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#1
03-04-2024, 11:00 PM
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John Martyn and Spencer the Rover
We've had a thread where this has come up, but I've decided to post this video here in a new thread. John Martyn recorded the song and there are other live versions out there, but this is my favorite. Note the bass player is Danny Thompson who played often with Martyn over the years, and who is a personal favorite of mine.
This is from later in Martyn career, and he's somewhat worse for wear. If one is to talk about technical mastery or beautiful voice singing, this performance may not be for you. But combined with the story of the song, and to my taste, this version is magnificent.
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----------------------------------- Creator of The Parlando Project Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses.... 
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#3
03-05-2024, 08:43 PM
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Nice post. For a couple of years I went down the John Martyn rabbit hole, learning to play and sing what I could. I found his vocal phrasing and his guitar playing really intriguing.
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Curtis Martin om21 Chris Carrington classical Last edited by Ceabeceabe; 03-10-2024 at 05:16 PM.
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#4
03-05-2024, 11:07 PM
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There's a sort of mumble in his singing often, and over the years more grain in his timbre -- I can see what that might bother some -- but for me, when he's on, the emotional transference really works.
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----------------------------------- Creator of The Parlando Project Guitars: 20th Century Seagull S6-12, S6 Folk, Seagull M6; '00 Guild JF30-12, '01 Martin 00-15, '16 Martin 000-17, '07 Parkwood PW510, Epiphone Biscuit resonator, Merlin Dulcimer, and various electric guitars, basses....
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#5
03-12-2024, 10:48 AM
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I became a life long John Martyn fan in 1973 and had Spencer the Rover in my repertoire for years….his biography “Some People Are Crazy” is a tough read and reveals the conflicted but fascinating life he led. I got to see him live once at The Cellar Door in Georgetown DC in the mid seventies…..outstanding performance with just his D-28 and an echoplex. .I don’t think he toured in the US after that. I still listen to his music regularly…I love all the stuff he did on The Transatlantic Sessions….here’s a fave of mine with Eddi Reader doing background vocal….
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...Grasshopper...high is high...low is low....but the middle...lies in between...Master Po Last edited by J Patrick; 03-12-2024 at 10:57 AM.
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#6
03-12-2024, 12:43 PM
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Not sure when John last toured in the USA, but I saw him play solo in a small grill & tap in North Easton, MA around the time "No Small Boy" was released -1993 or 94 ?
Spoke with him briefly after the concert and he was friendly and in good humor, but there was a look in his eyes that said "I could change any minute" - a very complex man. His guitar style and voice just worked so well together. Never saw this video before. Thanks for posting.
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Mark D
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