Live At Woodstock Town Hall - Stu Martin (1LP Vinyl)

Live At Woodstock Town Hall by Stu Martin.

There is a particular thrill that comes from a live recording, the sense that anything might happen once the tape starts rolling and the room falls quiet in anticipation. "Live At Woodstock Town Hall" by Stu Martin captures exactly that spirit, a document of a performance meant to be heard the way it was played, in the moment, in front of an audience.

The record opens with "Harry Lovett - Man Without A Country," a title that sets an immediately intriguing tone and invites you into the world Martin builds across side A. From there the set moves into "Are You Positive You're Negative?," a piece whose playful, questioning name hints at the wit and character that thread through the program. Side A closes with the wonderfully named "Wrested In Mustard," a title that lingers in the memory long after the needle lifts.

Flip the record over and side B carries the momentum forward. "Professor Goodly's Implosion Machine" leads things off, a track whose title alone conjures a sense of invention and mischief, the kind of imaginative labeling that tells you Martin approached this music with a spark of humor and adventure.

The energy stays high with "Master Of Disaster," a title that promises drama and swagger, before the set arrives at its closing number, "Don't Leave Me Like This." It is a fitting way to bring the performance home, a parting statement that leaves the listener wanting more and reaching to start the whole thing over again.

Taken as a whole, these six pieces form a satisfying arc, three to a side, each one distinct in name and character. There is a real pleasure in listening to a live album from front to back, letting the sequence unfold as it was performed, and this record rewards that kind of attention.

For collectors who appreciate the immediacy of a concert captured on wax, "Live At Woodstock Town Hall" is a title worth seeking out. It is the sort of record that finds a permanent home on the shelf and keeps finding its way back onto the turntable, an inviting slice of live music from Stu Martin.

Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
A1. Harry Lovett - Man Without A Country
A2. Are You Positive You're Negative?
A3. Wrested In Mustard
B1. Professor Goodly's Implosion Machine
B2. Master Of Disaster
B3. Don't Leave Me Like This

Artist: Stu Martin

Supporting Artists: John Surman

Format: 1LP

Genre: Jazz

Label: Pye Records

Catalog Number: PYE 12114

Release Year: 1976

Country: United States

Condition: Sealed (New)