"A Cellarful Of Motown! Volume 4" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – Featuring Brenda Holloway, Venetta Fields, The Fantastic Four, Marvin Gaye, Joe Stubbs, Jr. Walker, The Monitors, Frank Wilson, The Contours, Mary Wells, Eddie Holland, The Temptations, Four Tops, Barbara McNair, Earl Van Dyke, Blinky, Tammi Terrell, Ivy Jo Hunter and many more (August 2010 UK Universal/Motown 50-Track 2CD Paul Nixon Collated Compilation of The Rarest Detroit Grooves - Previously Unreleased Tracks from 1962 to 1971 with Jared Hawkes Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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"...Company Time..."

 

Along with British Punk and New Wave multiples, Motown compilations that concentrate on the famous American label's 60ts and 70ts heyday are probably one of the most overdone areas in music. But every now and then, true aficionados of both are allowed to get their aged knickers in a proper twist of self-flagellating excitement when along comes a title/series that actual does rush the blood to all manner of dodgy organs. And for Soul Boys and Gals, Universal's twofer exploration series "A Cellarful Of Motown!" is one of those happy occasions. 

 

Begun in 2002 and making no bones about describing themselves as purveyors of 'The Rarest Detroit Grooves' on their digital label bellies - its last volume was issued 2020. So in over 20 years there have been only five sets - thereby reflecting both the difficulty and time it takes to collate such vault trawls. Door number four is one of my faves - Soul Galore indeed! Let's have at the many (sometimes sketchy) details...  

 

UK released 31 August 2010 - "A Cellarful Of Motown! Volume 4" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Universal/Motown 8824009 (Barcode 042288240099) is a 50-Track 2CD Compilation of Remasters covering 'The Rarest Detroit Grooves' between 1962 and 1971 and it plays out as follows:

 

CD1 (69:29 minutes):

1. Kidnapped - THE BLACKBERRIES (Mid-60s, Venetta Fields Lead Vocals)

2. Keep On Tryin' ('Til You Find Love) - THE FANTASTIC FOUR (1967 to 1969 recordings)

3. Your Kiss Kiss - MARVIN GAYE & OMA HEARD (Repaired recording, June 1964)

4. My Baby Moves Me - BRENDA HOLLOWAY (Recovered 1966 Bootleg recording)

5. Cool Cool Baby - JR. WALKER & THE ALL STARS (March 1966 recording)

6. The Girl I've Chosen To Be My Bride - JOE STUBBS  (Aug/Dec 1968 recordings, brother of Four Tops lead vocalist Levi Stubbs and one-time member of the famed vocal group The falcons)

7. You Didn't Show Girl - THE TEMPTATIONS (March to December 1968 recordings)

8. My Baby Changes Like The Weather - THE VOWS (Unknown recording date)

9. Doctor Of Love - THE MONITORS (1966 recordings, Sandra Fagin Lead Vocals)

10. All I Need Is A Chance - ROBERT DOBYNE (Lead Vocalist with The Artistics, September to October 1965 recordings)

11. The Day You Take One (You Have To Take The Other) - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (June 1967 recordings, considered for the 'Lost & Found' Series, released here)

12. Ain't Gonna Tell You - FRANK WILSON (Unknown recording details)

13. Dancing U.S.A. - THE CONTOURS (Sept 1964 to March 1965 recordings) 

14. That's The Way I See Him - THE MARVELETTES (January 1963 recordings)

15. Have A Little Patience (And Wait) - MARY WELLS (July 1963 recordings)

16. Three Time Loser - MARVIN GAYE (Feb and March 1963 recordings, Backing Vocals by The Vandellas)

17. Lead Me And Guide Me - HOLLAND & DOZIER (May 1963 recordings, probably LaBrenda Ben on Lead Vocals)

18. It's Company Time - THE VERSATONES (July 1963 Novelty recording)

19. Twin Brother - EDDIE HOLLAND (February 1963 for this recording, original was Oct 1962)

20. Think Of The Times - CAROLYN CRAWFORD (And The Velvelettes) (April and December 1964 recordings)

21. You're What's Happening Baby - FOUR TOPS (June 1965 recordings, Levi Stubbs on Lead Vocals)

22. I'll Turn To Stone - DENNIS EDWARDS (June 1967 recordings, Four Tops soloist track)

23. I Need You More Now Than Ever - PAUL WILLIAMS (August 1971 to August 1972 recordings, Temptations soloist)

24. Daddy, Cool - OMA HEARD (No recording details)

25. The Real You - BARBARA McNAIR (Dec 1966, January 1967 recordings) 

 

