David Randall chatted to Martin Barre at the start of his UK tour dates in November 2025. This hour special includes tracks from several albums including Tull and Alan Simon’s ‘Excalibur’ project

McNidder & Grace [Publication date 06.11.25]

“The music Tull produced was very real, never reaching perfection, but always incredibly human and honest.” I wonder what the hardcore fan would make of this, or even Ian Anderson?

Perhaps the biggest event in Martin Barre’s life in recent times was his removal from the band he had served loyally since 1968. This gets just a page in this interesting if sometimes economical memoir. Tull fans hoping for some dirt-dishing will be disappointed. But probably not as much as Barre was at the time, with apparently no specific reason given by his bandleader.

Barre has evidently survived the twists and turns of a career in music (65 years!) because he is genuinely a nice bloke who has kept his guitar playing sharp and his mind clear of the usual substances that befuddle rock stars. He also has a supportive family and friends which has also given him a better chance than most. Martin lists his other passions - running, steam trains, cars and photography – to provide a healthy balance.

Growing up, Barre was exposed to his father’s love of jazz music and this almost certainly influenced his attraction to sax and flute playing which developed in parallel but secondary to his love of guitar.

Barre takes the reader from his early days growing up in the Birmingham music scene, to his audition for Tull. This account differs from the legendary story that Ian Anderson had to crouch on a hotel floor to hear what the guitarist was playing as he’d forgotten his amp.

Tull fans will appreciate that each album is discussed (with the exception of J-Tull.Com) and the trials and tribulations, not least accommodating the many musicians who passed through the ranks.

Following his departure from Tull Barre was able to build on a solo career that he’d already started in the early-1990s with his “Summer Band”. Most recently he has been touring the States with his current band, finding a ready-made and enthusiastic audience, although still very much majoring on the Tull back catalogue.

When I interviewed him not long after the Tull termination I was surprised that he hadn’t earned any publishing royalties from that band. Yes, Ian Anderson was the sole writer but Barre was very much a key – almost inseparable – part of the band’s sound. Just think of that solo in ‘Aqualung’. A more egalitarian and progressive arrangement would have shared the spoils.

In his “overview on Tull” Barre sums it up thus:

Every riff, chord, instrumental passage and arrangement throughout those years has my input, but more importantly it has my love of the music embedded within it or embossed on it – in other words, not always up front, but always present.

Barre is evidently accepting of this situation and derived his main income from constant touring and album sales. Fans will appreciate his recollections of various experiences through the years – delivered throughout the book as a “box out”.

It seems the beginning of the end for Martin in Tull had begun in the mid-1990s, a combination of Ian Anderson’s solo work and less inventive set lists. There were also longer gaps in album releases.

Roots to Branches seemed to signal the beginning of a period of time not easy to define on paper. Ian didn’t like us staying at an expensive hotel and found bed and breakfast accommodation nearby. The places were not nice, and I eventually returned to the hotel and paid for myself. Mentally, we were drifting apart, and I think it showed in the music. The spark just wasn’t there and maybe Ian, like me, was getting more satisfaction from solo projects.

Martin understandably doesn’t comment on Anderson’s journey since 2011 but the truth is Tull have now gone through several guitar players who don’t really add the Barre magic. Florian Ophale even looked a bit like early Barre. I suppose we never really thought Martin would ultimately be caught in the perpetual revolving door and some fans will still not accept his departure.

Where this autobiography hits the mark, and where for example Steve Hackett’s book missed out, it provides a rounded story complete with annotated discography including session work and information on Barre’s guitars and equipment (although nothing about his technique). Well illustrated, this account is an important part of Barre’s post-Tull ascendancy, essential for fans, even if a popular study rather than anything more profound. ****

Review by David Randall

Martin Barre is a Featured Artist at Get Ready to ROCK! Radio.

Gig review (Shrewsbury, November 2025)

Search Martin Barre at GRTR!

An Acoustic Evening with Martin Barre and Friends (2025)

06 November, Alnwick, The Alnwick Playhouse
07 November, Lytham St Annes, Lowther Pavilion
08 November, Edinburgh,The Voodoo Rooms
10 November, Barnoldswick, Arts Centre
11 November, Barnoldswick, Arts Centre
12 November, Barnoldswick, Arts Centre
18 November, Shrewsbury, Theatre Severn
20 November, Exeter, Exeter Phoenix
21 November, London, Bush Hall
27 November, Stourbridge, Stourbridge Town Hall
28 November, Shoreham by the Sea, Ropetackle Arts Centre
29 November, Southampton, The 1865
30 November, Stroud, The Sub Rooms

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 16 November 2025.

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Power Plays w/c 1 December 2025

We feature all the artists selected in this sequence in 2025.

Featured Albums w/c 1 December 2025

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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