John Martyn - Spencer the Rover

Hippodrome Golders Green 15/10/1977

• Category

  Music

[RT83]

Standard tuning?! Heresy! :p

[Stephen Watt]

WHY is this Comment Here? and 36 likes??

[blasketboy]

I'm a planxty fan, so this is up my alley, and when my oul buddy  sent me this last week I fell in love with it after the first two lines. Excellent stuff.

[Lewis Taylor]

Every time I hear this it reinforces my hopes just to disappear one day and do my own roving.

[Graham Dodsworth]

I did the support for John in 1977 at a large auditorium in Australia.I particularly appreciate him for his personal style of arranging as well as his execution of arrangements, sensitivity of voice, timing, picking skills 'and' his song writing. His version of Spencer the Rover influenced my own version. A very old version of mine can be found at - youtube.com/watch?v=Y5We2RKAiN­4 - and his version is clearly evident (at least to me). If you like that you might like my version of Glenlogie . . .

[puddypuss]

hello, sorry, but I respectfully disagree with you on early john martyn. to me they have that inspired innocent feel, even they may not be as well produced as later ones. solid air, which was to me a transitional work in his career I do like , in preference to the later electronic meandering albums.

[DoubleCross2009]

Saw the guy a few times back in the 80's; unique and uncompromising, sometimes determined not to give the audience what they thought they wanted. Wherever he wanted to go, he somehow took you with him. This is a great tune.

[AndyHN34]

Indeed they were. First saw him at Glastonbury in 1984. He came out to cover for The Band, who didn't appear as Levon Helm had shot himself in the leg. Rock 'n' Roll! Played a brilliant solo set, and went back with his band 2 years later. It came out on a BBC/Windsong CD a few years back, including an awesome version of 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'.

[Jon Turner]

Ha ha! He sometimes was!

[Jon Turner]

He was a very funny guy live. And also a musical genius. You would never forget if you went to one of his concerts - they were always events