John Martyn-Solid Air (1973)
Artist: John Martyn
Title: Solid Air
Year of Release: 1973
Country and Year of Edition: UK 2000
Sell Price: $8.78
Sell Date: 12/15/24
Condition: VG+/VG+
Discogs Last Sold: 12/15/24 NM/VG $6.00
Low: $1.27
Median: $4.32
Average: $5.33
High: $12.63
Current low price: $1.25
Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 59
Have/Want: 1072/172
Where Sold: Los Angeles, CA
Time It Took To Sell: 9 months
Where and When Bought: Facebook CD lot
Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: A-
Sad To See It Go: No
"I don't know what's going on in your mind/but I can tell you don't like what you find..."-"Solid Air"
Solid Air was one of those albums over the years that I have been meaning to pay some attention to since at least the early 90's. I've already had and sold a copy well before this blog, but for whatever reason I still somehow didn't know it with any real authority. All the Fairpoirt icons of British Folk are here. It is a John Wood co-production with Martyn and Danny Thompson, Dave Pegg, Dave Mattacks and even a Richard Thompson mandolin on the single "Over The Hill" are here.
In 1973, this became the 6th album in Martyn's catalog since 1967. Perhaps only the previous album, Bless The Weather from 1971 has been held in similar regard. As for me, since Solid Air is the one I ever bought, it is my gateway by default. Martyn kept going and gigging. He was last in NYC at Joe's Pub before doing a run of UK and Irish dates before his January 2009 passing. Unfortunately, I never got to see him.
John Wood does the liner notes on this 2000 edition, so the tone here is that this is the crown jewel of an active artist with a massive discography. There was another remaster reissue in 2009 and vinyl reissues as recently as 2020. That said, as headphone listening concurs, this is a fine edition with only one live bonus track of Skip James "I'd Rather Be The Devil" minus the famous Echoplex treatment. The title track was about Martyn's friend Nick Drake who passed after this album was released. Martyn's heavy use of the Echoplex was a far cry from Drake's orchestrated or stripped-down approaches.
Now that I've got 4 or 5 listens in, "Go Down Easy" and "Don't Want To Know" have emerged as my two favorites, for atmosphere more than anything.
Without question it sets a mood.
FOR FURTHER REVIEW:
Fairport Convention-Fairport Convention (1968)
Jimmy Page-Death Wish II (1982)
Fairport Convention-House Full: Live in Los Angeles 1970 (1986)
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