this vibey, atmospheric style of music, has the most ability to ruin an album. I really like this music; it does feel very tropical and relaxed and makes me want to go spend some time outside in the sun, preferably by a beach. But his voice kind of cuts through all of that and undoes any feelings the instruments gave me. And that's why that last song hops onto my favorites list, because there's so little singing in it. So close, and yet at the same time, not really close at all. Favorite Song(s): One World, Small Hours
Hypnotic ambience
If your dream playlist includes waiting room vibes and elevator ambience, this album absolutely delivers.
It was okay but very forgettable.
Not sure what I think here. This might bear repeated listening. I've heard of him from Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness' "The Album Years" podcast, but I've never listened to him until today. First impression is that he's a bit of mumbler. That's the thing that's got me on the fence - his voice. I have a feeling it would grow on me if I dove deeper into his catalog, but I don't think I found these songs compelling enough to lead me to do that. I'm stuck between two and 3 stars - I think I have to go with 2.
Album 778 of 1089 John Martyn - One World (1977) Rating : 2 / 5 An extra point for the closing track "Small Hours". Other than that, I found it lackluster and irritating.
Fav tracks : couldn't love you more, certain surprize , small hours Was crazy fond at the beginning but it started growing on me more
Favorites: Small Hours, One World I think I've always had issues with John Martyn's music that I haven't been able to pinpoint until now. I give this album credit for being completely unique and trying a fresh blend of folk, jazz, and ambient that works to his advantage on one or two tracks, but as a whole this album just doesn't interest me much. I also just can't get past his vocals - they don't really fit on the tracks for me that great.
I have no idea what to make of it. This was... odd
It wasn't bad (really enjoyed the ending track) but I'm not sure it was good? It had a style to it, for sure, and may come back, but felt more like soundtrack than anything else. May need to find a different album of his, or be more relaxed when listening a second time.
Very meh
Nothing could’ve prepared me for what his voice sounds like. I’d argue that life is too short to listen to this album.
Some songs I just couldn’t bear the singer’s voice, and the other songs I just didn’t care for. Some of it was pretty groovy, but there was probably only one song that I thought was okay in full which was ‘Dancing’. Maybe with the right vocals, this could be a better album as the production itself was solid. Otherwise, I wasn’t a huge fan.
This had its moments. I listened twice in the background at work. I was at a 2 after the first pass. Enjoyed some of the grooves more on the second time through, but not enough to boost it to a 3. 2.5/5
An example of an album where I was continually hoping for something, but it just never arrived. Some interesting production here and there made for an ok listen, but in the end while hoping for folksy, I got cheesy new agey.
What in the Dirk Diggler!?! This is 70s banging music! I put this on and my wife is like “I don’t think so…” Anyways, this gets two mehs
Expected a chill folk album, got a soundtrack to a 70’s porn flick. Some songs were enjoyable but overall a bit too scatterbrained for my liking. 2.5/5
Up front, not a fan of the porny jazz-funk. It just sounds cheesy and embarrassing to me. Maybe when it came out it didn't have that connotation, but it does now for me. But honestly what's really doing this album in for me is the god awful singing. Can't stand his voice. Even on the one decent song, Dancing, it absolutely ruins the track. Close to a 1, but there's enough talent here (and the instrumental of Dancing) to save it from scraping the bottom of the barrel.
This is #day241 of my #1001albumsyoumusthearbeforeyoudie challenge, and... this has to be one of the weirdest style combos I've encountered—not just on this list, but in general. I tried pushing through the vocals, but by the second song, I just couldn't. The music's like space blues, veering into jazz, folk, ambient, and whatnot... Sometimes it was fun, but for the most part, it was big a fucking yawn. I'll check out his other album, but I'm not holding my breath. This is a 2 out of 5. Looking forward to #day242.
Just a decent John Martyn album.
The entire album sounds like the theme from Love Boat.
Utterly forgettable mellow songs. No idea what anyone sees in this 2*
I'm all in for experimental stuff, but this is clearly preprod jam rushes. I hope the album will be good 🤞
I'm all over on this one. I did not like the first half. 80's in a bad way, lots of black influences being slapped onto white music didnt work and i didnt enjoy his voice. But that floating, spiraling almost ambient work at the end had me transfixed.
Sounded like Macho Man Randy Savage serenading me. Forgetful, plain, and somehow sounded very unique. Such a rare combo. EDIT: Certain surprise was certainly surprising, the only decent song in the album because we're not hearing someone straining to sing.
This was pretty boring.
A bit too clever for me
Ehh. Great musicianship, but it had a lameness to it that reminded me of Dave Matthew’s Band.
