Solid Air

3. A bit dull, but it was nice to have on in the background while reading.

the main problem i have with this album is that it’s too schizophrenic. is it soft gentle folk a la james taylor? is it psychedelic rock? is it bluesy? it tries to be all of these and succeeds at being none of these. it would actually be more listenable if it could pick one and stick with it. oh, and the fact that mr. martyn tends to have a serious case of mush mouth. case in point, on the title track, pretty much the only decipherable lyrics are the words “solid air”. however, that might be forgivable if he sang that way in every song… not even that is consistent. some songs you can understand the lyrics. twas a pretty frustrating listen, but that’s ok since it is now over.

Track 1 The air is more solid than his pronunciation. Mumbles McGuitar over here. Track 2 Better. Words and more upbeat. Track 3 Emotive slosh mouth. I don't hate it. Track 4 He tried to get more rocky here. Reminiscent of Jim Morrison. Not bad at the start but it kinda fell flat about half way through and just stayed there. Track 5 Yikes Track 6 Man. This is not good. Track 7 I dunno. My ear drums fell asleep and I gave up about here.

Meh.

Got into this about 20 years ago, then went off it. It's all over the place! I think it's at its best when it's going in random folk-psych directions, like "Go Down Easy." Not so keen on the faux-Americana bits.

It's like Nick Drake fucked Van Morrison in a jazzy, bluesy atmosphere, and it's amazing. Tonally inconsistent, but still able to retain a cohesive identity of a chilled nightime, looking out on a city vibe. A real treasure to discover. 16/04/23

Great for a nice evening!

When my partner got this album, they were very vocal about their hatred for the way this man sings, and I kinda get what they mean. My man needs to enunciate, at least on the first song. The music was decent though. Nice and mellow. My favourite song was Solid Air.

I honestly can’t say I had any preconceptions about John Martyn, as it’s a name that has never come up on my radar before. I’m excited to listen, as it’s always interesting to hear a highly regarded artist that I’ve never heard of. Songs I already knew: none Favourites: Solid Air, Over The Hill The opening track here truly blew me away. The acoustic guitar together with his soft voice was a recipe for blissful listening and I enjoyed it a lot. This high level of music was maintained throughout the album - I generally preferred the songs with no percussion, but there were no bad songs to be found here. Overall, this feels like an artist I’m going to have to remember going forward as I was really impressed.

Quite samey throughout, alright for a 2or 3*

Probably could've done with more listens. If I get a chance I'll revisit.

Loved it!

It was ok, not my thing though.

Just because you can play the guitar real good doesn't mean you should also sing.

Not sure about those mumbling vocals, but pretty good instrumentals.

Bits of this are quite nice, good for a bit of sampling, but sometimes the vocals go full Tom Waits and I suffered.

I used to think I didn’t like Folk music. Turns out that maybe I just don’t like American Folk music. Well, maybe I should clarify…the British folk I’ve listened because of this list has been far more interesting to me than the American Folk music I’m familiar with. It’s seemingly more willing to experiment, with less adherence to tradition. There’s some truly beautiful Fender Rhodes keyboard playing on this record. It’s a funky, soulful and experimental psychedelic folk-rock record. Really great stuff here, especially if you enjoy Nick Drake.

⭐ Don't Want To Know

Supremely good. Enviable playing.

One of the most unique sounds I've heard in a while. I like thatb it's jazzy but not jazz. This was a nice surprise.

'Solid Air.' Mumbling, that's the first thing that hits me. Then... more mumbling. Okay, what the fuck, is this a joke? Who is this guy and why is this album listed? It's got some smooth instrumentals, but that's it. Second song is better. More enunciation. Louder. I thought things would stay good, or at least tolerable. Then 'I'd Rather Be The Devil' came on and we were back to step one with the mumbling and moaning. I don't want to put in this much effort to listening. There's also not great falsetto. Just a mash-up of things I don't enjoy.

Loved it

Incredible accoustic guitar-focused folk rock. May you never is an all-time-favorite

Fav tracks: May You Never, The Man in the Station, Over the Hill

2, acoustisch, iets te traag

Oh fuck yes this is one of the best things ever made.

I came to the John Martyn party late. It was the turn of the millennium - my life changed and my friends changed. One new friend used to spend a lot of late nights with me drinking wine and listening to John Martyn, with a bit of Cassandra Wilson thrown in. Not my usual style, but I came to love this genre-defying lyrical genius. Each song is infused with love and compassion and profound emotion. That voice just sucks you in. On the day JM died I happened to be listening to a radio show where the DJ was a massive fan. He turned over the show, the whole three hours into a dedication to his work. He didn’t really play the songs (maybe one or two per hour). What he did was to let people ring in and share their experiences of what JM meant to them. It was a masterclass in radio. There was a lot of emotion, a lot of tears but joy as well. The synchronicity worked for me, as if I hadn’t had those late nights with wine and Solid Air it would have meant nothing. Every song resonates for me and marks a turning point in my life. Fan-bloody-tastic!

I had never heard of John before today and so I did a quick Wikipedia search, and this album was billed as folk. The first song on the album had an ethereal quality to it, and I could buy it as some sort of folk music. I didn’t really love it and wasn’t looking forward to listening to the rest of the record. But from the second song until the end of the album, I was questioning the definition of folk music. Because to me, it did not seem like what I consider folk. If anything, it seemed bluesy. Even though I hadn’t heard any of the songs before, they all seemed familiar and made me happy. I also read that the songs had something to do with Nick Drake. A tribute? A theme? I didn’t get to delve into this aspect of the album, but I liked it a lot and would play it again.

