Hear, Hear! Miss Martha is legend!
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I was/am a huge Martha fan. No one was looking forward to her first solo LP more than me. Black Magic was my fave of her albums by a mile and I assumed it would get better still. This album was a giant disappointment to me. Nothing against Richard Perry, but if he was a genius, he would not invest so much into a formatting nightmare like this Carole King meets Bettye LaVette at Muscle Shoals mess. Some songs are in the wrong key. One killer radio-friendly track has wretched lyrics [["my dog had some pu-pies. Would you like to have one? He will be your friend and he will lick your face!") Some were annoyingly formula even when it was new. Some are in the wrong key. Perry filters her voice to heavily on most cuts. It had been ten years since her last top 5 hit, and seven since her last top 40 - geez, shouldn't it be just a little bit more tailored to radio than this? Martha's career was teetering on the edge and this project had so much pre-release press for a year, that only an astonishingly unremarkable debut album such as this could have petered out so fast. I know I'm rough on it. I listen to it out of frustration because I have to listen to SOMETHING Martha did, but geez, the only sublime track, Many Rivers To Cross, is not exactly top 40 material - and even it goes into the fade too soon. I wanted a hit for Martha because I want to be able to buy lots of Martha albums, so when I heard this no-hit collection, it was prognosis negative. I prolly would have re-cut the first verse of My Man and sent it out as the lead single with a much longer fade for the album. I think it had the best shot of multi format play. Didn't like the cover much either. -
That's just like you Supremeter,nice and nasty at the same time lmao.
It's not nasty, it's why I think the project failed so miserably. Everyone knows it didn't hit. The industry was anxiously awaiting it - as was I. I was thrilled that MY Martha was finally getting a huge chance to prove her mettle and have a big career. I cared because selfishly, I wanted her to have output like Miss Ross and Gladys - with new tours with her new hits. These are opinions, btw, I shared openly and candidly with Martha in the 70's and she not once thought I was being nasty. She was grateful, in fact, when just a few years after this masterpiece was released, to have Diana Ross' #1 fan bring her food, pot and a little money when she was broke, fired and cut off from room service at her hotel in my city because she showed up with no Vandellas for a two week return gig at The Sheraton Airport Lounge. THAT'S the kind of gig she was happy to get in the late 70's and early 80's. a HUGE talent like hers playing joints.......but she put on a great show each time. I hated the idea of her worrying about money and the like when she had brought so much pleasure to so many. She told me how Motown owed her a bunch of money in royalties and how they screwed with her and Richard Perry to gain her release. I was fascinated.
We also discussed the failure of her Arista project and not once did she, or Miss Ross, mercifully, resort to blame their poor showings on lack of promotion, sabotage or fear of competition. There: THAT was nasty. Happy?
No problem, supremester. I didn’t take your review of Martha’s first solo album as being nasty. You were just expressing your opinion. It’s funny how we Motown fans can be so similar and yet so opposite. Your favorite track was "Many Rivers To Cross" – that, and "Dixie Highway", remain my least favorites. Methuselah2 and, I think, somebody else mentioned how much they love "Wild Nights". It, too, was my least favorite track upon my first listening. It sounded too "Saturday-Night-Live"-ish [[progressive rock-ish), although it has since grown on me a lot. There’s nothing horrible on the album, though. My favorite tracks have always been "You’ve Got Me For Company", "Ain’t That Peculiar", "Power Of Love", "My Man [[You’ve Changed My Tune)", and "I’ve Got To Use My Imagination". I still say that Martha’s first solo outing on MCA should have been a hit.
Oh, BTW, that was really nice of you to help Martha out in her time of need. - Gary
My issue is my own selfishness about the artists I really like: I want them to have hits so they'll keep recording and touring. I didn't hear a hit on here. It's the first thing I'd listen for every time a new Ross album would come out - Where's the hit? I love Wild Night [[lol @ your Sat Nite Live ref)- but it couldn't go R&B easily and Martha couldn't even get play on Bless You - that Motown pushed like mad. Power Of Love is fine, but not original enough. It makes me crazy because Martha had killer pipes. And issues, bless her. Her fight with Richard perry says it all. This dude spent 6 figures wrestling her from Motown and they wound up not speaking for many months - in the middle of recording this album. A lot of people don't connect with Martha's voice - that's why she never sold albums at Motown, so she needs super commercial production to get her on the radio - she just didn't get much of it after Motown. I'm happy that's she's doing well, working a lot and is financially secure.
I happen to think Martha's MCA lp is incredible, maybe a little uneven at times, but it should have established Martha as a solo artist of stature. The lp got rave revues with Billboard saying there wasn't a bad cut on it.
The problem came with packaging and selections of singles. Clearly Wild Night was the standout hit on here but for whatever reason MCA put out Power Of Love instead. That song had only been out a few years prior and Martha's version wasn't all that different. With modest promotion the single made a dent on the Pop chart. By the time Wild Night came out as a single the lp was already losing momentum. Martha's version of Imagination to me is miles better than Gladys's, but MCA held back on that one too. My Man is a fine song, but not commercial for its time. But that was the third release and by this time the album was dead. Even the funk-added to Sweet Misery would have been a better choice for single release.
Martha and I have spoken about this lp many times and she always had glowing things to say about Richard Perry. She never mentioned having a fall out with him. Another problem Martha had with MCA was that she was accustomed to charging everything to her record company while at Motown. MCA wasn't having it. They spent a small fortune getting her out of her Motown contract and they weren't going any further in debt to an artist that was not selling records.
If you catch Martha on YouTube she appeared on Don Kirschner's Rock Concert at the time the lp came out. She had a strong band and some good backing vocalists. But she appears uneasy on stage by herself.