This just sounds like white people jazz for white stay at home mums to put on during the day. BOOOOORING
Literally the second I heard the vocals on this album my first thought was 'This guy 100% died from substance abuse'. Rushing to the 'Death' subheading on his Wikipedia page immediately confirmed my suspicion. On the song Smiling Stranger, Martyn's vocals remind me of Steven Seagal. Not Seagal's REALLY GOOD reggae/blues album he did, just his speaking voice in general. Like in the later part of his career when he pretends to be black. According to 'By the 1970s he had begun incorporating jazz and rock into his sound' yeah and Zappa had been doing that as well as mixing his own live performances together for his albums. Unfortunately for the only guy to ever pull off a soul patch, he wasn't born in the UK. No album in Martyn's discography has charted anywhere outside the UK, even then fewer than half of his albums even charted there. It's a good album, and parts of side A are funky but overall it's a forgettable pastiche of reggae-jazz-blues-rock? Some artists on this list deserve to have their names dragged out of obscurity like Nick Drake, I'm not sure that John Martyn does. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2717AbGPoMw Highlights: Dealer, Big Muff (just for the song name though), Small Hours
Found this dull and uninteresting. A lot of it sounded like it could be good as backing music for a TV show or something but not interesting enough as the main focus. "Small Hours" in particular reminded me of an 80s crime drama panning the camera on a lead detective as they ponder the case. 4/10
Went into it thinking I would like it and I was wrong. Just one boring song after another and by the middle I was just wanting it to be over.
Maso
Never heard of this guy, let alone realized how influential he was. This album felt a bit yacht rock to me, but it sounds like he explored many genres so maybe this one just isn’t for me.
Not a bad album, but it was just a bit meh, so although it was fine having it in the background, it would be a bit too much if you properly concentrated on it.
Not really to my taste, though I enjoyed listening to this. The album as a whole had an interesting vibe, and I can see how Martyn attracted an audience for his music.
I have never heard this; or even heard of John Martin. It was fine. Did I NEED to hear this? Probably not
One World seemed to lack direction very often throughout the album, but it was loaded with enough creativity that I wasn’t terribly bored by it. The last song, however, was just unnecessary. Didn’t fit the vibe of the previous 7 tracks, and felt more like filler to complete a full length album. It was a real turn off. It’s a 2.5, not quite a 3.
A few nice sounds and guitar effects aside, I wasn't really feeling this; the vibes are stronger than the songs. I went and re-listened to a few tracks from Solid Air afterwards just to check that I prefer that album (can confirm: I do).
It went. Haven’t heard of him before, poppy and upbeat. Not for me though.
Would be massively improved with a different vocalist
Drømmende singer/songwriter, god guitar, lidt glembart
4/10 - Lucas said it was boring and he had a weird voice. Those are both true statements
Couldn’t stand his voice
Relaxing and inoffensive, if a little dull
Forgettable
Unimpressed.
Ok album. The execution was a bit lacking from my perspective, but it had some good parts and ideas.
I can see that in 77 when this came out it would have blown some minds away, but it's just a bit too chilled out for my tastes. That along with the experimental nature of some of the songs just makes it a bit dull to me. Not a bad album by any means, but I was never taken by any of the tracks.
Some nice atmospheric parts. Other than that, I wasn't very interested in it.
A little downbeat for my tastes
Sometimes feels like something nice and chill, but I could really do without the singing, which is straight up bad and really brings the whole thing down. Also, a lot of this sounds dated and almost like a 70’s porno.
bleh
Dull, dull, dull
John Martyn - One World S’alright. Kind of inoffensive MOR rock, with some unique vocals and production. Really don’t have anything interesting or exciting to say about this. There’s some decent melodys and instrumentation in there, but nothing to blow my socks off. Just a bit dull I guess. Now I’m gonna go and listen to Battlesnake instead.
When I first started listening to this album I got the feeling that John was purposefully trying not to sing properly, like going out of his way not to enunciate. I was surprised to find out he’s Scottish….then twigged this guy is probably in some way responsible for influencing his fellow countryman’s style Paolo Nutini singing style, something that’s always irked me. Then I can see in Apple Music that this album is Feautied on a Paolo Nutini influences album and it validates my thinking. The music is alright. For helping solve a mystery that’s bugged me in the past it gets 2 stars.
'Small Hours' is an amazing, trance-like experience to listen to - but the rest of the album was mostly a hit and miss. I do love the experimental vibes, but it is still only a unique experience to listen to once. Kind of underwhelming.
