Side A
Artist	Song
John Martyn	Run Honey Run
John Martyn	Goin' Down to Memphis
John Martyn	Seven Black Roses
John and Beverley Martyn	Traffic Light Lady (demo)
John and Beverley Martyn	Go Out and Get It
John and Beverley Martyn	Woodstock
John and Beverley Martyn	John the Baptist
John and Beverley Martyn	Tree Green
John Martyn	Walk to the Water
John Martyn	Just Now
John Martyn	Head and Heart
John Martyn	Let the Good Things Come
John Martyn	Singin' in the Rain
John Martyn	Solid Air
John Martyn	Over the Hill
John Martyn	Don't Want to Know
John Martyn	I'd Rather Be the Devil
John Martyn	May You Never
John Martyn	The Easy Blues (Jelly Roll Blues/Gentle Blues)
John Martyn	Fine Lines
John Martyn	Ain't No Saint
John Martyn	Make No Mistake
Side B
Artist	Song	Buy
John Martyn	Ways to Cry
John Martyn	One Day Without You
John Martyn	Lay It All Down
John Martyn	Root Love
John Martyn	My Baby Girl
John Martyn	Spencer the Rover
John Martyn	The Message
John Martyn	Dealer
John Martyn	Smiling Stranger
John Martyn	Big Muff
John Martyn	Couldn't Love You More
John Martyn	Certain Surprise
John Martyn	Small Hours
John Martyn	Some People Are Crazy
John Martyn	Johnny Too Bad
John Martyn	Sweet Little Mystery
John Martyn	Hurt in Your Heart
John Martyn	Baby Please Come Home
John Martyn	Our Love

Comment:

A double-disc dollop of my favorite tracks by one of the more underrated mavericks skirting the fringes of folk, experimental rock, fusion and world music (who also happens to be the first white artist signed to Chris Blackwell's legendary Island records). While many of his records are spotty affairs (and his first two records are actually pretty sub-par, forgettable, very-much-of-their-time, late-'60s British folk records), he released a few bona-fide classics during his thirteen years with the label, particularly his last two albums for Island--the late '70s double-whammy of One World (1977) and Grace and Danger (recorded 1979, released 1980). It's interesting that--on paper, anyway--those two records are the least like other things that I listen to, as they're sort of slick in their own way (Grace & Danger even has substantial Phil Collins involvement--a statement that usually does not bode well for any project, I'm sorry to say, although at that point in his career he was still a talented drummer who hadn't quite crossed over to the post-Face Value "uber-Phil"); however, something about the vibe of the albums kept them lodged in my subconscious until I played them endlessly, and the intense emotional content of both (thoroughly opiated on One World, romantically harrowing on Grace & Danger) really worked to overcome my initial misgivings. At any rate, I wasn't intending to do a double-disc set, but Martyn is one of those artists who has a disc and a half's worth of unbeatably essential material, and, unlike other artists who fall into that category, the other half is so genuinely good that it was worth giving in and putting the double-disc set together. It's a shame that his legendarily ravenous appetite for drinking (often with also-legendary double-bassist Danny Thompson, who appears on just about every track after "Tree Green" on this chronological anthology) and resulting diabetes have affected both the quality and the frequency of his work since leaving the label (although, to give him due credit, he has continued to explore and incorporate new musical elements/styles with each release) while substantially compromising his health.

Feedback: