John Carter with Martin Barre — Spirits Flying Free
John Carter was one half of the popular songwriting duo Carter and Lewis, alongside Ken Lewis. During the 1960s, the pair wrote songs for dozens of well-known pop acts including The Flowerpot Men, Mary Hopkin, Herman’s Hermits, Brenda Lee, the Ivy League and Peter and Gordon. Also worthy of mention is the fact that he recorded film scores under the name John Shakespeare (the surname borrowed from his wife, Gill) including the horror classic The Killer’s Moon in 1976. For this album, he teamed up with prog/folk royalty in ex Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull guitarist, Martin Barre. Originally released in 1997, Spirit Flying Free has been given a new cover and new life from Talking Elephant Records.
The opening track, The Student, took me a little by surprise with an opening riff that sounds like it belongs on an early Bon Jovi record before settling into something a little more middle of the road. You can hear Barre’s rock influences throughout, in his playing, however, the overall sound of the track is more a mix of pop sensibilities, with folkish elements and a rocky undercurrent. Winter Setting is a Springsteen influenced rocker with a big anthemic chorus, whereas No Easy Way is a rock ballad with the added flute, ironically from Barre. The title track is up next and picks up the tempo again, featuring some great lead guitar work Martin Barre. Melody of Words is a tender folk ballad with some great violin from Chris Leslie (Fairport Convention), while Laugh it Off starts off in similar acoustic territory before breaking into a harder rock sound for the chorus. Don’t Mess Around is up next and is a good time country/folk tune with Carter sounding almost like Springsteen at times. I Can’t Forget takes things back down a notch or two into tender ballad territory again before Exciting Eyes, the Springsteen style rocker picks the pace up, the tracks opening reminding me firmly of Springsteen’s Glory Days. Penultimate track, I’ll Make a Stand This Time is the only track not wholly written by Carter, the music is written by Barre with lyrics from Carter. It’s a pleasant enough acoustic track with a sing-along chorus and some great guitar work from Barre. The album closer, Your Dry Land starts out as a gentle acoustic number that continues to build into a real rocker before fading away again at the death.
Overall, it’s a pleasant enough listen, with a definite Springsteen influence popping up from time to time. Sonically, the album covers many bases between folk, rock and pop, but usually blends the three to great effect. Sometimes the limitations of Carter’s voice make you wonder how these tracks would sound in the hands of a performer like the aforementioned Springsteen, but ultimately it remains a satisfying listen. Talking Elephant has given the album a lovely digipak sleeve with liner notes denoting all of the musical contributors track by track. Jethro Tull fans will find a lot to like in Martin Barre’s performance here, whilst 70s folk-rock fans and Springsteen aficionados may also find quite a bit to enjoy here.