CD2 (71:58 minutes):

1. Miss Lonely Hearts - THE VANDELLAS (Sept 1956 recordings)

2. The House That Jack Built - J.J. BARNES (October 1966 recordings)

3. The Philly Dog - EARL VAN DYKE (May 1966 recordings)

4. Whole Lot Of Shakin' In My Heart (Since I Met You) - THE UTOPIANS (Frank Wilson cover, November 1968 recordings)

5. Only A Lonely Man Would Know - IVY JO HUNTER (August 1968 and June 1969 recordings)

6. It's Gonna Be Always - BLINKY (March, April and June 1969 recordings)

7. Somebody's Waiting For Me - THE CONTOURS (August and September 1966 recordings initially assigned to Marvin Gaye)

8. A Bird In The Hand (Is Worth Two In The Bush) - GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (September, October and November 1967 recordings)

9. Don't Let Me Be Lonely - TAMMI TERRELL (Sept to Nov 1965 recordings)

10. Why Don't You Come Home - STEVIE WONDER (July to Sept 1968 recordings)

11. You Can Do It - THE MIRACLES (October 1967 recordings)

12. You Gave Me Love To Live For - DEBBIE DEAN (March 1968 recordings)

13. Head Over Heels In Love With You Baby - THE SPINNERS (Aug, Sept 1966)

14. I'd Cry - CHUCK JACKSON (September 1969 to November 1970 recordings)

15. In The Summer - THE LOLLIPOPS (Sept, December 1969 recordings)

16. Just Let Me Thank You For Loving Me - THE ORIGINALS (1968 to 1970)

17. I Feel Like I'm Falling In Love Again - DENNIS EDWARDS (1967 to 1968)

18. Sock It Two 'Um - JR. WALKER & THE ALL STARS (1965 recordings)

19. Take Him Back If It Makes You Happy - THE FANTASTIC FOUR (1967)

20. Born To Be Bad - EDWIN STARR (1969 recordings)

21. She's All I Need (In This World) - MARV JOHNSON (1968 and 1969)

22. Mobile Lil The Dancing Witch - SHORTY LONG (1967 recordings)

23. Hey Girl, Come On Do The Pearl - THE AGENTS (1967 recordings)

24. In The Cool Of The Night - DAVID RUFFIN (1971 recordings)

25. Little Miss Loser - BRENDA HOLLOWAY (1964 recordings)

 

The 20-page booklet is a serious info-fest for the Motown nut who just has to know every nook and cranny. PAUL NIXON - who collated the set - gives a track-by-track detail fest that aims its information at the Archives and the Collectors. For instance when describing the Earl Van Dyke cover version discovery of Smokey Robinson's "The Philly Dog" - we find out it includes the band leader's group The Soul Brothers and is co-written with Warren Moore, Marv Tarpin and Tony Newton - names that will be of interest to label aficionados. Mastering/Remastering was done by JARED HAWKES at Universal and given the nature of unreleased - he's done a bang-up job at making them pop. Loving the colour photos between the pages of label bags, artist publicity shots, Dansette at the ready with 45s strewn around it. Chunes...

 

Finding a Marvin Gaye track no one has catalogued or heard before ("Three Time Loser" on CD1) only to have The Vandellas doing Backing Vocals on it - or a Mary Wells song - or a track by Joe Stubbs - Brother of the Lead Vocalist Levi Stubbs for The Four Tops - is amazing in itself. But this compilation has a Frank Wilson unreleased! To put this into context, Wilson's legendary withdrawn Motown song "Do I Love You" is THE Northern Soul Monster 45 of all time. Reputedly with only one known copy in existence, it changed hands for over half-a-million bucks and is one of the jewels on Ellen Fitton's "The Motown Singles Series" on Hip-O Select. Although the liner notes here tell us that Frank (when contacted) doesn't remember anything about the recording of "Ain't Gonna Tell You" (not even the recording date) - it's enough to have anything new by Wilson to raise the heart-palpitations of any Dancer or Soul fan to the level of needing paramedics standing-by. 