I was hoping to give this album a second listen because through the first I just kept thinking, "how is it I've never even HEARD of this guy before?" and somehow I wasn't able to really digest what he was doing. But today was a particularly busy one and here I am at 11 PM realizing I didn't even sit down to pen a review. So I'm giving this a 4-star review because, though I'm not even sure I'd recognize a song from this album if it came on the radio, I was struck by how effortless it seemed to John Martyn to create music. It never once sounded like he was trying, it was just happening. I do hope to circle back and get my teeth into this, but first impression is this cat has something going on.

Thiz dudez inziztenze on zinging like thiz was zuch a turnoff. The muzic was often cool, though.

Was just ok

Loved it

Best bluesy jazzy album I've heard so far. I love the atmosphere, the acoustics, the piano work, perfect. Great album for focus and relaxing. 9/10

you know i like folk country vibes a lot but this album wavers constantly between 'this is really good' and 'this is really average' in a way that doesn't let me rate it any higher

Man, what is that singing on the first song? It's nearly appalling. In fact, this whole album is kind of torture. It's so BORING. Usually that'd be a two star, but this album has zapped motivation from me for the rest of the day, it was that bad. Haven't had an album that boring since all the way back with my first one star. God, I'm falling asleep just thinking about it... zzz....

God I hope it's better than the last one of his on this list Artist #877 currently on last.fm Update: Yep. Much better.

John Martyn led a tumultuous life and suffered from substance abuse for a good part of it. That being said, he was an extraordinary and innovative acoustic guitarist. I saw John Martyn in person could not have been more impressed by his style, technique, and ability. On Solid Air, his improvisation and collaboration with other musicians, especially the great Danny Thompson, was magical. I remember hearing Martyn play his guitar through an Echoplex for the first time - he brought a progressive influence to acoustic folk. Martyn achieved commercial success (23 albums), and when he didn't play solo, opened for many great bands and artists at one time or another, including Eric Clapton, Traffic, and Yes.

Smooooooth

Good sounds

Great new music I hadn't heard yet. Look forwards to researching more of his music!

I liked it. 4/5

Snore! I’m not remotely interested in this album after listening to it.

3.5

Thought this was tighter and better focused than the last entry I got by this individual. Still, it's a genre of modified folk that doesn't quite mesh with me.

Very good and smooth

Mumble jazz folk, not for me.

The day in Napoli and first back with WiFi. Going to Sorrento today with Jenna. Going to a book shop then picking up the car. Wednesday 8th March.

After a few listens this album was actually a lot better than I gave it credit for at the start. I never really got used to his way of singing, but the songs are diverse and of a high quality

pretty ok

Un artista totalmente desconocido para mí. Pero tiene un aire folk totalmente actual para un disco que este año cumplirá 50 años!!! Me han gustado bastante "Over the hill" y "Dreams by the sea".

Ich glaub ich müsste mich länger damit beschäftigen um mehr dahinter zu steigen, auf jeden Fall interessant

Not my style at all, so I can't say if it's any good.

Love it

4.0

Dreary. John Martyn could sap the energy out of a 10 year olds birthday party....... at Disneyland. Like many a drunkard could do.

- again, just not my style

Never heard of this artist before, but some good songs on here.

love it

I don't think I've yet been as torn with a rating as with this album! I HATED the first song and then LOVED the second and continued to oscillate between the two emotions for the length of the album. The music was great but everytime he started doing that mush-mouth, lazy singing style I wanted to plug my ears. Ultimately I think it boils down to inconsistency

This was a really relaxing album. I was able to just have it in the background while concentrating on other things and I felt like it worked well. Not a normal listen for me but I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

At first I thought this was going to be a weird as hell album. I was right. But, it had great variety of easy listening and very much kept my interest. Go Down Easy and Man In The Station stood out to me the most. I appreciated this a lot and I’d definitely listen to some of the songs again.

Yawn

A decent folk pop all in that provides nice Melodie’s and catchy instrumentals. I’ve never heard of this album or artist before but I thought it was well done for what it was and enjoyed most of the songs. It felt somewhat like a nick drake album but with less dread. I’d revisit most of these songs for casual listening. 6.3/10

Eltrapeze et moi sommes d'accord là-dessus, John Martyn s'est très bien appliqué à nous baiser la gueule avec cet album.

John Martyn se propose ici de venir nous Gene Clarkiser la gueule sans vergogne, et on en redemande.

Heard it before?: No Enjoy it?: not really just too somber and quiet for me Favourite song: didn’t have one

Just a really good chill listen. Wasn’t too many bangers, but the album as a whole had a mood. Solid 3. Will be adding “Solid Air” to my playlist.

Decent. Feels newer than 1973.

Listened to his top 3 off the album and decided to pass

Seems I've tapped into an especially rich vein of middling sonic crap given the past few days of records. Who will break this cursed streak of unremarkable junk? This mush-mouth mumbling motherfucker just isn't doing it for me.

There are a lot of these folky albums on the list. the seventies were a good time for singer songwriters. It's not too bad.

Just a bit "meh". I like the singer/songwriter/folksy vibe, with the occasional jazzy interpretation overall, but not many songs are very interesting to listen to. I do like May You Never, and Don't Want to Know and The Man in the Station, but most of the rest is just fair.

Some interesting sounds. Not sure I would pull this out to listen again.