The loungy sounds evoke the atmosphere of an 80's cop drama intro or soundtrack. This voice can only be an acquired taste. Only the last song redeems it by the singer finally letting them music take center stage instead of the floaty generic sentiments.
..
genuinely no point to this, nothing outstanding
I didn't dislike it but I didn't especially like it either. His sludgy enunciation is distracting. I would be more interested in something more acoustic and less pop-leaning. 2.5/5
I liked one song...but couldn't get past his voice.
Not to my liking at all
This would have been a decent album if John didn't sing.
meh
Reminds me a bit of Eric Clapton, but the voice didn't click and often too mellow.
I do not like this guys voice
I'd call this easy listening. Doesn't mean it's bad—I particularly liked the last song. Overall though, it's just a tad boring.
One song in and I was thinking this must be one of those albums that self-proclaimed audiophiles hold on a high pedestal. The kind where they look down on you for "not getting it". But...going into the second and third songs, I sorta dig it. The drums are catchy enough to convince you that these are "normal"-enough songs but then there's a lot of experimental, fun stuff to keep you engaged. Favorite song: Big Muff Least favorite: Dealer Knew before? No
fitting for the time but he’s mumbling a lot
I thought I was going to like this more than I did. The only impression it left was someone playing musical chairs with styles and influences.
Big muff?
not really my vibe... kind of boring?
listening to this record made me wonder if i should keep doing this
I really just don’t see or understand the significance of this album. I dont see how it’s influential because I was actually pretty bored listening to it almost immediately. I genuinely tried to analyze the importance but couldn’t find it. It bored me however I can’t give it a 1 because I didn’t hate it but it just was unnecessary. No emotion with this.
This was ok. It was a little all over the place.
This is a pleasant enough album, but had nothing that really struck a chord with me.
Find it a bit boring..
This is tough to rate. I get the quality. I get the structure. Not my favorite nor mass appeal. Have to give 2 to even the system otherwise it’s just a void into another set of 3s. Likely 2.75/3 but the last tracks are solid.
Eh, does nothing for me.
Sounded like the music they play when they put you on hold
Not my thing either
"Wait isn't this the guy who did "Over the hill"? Shouldn't this be folk?" Was my first reaction when I heard the intro to the album. Indeed it was but his style had changed. Wasn't really a fan of the new style. Didn't really enjoy the funk, jazz or ballads. Felt a bit all over the place.
This is like if I went to a restaurant. And someone was like, man you gotta try their chicken. And I show up, and it’s this beautifully plate, all kinds of sauces and garnishes, really beautiful, and there’s fucking dinosaur chicken nuggets, still slightly too cold, sat in the middle. What am I supposed to do with this? It might be fucking delicious. But I don’t care. I don’t want this. I don’t know what this is. I take a bite. It’s fine. It’s a guy playing guitar who can’t sing. This would have been a way better instrumental album. I think the American equivalent is that Joe Satriani album with the Silver Surfer on it. I just can’t be made to care about whatever THIS genre is.
This guy sounded like he was either really wasted or really old. Either way, I had no idea what he was saying. Wouldn't listen again, but also didn't completely hate it.
His voice was really annoying.
I definitely did not need to hear this before I die.
You'd think with a list of ONLY 1001 albums from all of civilization that we would get more variety but this list was so scared that they even went to British pop before they tried so many others. This is like if Tom Waits got one of the flies out of his throat, still sounds bad but not as bad.
Meh
Martyn is one of those musicians I should like as I enjoy Nick Drake and a lot of other British folk of the era, but he just never does it for me. I think it’s the weird 70s soft rock feel and the proto-yacht rock cheese he mixes in. Not for me at all.
First song was pretty good, I was excited to hear more. And then it all fell down.
The closer 'Small Hours' is nice, if it wasn't for the fact that all the songs leading up to it seems like they were designing to lull you to sleep.
It’s not until the brilliant last song that I finally get what John Martyn tried but ultimately failed to do with One World. The rest of the record is just boring and uninspired…
The music is fine but I did not find it to be very interesting. Also I am not a fan of this guys voice. 2.5/5
Pretty boring. Not 1 star bad but how does this guy have 2 albums on this list? He shouldn't even have 1.
Background folk, didn't grab me
With my newfound love of Scotland I wanted to like this more.
New to me. Interesting without being gripping. 2.5
One half of this sounds like music for montages of zebras prancing around the safari. The other one sounds like porno music. "Small Hours" is pretty good, but other than that, this is like the 70s equivalent of landfill indie. Landfill prog?
Didn’t finish. Don’t really enjoy the vocals. Instrumentally solid tho.