 

And yet this set is full of those kind of finds - names like Robert Dobyne or The Vows or Debbie Dean or The Utopians or The Versatones are not exactly rolling off the tongues of your average listener. The Acetate for "I've Got A Right To Cry" is legendary and despite searches across decades, it was never found in the Motown vaults - until now. The 'Demo' vocal of "Lead Me And Guide Me" attributable to Holland-Dozier-Holland (Track 17, CD1) turns out to be that recording from 31 May 1963. Although other details are sketchy, Paul Nixon nonetheless describes its discovery as 'the' find of the series. Northern Soul rarity hunters will also love "Think Of The Times" which has female hero of the NS scene Carolyn Crawford backed up by The Velvelettes - sounding saucy and leaning into that microphone. You would think too that every Four Tops session would have been plundered by now, but again, Nixon finds a Levi Stubbs lead vocal worth having in the shape of "You're What's Happening Baby" - a worth-having dancer laid down over two days in June 1965. One-time duet vocalist with Marvin Gaye, Oma Heard has The Pipkins-written "Daddy, Cool" while that manic club scene vibe is created for Barbara McNair's "The Real You". 

Fans of floorfillers will dig The Vandellas giving it some on their "Miss Lonely Heart" - a classic Motown driver from September 1965 penned by Smokey Robinson and Ivy Jo Hunter. J.J. Barnes tries manfully to channel his inner Marvin Gaye on "The House That Jack Built" whilst band-leader Earl Van Dyke gives us no such subtlety on his rim-shot scorcher "The Philly Dog" (backed up by The Soul Brothers). A co-write with Beatrice Verdi, Ivy Jo Hunter's "Only A Lonely Man Would Know" pours on the angst - a song Marvin then cut on his 1969 album "M.P.G." Lovers of Edwin Starr's duet partner Blinky will be pleased to see something new in "It's Gonna Be Always" - an Al Hamilton and Jean Toney song from 1969. The ballad found by Marvin's best duet partner Tammi Terrell was recorded September 1965 and tinkered with up until November - is a heart-warmer penned by Smokey and Ivy Jo Hunter. And on it goes back to the start where Brenda Holloway gets to close this fab twofer with her "Little Miss Loser" from 1964 - the year that Motown broke huge. 

Motown, Tamla, Gordy, Tamla Motown - wow! What a rich vein they tapped and by the looks of it will still be doing so for years to come...

 

Titles in the 2CD "A Cellarful Of Motown!" Series are (UK editions):

 

"A Cellarful Of Motown!"

3 June 2002 UK Universal/Motown 544 619-2 (Barcode 731454461924)

All 40-Tracks Previously Unreleased except "Riding High On Love" by Jr. Walker & The All Stars on CD2 (Track 10)

 

"A Cellarful Of Motown! Volume 2"

4 July 2005 UK Universal/Tamla Motown 982 929-7 (Barcode 602498292976)

All 42-Tracks of The Rarest Detroit Grooves Remastered by Gary Moore

 

"A Cellarful Of Motown! Volume 3"

15 October 2007 UK Universal/Motown 5303228 (Barcode 600753032282)

45-Track 2CD compilations (hidden tracks) with Gary Moore and Ellen Fitton Remasters

 

"A Cellarful Of Motown! Volume 4"

31 August 2010 UK Universal/Motown 8824009 (Barcode 042288240099)

50-Track 2CD compilation with Jared Hawkes Remasters

 

"A Cellarful Of Motown! Volume 5"

18 September 2020 UK Caroline Records/Motown CAROLR090CD (Barcode 600753847008)

43-Track 2CD compilation with Nick Robbins Remasters

"The Island Years" by JOHN MARTYN (September 2013 Universal 17CD/1DVD Box Set of Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With 300+ Others Is Available In My

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites

1960s and 1970s MUSIC ON CD - Volume 2 of 3 - Exceptional CD Remasters

As well as 1960s and 1970s Rock and Pop - It Also Focuses On

Folk, Folk Rock, Country Rock, Reggae, Punk and New Wave

Just Click Below To Purchase for £3.95

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"...If You Want To Ride A Rainbow...Come With Me…"

There's a huge amount of stuff on this behemoth - so let's get to the details first: "The Island Years" is a limited edition 17-CD/1DVD LP-Sized Box Set UK issued Monday 30 September 2013 on Universal/Island Records 374 228-8 (Barcode 602537422881) and breaks down as follows:

The first 12" x 12" tri-gatefold sleeve contains:

Disc 1 (74:39 minutes): Tracks 1 to 12 are his debut album "London Conversation" issued October 1967 on Island ILP 952 in MONO ONLY. Tracks 13 to 24 are his 2nd studio album "The Tumbler" issued December 1968 on Island ILP 9091 in MONO and ILPS 9091 in STEREO (the Stereo mix is used here - the Mono Mix is still unavailable on CD). There are no bonus tracks on Disc 1.