Tried 3 different times to listen to this. Nothing bad about it just didn’t grip me in ANY way.

7/10 corta

Boring

I did not really like this. Kind of boring and then it gets a little weird/bad at some points.

Classic

Sonically this is a very cohesive album. Haven't heard any standouts however, except perhaps 'If I were a carpenter'. This album could have its place in a coffeeshop playlist, used as background noise.

Who on earth is John Martyn? What is this album all about? Turns out that this album is The Tits. It's just great. Unashamedly absolutely fan-piggin-tastic. Which of course means that John Martyn is going to be a wrong'un. Of course it means that. It has to mean that. Let's do some research. Oh, yes, there it is. Alcohol and drug abuse, spousal abuse, generally being a bit of a dick to a lot of people. Hmmm. Why is it that people who are so damn good at music are always such turds? If we can divorce the art from the artist, this is 5 stars. In this case - I think I probably can.

Do not really like much of the vocals here, but did enjoy bits of the instrumentals.

I listened to this twice and can't remember anything from it.

One of my favourite albums, ever. The apogee of the British folk revival. Here, Martyn doses the waters with West Coast jazz influences resulting in a heady combination. Solid Air's smoky, blurry atmosphere proves perfect for listening after dark. Sensual, hypnotic, tender, magical. Music doesn't get much better than this.

I'm listening to this at 11pm quietly on a laptop and it's pretty good late night music. I like the mood of it and can appreciate that there's a time and place for this kind of thing. I can't imagine listening to this in a car in the middle of the day, for example. But at night, quietly on a laptop? Yeah, sign me up.

I got a little bored, but it's decent background music. There's a song or two that brings in some more interesting musical parts. John's a chiller.

Not for me. Honestly I got bored while listening and my attention drifted away. Can't rate more than this

This album is uneven. The opening track is a muddy slog. The next song, aptly named Over The Hill, is somewhat better, and it's up and down the rest of the way. The funky vibe on the first half of I'd Rather Be The Devil is fun. There are bright spots in many of the songs, but diction sure isn't one of them. Considering the album as a whole my primary reaction is irritation.

2.5/5 ok chill instruments for background but vocals are a bit annoying

I'd never heard of this guy. True to coincidence form, a half hour after listening to this, I was on a podcast episode about a faded pop star called Beverly Martyn...the narrator said the following: "John Martyn, meanwhile, wrote and recorded a critically-acclaimed album about how sad he was his wife had left him. That album often gets included in some of those “albums you need to hear before you die” lists, and as if to rub salt in the wound, he gave Beverley co-writing credit on the last track" (he'd just mentioned JM's domestic violence and controlling behaviour credentials before this). So I ended up disliking this guy almost immediately after hearing about him. The music is fine.

Awesome

Very relaxing listen, nothing really stuck out to me, but some great soothing music.

Röddin aðeins of kæruleysisleg á köflum, og sumt ekki grípandi við fyrstu hlustun, en mörg lögin ansi góð og hljóðheimurinn er mjög töff.

Molto bella 'Solid Air' calda, suadente, sexy È tutto molto bello!

Took me awhile to get used to the singing style, but I really liked the variety of styles and instrumentation on this album. Some really great understated saxophone, electric piano and vibraphone runs on many of the songs. The more straight forward blues tracks were a bit forgettable, but overall a solid album.

Just ok. Didn't do much for me, honestly. I wouldn't choose to listen again. 2.49/5

This album has been on my radar after Produce Like a Pro’s excellent video, but I only now got around to it. Good sfuff! Martyn had an exceptional ear for influences and melds sounds together that work better than they should. I definitely will look harder for a copy now. B

Good stuff., a variety of folk and groove. Check out more of his stuff, there’s a lot.

I stopped listening pretty early into this. Didn’t give it a fair shake but it just didn’t keep me interested.

I didn't listen to the whole thing but what I heard was pretty but boring.

I like this album. Reminds me of something I would listen to while walking in nature. Some trippy tracks on here, but they were all groovy enough to be consumable in a lot of environments. Would listen to again.

A conventional acoustic album that doesn't do much to reinvent the wheel, but instead focuses on noodling on different hooks and music motifs. Overall, this is easy listening personified, but there is no sticking power with the music or lyrics.

Om du låter titelspåret spela i bakgrunden medan du och din dejt konverserar och tittar varandra djupt i ögonen ska du behöva göra bort dig TOTALT för att hon inte ska bli sugen. John Martyn är din ideala wingman. Se bara till att hon inte lyssnar allt för mycket på texten, då den är skriven till den deprimerade Nick Drake; det kan sabba stämningen. Men, ni vill båda ha något mer, något snabbare. Ni dricker hårdare. Och sånt. Ni vill 'Over The Hill'. Senare föreslår du en promenad på fälten utanför staden. 'Don't Want to Know' är en mörk stjärnhimmel utanför de störande ljusen. Den stjärnklara natthimlen börjar sedan pulsera och blinka i rött blått grönt gult, 'I'd Rather Be the Devil' är en psykedelisk mardröm, neurotisk och stressad. Covern av denna Skip James-låt visar att John Martyn har mer i sig än simpla bluesfolklåtar. Frukta icke, för 'Go Down Easy' är den mjuka filten som sänker sig över dig när trippen börjar lägga sig. Filten som ger dig krafter, för du ska upp igen! 'Dreams By The Sea' är igång, skaka på din kropp som en epileptiker! Svettiga efter dansen blir ni sentimentala, ni sätter er och du berättar för henne precis hur du känner. Du vet hur du ska göra, John Martyn har ju visat det för dig i 'May You Never'. Ni reser på er och vandrar vidare. Ni pratar om var ni ska just i natt, men ni båda vet att ni menar hela livet. 'The Man in the Station' spelas. Var ni hamnade? Lyssna på 'The Easy Blues' om du undrar. Dörren är låst men väggarna skakar. Vad finns mer att tillägga efter en natt som denna? Du faller ned på knä, du är numera för evigt i John Martyns grepp. Han är Gud, han är världen. Han är du, du är han.

