Solid Air by John Martyn - Ep. 78

Unlock the secrets behind John Martyn's genre-defying masterpiece "Solid Air" as we uncover how Martyn, much like Bob Dylan, reshaped the boundaries of British folk with his bold fusion of jazz, blues, and rock. Ever wondered how an album recorded in just eight days could produce such timeless tracks? We promise you'll gain fresh insights into the album's experimental brilliance and its enduring influence on later musicians. Discover why Martyn's adventurous sound continues to captivate listeners, and why tracks like "Solid Air" and "I'd Rather Be the Devil" remain fresh even today.

Prepare for an intimate look at the emotional core of "Solid Air," a heartfelt dedication to Nick Drake that speaks volumes about mental health awareness. We'll explore the intriguing album cover created with the rare scleran photographic technique and draw unexpected parallels to modern bands like The Strokes with their surprising British flair. As we navigate to the album's second half, admire with us the craftsmanship and musicianship that shine through every note, ensuring this 1973 classic remains a fixture in music history. Whether you're a long-time fan or a newcomer, this episode promises to enhance your appreciation of Martyn's groundbreaking work.

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Chapters

• 0:18 Album Review Discussion on "Solid Air"
• 15:48 Musical Analysis of "Solid Air" Album

Transcript

Voiceover: 0:18

It's just the normal noises in here, random, using the patented Random Album Generator, they are given an album to review from a curated list of over 1,000 classic releases spanning multiple genres. And now onto the show. Here are your hosts, jeremy Boyd and John Van Dyke.

Jeremy Boyd: 0:46

Hey, welcome to Polyphonic Press. I'm Jeremy Boyd and I'm John Van Dyke, and let's not waste any time. We've got the patented random album generator right in front of us here, so let's hit the button and see what album we're going to be listening to this week. And the album we're going to be listening to is john martin solid air. I think john martin is like um, like a bob dylan type singer, songwriter kind of guy. All right, but this is what it says on allmusiccom. It says solid air is one of the defining moments in british folk, in the same league as fairport Convention's Liege and Leaf Richard and Linda Thompson's Shoot the Lights Out and Michael Chapman's. Rainmaker.

Jeremy Boyd: 1:32

Martin stepped out of his comfort zone to record and produce it, including not only jazz and blues but rock and plenty of sound effects and featuring Rhodes Piano on some of the tracks, dismaying some fans while winning a ton more for his genre-blurring presentation. A number of its cuts, such as the title track written for Martin's friend Nick Drake Over the Hill, I'd Rather Be the Devil and May you Never, remain staples in his live set until the end of his life, in his life set until the end of his life. Okay, so kind of a uh short review, but uh, interesting, yep. So, yes, the the song has um 11, no, nine, tracks on the album and, uh, it's uh. Side one has four tracks.

Jeremy Boyd: 2:23

So what we do is we we take a pause halfway through to discuss the album at the halfway mark. So what we'll do, the album starts with the song Solid Air and side one ends at I'd Rather Be the Devil. So if you're listening along which we encourage you to do if you want to take a pause at the fourth track, I'd Rather Be the Devil and we'll discuss at the halfway point. Okay, so here we go. So here's the first song, which is the title track Solid Air. So here we go, okay, ending side one with.

Jon VanDyk: 3:15

I'd rather be the devil. Yeah, this is really interesting so far. Yeah, I'm liking it.

Jeremy Boyd: 3:17

Yeah, I think it's pretty good yeah, yeah, I'm, I'm really liking it too. I uh, I have heard of john martin, I've heard the song over the hill. Okay, I think, um, I think, uh, when chris and rich robinson were doing their acoustic shows back in 2006, they put out a live album and I think they covered over the hill, over the hill, oh wow yeah. Okay, but yeah, I mean, this is really somehow I never really got that into, John Martin this sort of flew under my radar.