Disc 2 (64:43 minutes): Tracks 1 to 10 are his 3rd studio album "Stormbringer!" issued February 1970 on Island ILPS 9113 in STEREO ONLY and credited to JOHN and BEVERLEY MARTYN. Tracks 11 to 17 are bonus tracks with 11, 12 and 13 being PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED Live At The BBC Recordings (with Beverley Martin).

Disc 3 (48:31 minutes): Tracks 1 to 9 are his 4th studio album "The Road To Ruin" issued November 1970 on Island ILPS 9133 and credited to JOHN and BEVERLEY MARTYN. Tracks 10 to 12 are bonuses, 10 and 11 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED BBC Recordings.

Disc 4 (77:33 minutes): Tracks 1 to 10 are his 5th studio album "Bless The Weather" issued November 1971 on Island ILPS 9167. Tracks 11 to 18 are bonuses, PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES.

Disc 5 (58:03 minutes): Tracks 1 to 11 are called "Live At The Hanging Lamp 1972" - a PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED concert taped at "The Hanging Lamp" in Richmond, London, 8 May 1972.

Disc 6 (73:38 minutes): Tracks 1 to 9 are his 6th studio album "Solid Air" issued February 1973 on Island ILPS 9226. Tracks 10 to 18 are ALTERNATE TAKES PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED on CD.

Disc 7 (68:08 minutes): Tracks 1 to 10 are his 7th studio album "Inside Out" issued in October 1973 on Island ILPS 9253. Tracks 11 to 16 are Bonus Tracks. Tracks 11 to 14 are ALTERNATE TAKES PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED on CD, while 15 and 16 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED.

Disc 8 (76:12 minutes): Tracks 1 to 6 are his 1st live album "Live At Leeds" issued in September 1975 on Island ILPS 9343 (10,000 copies only). Tracks 7 to 11 are bonuses live tracks from 1986. Tracks 7, 8 and 9 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (recorded at Glastonbury Festival), 10 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED while 11 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED on CD (both recorded at The London Palladium).

Disc 9 (68:36 minutes): Tracks 1 to 11 are his 8th studio album "Sunday's Child" issued January 1975 on Island ILPS 9296. Tracks 12 to 17 are bonuses. Tracks 12, 13 and 14 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES, Track 15 is an Alternate Take, Track 16 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED and Track 17 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED on CD.

The second 12" x 12" gatefold sleeve contains:

Disc 10 (67:41 minutes): Tracks 1 to 10 are "Live At The Town Hall, Sydney, Australia" - all tracks were recorded 11 August 1977 and are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED.

Disc 11 (73:35 minutes): Tracks 1 to 8 are his 9th studio album "One World" issued November 1977 on Island ILPS 9492. Tracks 9 to 14 are bonuses, all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES.

Disc 12 (66:55 minutes): Tracks 1 to 11 are "One World 2nd Disc". Tracks 1 to 10 are all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES of the "One World" album. Track 11 is "Anna" - an Australian-Only 7" single on Island Records from 1981.

Disc 13 (75:48 minutes): Tracks 1 to 9 are his 10th studio album "Grace And Danger" issued October 1980 on Island ILPS 9560. Tracks 10 to 15 are bonuses. Track 10 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED while 11 to 15 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES.

Disc 14 (75:48 minutes): Tracks 1 to 14 are "Grace And Danger 2nd Disc". 3 and 8 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED, 1, 2, 4 and 5 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ON CD ALTERNATE TAKES while 6 and 14 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ON CD.

Disc 15 (72:56 minutes): Tracks 1 to 10 are his 13th studio album "Sapphire" issued November 1984 on Island ILPS 9779. Tracks 11 to 17 are bonuses. Track 11 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED while Tracks 12 to 17 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES.

Disc 16 (74:58 minutes): Tracks 1 to 9 are his 14th studio album "Piece By Piece" issued February 1986 on Island ILPS 9807. Track 10 "Tight Connection (To My Heart)" was one of the bonus tracks on the original CD of the album (a Bob Dylan cover) and also featured on the world's first CD single "Angeline" released in February 1986. Tracks 11 to 18 are bonuses. Tracks 11 and 15 are Advertisements for the album while 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES.