Never heard of John Martin and expected to not enjoy this based on the reviews. But while reading about him and listening, I grew intrigued and enjoyed this album. 4/5.

This one was better than the other album we had to listen from him here (One World), but I thought it was still unmemorable for the most part. This one has a jazz/folk feel, sometimes channeling the warm and melancolic moods of Nick Drake, but with a cleaner production and an overall lighter vibe.

I never realized Jack Johnson knew jazz chords.

one of the gem from the 1001. Nick Drake vibe - love it.

Very great album! Jazzy folk in the style of Nick Drake, how can we not love it?

The first mumble rapper.

Completely new to me. Enjoyed much more than I expected to given the genre, and will be checking out his other work. Love the cover art as well. Decent discovery.

Favourite song: May You Never

Solid Air? .. more like Solid Fart.

My heart jumped when I saw this pop up as it's a favourite of mine. Heavily stylised and bound up with the whole scene back in early to middle 70s. Folky and Jazzy it's more upbeat and musically almost beyond compare. I love Nick Drake (who John wrote Solid Air for) and Roy Harper but John is not far behind in my affection. This is a solid 5.

Gentle, with some blues. Not loving all the singing as John Martyn "eats" the vocals sometimes. The big hit song (may you never) is really very beautiful.

Nice folk album

De man met zijn gitaar. Doet hij niet slecht, maar is wel een beetje saai. **

Banger cover

To me, there are few more perfect songs than “Over the Hill,” so I was disappointed to learn that the rest of the album is not equally great. It’s still a solid album, I just wanted a little bit more

The singer's mumbling doesn't always work, but I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt and let it grow on me. The reason I want to do that, is the band on this album is superb and the arrangements are lively, interesting and diverse. The double bass, the organ, so tasteful, so subtle yet effective. This all coming from someone who is not a fan of this kind of mellow folk-rock, but John and the band won me over. Dreams By the Sea in particular is just a wonderful song. I award John 4 devils to help him get his woman back! 😈😈😈😈

Very nice, reminiscent of Nick Drake. I'd heard a couple of these songs before but it was great to listen through the entire album. 4 stars.

Kinda ethereal, jazzy, pretty interesting.

One of those albums that I listened to and was mostly unaware that I had.

absolutely incredible. i had never heard of this man before last night but i liked almost every song on the album. the first album that i listened to here that made me search out more of the artist’s music

Pretty nice

Bruh what the H I liked this a lot. This is my shiitake mushrooms. My cup of earl grey with a splash of OJ. The crack to my cocaine. Solid Air was so sweet and Don't Want To Know and The Man In The Station were just so so pleasant. I can't give this a concrete 4 in good conscious but this album truly exceeded my expectations.

Fin plate med en del eksperimentelle jazz elementer blandet inn med typisk folk-stil. Kanskje ikke helt min greie, men kan se for meg å lytte gjennom senere

Not a bad album at all.

Over the hill slapped. Man in the Station was a vibe. Too bad the rest was garbage.

folkzao bem tri

Over the hill was good, the rest I found to be pretty forgettable

Not good

Prefs: Solid Air, I'd Rather Be the Devil, May You Never Moins pref: The Easy Blues

Nice vibe, but kind of boring. Vocals a tad high in the mix. Decent 70’s acoustic singer-songwriter tunes.

Not a bad listen. The first track was pretty interesting, but nothing else really stood out as memorable.

This really helped me to understand where a lot of the psychedelic indie sound of the Y2K era came from. If you're a Gomez or a Beta Band fan, it helps to know your roots.

This dude loves jelly rolls, I respect that. Respect his smooth vocals too, 3.5 stars

It’s not bad by any means but it didn’t really compel me At times sounds like the Doors, at times sounds like Jack Johnson. It does sound fairly ahead of its time.

mehhh 2/5

early 70s jazz not pop but clearly meant for more mass appeal 2.5

This was actually a gift

Dude sings with all he’s got, very soulful. Keyboard playing is right up my alley.

I had never heard of this guy before. Love the mando, sax, Rhodes keys on various songs. Very Nick Drake-y when just acoustic. All the improv and jazzy stuff. Wow. Can tell he had drugs central to his life. So glad this one turned up!

Interesting and unique style but not my cup of tea

I enjoyed this. Martyn has a great percussive style on guitar. His bluesy drawl adds a lot to these songs too.

I have to admit this really didn't click with me overall. I didn't dislike it but feels like maybe if I had a beer in me, or hell, a beer in me and this guy was on stage I would have a lot more appreciation for it.

How did I miss this? Incredibly good. Funky and rustic at once. Great vibe, stellar voice.

Less concise than "One World" but less boring too. The opener is such a beautiful jazz-folk track. And how it instantly degraded into boring folk-blues or whatever that was is annoying. These mediocre albums with great openers are the worst, it makes me feel bamboozled. Have you ever watched a TV show with a nice pilot episode but turned out to be terrible? It was like that. Still, it's not offensively boring. I agree that "One World" might be better, but at least this album doesn't sound like a long boring trip across the ocean.