John Martyn's One World is an odd, experimental album that finds the folk rock artist delving into jazzy and funky territories with the help of Steve Winwood's organ playing. While the glossy production lends itself to the atmospheric sound, it sometimes feels overly polished and plastic-like. Martyn's frail, ghostly vocals are an acquired taste and may not appeal to everyone, despite creating a sense of serenity. The album's simplicity is deceiving, as there seems to be more going on beneath the surface, but the end result is a mixed bag that may not satisfy all listeners. One World showcases Martyn's willingness to explore new sonic territories, but its unusual sound and lack of cohesion ultimately make it a less compelling entry in his discography.
I didn't really get this one.
Couldn’t love you more and Small Hours were the standout tracks. The rest was just fine. The songs reminded me of songs that would be at the beginning of romantic or drama 90s movies in a generic way. Small Hours I honestly would have enjoyed more with no vocals.
Man, wine dad music really had a moment in the 80s, didn't it?
Right off the bat, I was NOT expecting that kind of breathy, gruff delivery. Especially paired with the gentle music I was hearing. It kind of...doesn't fit I hate to say. Instrumentally, a pretty easy and interesting listen with the artistic choices made on each track. Vocally, I could take it or leave it.
Didn't care for it. I will revisit Solid Air someday but I won't revisit this one. Just didn't work for me.
Very good example of singer songwriter that has a hippie association with it, but not my favorite atuff
Veo que ya escuché otro disco de este autor y guardé una canción. El primer tema resulta interesante, aunque ninguno de este disco está entre los más oídos en Spotify. En general me ha parecido un rollo, no sé de qué va o qué merito tiene, a pesar de sonar bastante bien.
What starts as with a lighthearted and somewhat funky yacht rock, this album deteriorates into straight ambient music. John Martyn's "One World" is obscure and unremarkable *Scottish music.
Utterly forgettable. Also mixed poorly. The vocal say eat back in the mix.
Nope
Too dull.
If Neil Young was a heavy smoker who occasionally got into yacht rock grooves that your dad might have liked.
Didn’t find a lot of joy with this one.
This is a bland salad of an album. Nothing to complain about in the guitar playing, quirky voice, average songwriting. There’s just nothing that makes it stand apart from so many other light adult-rock albums. I’d let it slide, in the name of getting exposed to acts who are now lesser- known. But this is not the only John Martyn album on the list - dude hardly deserves one spot, let alone a second.
+1 for the final track
This guys voice was annoying
Not for me
A mellow album with an original combination of elements from funk, afro-pop, dub, blues and ambient genres. It's extremely laid back even at its most high energy, like JJ Cale in slow motion, like Funkadelic curling up to take a nap, like Steely Dan letting it all hang out. The guitar playing is the highlight, messing around with delays and reverbs to play notes that fade in and swell and fade, doing lots of cool textural stuff, and experimenting with tone. His voice was jarring, almost unnerving, at first but you get used to it. Not one I'd heard before, glad to know it, but unlikely to revisit anytime soon.
Never heard of John Martyn before this. The first song, Dealer, was OK laid-back 70's funk, though it sounded like he was trying to sing with strep throat. The rest of the album was super boring and forgettable, especially that last track, what was that supposed to be? I'm looking forward to reading the 5/5 ratings to see how someone could possibly be enthusiastic about this big, dull dud.
I could have gone without hearing this one. It wasn't bad but there was something off-putting about it
I don't know who this guy John is but his album cover art reminds me of a cross between Camel and Pablo Cruise but sadly the sound of his music is more like Pablo Cruise to me which is something I don't really dig so I will say I'd liked the sound of his voice and if I've met somebody with that kind of voice in person I wouldn't have thought they would have been a singer so good for him for making some songs. I give it two stars
Hard to put a finger on this one. Mostly didn’t care for it, but some neat moments.
I perhaps would have enjoyed his collab with Lee Scratch Perry, but as good a guitar player and innovator as this guy may have been, I did not care for this album. Dull, for me. Though I believe the music was expert.
I really wasn't much of a fan of this. It was kind of boring, elevator music imo.
Can see the appeal but didn’t really standout to me
Not sure what to class this as.... Reminded me of Steve Winwood. It wasn't bad, but nothing to write home about Favourite songs: Dealer, Dancing Least favourite songs: Small Hours (nothing really happens, except some geese fly overhead...) 2/5
Thoughts before listening: I don't know this album or artist. Maybe some sort of avant garde folk music...not really sure. Review: That was okay. Certainly not unlistenable but also didn't really do much for me. Kind of soft rock with some experimental sounds mixed in. 2-stars
I was trying to wrap my head around this album and how I felt about it, when someone in another review said this sounded a lot like Brian Eno and it clicked for me. I really am not a fan of Brian Eno and his experimental tracks and the similarity to that really put me off, but John Martyn's sound also still has melody and shape to it. I think overall the use of effects works at some points and doesn't in others. The effects feel overused mostly, though interestingly Small Hours works most for me because I think it really captures a really melancholy vibe because of the effects. I leave feeling more intrigued by John Martyn as an artist than this as an album.
