Solid Air
Eight days at the end of 1972, a song for Nick Drake, and the record that keeps finding new listeners.
John Martyn, 1973
- Released
- February 1973
- Recorded
- November to December 1972
- Studio
- Island Studios (Basing Street) and Sound Techniques, London
- Label
- Island
- Producer
- John Martyn and John Wood
Made at Basing Street and Sound Techniques for no more than 7,500 pounds, by John Wood's account. A planned rhythm section fell through after Wood hurt his ankle, and the band regrouped around Danny Thompson. Wood said that under the surface Martyn was full of self-doubt and needed reassurance, above all with his vocals. Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol and Sue Draheim play on Over the Hill, and I'd Rather Be the Devil reworks Skip James's Devil Got My Woman. The cover is a schlieren photograph, which makes air look solid.
It sold better than any earlier Martyn album, though he long preferred Inside Out. Paul Weller and Beth Orton praised it when it was rediscovered in the 1990s, and Mojo traced chill-out and trip-hop back to it. Q ranked it the 67th greatest British album, it appears in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, and Pitchfork gave it ten in 2024. The 2009 deluxe edition adds outtakes.
Track listing
- Solid Air5:45
- Over the Hill2:53
- Don't Want to Know3:02
- I'd Rather Be the Devil6:18
- Go Down Easy3:35
- Dreams by the Sea3:17
- May You Never3:41
- The Man in the Station
- The Easy Blues3:20
Personnel
- John Martyn vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards on The Easy Blues
- Danny Thompson double bass
- Dave Pegg bass
- Dave Mattacks drums
- John "Rabbit" Bundrick piano, organ, clavinet
- Neemoi "Speedy" Acquaye congas
- Tony Coe saxophone on Solid Air and Dreams by the Sea
- Tristan Fry vibraphone on Solid Air
- Richard Thompson mandolin on Over the Hill
- Simon Nicol autoharp on Over the Hill
- Sue Draheim violin on Over the Hill
More from John Martyn
Bless the Weather (1971), Grace and Danger (1980)
Sources
- Solid Air, Wikipedia
- Solid Air (Island ILPS 9226), Discogs
- The making of Solid Air, Uncut (2019)
- We would rampage, have fun, Mojo
- Solid Air, American Songwriter (2013-07-02)