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Live at Leeds
Singer-Songwriter · 1992 · 6 tracks

Live at Leeds

John Martyn

A masterclass in 1970s experimental folk, where acoustic guitar and upright bass dissolve into a liquid haze of tape-delay loops and soulful, slurred vocals.

1992 · Caroline International

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Live at Leeds is a liquid experience, a recording that captures John Martyn at the absolute zenith of his powers as a sonic architect. It is not merely a live performance of songs; it is a document of a musician dismantling the boundaries of folk music in real-time. The central engine of the album is the interplay between Martyn’s Echoplex-treated acoustic guitar and Danny Thompson’s virtuosic upright bass. Together, they create a sound that is thick, woody, and deeply psychedelic, moving from delicate fingerpicking to thunderous, rhythmic jams that feel like they could go on forever.

Tracklist · 6 Tracks
01
Outside In
18:57
02
Solid Air
7:13
03
Make No Mistake
5:05
04
Bless the Weather
4:45
05
The Man in the Station
2:35
06
I'd Rather Be the Devil
8:40
Moments Worth Listening For
The transition in Outside In where the acoustic guitar becomes a rhythmic pulse through the Echoplex, creating a wall of sound from a single instrument.
Danny Thompson’s bowed bass solo that sounds more like a cello crying than a jazz instrument, providing a haunting counterpoint to the guitar.
The raw, unfiltered banter between songs that highlights the intimate, almost confrontational atmosphere of the Leeds University gig.
Reviews
BBC Music
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AllMusic
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Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Live at Leeds sound next to the rest of John Martyn's catalogue?

Live Recording+3.2σ

The production is built around live recording than this artist usually allows.

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