2.5 stars. Some of it is smooth jazz, some of it is bluesy, the ending track is very psychedelic. Martyn's vocals really caught me off guard - on a bad way - on the opening track. Some songs he has a great performance, like on "Certain Surprise" and "Couldn't Love you More." The latter track is my favorite, with a nice combo of bright synth(?) and acoustic guitar. The album has a very 70s sound to it, with various horns sprinkled in on some songs. Kind of passable as soulful, technically smooth jazz, I guess. Ultimately, I don't think I'd have play this one again.
4/10
Very frog coded album, no I will not elaborate
John Martyn is a little boring. I remember enjoying Solid Air, but there’s a lot less interesting things going on with this album. Martyn seemed to be doing in the 70s what Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel were doing in the 80s-90s, so props to Martyn for being ahead of the curve. But One World just doesn’t really do much for me.
Anti-groove jazz.
Bored. Uninterested at any point. It’s not bad music, just not anything I would ever listen to again.
Not a fan but music needs something different, just doesn't always hit the mark
Meh, I listened
Meh
It doesn’t inspires me.
I find this man's voice incredibly grating, to the point that by the first track on the B side I was getting pretty annoyed, but I do find this better than Solid Air for the fsct that it feels as though some effort was put into the catchiness of the album here, unlike there where a man who could not enunciate to save his life rambled over random musical beats. It causes this album to be just as forgettable, but perhaps a tad more enjoyable in the moment.
Who gave Drunk Uncle a record deal?
Really not my thing, feels like elevator music on shrooms.
#79. This shit was boring as hell, which is sometimes worse than being bad when it comes to music. 2/5: yawn
Kinda funky but not great
I've already heard Solid Air so I think that's enough John Martyn for me. Look, he's pretty good. A consistent, smooth, mellow sound that enjoyable to most. I found it a bit boring.
I didn’t hate but it didn’t leave an impression. 2/5
I was hoping this would be above average from the wiki, but... I consider this below average. Wanky and meandering to a fault. 2 feels right.
2.1 listened 2x
Ei ihan oma pala kakkua. Ei mitään paskaa, mutta ei tätä kyllä jaksa kertaa enempää kuunnella.
Pliisu laulaja, muuten ok
My 2nd JM album in a couple of weeks. Don't like the jazzy/dubby feel ti this one. Hasn't dated well.
I had listened to Solid Air before through this project, and I loved it, so I was excited to hear One World based on how much I enjoyed that album. However, this one just doesn't hit the same way for me. I'm not sure why, but it doesn't have the same jazz atmosphere throughout and feels a bit more middle of the road. It's not an album that I'll come back to, but as a positive it did make me listen to Solid Air again today. 2 stars.
Mehhhh. Very hit and miss. The last song is beautiful, though.
Had some moments, but just couldn't hold on to them.