Jon VanDyk: 3:56

Yeah, mine too. I've heard of Nick Drake, I've heard of his stuff, fairport Convention. Yeah, you know some of these things, although they're sort of like you know, satellites in my, satellites, in my experience, I guess, with with music and stuff like that. Yeah, john martin seems to have flown a little under the radar, but uh, no, I'm. I'm really liking this, although it was very hard to understand the words in the first song.

Jeremy Boyd: 4:28

it was, but it was good, it was very good it was a very good song and this almost I don't know it's. This came out in 73 and, and you know, this almost sounds it's. It sounds uh, timeless. Honestly, it's very fresh sounding. Yeah, it sounds brand new, it's.

Jeremy Boyd: 4:50

It could have come out yesterday and I would have been like, yeah, I, I believe that, uh, it has some I don't know, I don't know quite what to say like it has the in in a way. It's it feels very psychedelic. I mean the last song, it had a pretty broad, you know psychedelic jam sort of section to it. But you know, at the same time, like songs like the first song, solid Air, or even Don't Wanna Know I mean those two songs they feel like they could have been on the radio, like a pop radio, and I think it's weird that this never. I think maybe this was more popular in the UK rather than in North America, the UK rather than in North America. I don't, I don't know. I honestly don't know. I don't know much about this album. I mean it's and and you know, there isn't a whole lot of information on the album. Really there's, yeah, I can hear like later in like stuff that this album influenced.

Jon VanDyk: 6:04

His voice is almost like Tracy Chapman's in some ways. Yeah, the one review you read said something about the use of the Fender Rhodes. Now some people were turned off by that, I don't know. I think it adds something to it.

Jeremy Boyd: 6:23

I think it gives the album a little bit more levity yeah, well, I think that was maybe more of like a like a dylan going electric sort of thing yeah, I, I figure that probably the sentiment there, um, but uh, I don't know, I mean, as good as this this stuff would have been.

Jon VanDyk: 6:46

I think sometimes, if, if an album is like purely, if it's tries too hard to stick to, you know, being like it's pure into a genre or something, that sometimes it comes out a little bit flat. And I think this, when he starts experimenting a little bit with other things, it uh keeps things interesting yeah, yeah, no, there there's.

Jeremy Boyd: 7:12

There's definitely that sort of that, that folky jazz kind of thing that I think his fans were sort of expecting and had gotten used to. But you're right, I mean there's definitely an element of experimentation going on here where you know you sort of you have to keep things fresh and you know he's obviously he's an artist and he's not concerned too much about what his fans think. Really, I mean, you know, so I think, you know, I think coming to this album and and sort of embracing that sort of more experimental psychedelic sort of sound, he's. He's just, you know, creating and and it's sort of I know artists get kind of. It's kind of a double-edged sword with a lot of artists. You, you don't want to get stuck in doing the same thing over and over and over again, but you also don't want to completely alienate your fans. It's not an easy line to walk line to walk.

Jon VanDyk: 8:39

Um, I would hope that most fans, or most music listeners anyway, understand that, though that, uh, that uh, you know, I, I would hope that uh, most would you know, sort of approach music as sort of like accepting it as it is. I mean, if something is like really off-putting, okay, it's fine to dislike it, but you know, just because a certain instrument is in it or something like that, and sometimes how it's used and something like that, it just doesn't, it shouldn't be. So I don't know, some people have a tendency to just like write something off because they just I don't know I, I'm not 100 sure where I'm going with that.

Jon VanDyk: 9:16

But, uh, I, I appreciate open-mindedness when it comes to you know, appreciate I'm trying to keep an open mind myself when it comes to a lot of stuff like this, although this is not really challenging me that much. This, this album, actually, to be perfectly honest, no, it's not really challenging me either.

Jeremy Boyd: 9:38

I mean it's, but I also understand, like I also understand, yeah, I do understand if, well, yeah, it is difficult. It is a difficult thing to be a fan of something. And also, I mean there are bands that I do think maybe have had like their quality has dipped, you know, and maybe they have like one or two really good albums and then the third album was like like, okay, I'm not really into this anymore. I won't name any names, but I can think of a few.

