In the late '60s, the late British guitarist and songwriter John Martyn broke ground by leaping from acoustic folk into highly successful experiments with tape delay, wild recording scenarios, and jazz-inspired arrangements. He became a cult figure among British musicians. A list of his admirers reads like a who's-who of rock, pop, and even trip hop: Eric Clapton, The Band's Levon Helm, Lee "Scratch" Perry, The Cure's RoBert Smith, Beck, Morcheeba.
To honor his life, thirty artists reveal the full breadth of Martyn's creativity on Johnny Boy Would Love This...A Tribute to John Martyn (Hole in the Rain; August 16, 2011). The package will include a double CD digi-pak, 40-page booklet, and DVD that will feature interviews with a number of the contributing artists, performance videos, and rare live performances by John himself. Adding to this unique audio experience is the inclusion of John's actual guitar work on two of the tracks.
Musicians from several generations take on Martyn's intense, sometimes joyful and sometimes despairing, but always influential work. They come from the fertile acoustic fringes (Vetiver, Beth Orton) and from the heart of rock and pop (RoBert Smith, Phil Collins). They are elders of blues (Clarence Fountain and Sam Butler of the Blind Boys of Alabama) and young up-and-comers (John Smith and Sabrina Dinan).
CD 1
1. "Let The Good Things Come" David Gray
2. "Glorious Fool" Clarence Fountain And Sam Butler (Formerly The Blind Boys Of Alabama)
3. "Small Hours" RoBert Smith
4. "Stormbringer" Beck
5. "Over The Hill" Ted Barnes Featuring Gavin Clark
6. "I Don't Wanna Know" The Swell Season
7. "Bless The Weather" The Emperors Of Wyoming
8. "Couldn't Love You More" Lisa Hannigan
9. "Go Easy" Vetiver
10. "Solid Air" Skye Edwards
11. "You Can Discover" Cheryl Wilson
12. "The Easy Blues" Joe Bonamassa
13. "Dancing" Sonia Dada
14. "Certain Surprise" Sabrina Dinan
15. "One World" Paolo Nutini
CD 2
1. "May You Never" Snow Patrol
2. "Go Down Easy" Beth Orton
3. "Fairytale Lullaby" Bombay Bicycle Club
4. "Fine Lines" Syd Kitchen
5. "Head And Heart" Vashti Bunyan
6. "Run Honey Run" Morcheeba Featuring Bradley Burgess
7. "Angeline" Nicholas Barron
8. "Walk To The Water" John Smith
9. "Hurt In Your Heart" Judie Tzuke
10. "Road To Ruin" Jim Tullio
11. "John Wayne" Oh My God
12. "Rope Soul'd" The Blackships
13. "Back To Stay" Ultan Conlon
14. "Anna" Brendan Campbell
15. "Tearing And Breaking" Phil Collins
Videos