Disc 17 (69:12 minutes): Tracks 1 to 12 are The Previously Unreleased Island Mix of the album "The Apprentice" (later remixed and issued by Permanent Records in 1991). Tracks 13 to 16 are bonuses. Track 13 was recorded at the Island 25th Birthday Party in 1987 while Tracks 14 to 16 are live recordings from the Town & Country Club in 1988.

CONTENT:

Fans will know that November 2005 saw 8 of his Island albums reissued and expanded onto CD with superb Paschal Byrne remasters. There are four double-disc DELUXE EDITIONS of other Island albums before and after 2005 - "Solid Air", "Live At Leeds", "One World" and "Grace And Danger". Across all 12 reissues there's a whopping 83 previously unreleased bonus tracks. The point is that only a fraction of those are included on this box set as the pre-release blurb clearly states - replaced instead with 100 previously unreleased recordings - including a further 19 on CD for the first time. So I wouldn't ditch those old reissues just yet especially not the staggeringly good "Solid Air" DE (which I reviewed way back).

The albums "Sapphire" (1984) and "Piece By Piece" (1986) receive remasters for the first time and the "The Apprentice" is the 1988 unheard "Island" mix that was rejected by the label and ended his contract with them. The studio albums "Glorious Fool" (1981) and "Best Kept Secret" (1982) were on WEA so they're not included in this set.

The 33-track DVD includes previously unseen BBC footage from the 1970s and 1980s ("Old Grey Whistle Test" and "Sight And Sound" shows) including the complete "The Foundations" concert from 1986 on DVD for the first time (the DVD is ALL REGIONS so no worries for foreign purchases).

SOUND:

JARED HAWKES did the Mixing and Mastering at Universal Mastering with further work carried out by PASCHAL BYRNE and BEN WISEMAN at Audio Archiving (both studios in London). Right from the get go the sound is gloriously clear - very, very clean and never showy (the opening lyric from London Conversation's "Fairy Tale Lullaby" titles this review). Soundwise what is also delightful are the Outtakes from the "Bless The Weather" period and onwards. Mostly recorded in Sound Techniques Studios in Chelsea, they don't just sound fabulous, they're sonically intimate in ways some of the finished album cuts aren't. Many I suspect are earlier takes to the finished version so the band is finding its way. But that only adds an amazing atmosphere to them - like you're eavesdropping on history. Even the glossy 80's stuff sounds fuller - especially the hugely underrated "Piece By Piece" album. It doesn't sound to me like any compression has been applied - and if it has - it's minimal. These are warm remasters - clear and full - but not for loudness sake. The exclusive bootleg tape that is Disc 5 (kindly donated by Graham Hinde) is full of wobbles and people shuffling - not the greatest and for me the first real clunker on here. The dreadfully overproduced mix of "The Apprentice" is slick for sure - but strangely soulless for such a soulful man. But not surprisingly the Alternate Takes from his two meisterworks "Solid Air" and "One World" are thrilling to hear - especially in such spot-on sound quality.

PACKAGING:

It arrives in an outer plain cardboard box, but within is a shaped foam wrap-around which fully protects the shrink-wrapped heavyweight hard-card set and is a very nice touch. The TWO LP-sized sleeves which feature artwork by IAN MUNDAY (one is a three-way-gatefold, the other just a gatefold) that contain the CDs are very cleverly laid out (the DVD is in a separate smaller card sleeve). Each flap has die-cut card inserts, but because of its 12" size there's plenty of wiggle-room to get them in and out - so you don't get that awful scratch-your-disc every time you remove it from too-tightly packed presentation. The CDs themselves are colour-coded - the first 3 featuring the famous PINK Island label - the early 70's with the PINK-RIM label - then the late 70s, early 80s, mid 80s and so on - all labels appropriate to their time frame - a nice attention to detail. There's a poster and promo material reprints that are nice if not a little fiddly. The price is good too. However, its initial retail purchase of £160 is bound to rise as it sells out and word gets round as to just how good this set really is (rather like the Sandy Denny box that preceded it) - so buy it now before extortion sets in.

