Moon Martin Comes Out from The Darkness 
3 Out Of 5 Stars

Moon Martin's first album as a solo artist was a watershed for him as a songwriter. This album gave Mink DeVille "Cadillac Walk" and Robert Palmer "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor Doctor)" just to name the two biggies. Problem was, both of those artists actually sounded better on Martin's songs than Martin did, as this album has a live sound but thin production. That does not diminish from the fact that items like "Paid Killer" or "Victim of Romance" are ace bits of songwriting (and from the titles, should clue you in on Martin's view of relationships). And while Martin has a distinct voice, it isn't captured on "Shots" as well as it would be on "Street Fever" or "Escape From Domination" (where he managed a hit of his own with "Rolene"). As a relic of 80's New Wave singer/songwriters, "Shots From a Cold Nightmare" is a good work from a man who had better albums to come. Bonus points for the oddball cover of the Beatles' "All I've Got To Do."

     

My Amazon Reviews: Moon Martin "Escape From Domination"

Escape from Obscurity
4 Out Of 5 Stars

John "Moon" Martin earned his recording contract the old fashioned way; he duked it out in several unsuccessful bands (even releasing albums with a group called Southwind), got his songs placed with prominent artists like Mink Deville and Robert Palmer, and finally found his moment. Unfortunately, he never got the huge break his songs were worthy of. This reissue is the only time any of his solo albums have made it to single CD (and his remaining three Capitol albums "Street Fever," "Mystery Ticket" and "Shots from A Cold Nightmare," are are listed as coming soon on this CD's advertisement slip sleeve. one can hope!) and "Escape From Domination" was his finest hour.

In fact, his best known song and sole top 40 single, "Rolene" (Billbaord #30) is also here. Martin's interesting style, sort of a New-Wave Buddy Holly with rockabilly leanings and a keen sense of pop, is at its best here. "Escape" was produced sparingly by Craig Leon (The Ramones, Willie Alexander), with a live feel. It makes the AC/DC chords that open "Rolene" kind of surprising (albeit not as loud as the Aussies, but still rocking) and the brevity of the songs - all hovering around the 3:30 mark - expected. Rachel Sweet, once being groomed as a New Wave Linda Ronstadt, chose "I've Got a Reason" for all these reason. Sweet, stark and hooky, Martin should have had substantially bigger success.

"Escape" is also darker and more fleshed out, production-wise, than the debut. His steady touring band, The Ravens, gave the LP a tight sound. Other than the addition of new-wavey synths, the sound and songs are similar to the debut. (In addition, one of my fave artists, Jude Cole - "A View from 3rd Street" - was a bandmate.) Martin's appearance (think of John Denver crossed with Elvis Costello) was also attracting attention, making some of the edgier songs ("I've Got A Reason" and "Bootleg Woman") garner positive comparisons to the likes of EC and Nick Lowe. It made me wish Lowe had been at the boards for a Martin CD...now that would have been a match! As it stands, Moon Martin is an interesting cult item, one that I won't part with (and my autographed "Street Fever" letter is a prized possession). Now that you can find this (and I hope, the rest of his OOP catalog soon!) grab one.

   

My Amazon Reviews: Searchers "Love's Melodies"

Searching for The Time Machine 
3 Out of 5 Stars

Original Searchers John MacNally and John Pender were the core of the original incarnation of The Searchers, playing on such classic songs as "Needles and Pins" and "Sweets for My Sweet." Frank Allan had been in the band from the late sixties on. Even if the hits had long stop coming, The Searchers soldiered on. Then, it seems, time caught up with them again. Their brand of jangle pop had been flaunted by everyone from Tom Petty to REM, and in 1980, Sire Records (home to Talking Heads, Ramones, etc) signed them for a new album. That 1980 album, simply titled "The Searchers," was an amazingly deft, surprisingly strong modern jangle pop album, did modest sales and garnered a fair amount of critical acclaim.

Naturally, there was a follow-up a year later. "Love's Melodies" is just as good, despite sporting an awful album cover. However, the album followed the same formula as the prior; tart covers of songs by a crop of current writers, a pair of originals, and the tingle of twelve string Richenbachers giving The Searchers their classic sound in an up-to-date setting. This disc does miss the killer punch of The Records' Will Birch's "Hearts In Her Eyes," but The Searchers went back to him for a pair of gems. Both "Everything But a Heartbeat" and "Radio Romance" came from Birch's pen and highlight "Love's Melodies." The Motors get a solid via a cover of "Love's Melody," as does Moon Martin on "Love's Made a Fool Of You."

The Searchers also took a step back to their heyday by taking on John Fogerty's "Almost Saturday Night" and nodded to a band that had obviously taken some influence by recording Big Star's "September Gurls" about a decade before The Bangles. The seriousness of the album's selection should have made more music buffs sit up and take notice, as most of these could have slipped on any current modern rock station. Even a couple decades later, "Love's Melodies" stirring harmonies and chiming guitars hold up excellently. It may have taken a long time for these two discs to make it to CD, but they're still very much worth having.