Music DVD Review: John Martyn - The Man Upstairs: In Concert In Germany 1978

It's not very often that listening to a performer sing one song will capture my attention. One of the occasions that it happened was when I heard the British singer/songwriter John Martyn perform a cover of the Reggae tune, "Johnny, You're Too Bad", which had been featured in the soundtrack for the movie The Harder They Come. His performance of the song, on solo acoustic guitar and singing the lyrics with a deep growl, was so riveting that ever since, I've jumped at any opportunity to hear him sing and play.

For some reason, despite his longevity, it's been hard to find his work. Here's a man who released his first album back in 1967, recorded at Big Pink (the Band's recording studio in Woodstock New York), has had everyone from Levon Helm, Jaco Pastorius, to Phil Collins play with him on his records, and is still recording and touring. Yet, if you walk into a music store today and ask for music by him, chances are you'd be greeted with a blank look. Okay, he's never had a top ten hit in all that time, and his music doesn't fit comfortably into any particular genre, but you'd think on occasion that talent and perseverance would have some sort of reward.

So, when I found out there was a chance to grab a DVD of him performing live from 1978 I jumped at the opportunity. The Man Upstairs, distributed by MVD Video, was originally recorded by the then West German television station WDR for their TV show Rockpalast at the Audiomax in Hamburg. Taken from the original master tapes shot during the evening, the show has been digitally re-mastered, and formatted so that it can be played on machines anywhere. It's a testament to the high quality of WDR telecasts that both the audio and video of this thirty year old concert are as good as they are, and in fact better than any number of shows I've seen recorded with far superior technology.

I don't know about anyone else but I think it takes a pretty special performer to be able to come out on stage by himself with only guitar and voice and be able to hold my attention. So when Martyn was introduced and walked out on his own, holding his acoustic guitar, I admit to having a few moments of trepidation. It's one thing to sit down and listen to a thirty to forty minute album, and another thing altogether to watch a guy sitting on stage by himself with just a guitar. No matter how good somebody is, it can get stale rather quickly watching one person.

Article Author: Richard Marcus

Richard Marcus is the author of the recently published What Will Happen In Eragon IV? and has had his work published in print and on line all over the world. The not so long-haired Canadian iconoclast writes reviews and opines on the world as he sees …

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