Martin Barre

Martin Lancelot Barre[1] (/bɑːr/; born 17 November 1946) is an English rock musician best known for his work as lead guitarist 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 Barre
Barre 2013 performing in Germany, Bluesgarage Isernhagen
Background information
Birth nameMartin Lancelot Barre
Born (1946-11-17) 17 November 1946
Kings Heath, Birmingham, England
GenresProgressive rock, folk rock, hard rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
InstrumentsGuitar, bouzouki, mandolin, flute, saxophone
Years active1966–present
LabelsRandM, Fuel 2000, Chrysalis, Eagle, Roadrunner, EMI, Capital, Island
Associated actsJethro Tull, Fairport Convention
Websitewww.martinbarre.com

He has also played the flute and other instruments such as the mandolin, both on stage for Jethro Tull and in his own solo work.

Early career

Martin Barre was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham, England on 17 November 1946. His father was an engineer who had wanted to play clarinet professionally. In grammar school Barre played flute. When Barre bought his first guitar his father gave him albums by Barney Kessel, Johnny Smith and Wes Montgomery to broaden his musical perspectives.[2]

In college he studied architecture at Lanchester Polytechnic (now Coventry University) for three years, but did not complete his studies after failing Spanish and Atomic Science, subjects that he found to have little to do with designing buildings. After designing a road junction in Birmingham, England, he decided that a career in architecture was too boring, and switched to music.[3]

In 1966 he moved to London with his friend, Chris Rodger, who had played saxophone in their previous band, "The Moonrakers."[4] In London Barre and Rodger got an audition for a band called "The Noblemen" that was looking for two saxophonists. Barre bought a tenor saxophone and after two days of practice was able to bluff his way through the audition.[2] The band subsequently changed its name to "The Motivation" and backed visiting soul artists such as the Coasters, the Drifters and Lee Dorsey. The band evolved through several musical styles from Soul to R&B to Pop, and in 1967 changed its name to "The Penny Peeps." By this time Barre was playing lead guitar. As "The Penny Peeps" the band released two singles in 1968, "Little Man With a Stick" backed by "Model Village", and "I See the Morning" backed with "Curly, Knight of the Road".[4] Finally in mid-1968 they became a blues band called "Gethsemane" and played in pubs all over England with Barre playing guitar and flute.

When Gethsemane and the band Jethro Tull played at a blues club called the Van Dyke in Plymouth, the members of the two bands got acquainted. Then, four months later, while Gethsemane was playing in London and about to break up because of lack of money, Jethro Tull's manager, Terry Ellis, sent his card up from the audience asking Barre to audition for Jethro Tull. The audition did not go well. Barre was so nervous that he barely played. Barre arranged a second audition. This time he was offered the job. He spent the Christmas holidays of 1968 learning material that was to become the album Stand Up.[2]

Jethro Tull
Barre performing with Jethro Tull in Genoa,
14 February 2010 Photo: Pino D'Amico
See also: Jethro Tull (band)

On the first album that Barre recorded with Jethro Tull, Stand Up, he said that he was: "terrified because I had just joined the band. It really showed a change in direction for the band and when it was accepted and became a successful album, we gained a lot of confidence. We extended that confidence into the making of Benefit, in which we were a lot more at ease."[5] On the next album, the world success Aqualung, Barre was more confident, stating that in the recording: "Everybody [the band] had input into the making of the album."[5]

In the following period, his solos blended virtuosity with classical music, like on Minstrel in the Gallery, where the opening track has a four-minute solo, or his piece (shared with Barrie Barlow) "Conundrum" and "Quatrain" in Bursting Out. Barre declared that much of the material from Jethro Tull catalogue was written by himself and Ian Anderson, with Ian getting the credit for writing the lyrics and having the initial idea for the music, which: "then I, or someone else in the band, contribute parts to it."[3] There are two albums where he is credited for having put "additional material," both classics Songs from the Wood and Heavy Horses, which Barre has already stated to be two of the albums which show his best playing.[6]

