Martin Guitars

A decent debut album, featuring a lively mix of hard-rock and r&b with progressive rock, folk, and blues sources. Ex-King Crimson alumnus Mel Collins blows the sax, and Fairport Convention's Martin Allcock and Ric Sanders turn up on a couple of tracks, but the dominant sound is Barre's guitars, soaring, crunching, grinding, or noodling gently, either blues or English folk tunes–he's not as focused here as he is on Tull's records, and his sense of melody isn't as strong as Ian Anderson's, but his playing can be entertaining and diverting. The folk-like title track is practically a lost Tull number, with a great beat and Barre singing like Anderson while playing a sweet mix of acoustic and electric guitars and mandolin. But most of the rest here is blues, r&b, and hard rock–Maggie Reeday provides the soulful lead vocals on "A Blues For All Reasons," sharing the spotlight with Barre's stinging solos and acoustic blues noodlings, and Andy Giddings' pumping Hammond organ. Some of the lyrics are dispensible, and the material doen't hold up for 50 minutes, but any fan looking for something between Tull tours may enjoy it.

When a big band splits, it mostly is just a question of time until at least a part of the musicians re-surfaces either in other bands or solo. In these cases it usually is helpful, if you already had a solo career before that split, but very successful band, so that it is not completely new territory for you…

Martin Barre is an English rock musician best known for his work with progressive rock band Jethro Tull, with whom he recorded and toured from their second album in 1969 to the band's initial dissolution in 2012. In the early 1990s he went solo, and has recorded four studio albums and made several guest appearances.

Martin Cilia is an Australian musician. Cilia is best known for his songwriting skills, and his membership in The Atlantics, where he performs on the guitar. "For this latest release I wanted to make an album that reflects the history of electric instrumental guitar – one that resonates from the early 60s instro/surf sound, but with a modern twist. It was all recorded the old way – real guitars, amps, microphones and with minimum digital interference. While putting the album together I came across an old multi track tape of a song that Atlantics drummer extraordinaire, Peter Hood, and myself were working on. I had a listen and decided to finish it off. The drum track was so good and had so much of Peter’s energy. That song is Terminator. You’ll know it when you get to it! Being a fan and growing up with this style of guitar music it was a pleasure to write and record these new songs. Basically I wanted to make an album of great songs with great sounds. I hope I achieved that."