Mick writes;
On Saturday the 8th of June 1996 Lou Martin came over to our home in South London to share a meal, enjoy a drink, listen to some blues records, and kick around some musical ideas which would eventually form part of our album "Happy Home".
While Linda cooked a meal, Lou sat down at her Roland piano and began to play. I plugged it straight in to our 80s stereo system (old enough to have a couple of mike inputs), put a blank cassette in the tray and pressed record. I also plugged my Danelectro guitar directly into the other input.
Lou started with some solo piano boogie and after a while I joined in. We played some blues and boogie, old favourite tunes. Lou was pretty sure of the sequences, while I fumbled around looking for the right chords. I probably sang a bit - mercifully there was no mike plugged in. I expect there was some laughter and a glass or two of red wine consumed. After a while I dropped out, and Lou finished off with some of his favourite folk and classical pieces.
It's just a cassette recording, and in places there's some annoying flutter which I can't get rid of. At least I've managed to get the tape running at roughly the right speed so the songs are in pitch.
Lou plays a mixture of songs, some of which are recognizable, but which invariably morph into something else, often an indefineable Lou Martinised version of what would have been a well known tune. I didn't want to put the tracks up for sale on iTunes etc.. I would have no idea who to pay the songwriting royalties to!
So it's here for you for free. If you do download it you might consider making a small donation to a charity of your choice on Lou's behalf... I would suggest Macmillan Cancer Support www.macmillan.org.uk as a good one.
My listening suggestion.. put the album on quietly in the background, or maybe in another room, and you can have Lou Martin tinkling away in your own home. I hope you enjoy it, even the dodgy bits. You'll learn something about Lou's extraordinary talent and personality, and if you have a dry eye by the end of the last track I'll be surprised.
Mick Clarke
‎14 ‎September ‎2012