Martin Barre: Clever and Complicated
“The thing that pleases me is melody,” says Martin Barre, lead guitarist for British folk-progressive rockers Jethro Tull from their 1969 Stand Up LP through the group’s dissolution. “If I can come up with some nice chords and a really melodic top line, that gives me great satisfaction.”
Since that band ceased operations, Barre has taken the opportunity to kick-start his long-nascent solo career. “I didn’t get the opportunity to start doing solo material until 1983, when we all decided to take a year off,” he notes. Going solo full time in 2014, Barre says, “I started to learn very late, but maybe that’s a good thing. I was thinking, ‘Wow, this is great. I’m really inventing my career as a musician.’ And I’ve been happy – really, really happy – ever since.”
Photo by Bill Kopp
Barre’s own songwriting and guitar playing style is muscular, straightforward rock that’s rooted in the blues. He’s no shredder: “There’s a place for every technique and every style of musician, but [‘shredding’ guitar] is not my cup of tea,” he says. “It never was, really, and it never will be.”
His latest release, Back to Steel, features original compositions plus re-imagined readings of Jethro Tull classics. Barre’s approach: “You deconstruct [the song] but keep the basic melody intact. I like music to be clever, to be a little bit complicated. But I don’t want it to sound complicated.”
Last November, the first leg of Barre’s tour took him all over the USA. The band had ten US dates in April; then it was on to the UK and Europe for some festival gigs. And Barre has already announced 18 fall dates in the USA, with promises of more to come. “Lots of writing and playing and touring: that’s everything I’ve always wanted to do with my life. And now I’m doing it 100%,” he says. “I view America as a huge place; it’s never-ending. And hopefully that’s the way I’ll be.”
An edited version of this feature appeared in Chicago’s NewCity.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.