Solid Air
Encyclopedia
Solid Air is a folk jazz
album released in 1973 by John Martyn on Island Records.
Contemporary reviews were favourable with music paper Sounds
declaring that Solid Air flows beautifully and shows the entire spectrum of music that John Martyn has at his fingertips." The album has continued to receive acclaim and is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
by Robert Dimery. The album 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.
"Solid Air", the title track, was dedicated to a friend of Martyn's, Nick Drake
. Drake died 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."
"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, Clapton sent a message saying that he was "so far ahead of everything else it was inconceivable" and acknowledged the extent of his influence on "everyone who ever heard him." Martyn and his band, including John Paul Jones
on mandolin, played "May You Never" and "Over The Hill" at the Awards Ceremony.
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.
A double CD reissue curated by John Hillarby was released in 2009, including several alternate studio and live versions. Hillarby's deep understanding and appreciation of Martyn's music are evident in his curation of this release.
The album cover is an example of schlieren photography
demonstrating the 'solid' nature of air.
Bonus track
Disc 2 (Outtakes, Demos and Live recordings)
Folk jazz
Folk jazz is a broad term for music that pairs traditional folk music with elements of jazz music, featuring richly elaborated songs whose textures are rooted in both styles....
album released in 1973 by John Martyn on Island Records.
Contemporary reviews were favourable with music paper Sounds
Sounds (magazine)
Sounds was a long-term British music paper, published weekly from 10 October 1970 – 6 April 1991. It was produced by Spotlight Publications , which was set up by Jack Hutton and Peter Wilkinson, who left "Melody Maker" to start their own company...
declaring that Solid Air flows beautifully and shows the entire spectrum of music that John Martyn has at his fingertips." The album has continued to receive acclaim and is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die
1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a musical reference book edited by Robert Dimery, first published in 2005. The most recent edition consists of a list of albums released between 1955 and 2010, part of a series from Quintessence Editions Ltd...
by Robert Dimery. The album was rated as the 67th Greatest British Album Ever by the British music magazine Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
, and was also included in their list of Best Chill-Out Albums Of All Time.
"Solid Air", the title track, was dedicated to a friend of Martyn's, Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
. Drake died of an antidepressant
Antidepressant
An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia and anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder. According to Gelder, Mayou &*Geddes people with a depressive illness will experience a therapeutic effect to their mood;...
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."
"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
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
covered "May You Never" on his 1977 album Slowhand
Slowhand
Slowhand is an album by Eric Clapton, released in 1977. It contained three of his most popular singles, the bluesy "Cocaine", the ballad "Wonderful Tonight" and the country-flavoured #3 U.S. hit "Lay Down Sally", as well as other songs that became Clapton classics on their own like "The Core" and...
. When Martyn was presented with a lifetime achievement award by Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
(a collaborator of Martyn's) at the 2008 BBC Folk Awards, Clapton sent a message saying that he was "so far ahead of everything else it was inconceivable" and acknowledged the extent of his influence on "everyone who ever heard him." Martyn and his band, including John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
on mandolin, played "May You Never" and "Over The Hill" at the Awards Ceremony.
In 2006, Martyn performed the album live in its entirety as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
-curated Don't Look Back
Don't Look Back (concert series)
Don't Look Back is a yearly series of concerts in which London based promoters All Tomorrow's Parties ask artists and bands to play one of their seminal albums live in its entirety...
series and subsequently toured the UK.
A double CD reissue curated by John Hillarby was released in 2009, including several alternate studio and live versions. Hillarby's deep understanding and appreciation of Martyn's music are evident in his curation of this release.
The album cover is an example of schlieren photography
Schlieren photography
Schlieren photography is a visual process that is used to photograph the flow of fluids of varying density. Invented by the German physicist August Toepler in 1864 to study supersonic motion, it is widely used in aeronautical engineering to photograph the flow of air around objects...
demonstrating the 'solid' nature of air.
Track listing
All tracks by John Martyn unless noted otherwise.- "Solid Air" – 5:46
- "Over the Hill" – 2:51
- "Don't Want to Know" – 3:01
- "I'd Rather Be the Devil" (Skip JamesSkip JamesNehemiah Curtis "Skip" James was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter, born in Bentonia, Mississippi, died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
) – 6:19 - "Go Down Easy" – 3:36
- "Dreams by the Sea" – 3:18
- "May You Never" – 3:43
- "The Man in the Station" – 2:54
- "The Easy Blues" – 3:22
Bonus track
- "I'd Rather Be the Devil" (Recorded live in 1975)
2009 Deluxe Edition Track listing
Disc 1 (Remastered Original Album)- "Solid Air"
- "Over the Hill"
- "Don't Want to Know"
- "I'd Rather Be the Devil"
- "Go Down Easy"
- "Dreams by the Sea"
- "May You Never"
- "The Man in the Station"
- "The Easy Blues/Gentle Blues"
Disc 2 (Outtakes, Demos and Live recordings)
- "Solid Air" (Alternate Take)
- "Over the Hill" (Alternate Take)
- "Don't Want to Know" (Alternate Take)
- "I'd Rather Be the Devil" (Alternate Take)
- "Go Down Easy" (Alternate Take)
- "Dreams by the Sea" (Alternate Take)
- "May You Never" (Alternate Take)
- "The Man in the Station" (Alternate Take)
- "The Easy Blues/Gentle Blues" (Alternate Take)
- "Keep On"
- "When It's Dark"
- "In the Evening"
- "May You Never" (Single Version)
- "The Easy Blues" (Live)
- "May You Never" (Live)
- "I'd Rather Be the Devil" (Live)
Personnel
- John Martyn – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, acousticAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
& electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
; synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
on "The Easy Blues" - Richard Thompson – guitar, violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, autoharpAutoharpThe autoharp is a musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers, which, when depressed, mute all of the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither. -History:There is debate over the...
; mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
on "Over the Hill" - Simon NicolSimon NicolSimon John Breckenridge Nicol is a guitarist, singer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He was a founder member of British folk rock, or electric folk group Fairport Convention and is the only founding member still in the band...
– mandolin, violin; autoharp on "Over the Hill" - Sue Draheim – violin on "Over the Hill"
- Tony CoeTony CoeAnthony George Coe is a composer and jazz musician who plays clarinet, bass clarinet, and tenor saxophone.Coe began his performing career playing with Humphrey Lyttelton's band from 1957 to 1962...
– saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
on "Dreams by the Sea" & "Solid Air" - John "Rabbit" BundrickJohn BundrickJohn Douglas "Rabbit" Bundrick is an American rock keyboardist, pianist and organist. He is best known for his work with The Who and associations with others including Eric Burdon, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Roger Waters, Free and Crawler. Bundrick is noted as the principal musician for the cult...
– acousticPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
& electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, clavinetClavinetA Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various... - Tristan Fry – vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
on "Solid Air" - Danny ThompsonDanny ThompsonDaniel Henry Edward 'Danny' Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist and businessman...
– acoustic bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Dave PeggDave PeggDave Pegg is an English multi-instrumentalist and record producer, arguably most visible as a bass guitarist. He is the longest-serving member of the pre-eminent electric folk band Fairport Convention and has been bassist with a number of important folk and rock groups including The Ian Campbell...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - Dave MattacksDave MattacksDave Mattacks is a rock and folk drummer. Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician, and as a performance artist...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Neemoi "Speedy" Acquaye – congaCongaThe conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
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