#304: John Martyn - One World (1977)

Zack: I’ll just go ahead and cut to the chase by saying that I enjoyed One World. It was certainly a pleasant listening experience. Throughout the album, I kept trying to figure out which adjective, what single word really captured the essence of what I was hearing. I eventually settled on “understated.” And I mean that in a good way, not like how some albums we’ve come across were unassuming and faded too easily into the background. If you’re looking for a clear explanation of what I mean, the entirely instrumental ending track Small Hours can say it better than I can. There was just something elegant and beautiful about the way One World gained your attention but never overwhelmed you. In a way, it’s sort of the natural antithesis to the album that immediately precedes it in our review archive. Several days separated my listening to Van Halen from the day I listened to John Martyn, but I couldn’t help but be drawn to the stark difference in the way the songs (which I liked on both albums) were presented. Van Halen was anything but understated. It’s the sort of hyper-weird factoid that only gets picked up when you basically put the 1001 “most important” albums on shuffle. I found it interesting that two albums that packaged themselves so differently could both be appreciated in their own separate ways. Anyway, before I jump into some tortured metaphor of Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, I should probably mention that One World also reminded me of Stardust by Willie Nelson, so if you liked that, I would definitely recommend checking this out.

Favorite Tracks: One World; Small Hours; Couldn’t Love You More

Emily: John Martyn really takes the "One World" concept to heart on this album. It draws on global, diverse influences, including jazz, folk, rock, and reggae, but blends them into one by dialing each one down to its elements. Those elements come together into beautifully simple songs, songs that make you want to listen more closely to catch the nuance of each beat. While it's not the most exciting album, sometimes you need to trade in excitement for sweet simplicity and uniqueness. And on those fronts, One World succeeds.

Favorite Tracks: One World; Small Hours; Big Muff