The Road to Ruin (John and Beverley Martyn album)

The Road to Ruin is a 1970 album released by husband and wife John and Beverley Martyn. It was the second (and last) album released as a duo. Island Records persuaded John Martyn to resume his solo career as they believed that the public was more interested in John as a solo artist rather than as part of a duo. The album marked the first collaboration on record between John and bassist Danny Thompson, who featured on many of Martyn's subsequent recordings.

The Road to Ruin
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1970
Recordedspring 1970
StudioSound Techniques, Chelsea, London
GenreFolk rock
Length42:18 (2005 reissue)
LabelUK Island: ILPS 9133
USA Warner Bros.: WS 1882
ProducerJoe Boyd
John and Beverley Martyn chronology
Stormbringer!
(1970)
The Road to Ruin
(1970)
Bless the Weather
(1971)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Mojo[2]
The Word(favourable) [3]

The album's first track "Primrose Hill" written and sung by Beverley Martyn, and featuring Ray Warleigh on saxophone, about the simple joys of domesticity, was extensively sampled by Fatboy Slim for the track "North West Three" from his 2004 album Palookaville.

Track listing

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All tracks composed by John Martyn except where indicated.

  1. "Primrose Hill" (Beverley Martyn)
  2. "Parcels"
  3. "Auntie Aviator" (John & Beverley Martyn)
  4. "New Day"
  5. "Give Us a Ring" (Paul Wheeler)
  6. "Sorry to Be So Long" (John & Beverley Martyn)
  7. "Tree Green"
  8. "Say What You Can" (John & Beverley Martyn) (titled "Let It Happen" on cover)
  9. "Road to Ruin"

The remastered CD release includes the following previously unreleased track:

  1. "Here I Am Now"

Personnel

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Musicians

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Arrangement for "Say What You Can" by Tony Cox. All other arrangements by John Martyn and Paul Harris.

Technical

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References

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  1. ^ Chrispell, James. The Road to Ruin at AllMusic
  2. ^ Wirth, Jim (October 2023). "Lucifer rising". Mojo. p. 94.
  3. ^ The Word review
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