1000 Day Album Challenge (#57) John Martyn: Solid Air (1973) [26.02.24]
don't know what's going wrong in your mind / and I can tell you don't like what you find / when you're moving through / solid air…
I guess you could say that I was a latecomer to Solid Air. I bought it 30ish years after its initial release. I’m not sure I had even heard of John Martyn before the late-90s and early-00s when I began to see Solid Air regularly name-checked by DJs and tastemakers to whom I paid attention. at the time, the tune Solid Air seemed to have gained quite a cachet among chill out DJs.
so glad I bought this album because it is an amazing one. there is a strong late night vibe to it. I would be hard pressed to assign Solid Air to a specific genre which I guess is often true of great records. John Martyn seamlessly combines elements of rock, blues, folk and jazz to create a sound that is uniquely his own.
it turns out I already knew one of the songs on Solid Air. I immediately recognized May You Never from Eric Clapton’s Slowhand (1977). I wouldn’t say I dislike the song, but it really is the most straight forward, dare I say ordinary, song here. I would think one would only cover this tune if (s)he were to dramatically rearrange it which Clapton doesn’t do it all. (in case you’re wondering – John Martyn’s version > Eric Clapton’s version. it ain’t close.)
for me the showcase tune here is I’d Rather be the Devil, a dramatic reimagining of Skip James’ Devil Got My Woman. Martyn’s take is downright scary. he really works the echoplex, a tape delay effect. I’m sure I had heard it before on other songs, but it truly stands out on I’d Rather be the Devil.
do yourself a favor and check it out. the chance of a true music fan being disappointed seems quite slight to me.
#1000DayAlbum Challenge #JohnMartyn #SolidAir #SkipJames #IdRatherBeTheDevil