Experimental, textured and folky with weird elements of jazz. The songs aren't great to start with, but any potential for enjoying them is ruined by the slurred mumbled and drawled vocals. This isn't 'awful' awful but is very hard to like for a casual listener. Rating: 2/5 Playlist track: Over The Hill Date listened: 11/11/22

Dull. Sorry.

boring, but nice

I am becoming more cynical with these albums. Nothing memorable here.

Easy listening album. Nothing that was crazy good, nothing that was bad.

Some decent songs in here. Some not so great...

Decent album for chill background music.

interesting

Kinda chill folksy feels. Pleasant.

So far so good, like a few songs like may you never, don’t wanna know etc.. very nice drakey vibes

Impressive fusion of genres and performed masterfully. But for me, an overall bored experience.

That is a pretty good album cover

Wasn't blown away by this album, but didn't hate it either.

Not impressed

Not great, but gonna round up from 2.5 stars.

Just weird enough for me to like. Sounds like 70s psychedelic prog mixed with a bit of country & Funkadelic's Maggot Brain (which I listen to on a weekly basis). What an odd album - and I mean that as a compliment. I'm adding this to my chill/funk playlist.

Jai aime l’ambiance mais l’album est sans punch pour moi… 3.25

bluesy ramblings with some artsy psychedelic rock energy. best enjoyed over 2 sittings. album cover is a good approximation of what this sounds like. 3.5/5

Soft and sweet but too quiet for me

1/5

Never heard of this guy before, it's nice

A bit of a drag. Some of the tunes were okay, but the vocal delivery and shoddy production really bog it down . 4/10

5/10. I sleep.

A really interesting blend of genres that I did not expect to like. 8/10

I listened to this album a few separate times over the weekend and I swear I don’t remember it at all.

Interesting. I’ve never heard of him before today. Pseudo Nick drake, part James Taylor.

Never heard of John Martyn before, but really enjoyed this, good mix of folk, jazz and even some blues near the end, an album I’m going to come back to.

Wasn’t sure what I would make of this, as it’s a name I know a bit but not much. Quite enjoyed it. The tempo and instrumentation was varied enough that it didn’t all sound the same. Not a big fan of Martyn’s voice, but it was interesting and different. This didn’t bowl me over, hence not having much to say about it, but I did really enjoy the live track at the end. Had a bit more oomph and was a nice close to proceedings.

A very classy album that sounds complete. There's nothing missing here. Even the sparseness of the music doesn't sound awkward. There's space for the songs to breathe. I'm never sure if Solid Air is a summer or autumn record. Either way, it carries you through with a very warm feeling throughout. The bass sounds lovely through the analogue production. Martyn's voice could break down and cry at any moment. He just runs with the full spectre of emotions from the downbeat title track, and then straight into Over the Hill. May You Never is the complete F-IT song. Superb.

not my favorite style but good.

Like Simon and Garfunkel but without the talent

Good album with a contry sound that meets jazz.

Never heard of him but this was pretty good guitar and singing.

Beautiful album. Never heard of it. Amazing. Wow.

A very long time since I last heard this. Of the time but remains a fine collection.

I once heard a story about John Martyn always having a joint on him. This album verifies that story. Some nice parts but a bit self indulgent

Perfect for my mood today

Kinda fun and chill. Surprised at how modern it sounded tbh.

One of the most influential musicians in my life, and this album was arguably his finest hour. I was obscenely young when I discovered John Martyn’s music on a clip show about Scotland’s* greatest musicians, which lead me down a rabbit hole of Martyn’s resplendent, ornate, trippy, psychedelic brand of songwriting. A live performance of the title track taken from his now iconic show at Rockpalast in Germany circa 1975 had me utterly transfixed. For someone who’s whole act was at that time incredibly barebones, he had a stage presence matched by few. How does the album version hold up? Actually not especially well. And this is a recurrent theme for the whole record. The extremely jazz infused production of these tracks detracts somewhat from Martyn’s talents rather than accentuating them. As a stripped back performer, the songs are imbued with maximum emotion. Here, the cocktail bar organ are a little too on-the-nose and indulgent. Tracks like “Don’t Want To Know” have a similarly sparse opening only to retreat into the smoky environs of mid-70s jazz clubs. “Over the Hill” and “May You Never” (a track which should be a singalong household staple across this island) are more conventionally folky and ground the album’s expansive soundscape in Martyn’s songwriter roots. Whether or not the array of sonic snapshots works for you as an album will depend on how much you focus on the actual songwriting on offer here - and on this front Solid Air is an utter triumph. Martyn’s polarising slurred vocal style presents another obstacle to negotiate. For me, it’s fitting that this album stand as an homage to Martyn’s late friend Nick Drake. Because not many besides the latter are capable of forcibly wringing every ounce of emotion out of each vocal line. Given the luxury of half stars, I’d give this a 4 1/2 rating, but a musician as influential as John Martyn deserves better than that.

It was a great experience

What is up with that singing voice? Yeesh. The music didn't grab me either. Couldn't wait for it to be over. Never again.

It's okay. I like the folk stuff much better than the light jazz.

I can hear the quality, but it doesn't do it for me.

3.5/5

Proto-buttrock

Fajny blusik

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Solid air, Don’t want to know

Glad I’m back in time for mr John Martyn. Never heard of him. Unique and ahead of his time way back in 73? I love the guitar work. Some of it reminds me of James Taylor without the nasal. Night club psychedelic. Brown shag carpet and beads for doors.

