John Martyn "Solid Air" Island ILPS-9226 A1/B2 UK 1st Pink Rim G/fold 1973
£
50
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66
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Description
John Martyn ? "Solid Air" Island Records ?ILPS 9226 UK 1st press Vinyl, LP, with Island pink rim labels, housed in a gate-fold sleeve and released in 1973.
The vinyl appears to have been very lightly played and is in great condition. It played through beautifully on my elderly stereo - no hop, stick or jump. The gate-fold sleeve shows minimal signs of wear and is also in great shape, apart from a little ring-wear front and back. The spine is a little worn but still legible. A previous owner has left their initials for posterity on both labels. Matrix/Runout Side A : [-1U GO STERLING stamped]): ILPS 9226 A -1U GO STERLING 2H 2 1 Matrix/Runout: Side B : ILPS 9226 B 2 EG
"Solid Air" is John Martyn's fourth studio album, released in February 1973 by Island Records.
The album was recorded over eight days and features instrumental contributions by bassist Danny Thompson and members of Fairport Convention. "Solid Air", the title track, was dedicated to a friend of Martyn's, Nick Drake, who would die of an antidepressant overdose 18 months after the album was released. Martyn said of the track "It was done for a friend of mine, and it was done right 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." The album features an avant-garde cover of Skip James' "Devil Got My Woman," here retitled "I'd Rather Be the Devil" and performed with heavy use of Martyn's Echoplex tape delay effect.
"May You Never" became something of a signature song for Martyn, becoming a staple of his live performances. Released in November 1971 as a single in an early form, the song was re-recorded during the "Solid Air" sessions. Eric Clapton covered "May You Never" on his 1977 album "Slowhand". When Martyn was presented with a lifetime achievement award by Phil Collins (a collaborator of Martyn's) at the 2008 BBC Folk Awards, In 2006, Martyn performed the album live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties-curated Don't Look Back series and subsequently toured the UK.
The album cover is an example of schlieren photography demonstrating the 'solid' nature of air.
Contemporary reviews were favourable, with music weekly Sounds declaring that "Solid Air flows beautifully and shows the entire spectrum of music that John Martyn has at his fingertips." In a positive review, Melody Maker stated that "there is a concentration upon timbre, building up into some very extraordinary landscapes," and wrote that "he has become far more confident about giving his voice free reign [sic], and the result is greatly to his advantage." In a retrospective review, American Songwriter described the album as "timeless" and stated that "audacious, hypnotic and groundbreaking only begins to describe Martyn’s still unique combination of folk, jazz, blues and space rock, wrapped around riveting, unforgettable melodies." AllMusic called "Solid Air" "one of the defining moments of British folk" and noted its genre-blending. BBC Music stated that "it's a classic with not a note out of place.. And ably assisted by John Wood's late night production it's now firmly esconced in the hearts of chillers, smokers and music lovers the world over."
"Solid Air" was rated as the 67th Greatest British Album Ever by the British music magazine Q, and was also included in their list of Best Chill-Out Albums Of All Time. The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery. It was voted number 826 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000).
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