Coney Island of the Mind - Van Morrison on Poetry, Nature, and Healing..

Bless The Weather by John Martyn.

We have had three storms in the last five days. Storm Franklin was the latest which died away last evening. The weather is still unsettled though. I won’t be going anywhere today. I think by Friday things should have improved, so I’m looking forward to going for a walk then. I noticed a tiny little wren in my garden earlier poking around among the flowerpots, so he was a welcome visitor. Also, I think the clematis might be flowering soon, which is always an encouraging sign that Spring is on the way. I might pot out some seeds in a few days’ time.

Today I have been listening to an album that I acquired recently called Bless The Weather by John Martyn. This is the third of his albums in my collection, the others are Solid Air and Serendipity, An Introduction To John Martyn. I quite like them. I also saw John Martyn, maybe three times, always at festivals. I wrote about his performance at Finsbury Park the other day. He even visited my bookstall at Glastonbury back in the 80s. I have always admired his guitar playing skills, but I wouldn’t say I was a big John Martyn fan. It might be that I found his vocal delivery too mumbly, or the songs didn’t say a lot to me. Some people rave about John Martyn, but I don’t think I have ever quite got it. Perhaps I haven’t been listening properly.

Bless The Weather was released in 1971 and was the first album solo after two albums with his wife Beverley Martyn. After two listens I think I prefer it to Solid Air. I find it more accessible, not so dark, and easier to get into. Go Easy is a laid back simple acoustic jazzy song to open the album. Bless The Weather is quite an apt title song after the weather of the past few days. I must say I like the bass playing of Danny Thompson on this album, especially on this track. I’m not sure about Sugar Lump which is more upbeat and has a bluesy R & B sound and features the piano of Ian Whitman. I just find the lyrics a bit silly. Walk To The Water has bass to the fore and tasteful percussive sounds by Smiley De Jonnes. Just Now is one of the folksier songs, not so jazz influenced as other tracks. Head And Heart might be my favourite song here. It has a long passage of intricate acoustic guitar and bass. 

Let The Good Times Come features ethereal ghostly vocals by Beverley Martyn. Back Down The River is another simpler folkie type song.I think that John Martyn was going through a period of transition on this album with folk-rock type songs, and others leaning towards the much more jazz influenced Solid Air. Glistening Glyndebourne is an extended instrumental track featuring guitar, bass, piano and percussion. It is quite experimental and another indication of where he was heading on subsequent albums. The album ends with a very nice version of Singing In The Rain. I don’t know why he decided to record this song. It reminds me of his friend Bridget St John recording Catch A Falling Star probably just to have some fun. This album is only 37 minutes, but I enjoyed listening to it on this gloomy, changeable Tuesday afternoon. Maybe there is hope for me to become a John Martyn fan after all.