Barre's favourite album in Jethro Tull is the most controversial of the band's career, Under Wraps, which contains two tracks co-authored by him. On his work with Jethro Tull, Barre also stated: "I'm quite pleased with my playing on Crest of a Knave, which was basically me, Ian and [bassist] Dave Pegg working in the studio for two months, so I had ample time to put a lot of myself into that album."[3] He is credited in only another two tracks of Jethro Tull albums: "Hot Mango Flush," from J-Tull Dot Com and "Winter Snowscape" from The Jethro Tull Christmas Album. For his contribution to Jethro Tull music, Barre stated: "I've done bits and pieces on albums. Sometimes it's a riff; sometimes it's a little segment of music ... I don't mind taking a small role in the writing, and a larger input into the arrangement and playing."[7]

About the end of his involvement in Tull, Barre stated in 2015 that "It's important that people realize there will never be a Jethro Tull again. There will be two solo bands: the Ian Anderson Band and the Martin Barre Band, and long may they exist, and long may they enjoy playing music. I'm not being pedantic. I always hate to hear, "Oh, you've left Jethro Tull." I haven't really. Ian wanted to finish Jethro Tull, wanted to stop the band completely."[8]

When Anderson reunited Jethro Tull in 2017 for their 50th anniversary tour, Barre was not asked to return.

Solo work
Barre performing at the Cropredy Festival, Oxfordshire 13 August 2004

On one track of 1994's A Trick of Memory, Barre plays a guitar given to him by friend Mark Mancina. On the album, King Crimson alumnus Mel Collins plays the saxophone, and Fairport Convention's Maartin Allcock and Ric Sanders appear on a couple of tracks, and Andy Giddings plays Hammond organ. According to the AllMusic review: "the dominant sound is Barre's guitars, soaring, crunching, grinding, or noodling gently, either blues or English folk tunes," to the reviewer, the album is "a decent debut album."[9] A Summer Band was released only in limited edition.

In 2003 on his album Stage Left, Barre used an unusual electric guitar style shaped by folk/acoustic and hard rock elements. It was his first album to be released in the United States. In the album, Barre shows his style of playing with "tricky and complicated" melodies, being always "elegant, even when he's rocking hard."[10]

In 2012, with the end of Jethro Tull touring, Martin assembled a band to tour and record the compilation/live titled Martin Barre. The line up included former Tull members Jonathan Noyce and Doane Perry (who split duties with drummer Fred Moreau), John Mitchell, guitarist Pat O'May.[11]

In 2014, Barre announced that he would tour as an acoustic quartet (including Dan Crisp and Alan Bray) to promote Away With Words, which was well received by the Prog Magazine, saying that in the album, "Barre has taken an imaginative approach to his own past by readdressing many of his favourite, often more obscure, nuggets from lull's [sic] vast cache, chiefly on acoustic guitar."[12] Later in 2014 a new album was announced to be released that September, called Order of Play,[13] which was a louder electric record.

Barre announced his sixth solo album in 2015. Called Back to Steel, Barre says the album is a blues rock recording.[14] It was followed by Roads Less Travelled in 2018.

Martin Barre commenced a tour of the U.S. in the spring of 2019 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of his joining Jethro Tull and the release of Stand Up. On the tour he was supported by his band consisting Alan Thomson (bass), Dan Crisp (guitar and vocals) and Darby Todd (drums), along with special guests (former Tull members) Dee Palmer on keyboards and Clive Bunker on drums. The band were completed with Ali Humphries and Becca Langsford on backing vocals. The show was presented with a full multimedia backing show provided by fans from The Jethro Tull Group. A new double CD album release was available at the shows. MLB is a celebration of 50 years of Jethro Tull as arranged and performed by Martin, his band and guests.