Ok
Unfamiliar with this artist. I think I had a playlist based on Joni Mitchell where he showed up and I remember the song as a kind of stand-out. I could have been someone else, though. This music is representative of something that I just can't put my finger on. I don't know what to call it. It's music that is highly regarded, but I don't see it. Other examples: Kate Bush, a lot of Bob Dylan, the band Bush ;) There's probably a German word for it. Music that 'everyone' likes, but it just rubs you the wrong way. I almost had to turn off the the whole thing during the song Dancing - you really rhymed "fancy-pantsing" with dancing? "Certain Surprise" sounds as drugged as Martyn certainly was when they recorded this. Drugs feel good to him, I'm sure, but that voice is "infuriating" (to quote Phil Collins) - HIT THE NOTE for fuck's sake. Ugh. Sorry, just the visceral reaction I got from this. There is definitely a free-form attitude about it, but it is more like Lightning Bolt than Coltrane. This freewheeling is possibly not done for artistic effect. Possibly he was just a problematic person who had enablers that encouraged him to surface his demons for some entertainment. It SOUNDS TO MY EARS like Martyn knows how to play and compose a kind of Nike Drake style English folk, but is so caught in his own mental shit (and wants the rest of us to feel this pain as well) that any song construction that might please the audience is eschewed. Just play the first thing that comes to mind. Sure it's unusual, but there are always critics who will give five stars to the unusual regardless of whether the music sounds good or not. As long as it's different sounding, which this certainly is. Here's the thing. So many self-centered artists expose their pain to us, and many do it in a way that we can relate to. Kind of why we listen to music, to some degree, to get into or out of various states of mind, feelings, thoughts... I just think in Martyn's case he doesn't care whether I like the music or not. And I believe he has said so himself on many occasions. It's like the person who's "just being honest, telling it like it is." We all have our own reality. Great music intersects with the reality of artist and audience alike. ------------------------------------------------ The following is the result of asking ChatGPT to edit the above to be more concise, and I have to say I like it: "Unfamiliar with John Martyn until he appeared on a Joni Mitchell playlist. His music, akin to the elusive category of universally liked yet divisive artists like Kate Bush or Bob Dylan, leaves me uncertain. Certain tracks, like "Dancing," made me cringe with questionable rhymes. "Certain Surprise" feels drugged and, though free-form, lacks the artistic resonance of Coltrane, leaning more towards chaotic than intentional. Martyn's apparent disregard for audience preference suggests a self-indulgent approach. While he may possess the skill for English folk à la Nick Drake, his fixation on personal demons overshadows potential audience enjoyment. The music feels like a stream of consciousness, deviating from structured compositions that might please listeners. It's undeniably unique, but uniqueness alone doesn't guarantee quality. Unlike artists who skillfully share relatable pain, Martyn seems uninterested in whether his music resonates. His indifference contrasts with the symbiosis of great music, where artist and audience connect. In Martyn's case, his "just being honest" approach results in a disconnect between his reality and that of his listeners."
Too much instrumental somehow
I find it on brand for the author(s) of this list to include a second album from an artist who has no notoriety outside of the UK. John Martyn's One World answers the question that no one ever asked regarding what Tom Waits would sound like if he had a disco/funk era. 2/5.
Okay. Not really my thing.
i don’t know, i just found this one kind of boring.
This was pretty hard to get through. Was he eating a burrito the whole time? Was his mom in the next room so he was practicing his singing really quietly? Who knows.
There's a song you like them a song you hate. Then you teach the final track, which I liked and hated.
Mellow listening, some enjoyable parts, but nothing I'd come back to.
I don’t really like the overall sound of this album and John Martyn’s voice is really not a great voice, I can’t give it a 1 though because dealer is an okay opener and couldn’t love you more is actually pretty good. 2/5
Oh my god, I’m so bored! Wasn’t one album from this guy enough? The monotony! The monotony!
Waiting-in-a-pastel-painted-dentist's-office-in-the-80s-ass album
This guy should have stuck to playing the guitar and left the singing to someone else.
Background listening. That's about it
Leuke muziek, irritante zangstem. Helaas dus onder de maat. **
Not mad about this, but it isn't terrible. Just a few experiments that didn't pan out. However, not sure why it's on the list here, assuming Solid Air and Bless the Weather are on the list. Those would be plenty.
There were times when this album made me think "Nick Drake might have sounded like this if he hadn't been crippled by depression," but I wasn't into it.
Atmospheric/spacey jazz rock
This was strange but not really memorable.
Dullsville
one world is an album that doesn't sound like it's from 1977. "couldn't love you more" sounded more like some nineties alternative than seventies experimental pop! other than that, some of this album came off as uninteresting. i'm already not the biggest fan of experimental, so unfortunately that's a strike against john martyn he can't fight. i will say that steve winwood's energy is definitely felt here. he popped in nearly every track on this album, and a song like "small hours," a pleasant instrumental, felt like another song from winwood's eighties career.
I won't lie, when I saw the album cover art, the decade, and Steve Winwood's involvement, I was hoping this was going to be a yacht rock album. I was unfortunately mistaken. There were various parts of this album that intrigued me at different points...some of the experimentation, the funk sounds, the vocals, Steve Winwood's musical fingerprints. But none of these ever quite fully came together in order to make me like any of these songs, or this album.
Pretty weird album that doesn't pass the vibe test with me. I actually enjoy the arrangements on pretty much all of the songs, but the way the vocal recording was handled detracts from the product as a whole pretty significantly. The jazz and funk feels in the instrumentals are very much welcome, however. Favorite track: Dancing
I dont feel like a lot happened, but it was sort of interesting 2.5/5
Mais um disco folk. Parece que tem uma guitarra bem executada, mas não me chamou a atenção.