As you can imagine, the 120-Page Hardback Book called "The John Martyn Album" (done up like a family photo-album complete with mock chord at the front) is the bomb - just gorgeous. It features full page colour plates of each album sleeve (front and rear) with in-studio photos for each period, master tape boxes, the rare "Anna" 7" single from Australia, in-concert flyers, press adverts and huge amounts of written work by keeper-of-the-flame JOHN HILLARBY. The text also discusses his superb albums after Island on Permanent and Go! Discs (like "Cooltide" and "Glasgow Walker") right up to 2004's "On The Cobbles". In the final pages there are tributes from Bob Harris of The Old Grey Whistle Test, Eddi Reader the singer and Mark Cooper of the BBC. The box is dedicated to his loved ones (named) and there's a particularly lovely set of family snapshots at the very beginning that extend for pages - they feature him and his parents as a nipper in Scotland in the 1940's right up to his last days in Ireland in the 2000s with his own partner and children - its revelatory, fun and poignant.

NIGGLES:

The mono mix of "The Tumbler" is still AWOL and for such an extensive project its extraordinary that there's no discography (not even album catalogue numbers or release dates beneath any of the entries). But apart from those paltry niggles - this box set is a feast for the eyes and crucially for the ears. Some may baulk at the cost - don't. It's been a long time since I spent this amount of money on any music project - but when you think about the sheer volume of quality on here and how much more other less-worthy packages cost - then "The Island Years" is cheap at twice the price. I know I'll be dipping into this baby for years.

Like Ronnie Lane, Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, John Peel and other hugely wonderful influences in our musical youth and adulthood - Iain David McGeachy is beloved for a reason and sorely missed to this day. Well done to the team behind this set who have so beautifully remembered him.

Partner Teresa Walsh and daughter Mharai McGeachy collected his OBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace on 27 March 2009 - John Martyn deserved no less...

"The Island Years" by JOHN MARTYN BOX SET (30 September 2013 UK Universal/Island 17CD/1DVD LP-Sized Box Set with Over 100 Previously Unreleased Tracks and New Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

"...If You Want To Ride A Rainbow...Come With Me..."

 

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JOHN MARTYN - "The Island Years" Box Set

There's a huge amount of stuff on this behemoth - so let's get to the details first...

 

"The Island Years" by JOHN MARTYN is a limited edition 17-CD/1DVD LP-Sized Box Set UK issued Friday, 27 September 2013 on Universal/Island Records 374 228-8 (Barcode 602537422883) and breaks down as follows:

 

The first 12" x 12" tri-gatefold sleeve contains:

Disc 1 (74:39 minutes): Tracks 1 to 12 are his debut album "London Conversation" issued October 1967 on Island ILP 952 in MONO ONLY. Tracks 13 to 24 are his 2nd studio album "The Tumbler" issued December 1968 on Island ILP 9091 in MONO and ILPS 9091 in STEREO (the Stereo mix is used here - the Mono Mix is still unavailable on CD). There are no bonus tracks on Disc 1.

 

Disc 2 (64:43 minutes): Tracks 1 to 10 are his 3rd studio album "Stormbringer!" issued February 1970 on Island ILPS 9113 in STEREO ONLY and credited to JOHN and BEVERLEY MARTYN. Tracks 11 to 17 are bonus tracks with 11, 12 and 13 being PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED Live At The BBC Recordings (with Beverley Martin).

 

Disc 3 (48:31 minutes): Tracks 1 to 9 are his 4th studio album "The Road To Ruin" issued November 1970 on Island ILPS 9133 and credited to JOHN and BEVERLEY MARTYN. Tracks 10 to 12 are bonuses, 10 and 11 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED BBC Recordings.

 

Disc 4 (77:33 minutes): Tracks 1 to 10 are his 5th studio album "Bless The Weather" issued November 1971 on Island ILPS 9167. Tracks 11 to 18 are bonuses, PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES.

 

Disc 5 (58:03 minutes): Tracks 1 to 11 are called "Live At The Hanging Lamp 1972" - a PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED concert taped at "The Hanging Lamp" in Richmond, London, 8 May 1972.

 

Disc 6 (73:38 minutes): Tracks 1 to 9 are his 6th studio album "Solid Air" issued February 1973 on Island ILPS 9226. Tracks 10 to 18 are ALTERNATE TAKES PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED on CD.

 

Disc 7 (68:08 minutes): Tracks 1 to 10 are his 7th studio album "Inside Out" issued in October 1973 on Island ILPS 9253. Tracks 11 to 16 are Bonus Tracks. Tracks 11 to 14 are ALTERNATE TAKES PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED on CD, while 15 and 16 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED.

