Martin Followed Masterpiece With Masterpiece

Whether with Cleaners From Venus, Stray Trolleys, the Brotherhood of Lizards or as a solo artist, Martin Newell has never let me down. A trademark of his recordings are their lo-fi sound, which is part of the charm, but they always have a great melody and a brilliant turn of phrase. I don't know about you, but I have found those qualities will trump production values just about every time. In the early to mid-'90s, Newell took a different approach to a couple of solo albums where the influence of his producers are felt and the pop is, dare I say it, downright accessible. The first, 'The Greatest Living Englishman,' is considered by many to be his masterpiece. Newell's pal, producer Andy Partridge, is all over 'Englishman,' and if you like Lennon/McCartney circa '66, this is where you would want to start with his work. I grabbed the reissue in 2018 and hoped the lesser-known followup would get the same treatment.

Since 'The Greatest Living Englishman' has been called his 'Sgt. Pepper,' Newell had a little fun by calling his next LP 'The Off White Album.' (The back cover with a browning apple was a nice touch too.) Partridge may have hung around a bit, but the producing duties went to musician, journalist, writer and all-around Renaissance man Louis Philippe. I could go on an on about the Frenchman -- he has been a firm favorite of mine since his days as the heart and soul of the él label -- but all you really need to know on this page is he is a disciple of Brian Wilson, a genius with writing and arranging strings and quite an aficionado on the organ. You'll get plenty of those elements on 'The Off White Album,' along with some guitar (and quite an impression of Cream-era Clapton) from Dave Gregory of XTC. Philippe and Gregory must have gotten on like gangbusters because they would go on to work together quite a bit, but I digress, again. All of this gives 'The Off White Album' a radically different sound and feel than 'The Greatest Living Englishman,' but the high standard set by its predecessor is right there. Here's my favorite song from Newell's most sophisticated album...



Captured Tracks, the label that not only reissued 'The Greatest Living Englishman' but most of Newell's discography, has come to the rescue again with 'The Off White Album.' This one came out a few weeks ago, and it has rarely left my turntable since then. The white vinyl (What else could it be?) sounds great, particularly Newell's vocals and that string quartet. My only criticism, and it's very slight, is Newell's liner notes aren't nearly as entertaining as the novella-like description accompanying its earlier incarnation. Don't let that put you off. You're going to want to grab this one. Here's a clip making the rounds from the upcoming documentary 'The Jangling Man: The Martin Newell Story' expected out later this year. It's sure to whet your appetite.



In '95, here's how Newell concluded his thoughts on how 'The Off White Album' would be received. Let's give him the last word.

Not a bad collection of songs, all in all. I suppose some people will like them and some won't but it's only pop music so I hardly think they're going to change the world. And all the rock mags in the U.K. will ignore it or damn me with faint praise. And people in my village will say, "That sounds nearly like a real record Martin." Or if they're more sophisticated they'll say, "Is it generally available?" Then I'll sigh and say, "No, but I'll be selling it off a barrow in the high street." Then boring bastards will come up to me in the pub and tell me what's wrong with it. Then obsessive females will write me strange letters telling me that we were made for each other. And if it doesn't set the world alight, all my rivals will smile smugly and despise me. But if it is a huge success, they'll all say it was luck and hate me even more. And all this time I'll just be writing and doing a spot of gardening and occasionally writing a letter to the local paper about seeing the first goat of autumn. And I suppose eventually I'll do another record...