Weird sounds, wouldnt probably listen to any of it again
Have to admit it didn't grab me enough for me to pay much attention to. Doesn't sound bad, though
Solid Air this ain't. Smooth folk with a hint of funk works better for me that smooth funk with a hint of folk. Never again.
A good album that I enjoyed as background music. Nothing that really stood out to me. 2/5
I'm not sure what I just listened to but it wasn't the worst thing on this list by far. I even enjoyed bits of it. I won't listen to it again but it wasn't like... terrible.
I thought the vocals were odd but the instrumentation was pretty groovy.
A lot of words have Latin roots, which can aid in understanding their meaning. For instance, 'bene' means good. Y'know, like benefactor, benign, beneficial, etc.? John Martyn's "One World" is not bene-anything. And 'muff' doesn't seem to be a Latin root. Muffin, muffaletta, muffed... these words start the same but have very different meanings. Even 'muff' itself has multiple different meanings. So which one is "Big Muff" about!? Is it about a hand warmer? A fumble? Or something else? Perhaps this song is a companion piece to Primus' "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver?" As with the first John Martyn album we reviewed, this one started out pretty terrible. And even the legendarily large muff couldn't fully reverse that. Martyn seems to have no style of his own, dabbling here and there in different genres and styles, with ever-changing vocals. His career may have gone all over the place, but I hope it doesn't go onto the list for a third time.
Did this guy invent mumble pop?
Sounds like an not very interesting fusion album. I'd rather listen to something like Weather Report or Return to Forever when i'm in the mood for this kind of music. Nothing here was particularly enticing.
Meh.
Arsed
This is pretty basic soft rock music from the 70s. It sounds like this guy has some problems enunciating and his singing is like being dragged across sandpaper. The instrumentals are decent and relaxing but it doesn’t help restore the rough sound of the singing. I enjoyed one song on this album more than the others but overall it wasn’t great. 5.5/10
Who knew? John Martyn is actually Artist #1667 on my scrobbles Never heard this album though Hmm, disappointed actually - I was really looking forward to this one.
bit boring but chill
Not 100% sure if what to make of this. Didn’t like his voice especially. It was very much an experimental late 70s sound. I don’t think I’d listen to it again.
Got a bit bored to be honest
I couldn’t tell if there were any actual songs on this.
Ensimmäinen biisi oli selittämättömässä tarttuvuudessaan toivottu yllätys, mutta muut eivät lunastaneet odotuksia. Saattoi johtua sävellyksiä enemmän laulutyylistä. Olihan se helvetin outo.
The arrangements are nice, but the mumbling guy just turns me off.
Ok-ish background music, but not attention grabbing, other than to think 'this guy's voice is a bit annoying'. I could have guessed Steve Winwood's involvement from both the album cover and the music. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Dancing Date listened: 22/12/22
Pretty average sounding album by my standards
Dude sounds like Patty and Selma
The part of this album I enjoyed was the instrumentation, and arrangements. However, his voice is of the sort I do not care for when listening to male voices. It is a faux sense of soulful, or “world weary”, sound. Think a Citizen Cope, or Ray LaMontagne. Again: another album that is hard to understand why it is a “bucket list” album.
Okay voice that sometimes shows off some bluesy chops, middling music, One World isn't worth a place on the list. Beige 2/5.
Dreamy, on the verge of porny, but with slightly too much energy to be either. Not unpleasant (although his voice sounds like Louis Armstrong has stopped taking Strepsils and lost a decent chunk of musicality), but not super interesting either. Started badly, got better as it went on, but still not really enough to elevate it above a 2. Did enjoy the final track though.
Another one for my “glad-I-listened-but probably-won’t-try-again” list. It is a very inventive record for sure, but it sounds dated and it didn’t give me anything solid enough to hold onto. Didn’t love his voice either, much preferred the instrumental parts.
eh he’s j lame
A few interesting moments here and there, but overall I just wasn't very interested. Might be his vocal delivery, might be the choice of instruments, not quite sure. Not bad, not at all, just doesn't do anything for me.
Just listening to the album the first time around, I found the music to be enjoyable and interesting in a low key way, probably not enough to draw me back for more but probably 3-3.5 stars worth. Reading more, before and during a second listen, I learned that John Martyn was abusive to his wife, children and others. Does this change my perception of the music? Yes, because the album included some quite beautiful songs of love, holding onto love after years of marriage, with peaceful and gentle music...only now, they are tainted for me by my awareness of the common dynamic (of most abusers) of using "but I really do love you!" as some kind of excuse, justification or manipulation after episodes of violence. It makes it hard now for me to relate to those songs as any kind of inspiration, regardless of the subjective (and no doubt genuine) feelings of their author. So this isn't the opposite of an album I dislike but with redeeming features (e.g. like but with demerit points) - it's an album I liked at first but now can't enjoy in the same way.
kinda nice but got quick. 2.5 stars.
