Martha And The Muffins - Trance And Dance (LP) (1980) - €7,99

Martha and the Muffins are a Canadian rock band, active from 1977 to the present. Although they only had one major international hit single "Echo Beach" under their original band name, they had a number of hits in their native Canada, and the core members of the band also charted in Canada and internationally as M + M. 

Trance and Dance (Dindisc LP, VL 2207) was Martha and the Muffins' 1980 second album, and like the previous Metro Music was produced by Mike Howlett. The album included "Motorbikin’", the band's cover of Chris Spedding's 1976 UK hit. 

The album sounds rushed and disjointed, as if the band were pressured into capitalizing on the instant fame achieved with their debut. 

In fact, some of the songs on this release date back to before Metro Music, indicating that the band did not have time to write enough new songs for an album. As with their debut, the band themselves play wonderfully, and there are some wonderful songs on it, such as the highlight, "Symptomatic Love." Martha Johnson's vocals for this track are flawless, and the song features great lyrics that in their apparent simplicity say a great deal. "Suburban Dream," "Be Blasé," "Luna Park," and "Was Ezo" are other standout cuts that demonstrate the brilliance of this band. 

Once again, the production is something of a problem, as the energy of the band (as clearly demonstrated on the free live EP enclosed with initial pressings) is not caught in the studio. 

Quite simply, Mike Howlett did not know how to produce this band (this was to be the last album he produced for them). 

This album marks the first time the band covered a song, Chris Spedding's "Motorbikin'," an interesting choice, but not one that suits Martha and the Muffins. 

This album was also to be the last featuring the original lineup, as Martha Ladly would leave to pursue a solo career shortly after the release, and Carl Finkle simply quit the band. Overall, something of a disappointment after such a brilliant start. 

Side one

1.  Luna Park - 3:11 

2.  Suburban Dream - 3:27 

3.  Was Ezo - 4:00 

4.  Teddy The Dink - 3:27 

5.  Symptomatic Love - 4:08 

6.  Primal Weekend - 5:10 

Side two

1.  Halfway Through The Week - 3:40 

2.  Am I On? - 3:24 

3.  Motorbikin' - 2:55 

4.  About Insomnia - 3:10 

5.  Be Blasé - 2:39 

6.  Trance And Dance - 7:14 

Companies, etc.

• Lacquer Cut at – Tape One

Credits

• Bass – Carl Finkle
• Drums – Tim Gane
• Engineer – Richard Manwaring
• Guitar – Mark Gane
• Keyboards – Martha Johnson, Martha Ladly
• Lacquer Cut By – Denis Blackham
• Producer – Mike Howlett
• Saxophone – Andy Haas
• Trombone – Martha Ladly
• Vocals – Mark Gane, Martha Johnson, Martha Ladly

Notes

Release:  1980

Format:  LP

Genre:  New Wave

Label:  Virgin Records 

Catalog#  202 837-320

Vinyl:  Goed

Cover:  Lichte Gebruikerssporen

Prijs: €7,99

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