 

Disc 8 (76:12 minutes): Tracks 1 to 6 are his 1st live album "Live At Leeds" issued in September 1975 on Island ILPS 9343 (10,000 copies only). Tracks 7 to 11 are bonuses live tracks from 1986. Tracks 7, 8 and 9 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (recorded at Glastonbury Festival), 10 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED while 11 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED on CD (both recorded at The London Palladium).

 

Disc 9 (68:36 minutes): Tracks 1 to 11 are his 8th studio album "Sunday's Child" issued January 1975 on Island ILPS 9296. Tracks 12 to 17 are bonuses. Tracks 12, 13 and 14 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES, Track 15 is an Alternate Take, Track 16 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED and Track 17 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED on CD.

 

The second 12" x 12" gatefold sleeve contains:

Disc 10 (67:41 minutes): Tracks 1 to 10 are "Live At The Town Hall, Sydney, Australia" - all tracks were recorded 11 August 1977 and are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED.

 

Disc 11 (73:35 minutes): Tracks 1 to 8 are his 9th studio album "One World" issued November 1977 on Island ILPS 9492. Tracks 9 to 14 are bonuses, all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES.

 

Disc 12 (66:55 minutes): Tracks 1 to 11 are "One World 2nd Disc". Tracks 1 to 10 are all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES of the "One World" album. Track 11 is "Anna" - an Australian-Only 7" single on Island Records from 1981.

 

Disc 13 (75:48 minutes): Tracks 1 to 9 are his 10th studio album "Grace And Danger" issued October 1980 on Island ILPS 9560. Tracks 10 to 15 are bonuses. Track 10 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED while 11 to 15 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES.

 

Disc 14 (75:48 minutes): Tracks 1 to 14 are "Grace And Danger 2nd Disc". 3 and 8 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED, 1, 2, 4 and 5 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ON CD ALTERNATE TAKES while 6 and 14 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ON CD.

 

Disc 15 (72:56 minutes): Tracks 1 to 10 are his 13th studio album "Sapphire" issued November 1984 on Island ILPS 9779. Tracks 11 to 17 are bonuses. Track 11 is PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED while Tracks 12 to 17 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES.

 

Disc 16 (74:58 minutes): Tracks 1 to 9 are his 14th studio album "Piece By Piece" issued February 1986 on Island ILPS 9807. Track 10 "Tight Connection (To My Heart)" was one of the bonus tracks on the original CD of the album (a Bob Dylan cover) and also featured on the world's first CD single "Angeline" released in February 1986. Tracks 11 to 18 are bonuses. Tracks 11 and 15 are Advertisements for the album while 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ALTERNATE TAKES.

 

Disc 17 (69:12 minutes): Tracks 1 to 12 are The Previously Unreleased Island Mix of the album "The Apprentice" (later remixed and issued by Permanent Records in 1991). Tracks 13 to 16 are bonuses. Track 13 was recorded at the Island 25th Birthday Party in 1987 while Tracks 14 to 16 are live recordings from the Town & Country Club in 1988.

 

CONTENT:

Fans will know that November 2005 saw 8 of his Island albums reissued and expanded onto CD with superb Paschal Byrne remasters. There are four double-disc DELUXE EDITIONS of other Island albums before and after 2005 - "Solid Air", "Live At Leeds", "One World" and "Grace And Danger". Across all 12 reissues there's a whopping 83 previously unreleased bonus tracks. The point is that only a fraction of those are included on this box set as the pre-release blurb clearly states - replaced instead with 100 previously unreleased recordings - including a further 19 on CD for the first time. So I wouldn't ditch those old reissues just yet especially not the staggeringly good "Solid Air" DE (which I reviewed way back).

 

The albums "Sapphire" (1984) and "Piece By Piece" (1986) receive remasters for the first time and the "The Apprentice" is the 1988 unheard "Island" mix that was rejected by the label and ended his contract with them. The studio albums "Glorious Fool" (1981) and "Best Kept Secret" (1982) were on WEA so they're not included in this set.

 

The 33-track DVD includes previously unseen BBC footage from the 1970s and 1980s ("Old Grey Whistle Test" and "Sight And Sound" shows) including the complete "The Foundations" concert from 1986 on DVD for the first time (the DVD is ALL REGIONS so no worries for foreign purchases).

