A welcome re-promotion of "The Greatest Living Englishman" which was originally released on the Humbug label in 1993 and produced by XTC's Andy Partridge. Originally a member of the glam-rock band plod, Martin Newell has m... more »oved in mysterious ways. He's the resident poet for the Independent newspaper, has written his autobiography "This Little Ziggy" to critical acclaim and currently writes for Record Collector. Martin's musical career has taken in bands such as Cleaners From Venus and Brotherhood Of Lizards and latterly a successful solo career.« less
A welcome re-promotion of "The Greatest Living Englishman" which was originally released on the Humbug label in 1993 and produced by XTC's Andy Partridge. Originally a member of the glam-rock band plod, Martin Newell has moved in mysterious ways. He's the resident poet for the Independent newspaper, has written his autobiography "This Little Ziggy" to critical acclaim and currently writes for Record Collector. Martin's musical career has taken in bands such as Cleaners From Venus and Brotherhood Of Lizards and latterly a successful solo career.
Bonnie Buellis | Westminster, Maryland United States | 06/19/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Another amazing CD from Martin Newell which proves that
he is "The Jangling Man" indeed.
A splendid recording from start to finish,your head will sway from side to side as you sing along.
It will make you sing so loud,you won't care what YOUR voice sounds like.
So if you crave pure polished British Pop~grab this gem as soon as you can!"
Martin Newell - Greatest Living Englishman
Albert Einstein | Tennessee | 10/29/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"A friend of mine who shared my like for XTC recommended this album, being produced by Andy Partridge. You can hear an XTC-style production on songs like "Before the Hurricane," and he somehow reminds me of Colin Moulding. This album also reminds me very much of Billy Joel's "Nylon Curtain" album, especially "We'll Build a House" and "Greatest Living Englishman." I like English artists whose music has an English flavor, without trying to sing like an American. This is a good example. I haven't listened through enough to decide on a rating, so keep that in mind in seeing that I have given it four stars."
Delightful British pop
John A. Alfano | Elon, NC United States | 07/28/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Sometime ago I purchased "Richie Unterberger's "Unknown Legends of Rock n' Roll" and was entranced by the chapter on an 80s group called the Cleaners from Venus. Chief architect of the group was Martin Newell who apparently had little or no interest in any commercial gain but preferred to simply produce good pop music. Newell later went on to record this gem with assistance from Danny Partridge from XTC.
The songs are all penned by Newell and both the lyrics and melodies are captivating. Get ready to hear just about any instrument or near-instrument that happened to be laying around the studio as well as vocal enhancements like overdubs and echo chamber effects. Several of the tunes could have easily come out of the psychedelic 60s. All in all a very enjoyable treat."
One of the greatest poetic Englishmen
John E. Martin | Wichita, KS USA | 10/24/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I had the opportunity to borrow a friend's copy of this CD and have been wanting a copy of my own ever since.
Martin Newel has a wonderful way of using words and matching words to music to express a wide range of feelings. The songs on this CD range from the folksy "Home Counties Boy" to the angry energy of "The Jangling Man". I just can't really find the words to explain how much I love this CD. If you like poetic music with rock instrumentation and want something out of the ordinary, you owe it to yourself to give this CD a try."