Jon VanDyk: 10:19

Um yeah, um, and I know what that's like, but sometimes it feels like you know the uh, I find that's most of the time like. What turns me off is when the songwriting isn't, is not as good as it used to be, where it just suddenly isn't. You know, the song used to have like these dynamics and things going on and then it, just because I don't know, for some reason, they started making money or something like that. I have no idea what causes it, but a lot of bands and suddenly their stuff turns out kind of flat. It can be on like an upper level flat or a lower level flat or something like that, but the dynamics are lost in it and whether or not that's dynamics of like sound and something like that and I'm not even talking about the loudness war, that, and I'm not even talking about the, the uh loudness war, I'm just saying in general, like the, the music itself just isn't as good anymore.

Jeremy Boyd: 11:18

yeah, but I I don't think he's having that problem here.

Jon VanDyk: 11:24

No, he's not no, no, no, no, no, no. He's his, his, his, his. I think john martin is actually a fantastic songwriter, and I've only heard four songs of it so far.

Jeremy Boyd: 11:34

Well, yeah, I mean that's, that's the thing you know and I know we always talk about like what if, like if this album, a really big indie album with fans of just the indie folk sort of thing, he's kind of inventing that with this album, you know. So I do think it would do something today. I don't think it would be completely, you know, out of the realm of possibility that this would become like the songs you would hear like on a movie soundtrack or something like that you would hear like on a on a movie soundtrack or something like that, you know. Or or in the background of a TV show or something like. I think it would, I think and I think this album would, it would have fans today.

Jon VanDyk: 12:47

Yeah, it's, it seems to be a bit ahead of ahead of its time, and not just production wise, but uh, although production wise it sounds very fresh, for sure, um, but uh, yeah, subject matter wise, it's, um, yeah, it seems to be pretty timeless.

Jeremy Boyd: 13:04

it doesn't seem to have a lot of uh things holding it back and you know the critics of the album were pretty like they were pretty. It's like it didn't get a lot of reviews when it came out, um it it kind of flew under the radar of a lot of people. It kind of became sort of a um a hit or not a hit, but um sort of became well-known after the fact. It's a cult classic. It's a cult classic, exactly. Yeah, so well it just.

Jeremy Boyd: 13:40

This is from Wikipedia. It says contemporary reviews were favorable with Music Weekly's sounds, declaring that solid air flows beautifully and shows the entire spectrum of music that John Martin has at his fingertips. And you know I can definitely see that he's kind of seamlessly. He's moving through different genres in a way that you don't even notice Like he's like it's just it all blends so well together. You don't even notice that it all blends so well together. You don't even notice that I'd Rather Be the Devil has got some really rocking parts, but it's also jazz. It's kind of all over the place but he's able to blend it so well. Part of that is also the musicians that are playing on the album, and a lot of the musicians are from Fairport Connection.

Jon VanDyk: 14:40

Or Fairport Convention. Or Fairport Convention, yes, yeah, that's interesting.

Jeremy Boyd: 14:44

Yeah.

Jon VanDyk: 14:45

Okay, that sort of makes sense because they were sort of a band that sort of straddled the line between rock and roll. They were definitely. I mean, when you get enough people in a room it's hard to sound like folk sometimes, especially when everybody's playing a different instrument. How many different instruments can you introduce until you're not playing folk anymore? Sort of one of those things when a lot of the music has got definitely definitely roots in like North America and stuff like that. But it's interesting how the British sort of take that. I mean, there's obviously a folk tradition that goes way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way, way back in Britain and Europe, but introducing the jazz and a little bit of the rock and roll and a little bit of the just just just the way that they have a tendency to blend it almost better than a lot of American artists, and maybe it's because of their outside perspective, I don't know they can see the big picture better.