 

SOUND:

JARED HAWKES did the Mixing and Mastering at Universal Mastering with further work carried out by PASCHAL BYRNE and BEN WISE at Audio Archiving (both studios in London). Right from the get go the sound is gloriously clear - very, very clean and never showy (the opening lyric from London Conversation's "Fairy Tale Lullaby" titles this review). Soundwise what is also delightful are the Outtakes from the "Bless The Weather" period and onwards. Mostly recorded in Sound Techniques Studios in Chelsea, they don't just sound fabulous, they're sonically intimate in ways some of the finished album cuts aren't. Many I suspect are earlier takes to the finished version so the band is finding its way. But that only adds an amazing atmosphere to them - like you're eavesdropping on history. Even the glossy 80's stuff sounds fuller - especially the hugely underrated "Piece By Piece" album. It doesn't sound to me like any compression has been applied - and if it has - it's minimal. These are warm remasters - clear and full - but not for loudness sake. The exclusive bootleg tape that is Disc 5 (kindly donated by Graham Hinde) is full of wobbles and people shuffling - not the greatest and for me the first real clunker on here. The dreadfully overproduced mix of "The Apprentice" is slick for sure - but strangely soulless for such a soulful man. But not surprisingly the Alternate Takes from his two meisterworks "Solid Air" and "One World" are thrilling to hear - especially in such spot-on sound quality.

 

PACKAGING:

It arrives in an outer plain cardboard box, but within is a shaped foam wrap-around which fully protects the shrink-wrapped heavyweight hard-card set and is a very nice touch. The TWO LP-sized sleeves which feature artwork by IAN MUNDAY (one is a three-way-gatefold, the other just a gatefold) that contain the CDs are very cleverly laid out (the DVD is in a separate smaller card sleeve). Each flap has die-cut card inserts, but because of its 12" size there's plenty of wiggle-room to get them in and out - so you don't get that awful scratch-your-disc every time you remove it from too-tightly packed presentation. The CDs themselves are colour-coded - the first 3 featuring the famous PINK Island label - the early 70's with the PINK-RIM label - then the late 70s, early 80s, mid 80s and so on - all labels appropriate to their time frame - a nice attention to detail. There's a poster and promo material reprints that are nice if not a little fiddly. The price is good too. However, its initial retail purchase of £160 is bound to rise as it sells out and word gets round as to just how good this set really is (rather like the Sandy Denny box that preceded it) - so buy it now before extortion sets in.

 

As you can imagine, the 120-Page Hardback Book called "The John Martyn Album" (done up like a family photo-album complete with mock chord at the front) is the bomb - just gorgeous. It features full page colour plates of each album sleeve (front and rear) with in-studio photos for each period, master tape boxes, the rare "Anna" 7" single from Australia, in-concert flyers, press adverts and huge amounts of written work by keeper-of-the-flame JOHN HILLARBY. The text also discusses his superb albums after Island on Permanent and Go! Discs (like "Cooltide" and "Glasgow Walker") right up to 2004's "On The Cobbles". In the final pages there are tributes from Bob Harris of The Old Grey Whistle Test, Eddi Reader the singer and Mark Cooper of the BBC. The box is dedicated to his loved ones (named) and there's a particularly lovely set of family snapshots at the very beginning that extend for pages - they feature him and his parents as a nipper in Scotland in the 1940's right up to his last days in Ireland in the 2000s with his own partner and children - its revelatory, fun and poignant.

 

NIGGLES:

The mono mix of "The Tumbler" is still AWOL and for such an extensive project its extraordinary that there's no discography (not even album catalogue numbers or release dates beneath any of the entries). But apart from those paltry niggles - this box set is a feast for the eyes and crucially for the ears. Some may baulk at the cost - don't. It's been a long time since I spent this amount of money on any music project - but when you think about the sheer volume of quality on here and how much more other less-worthy packages cost - then "The Island Years" is cheap at twice the price. I know I'll be dipping into this baby for years.

 

Like Ronnie Lane, Nick Drake, Sandy Denny, John Peel and other hugely wonderful influences in our musical youth and adulthood - Iain David McGeachy is beloved for a reason and sorely missed to this day. Well done to the team behind this set who have so beautifully remembered him.

 

Partner Teresa Walsh and daughter Mharai McGeachy collected his OBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace on 27 March 2009 - John Martyn deserved no less.