Don't be misled by the title. This is not Martyn's classic 1973 album Solid Air, but a best-of that isn't even really that. Yes, all his greatest songs from two decades of back catalogue are here. Yet they're not the original recordings but reinterpretations made in 1992-93 with a soft-rock, dinner party backing provided by such mates as Phil Collins and Dave Gilmour.
The songs still sound pretty good and his voice is as wonderfully slurred as ever. But nobody could claim any of these 28 retreads are improvements on the originals.
It’s a busy week here at Uncut. Last night, John and I went to see Roy Harper play a predictably excellent show at Rough Trade East – you can read all about it on his blog here. Tomorrow, I’m off to see Pixies at the Roundhouse and on Friday, it's Fleetwood Mac at the O2. Oh, and at some point there’s the final episode of Breaking Bad to watch...
“When it came out people were like, ‘Where in the world did this come from? What kind of music is this?’” Robbie Robertson tells Uncut in an exclusive interview for this month’s cover story celebrating the 45th anniversary of The Band’s landmark debut album, Music From Big Pink.
