Track Listing

1. Sing A Song Of Summer
2. The River
3. Goin' Down To Memphis
4. The Gardeners
5. A Day At The Sea
6. Fishin' Blues
7. Dusty
8. Hello Train
9. Winding Boy
10. Fly On Home
11. Knuckledy Crunch And Slippledee-Slee Song
12. Seven Black Roses

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37284 in Music
• Released on: 2005-11-14
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Extra tracks, Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .22 pounds
• Running time: 34 minutes

Customer Reviews

John Martyn (1948 - 2009) An Epitaph
It's hard to believe (and painful to realise) that one
man's music can have been around in my life for
more than forty years and that now he is gone.

Together with Joni Mitchell this formidable singer/songwriter's albums
have formed a hugely important part of the musical soundtrack to my life.

That one day he would no longer be there was inevitable.
His was a life lived hard and lived mostly well .

Never a man to compromise. He plowed a deep and singular furrow
across the terrain of our musical consciousness.

A rich example of all that it might be to be a man
both in love with and at odds with the world.

That unique voice together with his irascible, unpredictable and larger-than-life
personality are preserved in a veritable treasure trove of superlative recordings.

There are many who hold up 'Solid Air' (1973) as his finest hour.
I have a strong affection for the mid-career project 'Glorious Fool' (1981).

The album I have chosen to accompany these inadequate reflections,
however, is Mr Martyn's second release 'The Tumbler' (1968).

There is a freshness and creative verve in these twelve songs
which belie his tender years.

The guitar technique is never anything less than prodigous.
The folk roots are barely contained by his raucous imagination.
The voice has not yet settled down into the familiar raw and ragged
textures of its later incarnation. Here it is a much lighter instrument
infused with whimsy, optimistic good humour and not a little sunshine.

Mr McNair (Flute), Mr Moses (Bass) and Mr Wheeler (Guitar)
contribute unobtrusively and sympathetically to the project.

Hard to pick stand-out tracks when every last one is a winner.

'Dusty', as the first of Mr Martyn's songs I ever heard will forever
inhabit a small and special space in my heart.
The breathy, jazzy flute compliments the vocal performance perfectly.

Taken by itself this small composition contains the seeds of almost
everything which was to follow.

His legacy is inestimable.

Goodbye John and Thankyou.

Early classic from a master.
This is John Martyn's second album, recorded in 1968 when the folk/rock boom was nearing its height. Immediately the album kicks off with 'Sing A Song Of Summer' and John displays his lightening fast guitar picking skills learnt from Davy Graham. Other highlights include 'Goin Down To Memphis' with its wonderful slide guitar sections. 'Dusty' and 'Fishin Blues' also impress, anyone used to Martyn's more gruff sounding jazzy voice from 'Solid Air' onwards as I was will get a bit of a shock here. No slurred or moaned vocals, but a crisp clear young folk voice. At around 30 mins in length, this is a brief experience but it should please both fans of the current crop of acoustic guitar singing wannabees and guitar nuts who can try and work out the dizzying finger picking/slide and strum style of Martyn. The best from his early period, but there was even better to come.

Plucking Good
I felt compelled to write a short review of this album after seeing that some fool had given it 1 out of 5. Seven Black Roses, the last track on the album is an absolute corker for starters and has some of the best folk guitar playing I've ever heard. The Gardeners is also excellent, with a dark and brooding atmosphere that has your neck hairs standing on end (similar to Nick Drake's Black Eyed Dog, without being quite so depressing!). I'll admit that at times some songs do sound slightly twee in sentiment and a bit dated, but it is still a great folk album that I frequently play and enjoy.