Jeremy Boyd: 15:48

I don't know. Yeah, I don't, I don't know, I don't know, I, I, it's something in the water, it's, it's, it's done, it's every, every genre you can tell. It's like, well, like when the strokes first came out, people thought they were british, because, oh, they sound british, it's like. What does that mean? They sound british I.

Jon VanDyk: 16:08

I kind of do know what they were thinking. They were thinking they sound a little bit like, I don't know, something that you would hear like the Arctic Monkeys or even Oasis or something like that, or around bands that were around in those areas. People's influences are people's influences and you no longer stick to what's really just immediately around you, although that definitely will influence you as well.

Jeremy Boyd: 16:37

But um, so I didn't. I wasn't able to find a whole lot of information on the album. Uh, a whole lot of facts. The only a couple things that I found was the album was recorded over eight days. Um, oh, wow, that's pretty short. That's a pretty short yeah For something that's as um, yeah, it's, it's yeah.

Jon VanDyk: 17:03

Professional sounding, yeah, yeah exactly Um, and the.

Jeremy Boyd: 17:11

the album cover is an example of. I've never heard of this before. It's a scleran photography, it's a process of photographing fluid invented by the German physicist August Topler, and basically it's to demonstrate the solid nature of air. I guess it's to represent air is the album cover and the the title track. Solid air was dedicated to uh Nick Drake, who had died of uh overdose of antidepressants um 18 months after the album, after the album was released. So, uh, oh, after the album.

Jeremy Boyd: 17:58

Okay, so, um, so that's kind of nice that know, he was able to hear the song, you know. But I hope so, I hope so, yeah, yeah, john martin says it was. It was done for a friend of mine and it was done with very clear motives and I'm very pleased with it for varying reasons. It has got a very simple message, but you'll have to work that one out for yourself. I I think it's probably a a cautionary tale about mental health, you know yeah, mental health is.

Jon VanDyk: 18:35

I mean I I understand firsthand how bad mental health can be um and and I haven't experienced the uh, full brunt of some people near me have experienced, so that is true.

Jeremy Boyd: 18:52

That is true, um, so, yeah, so those are just a few few things I was able to to find, um, but I guess, so I guess we'll get back into side two of the album. But before we do that, let's hear from our friends over at the Abandoned Albums podcast. So check those guys out.

Speaker 1: 19:16

Our mission at Abandoned Albums is simple, as simple as this ad. Our only goal is to keep the recorded work of artists on the cultural radar and showcase new artists who should be on the cultural radar. Some things in life are truly that simple, With our tongue firmly in cheek. It's why we say Abandoned Albums is the only music podcast that matters and it's available wherever you get your favorite podcasts.

Jon VanDyk: 19:52

We'll now take a few seconds before we begin side two. Thank you, here's side two.

Jeremy Boyd: 19:56

All right, and ending the album with Gentle Blues. Yeah, I mean, this is a really this is a pretty fantastic album.

Jon VanDyk: 20:12

There is not a bad song on here. I don't think. No, I don't think so either.

Jeremy Boyd: 20:14

Yeah, I'm definitely impressed. Yeah, I mean I don't I really don't know what else to say about it. I mean it's it's, it's. This is a really solid album, no pun intended, but you know it's, it's, it's. This is a really solid album, no pun intended, but you know it's, it's, it's really. You know the the album. A lot of the albums that we, we review, it's like you know it's some of them. It's it's like okay, this is really good, but you know, there's some stuff that could have been better. I can't think of a single thing that I would improve on if I were producing the album. I can't think of anything that I would really change. Um, yeah, I, I there's. I have no, no notes for this. I mean there's nothing that I would. This stands out. That is even like, even like dipping a little bit in quality, like it's really. I'm really impressed with this album, you know I me too.

Jon VanDyk: 21:17

I kind of feel basically the same thing. Sometimes. I think his enunciation could probably be a little bit more. Well, I think he could enunciate a little bit more. I think is what I'm trying to say, but I think that's like the only thing I mean. Other than that, I think, like it's musically, I can't think of anything that I'd change. I think if this, if, if I had produced this album or something like that, I'd be very proud of it.