In August 2019, Barre appeared again at Fairport's Cropredy Convention.[15][16]

In 2020, Barre celebrated 50 years of Jethro Tull music with a world tour. Adam Wakeman, Clive Bunker and Dee Palmer were guest musicians in several presentations.[17]

Playing style

Barre once said that he tried not to listen to other guitarists so that he would not be influenced by them. He said he never took guitar lessons so that he would not sound like other players.[1] However, one guitarist he has praised and recognized as being an influence is Leslie West, from the American band Mountain.[18][19][20]

Reviewers have sometimes described Martin Barre's sound as "tricky" and "complicated", highlighting his ability to compose melodies instead of simply soloing.[9][10]

Recognition

Barre's best-known guitar work includes "Aqualung", "Cross-Eyed Mary", and "Locomotive Breath". Barre's signature solo on the 1971 Jethro Tull standard "Aqualung" was voted by the readers of Guitar Player magazine as one of the top rock guitar solos of all time. Also, in 2007, this solo was rated one of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos by Guitar World magazine. Authors Pete Brown and HP Newquest named Barre's "Aqualung" solo as the 25th best solo ever in the USA and 20th best solo ever in the UK.[21][22]

Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler, in a 2005 interview, called Barre's work with Ian Anderson "magical".[23] Joe Bonamassa cites Martin Barre as a direct influence, especially in the blues playing of the early albums.[24][25] Other guitarists like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson also cite Martin Barre as influences.[1] Rush's Geddy Lee mentions the "great guitar sounds" of Martin Barre when remembering the album Thick as a Brick.[26]

Discography

For his discography with Jethro Tull, see main article: Jethro Tull discography

Studio
  • A Summer Band (1992) - Various live tracks in a limited edition run of 500 CDs.
  • A Trick of Memory (1994)
  • The Meeting (1996)
  • Stage Left (2003)
  • Away with Words (2013)
  • Order of Play (2014)
  • Back to Steel (2015)
  • Roads Less Travelled (2018)
  • MLB - 50 Years of Jethro Tull (2019)

Compilations
  • Martin Barre (2012) – 2 CD (disc 1 – studio tracks, disc 2 – live tracks).

Live
  • Live in Munich (2014)
  • Live at the Factory Underground (2019)

Guest appearances
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References
  1. Epstein, Dmitry M. (November 2000). "Interview with Martin Barre (Jethro Tull)". Let It Rock.
  2. Martin Barre. "History". Martinbarre.com. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  3. "Dear Guitar Hero: Jethro Tull Guitarist Martin Barre". Guitar World. 15 January 2013.
  4. "Martin Barre – Electric and Acoustic Guitar, Flute". Jethrotull.com. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  5. "CRR Interview – Forty Years of Aqualung: An Interview With Jethro Tull's Martin Barre". Classicrockrevisited.com. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  6. "Jethro Tull: keeping the folk fires burning". Classicrock.teamrock.com. 23 January 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  7. "The Martin Barre Interview (2002)". Vintagerock.com. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  8. "Martin Barre Talks About Jethro Tull Memories, New Music and More: Exclusive Interview". Ultimate Classic Rock. 1 September 2016.
  9. "Trick of Memory - Martin Barre - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  10. "Stage Left - Martin Barre - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  11. "Martin Barre Talks a 'New Day' for Jethro Tull Music". Ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  12. "Martin Barre: Away With Words". Prog.teamrock.com. 7 April 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  13. "Martin Barre - Latest News". Martinbarre.com. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  14. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 August 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. Martin Barre Band: "Life is a Long Song" @ Fairport's Cropredy Convention; August 10, 2019 on YouTube
  16. "Martin Barre Setlist at Fairport's Cropredy Convention 2019". setlist.fm.
  17. http://martinbarre.com/martin-barre-tour/
  18. "Martin Barre - Jethro Tull". Jethrotull.com. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  19. "Interview: Martin Barre - Taking Aqualung on the Road". Premierguitar.com. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  20. Moseley, Willie G. (14 February 2002). "Martin Barre". Vintageguitar.com. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  21. "Martin Barre". Jethro Tull. 17 November 1946.
  22. Prown, Pete, and Newquest, HP (1997). Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists, p. 85. Hal Leonard. ISBN 0-7935-4042-9.
  23. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. "Joe Bonamassa Interview". Blues in Britain. 2 June 2010.
  25. "Joe Bonamassa Interview : Guitar Interviews". Guitarinternational.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014.
  26. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  27. "Pat O'May - Celtic Wings". Discogs.com. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  28. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 2 June 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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