track review

Even after countless listens, “Spencer the Rover” sounds undeniably personal. Not only to the songwriter John Martyn but to the listener themselves. Ever since I listened to the masterpiece that is Pink Moon, I’ve been searching for other singer-songwriters of the same caliber as Nick Drake. John Martyn is definitely one of those songwriters. The songs Martyn crafts are some of the most intimate and heartbreaking in the singer-songwriter genre, and the songs always have this bluesy and jazzy fashion that compliments the acoustic vibe of various tracks. “Spencer the Rover” was the first song I listened to by Martyn, and remarkably, every time I listen to it I am greeted with the same feelings I encountered that first time. The poetic lyrics tell a tale of a man leaving home to find happiness, yet on his journey, he realizes that home is where the happiness remained all along. A song this bare usually has a hard time sounding finished or complete, yet “Spencer the Rover” has this perfect sense of gentle and pristine form that feels complete. There’s nothing I would do to change the song, even with its minimal instrumentation. Maybe, that is what makes it so genuine- a song of bare human-like nature, yet with a full, sentimental atmosphere. The song feels like home, and truly, that was the man was looking for, and what we are looking for, yet already have. A perfect track, on an album I highly recommend anyone listen to. 10/10

©Island Records / 1975