Boring
Je pouvais sentir l’engagement de l’artiste, mais ce n’est pas un genre qui me rejoint vraiment. N’a pas retenu mon attention.
Gave up after a few songs. It's not that it's awful. It's just the worst of background music. It's like a bad music soundtrack.
Not much to say. I didn’t actively dislike anything, I thought a lot of the dissonances the vocalist chose were fun, but the music felt a little too lounge-y for my taste.
My partner likes John Martyn, or rather, she really likes Solid Air, I'm not sure I've heard her play anything else tbh. I like that kinda, it's not really my thing but it's nice and chilled. So, expecting more smokey, chilled and timeless acoustic stuff, the first track here was a bit of a surprise. It sounds much more dated to me, sadly. Nah, I'm really not feeling this. Even the more chilled, acoustic ones just seem...busy, somehow.
Some nice sounds here and there but mostly suffered through this one.
I dunno, vocals just kind of annoy me. Reminds me of middle ages dudes on vacation in Cancun. And then there's a random ambient track at the end? Talk about genre shift. Meh.
skipped though all the songs and gave up. Not horrible but not in the mood.
Mwah, kon nauwelijks verstaan wat ie zong.
More odd inclusions in this list - there have to be 3001 albums better than this. it's fine, it's even got a funny song, but it doesn't feel like my life is better for having listened to it
A bit bland
Really? Two albums by this guy? Feels like an extension of the last one.
2.5
Kinda boring, singer sounds drunk.
I thought the mix on this sounded pretty bad
Slipped into the background but the bits I did notice seemed dull and dreary.
couldn't finish
Was alright, a bit mellow for today, and I didn't listen very closely.
I do not care for this. However, it was very different than what I was expecting. Still not my thing. Sorry John.
lol another noodly white guy from the 70s, what a surprise
Meh was ok
One day, a fish (or some old man who accidentally swallowed a fish bone, I don't know which) learned how to sing and make some music. So, he grabbed some guitar and harmonica, gathered a bunch of other musicians and decided to record an album. All I can say about the result is, he did a pretty decent human music. But the critter needs a lot of improvement. I love the "One World" title though, it's like we and those fishes live in one world or something, right? Probably not. I mean, I don't get the sound of it. It sounds include tropical restaurant background music, default ringtone of cellphones, and some pretty decent bossa nova stuff. But perhaps more important than the sounds is the vocals. Yes, singing in the air is difficult for a fish, but it should be improved further. There are lots of great singers (yes, even outside of death metal and black metal) who have raspy vocals. A little bit of vocalization and now he's good. Overall, boooring. It kind of reminds me of Pink Floyd's "Meddle", another ocean-vibe rock album that was released six years before this one. It's a masterpiece of course, I mean there were whales lmao. But at least this album, unlike "Meddle", was so experimental it invented trip hop, among other genres. A nice achievement for a fish, isn't it?
I have never heard of John Martyn. This album was not memorable and just ok.
Good musician.
2.5 this sounds really nice
Didn’t really enjoy.
Het grijpt me niet heel erg aan, maar als achtergrondmuziek is het prima
Found this really dull, think it was his voice. very repetitive
Not great
Not a great album. Surprised I've never heard of this guy though. All the songs are kind of boring and uninteresting. "Big Muff" was kinda funny. "Certain Surprise" had a croony, Dean Martin-y feel. "Dancing" had a 70s groove. Those were the only ok songs on the album.
At times this sounds like someone doing a Louis Armstrong impersonation set to some new age music Chuck Mangione would approve of without the trumpet. None of this really bothers me. I'm just to the point where I have to wonder if it was completely necessary to hear this before dying. Oh well, at least I'm now aware of who John Martyn is, which might have been his goal all along. Some would say forcing me to look up the correct spelling of Mangione should affect the album's rating. I'll call it a push and give it an extra star since it's pleasant background music and I'd bad putting it in the 1 dustbin. Plus I also believe Martyn would have been a great hang, despite what impact this album had on me. I bet Sade really digs this album.
Uneventful for me. Probably one that needs a closer listen
Lame and uninteresting
meh
I liked the instrumentals, but I just couldn't enjoy the songs properly. I didn't really like John's voice, but the songs got better towards the end of the album. 2/5 stars.
What starts as a noise record with slight rock tendencies, descends into instrumental ambience music.
Understand the influence this album may have but not a fan.
Not my cup of tea