One World by John Martyn

One World is a 1977 album by John Martyn. One of his more experimental works, it features atmospheric, reggae influenced rhythms and free-flowing, jazzy arrangements. Acclaimed for its collaborative spirit, the album includes contributions from Lee Perry on "Big Muff", and Steve Winwood (keyboards). Contemporary reviews were positive, with the NME declaring the album "mean, moody and magnificent". The album is included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery. When selecting Martyn as part of a "100 Great Voices" feature, Mojo chose the title track as an example of his talent. It was voted number 948 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums 3rd Edition (2000). The album is notable for parts of it having been recorded outdoors. In particular, "Small Hours" was recorded late at night in the English countryside. The sweeping soundscapes on the album are partly due to the consequential presence of ambient sounds (such as water from a nearby lake) and natural reverb. "Small Hours" was later reworked by Martyn into the track "Anna" as the haunting backdrop for Esben Storm's 1978 Australian film production of In Search of Anna. This version of "Anna" also appears on Martyn's live album Live At The Bottom Line, New York, 1983. Martyn later re-recorded the acoustic ballad "Couldn't Love You More" in a rock arrangement featuring Phil Collins on drums and backing vocals, for his 1981 album Glorious Fool. The song, in its various forms, would remain a fixture of Martyn's live performances. Whilst touring, Martyn's gig at the Collegiate Theatre, University College London was filmed by the BBC and transmitted on The Old Grey Whistle Test on 10 January 1978. In January 1978, Island released "Dancing" / "Dealer" as a single. The album charted at #54 on its UK release. In 2004, a remastered Deluxe Edition of the album was released. It consisted of the US mix of the original studio album in remastered form and a bonus disc collating previously unreleased live recordings from Martyn's summer 1978 concert at Regents Park. The remaining bonus tracks were studio outtakes, previously available on the scarce 1999 release "Another World".