Jeremy Boyd: 21:45

Yeah, yeah, it's just yeah. There's no, there's very few, I think, flawless albums where and you know the crazy thing too is, and you know the crazy thing too is there's really no Like it's recorded in 1973, and Well recorded in 72, it came out January 1st 73.

Jon VanDyk: 22:16

Well, yeah, I guess in 72.

Jeremy Boyd: 22:18

I'm just being pedantic. Well, yeah, around the time anyway, but um, uh, it it, even the, the musicians on it, like there's no. Nothing comes to mind where there's any like uh, mistakes or like, oh, there's a missed note here or you know, there's something off here, like you know, sometimes you know that's part of the charm about older albums is there's, there's um sort of these sort of human elements. And I'm not saying that there isn't that here, but what I'm saying is it sounds so, so well put together that you know, I don't I think it's not perfect, but it's, it's near perfect, and just the level of musicianship and everything's on in time and in tune, but it it still has that sort of that human element to it, like I said, and and it's not, it's, but it's also it's it's just amazing that they recorded this whole thing in eight days, because it sounds like they labored over it.

Jon VanDyk: 23:39

Um, I guess is what I'm trying to say yeah, um, yeah, I don't know if I could say that better um, that's uh, pretty much puts the nail on the head, I think. Um, yeah, this is a very well put together album. It's, it's. It sounds like it was slaved over, but but really they banged it out. Yeah, they really did. It's just interesting. I mean, I guess the musicians are just on top of their form.

Jeremy Boyd: 24:10

Yeah, but to learn the song and then record it and have it come out this good, I can only imagine I don't know how they it come out, this this good is. It's like I can only imagine, like I don't know how they would have recorded this. But I would imagine that, you know, they would have gathered the musicians in the studio, he, he would, then they were going to record that day and he would have presented the song, he would have played it on his acoustic guitar and said, okay, this is the song we're recording today. And then they have to learn the song, come up with their parts and you know, it sounds like it wasn't done that quickly, even though it was. Yeah, you know, like it's not just playing, it's they have to learn the song first and then record it, and it sounds like they just know it. But with that said, if you can do it, what would be your three highlights on the album, three favorite tracks?

Jon VanDyk: 25:14

Yeah, this is tough. I like Don't Wanna Know, but that was pretty good. I think the man in the station was pretty good, and then I'm gonna go with the title track solid air, I think yeah, I think I would probably.

Jeremy Boyd: 25:34

Those are really good choices I think I would go with. I would definitely go with solid air. I, uh, I really like may you never and yeah, that was good, and yeah, I think man in the station as well. I, yeah, I think those, those three songs, those would be my my picks. Um, so I think I know the answer to this, but, uh, would you listen to this again?

Jon VanDyk: 26:02

yeah, I think I'd listen to this again.

Jeremy Boyd: 26:03

Yeah, I absolutely would, and I think I'm going to listen to this again for sure. Yes, yeah, I want to hear some more of his stuff, so I think I'm curious to hear what his other albums are like as well.

Jon VanDyk: 26:19

Yep.

Jeremy Boyd: 26:20

Yeah, so yeah, I'd definitely check that out. So yeah, I definitely check that out. So yeah, so I guess we'll end the episode there. Thank you so much for listening. If you made it this far, if you did enjoy the show, don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss any future episodes. And we'd love if you could leave us a rating and review, as it really helps new listeners find us. And if you want to support the show, you can do that by going to pay our patreon. Go to patreoncom slash polyphonic press. You can get these episodes, uh, the day before they go live and, uh, you can even pick an album for us to review and, uh, you can also check out the website polyphonicpresscom. You can also check out the website polyphonicpresscom. You can get all the updates there and listen to all the past shows and everything, and I think that just about does it. I'm Jeremy Boyd and I'm John Van Dyke. Take it easy, take care.