I like this. A lot. As I was listening, I kept saying to myself "Self, says I, this cat sounds like a slightly more rocking Nick Drake". Come to find out from the Apple Music album notes that the two were buddies, and that the first track was written for Nick. After I patted myself on the back for my musical acumen, I listened to the album again (for the record, I did not do this with Napalm Death). I have a thing for music that makes me feel like I'm watching a late-night talk show in the 80s - you know, some family members are visiting, you're sleeping on the couch, and all of a sudden there's a whole world of post-10pm culture that opens up. Like my favorite photographs, I don't know exactly how to define it, but I know it when I see (hear) it. The songs "Carriage" by the Counting Crows, most early John Mayer, but "Clarity" in particular, "Circles" by Post Malone, "Magic" by Coldplay, "#41" by DMB...you get the idea. They should preferably have horns (you can just imagine Paul Shaffer and the Late Night orchestra stepping in), be restrained and sound like driving late at night. But it's also got some latent energy to it - like you know these dudes could bust out and rock if they wanted to, but it's 11:43pm on a Wednesday, they're hanging with Letterman, and just want to ride the vibe of night in NYC. That's what most of this album sounds like to me - the jam busts through from time to time, but mostly it's late, I'm on the couch, and all is right with the world...

Good god. Wth early 70s? Listen John, enunciate! What a mumbled! This was first album I couldn’t finish, a feat neither Roxy music or napalm death couldn’t claim.

Pretty one dimensional Not a fan of the voice Acoustic sounds are nice, more than just guitar Breakdowns are disappointing

First listen started slow and then the last bunch of songs were really good, going to listen again and report back. Why does he sing about jelly so much? He’s a jelly guy ig 🤷🏻‍♂️

pretty much what i need rn

Did not vibe. Maybe was in pissy mode but it irritated me while working

it's nice but will i ever be crazy for it? i don't think so

I didn't hate it and it maybe even kind of won me over by the end, but this is another one of those "random albums to add onto the list because we ran out of ideas". Inoffensive, pretty good even, but not an essential listen. The album cover is really cool though. Made me think this was going to be artsier.

Eh, average

The closest comparisons I could think of from what I know are Nick Drake and maybe Cat Stevens. The album does have range; "Dreams by the Sea" introduced electronic and jazz elements that I wasn't expecting. It has a rambly, mumbly quality that I found off-putting but was apparently deliberate by the artist to sound different and organic. All a matter of taste, I suppose.

Pretty good I liked it

Folksy and chill, but dude was hard to understand

It was okay

I've never heard this but really enjoyed most of the album. I will definitely check out more John Martyn. Thanks 1001 Album Generator

Pretty good! 3.5

I hadn’t heard any John Martyn before and wow, this album is incredible. I’d immediately made comparisons to Nick Drake before reading that he and Martyn were friends and Solid Air was written as a warning and homage to Drake who sadly died 18 months after release. I’d Rather Be The Devil (a Skip James cover) evokes the grittiness of Nick Cave which I love. My only gripe is this track goes on probably 2:30 too long with an instrumental. Also not massive on the sax solo on Dreams By The Sea though the rest of the song is great. Highlights: Solid Air, Over The Hill, Don’t Want To Know, I’d Rather Be The Devil, Dreams By The Sea, The Man In The Station Were it not for the 2 gripes listed above I’d have given this 5/5. I’ll be looking for this record on vinyl

Really enjoyed this album, listened to it 3 times and added a few songs to a playlist.

I have gone back and forth while listening to this. Still not sure if I like it or not. I did enjoy the guitar throughout, cello? and the jazz musical elements. Not so much the funk.

Love this Album, added it to my favorites.

Helt ok. Låter modernare än 70tal.

I liked these chill vibes. Really pleasant for driving around and doing housework, which is what I was doing as I listened to this. Probably wouldn’t listen again but I liked this.

Plain

Pretty nice. Good road trip vibes.

I own this album - one of my top favourite musicians ever.

Nice soothing sounds. Enjoyable album

Liked the blues stuff but not my cup O' tea.

me gustó pero tranqui ah. 7.5 / 10

A very impressive album — I love how it transforms from seductive psychedelic music to mellow folk-rock to Doors-y hard blues to jazz. Very cool for a folk rock album to be so dynamic and eclectic. Highlights: “Solid Air,” “Go Down Easy,” “Dreams By the Sea”

I was a little bored by this album but I do think it has it's place as a background type of experience rather then something you put on and sit and listen to with full attention. I like how moody it is, and I think his voice has a coolness to it that makes the overall sound attractive. Overall though for me it's a 2/5 and I'm not completely sold that it has a place on this list.

I have to reaaaaally be in the right move for this album. 10/10 album arouth though!

what a beautiful album I listened to the full 2.5hr deluxe edition and loved every second just all around amazing - 10/10

Kind of boring

Un poco inaguantable

Quite a comforting route down the ever expanding worldview of one John Martyn. With this listen, I can see what the fuss is all about whenever this record was concerned and its dive into proto-dub experimentation is an all together worthwhile experience. Solid, indeed. Favorites: Solid Air, Over the Hill, Don't Want to Know, Go Down Easy, Dreams by the Sea, May You Never, I'd Rather Be the Devil (Devil Got My Woman) - Live.

has a few hidden gems: don't wanna know, dreams by the sea, the main in the station. 7/10 empassionate, gritty

In love, just wow. Bathing in that thick solid air

Never heard of John Martyn. Great voice... Nice and Chill. Really good album added my playlist.

