Sweet Little Mysteries: The Island Anthology
By John Martyn
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Track listing
- Compact Disc One
- 1.1 Bless the Weather
- 1.2 Head and Heart
- 1.3 Glistening Glyndebourne
- 1.4 Solid Air
- 1.5 Over the Hill
- 1.6 Don’t Want to Know
- 1.7 I’d Rather Be the Devil
- 1.8 May You Never
- 1.9 Fine Lines
- 1.10 Eibhli Ghail Chiuin Ni Chearbhail
- 1.11 Make No Mistake
- 1.12 One Day Without You
- 1.13 Lay It All Down
- 1.14 Root Love
- 1.15 Sunday’s Child
- 1.16 Spencer the Rover
- 1.17 You Can Discover
- 1.18 Call Me Crazy
- Compact Disc Two
- 2.1 Couldn’t Love You More
- 2.2 Certain Surprise
- 2.3 Dancing
- 2.4 Small Hours
- 2.5 Dealer
- 2.6 One World
- 2.7 Some People Are Crazy
- 2.8 Lookin’ On
- 2.9 Johnny Too Bad
- 2.10 Sweet Little Mystery
- 2.11 Hurt in Your Heart
- 2.12 Baby Please Come Home
- 2.13 Sapphire
- 2.14 Fisherman's Dream
- 2.15 Angeline
- 2.16 Send Me One Line
Rate/Catalog
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2 Issues
7 Reviews
Cracking compilation that lifts nice big chunks from his classic albums. Recommended.
Published
A pretty good entry point - but be prepared for the additional expense of tracking down all the source albums - which you will undoubtedly want to do after this introduction
Published
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If this wasn't a collection then the individual tracks would merit 5 stars but as a collection it does have much of his early career disappointingly missing. Additionally, as an artist, John Martyn's style can be so varied that one collection can't really do him justice. Every one of the songs is excellent but the collection has a slightly sanitised feel to it ie John Martyn for the masses. He has so much more to offer than this collection suggests and for that I mark it down to a 4. That said, if you've never heard the man before, then you won't be disappointed and it will probably have you scrambling to collect all his albums.
Published
I will say that while this is a very good representation of his career from 1971 on, it fails to include anything he did from '67 to '70. The two solo albums from the '60s, _London Conversation_ and _The Tumbler_ are unsung classics, never issued in the U.S., and they will continue to be if Island keeps ignoring them when putting together these collections. Also, his solo work on the two albums he recorded with Beverly Martyn is intensely overlooked. For these injustices, this collection gets docked a whole star and a half.
Now, don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of his work from 1971-81. _Solid Air_ and _Bless The Weather_ are the most essential works in his catalog, and I am pleased to report that this collection begins with songs culled from these albums. I also find _One World_, _Grace & Danger_, _Inside Out_, and _Sunday's Child_ to be very rewarding. I just find it strange that an album like _The Tumbler_ or _London Conversation_ could be cast away like that. These two albums happen to be two of the very best Martyn records ever recorded in my humble opinion.
I was and probably never will be a fan of greatest hits collections or career overviews such as this. Especially when we're talking about an artist as diverse and shape-shifting as John Martyn. Every album he recorded had it's own distinct personality. Play _The Tumbler_ and _Inside Out_ back to back. You would swear you were listening to two completely different people. To try to distill such an artist's entire recorded output onto a two-disc set to me seems pointless and entirely motivated by greed. Now, while I do believe this to be true, I can understand the folks who are interested in this dude, but who wouldn't want to shell out a bunch of cash to buy each of his individual records. My advice to them is, buy _Solid Air_. That is truly a classic album, with not one wasted minute on it. It's also got a much cooler album cover than this. As a matter of fact, this album's lofty price tag of $26.99-28.99 is absolutely criminal considering the simple fact that you could afford two individual albums for that kind of money. So, my further advice is, also buy _Bless The Weather_. Then, if you really enjoy those records, which you undoubtedly will if you've found yourself on this page, seek out the unsung gems _London Conversation_ and _The Tumbler_. You won't regret it.
Now, don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of his work from 1971-81. _Solid Air_ and _Bless The Weather_ are the most essential works in his catalog, and I am pleased to report that this collection begins with songs culled from these albums. I also find _One World_, _Grace & Danger_, _Inside Out_, and _Sunday's Child_ to be very rewarding. I just find it strange that an album like _The Tumbler_ or _London Conversation_ could be cast away like that. These two albums happen to be two of the very best Martyn records ever recorded in my humble opinion.
I was and probably never will be a fan of greatest hits collections or career overviews such as this. Especially when we're talking about an artist as diverse and shape-shifting as John Martyn. Every album he recorded had it's own distinct personality. Play _The Tumbler_ and _Inside Out_ back to back. You would swear you were listening to two completely different people. To try to distill such an artist's entire recorded output onto a two-disc set to me seems pointless and entirely motivated by greed. Now, while I do believe this to be true, I can understand the folks who are interested in this dude, but who wouldn't want to shell out a bunch of cash to buy each of his individual records. My advice to them is, buy _Solid Air_. That is truly a classic album, with not one wasted minute on it. It's also got a much cooler album cover than this. As a matter of fact, this album's lofty price tag of $26.99-28.99 is absolutely criminal considering the simple fact that you could afford two individual albums for that kind of money. So, my further advice is, also buy _Bless The Weather_. Then, if you really enjoy those records, which you undoubtedly will if you've found yourself on this page, seek out the unsung gems _London Conversation_ and _The Tumbler_. You won't regret it.
Published
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For the uninitiated, this stunning collection of songs from the criminally neglected John Martyn, will come as a revelation. The first time I heard it I had to pull my car over to the side of the road and let the traffic crawl past me as I drank in the melting sunset over the living blue spill of the ocean. Powerful stuff. For those who are similarly moved you will find yourself scrambling to get your hands on everything he recorded in the 70's.
Published
Excellent selection, representing each of his classic albums and selecting the real gems from a prolific career.
Published
If you're goin' to own one John Martyn album, this'll give you all you need.
Published
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Catalog
13 Aug 2023
10 Aug 2022
2 Aug 2022
31 May 2022
8 May 2022
10 Feb 2022
3 Sep 2021
29 Apr 2020
2 Mar 2020
31 Oct 2019
28 Mar 2019
30 Mar 2018
15 Feb 2018
9 Jun 2017
6 Dec 2016
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