Nice and smooth

5/3 groove

3.7

Title song is dreamy ... reminiscent of Lee Hazelwood for some reason

recommended for: happy hour at whiskey bar. serving smoky whiskey. smokey whiskey that makes you sound like john martyn when you talk. a little mumbly. This was pretty good. I'd definitely stop and listen if John Martyn was playing in a cafe or bar, but wouldn't be blown away. The Man in the Station was the only song that really resonated. 2.5 / 5, (mixed) rounding down to 2. Cuz I gave The Band a 2 and like that more in retrospect.

Mellow Moodz

If I was on a farm in Sonoma County I think I would be into it. 2/5

Really found this Blum layered smoothly like a bob ross painting. It was expediently crafted by someone who knows their craft. Could listen to it again and again

It took me a time to really warm up to this album, but I did. It has a nice variety of easygoing sounds in different genres: folky, bluesy, funky. Good stuff.

On first listen, I gave the album an "okay". There was definitely enough there to compel me to listen again, and it grew on me. I liked the variety of song styles, and it ended at a "good" for my rating.

This was new to me. Definitely heard the influence of Nick Drake in early tracks. But then I might've mistaken Dreams By the Sea for Isaac Hayes or Curtis Mayfield. Nice mixture of sounds. Solidly enjoyable.

I had no idea what I was putting on when I started this. The first song (“Solid Air”) had me thinking jazz album. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the vocal delivery. The second song (“Over The Hill”) had me thinking bluegrass undertones. The third song (“Don’t Want To Know”) was back on the jazzier side. The fourth song (“I’d Rather Be The Devil”) becomes decidedly more funky… Turns out this is a very interesting and diverse British folk album from the 70s. The first time through I was intrigued if a little confused. On the second listen I locked in and fell in love with Solid Air and its very chill vibe. Martyn’s vocals really started to appeal to me. I really love the vibe and the instruments… a super nice experience. Not only a nice addition to better round out my musical tastes, but something I will enjoy hearing again and again. Some of my immediate favorites: Solid Air (so atmospheric!), Over The Hill (so down homey!), Dreams By The Sea (so funky!), May You Never (so uplifting), The Man in the Station (lovely with just a touch of drama)

Interesting... reminds me of Nick Drake.

Acoustic folk, singer songwriter music. Reminiscent of Cat Stevens and Nick Drake. I've never heard this before, but it was pretty good.

Jack johnson, Dat chu??

Not gonna lie, this was pretty boring. Talented guy, just not very interesting for me.

Didn't love it

It has it's moments, over the hill is a nice track

Not bad but a bit boring

Wanted to give it 3.5 but since that doesn’t exist, I’ll give it 4. Very unique sound and flow to the album that had me entranced. Very cool!

Kind of wished I enjoyed this more, maybe on a later listen. Blues is great!

I liked this one fine enough!

S'écoute bien, un bon son et une bonne ambiance.

Pretty solid

There is solid music here. It's definitely a mood, and one that I'm not in currently to appreciate, but this is actually a very solid album. I need to revisit this in the right mindset.

I grew up listening to a lot of 70’s albums in this psychedelic/jazz/folk fusion kind of style so this felt very much like a warm hug. I can totally see this not being everyone’s cup of tea, and the mumbling was a little ridiculous at times. But overall I loved this album and am so excited to tell my dad about it (I’m sure he’s already familiar!).

Not great

I genuinely enjoyed the funk and groove in this album. There was enough to keep me interested and excited to come back for more. The first track is odd with the slurred vocals, but the rest of it really slaps.

A real curio. I hadn't heard of this man - must ask my dad though as I suspect he will have. The more straight-up acoustic guitar folk numbers tended to appeal to me most, but I respect the blend of genres and the experimentation, even if some of it left me cold.

pretty good

I give it a 3, because it's a good album but it didn't do much for me, It has some absolutely beautiful tracks. I like the bass heavy mix, the "booming".

Really enjoyed it.

First track caught me a little off guard and I was sure I was going to hate this. But, there's a few Neil Young (and even some Johnny Cash) vibes that I dig. At times it even felt a little "punk folk" - if that's a genre. He's got a unique sound and style. I dig the mostly acoustic, singer-songwriter thing. And, the album art is cool (which should count for something).

Random British folk.

za nudne żeby tego słuchać

Superrbly beautiful album from start to finish. Second John Martyn album I've had on here and a very happy discovery.

4.5/5. Very interesting ideas for the time on a lot of these songs, and good variety

Alternative, jazz, folk vibe.

This is a great album, John Martyn is an artist in the true sense of the word, painting lyrical pictures with his voice and his use of, then, Hi-Tech equipment. I love the stories about John and Danny Thompson and there antics when on benders, but more than that I love the chemistry they have on this record. Guitar and Double Bass in synchronicity like I have never heard before. I love the eclectic nature of this album, from complete folkiness to the soul inspired Dreams by the sea. Favourites on this are "Solid Air" "Go Down Easy" "Dreams By The Sea" and of course the classic, and probably John's signature track "May You Never"

Could have sworn this was a parody.

3.5 / 5 Solid air is a solid album. Great sounds. Love to hear more of this one in the future.

Interesting, parts reminded me of Gomez

Not my thing. The singer's voice and the heavily folk/blues-influenced song-writing do nothing for me. I believe it's good for fans of the respective genres. For me it's 2/5.

Yo this was cool. Weird story about the song solid air, too. Will listen again.

I have never heard John Martyn before but really liked it. Very chill. Super relaxing.

singer songwriters very rarely do it for me.

Remember Chantelle and Preston, the celebrity super couple from the 00's? How can you not? Big Brother and the Ordinary Boys were box office and made many a man cry from their penis. Anyway, this record by John Martyn reminds me of the time Preston stormed off Never Mind the Buzzcocks in a glittery cardigan because his wife's book was so fuckin' stupid and he couldn't handle it. I wonder where they are now

The best thing about this was learning that... Temperature would not be a factor in creating solid air, although I suppose if you chilled air to absolute zero, or minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit, it might solidify. If the sun were made of air instead of hydrogen and helium—and if you compressed all that air into the size of an office building—you would have solid air. This would be no mean feat, because the sun is bigger than a million Earths. Most atoms are 99.9999999999996% empty space. If you took out all the space that exists in atoms the entire human race could fit into the volume of a sugar cube. There’s a major problem with compressing atoms. They constrain enough energy to flatten a major city. This is how the sun has blazed so brightly for billions of years without ever decreasing in size. The compression of hydrogen atoms in its core—in synergistic coordination with heat expansion—produces nuclear fusion. This process unleashes energy in the forms of heat, light, photosynthesis, vitamin D etc. The compression would need to be so powerful it overwhelmed the atom’s energy. Something of like a black hole where not even light can escape, and everything is crushed. The solid air you’d get would be denser than a neutron star. And it would probably look opaque, although it remains to be seen how light would refract off mashed together subatomic particles.

Is there such a thing as solid air? Just like solid water is ice? And if so how does solid air look like? And how cold does it have to be to have solid air? Temperature would not be a factor in creating solid air, although I suppose if you chilled air to absolute zero, or minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit, it might solidify. If the sun were made of air instead of hydrogen and helium—and if you compressed all that air into the size of an office building—you would have solid air. This would be no mean feat, because the sun is bigger than a million Earths. Most atoms are 99.9999999999996% empty space. If you took out all the space that exists in atoms the entire human race could fit into the volume of a sugar cube. There’s a major problem with compressing atoms. They constrain enough energy to flatten a major city. This is how the sun has blazed so brightly for billions of years without ever decreasing in size. The compression of hydrogen atoms in its core—in synergistic coordination with heat expansion—produces nuclear fusion. This process unleashes energy in the forms of heat, light, photosynthesis, vitamin D etc. The compression would need to be so powerful it overwhelmed the atom’s energy. Something of like a black hole where not even light can escape, and everything is crushed. The solid air you’d get would be denser than a neutron star. And it would probably look opaque, although it remains to be seen how light would refract off mashed together subatomic particles.

This is possibly the most laid-back album I have ever heard. Smooth, jazzy, mellow without being mere wallpaper. The mixture of jazz, folk, blues and a little bit of rock is wonderful. I knew the title track already, but was surprised at how much each song has its own identity. I listened to this three times through in a trot. This goes onto my want list. Was it massively influential? Possibly not, but a great, great record.

Really good rockin' stuff here.

This is the first John Martyn album I bought, possibly a year after it came out. I got it out of a delete bin for 50 cents. People who know me well get tired of me saying it's the best 50 cents I ever spent. He was an incredibly talented guitarist/singer/songwriter who effortlessly mastered any number of styles - folk, rock, blues, jazz, reggae and who knows what else. This is still possibly my favorite of his albums. Sadly he wasted his talent due to alcohol and substance abuse and his later stuff never worked nearly as well.

A delightful album, moody and captivating, there is something very satisfying hearing his vocals and guitar together. Jazzy, folky, sometimes a bit rocky.

Nope

Absolutely incredible, I think I'm going to be revisiting this a lot. It hooked me from the beginning and just kept going and going and going.

On paper, given the genres, I should have liked this album. But I didn't. Could it be the result of the mumbling for singing? Or is it the overall boring presentation? I don't know, but it's yet another album I'd rather pass.

I liked maybe 2 of the songs on this. Not my cup of tea sadly. While I do love folk music and and others that sound like this, this was slurry, repetitive and just uninteresting overall for me.

Previous to this listen I only knew JM from the Church with One Bell covers album. His cover of Portishead is transcendent. This album is dynamic, arty, folky, a little druggy… I’m all about it! Solid 4.5 stars! Rounding down because I heard Nick Drake in my late teens/early twenties, so the laws of imprinting mean his albums get the round up.

Love this album. Mood, feel, sound, all great. A few songs are auto skips for me though so not a 5 star record. The good bits are still great though.

Promedio

pretty nice discovery

I like over the hill, but I don't really like the rest. Probably more of a 2.5 for me.

This one didn't grab me as much as the other one but still I think it deserves a bit more time. Fave: Solid Air

I can applaud the craft and there are a couple of great songs, but his voice just doesn't vibe with me, like he's singing while swallowing at the same time.

This is an album I've always felt I *should* like more than I do, and it is certainly very good, but something about it I can't pin down stops me from fully engaging. Maybe it's Martyn's somewhat slurry vocal style. I don't know. Great bass playing, though.

Solid selection! Though different from, it would fit well in a listening party with Steely Dan and Neil Young, maybe Allman Brothers Band. Unhurried, soulful, unique.

riktigt starkt!

Nice, chilled but a bit monotonous

very jazzy with lots of emotion, intresting!