To this day,i still loved the album,what Martha needed was a team,behind her,that she didn't have,i think that Richard Perry did a fine job,on producing the album,Supermester if the story you told is true,about you giving Martha money and all,shame on you for telling us,i would have only told,my close friends,maybe smh.
"If you catch Martha on YouTube she appeared on Don Kirschner's Rock Concert at the time the lp came out. She had a strong band and some good backing vocalists. But she appears uneasy on stage by herself".
Yea you know she did look a bit uneasy, maybe even a bit stiff; but she did smile a few times. Otherwise, I thought she sounded really strong and really enjoyed the performance.
IF this story is true??? GFY. Don't get me confused with your bff on here who lies all the time. Personally, I don't GAF what YOU would do in any situation. I never told this story in public for a long time because Martha was struggling. ONE person on this list knew about it at the time and he never told anyone either. Martha is doing very well for herself now and is not embarrassed to admit she had rough times 3 and a half decades ago.
I'm glad you love the album. Unfortunately, you or me liking something doesn't make it hit material. Martha had a tough time selling albums always. Even Dance Party & Watchout! sold poorly considering they had two big hits each. After Watchout!, her Live LP and Riding High barely charted, the next two didn't chart at all, and Black Magic did a little business. The Richard Perry album desperately needed Top 40 friendly material and didn't have any.
I normally dont get into discussions like this but Supremester only said this to prove [[not that Supremester has anything to prove) that people think of him as a ROSS only fan and he wanted to help Martha out and was able to do so. There are many fanatics on the Internet but Supremester walks and walk and talks the talk. I have seen this from years ago and on earlier boards. Never have I seen him out anyone when it comes to personal matters like others have done in the past. Not on Soulful Detroit or any other board. Back to Martha Reeves,,,,,,,When I first got the album I thought the breakout tune was My Man youve Changed my Tune and I thought it would have gone top twenty,, Part of the problem with this album is not that it is bad. The public has always associated Martha with gritty songs like Nowhere to Run and Heatwave and here comes this poppy sounding thing. Loved the cover and the album got a heck of a lot of press. I think the audience wasnt ready for the lack of grit. Talk about not liking a cover I cant remember the title but I went in the record store once and saw Martha on roller skates and there was some song Skating in the Streets!
Sheesh! I couldnt handle it.
TY Ms Rivers ; ) I wasn't outing Martha and I wasn't bragging that I helped her - most here would have done the same. I brought it up because it was always my fear that, great as she is, w/o hits and w/o live gigs, she'd wind up in trouble - and that's what happened. That's why I listen for the hit first. After I heard ANMHE, I relaxed for side 2. I bit my nails through Everything Is Everything and hoped for Im Still Waiting. Surrender? It was doomed. I also thot My Man was the breakout tune for pop and r&b and maybe A/C. The problem with the song is that she sounds "off" on the first verse. Play it for a stranger and watch their face. Once it picks up - it's a viable commercial possibility. I never saw an LP get as much advance press as this one - all it had to do was deliver a hit or 2.
I was so happy to hear Wild Night in Thelma & Louise. I wouldn't have led with Wild Night as it wasn't cold enough yet from Van Morrison. Gladys had Imagination out before Martha's album, so that was no good. I'm guessing Martha recorded it first, but don't know. My discussions with Martha on this took place between '78-'82 - she might have been fresher in the memory on it. She told me that Perry demanded over 40 takes of Many Rivers To Cross and she did it live with the choir and tempers got crazy and they didn't speak for months. She thought the LP had been shelved.
Yeah, demotownguy, I discovered Martha's YouTube video performance on "Don Kirschner's Rock Concert" just last week, and I immediately posted it here on the Motown Forum. You're right, Martha seemed a bit stiff but she was vocally impressive. And her back-up singers were super! Those girls could SING! MCA sent her out well supported for her live TV performance. What I found strange was that it seemed as though Martha was trying to change her visual image. Instead of the classy hair-and-gown image portrayed on her MCA album cover, she purposely dressed down to match the progressive rock-crowd style which was popular at the time. Her dress reminded me of Carole King's Tapestry-era dress style, and Martha's hair was in two long braids [[ala early Rita Coolidge [[who I happen to love a lot). The physical image just didn't fit Martha at all in my book. But, again, her performance with the three back-up singers was stellar! And the audience seemed to really love her.
The Martha Don Kirshner clip is historical ! Three popular background singers ...James Jamerson and Dennis Coffey! Martha blows on Power of Love....I enjoyed it. Martha was sporting those braids they looked great on her. Her little dance on Power of Love showed she could get down when she wanted to.
Supremester I must be the only nut case when it comes to Ross and her first album. I will take Surrender and Everything is Everything over that first album anyday! Aint No Mountain High Enough and Dark Side of the World are the only songs I can listen to repeatedly. Now on Surrender [[the title track) Did you Read the Morning Paper [[which should have been a single as well and all of the other songs ..And if you See Him....I Could do a Simple Thing Like Cry....she was at her prime vocally..."If I could see a trace of hope somewhere in your eye maybe then I could do a simple thing like crryyy...if it didnt hurt so bad. Im sorry that first album pales compared to Surrender. Everything is Everything well My Place, Baby Its Love with a mean saxaphone, How About you?. Call Me [[she did a great spin on Aretha). I think I may have listened to that first album 8 times in all my life. I have the CDversions of Surrender, Everything and yes the first album just to make it complete. There is no reason on this earth why Black Magic should not have been a hit album. The timing was right and the songs were good. I would have pulled Your Love Makes it All Worthwhile as the first single. Tear it on Down got a lot of play here on the radio. Bless You reminded me too much of the Jackson Five but I liked the song it was a little to juvenile to me for them. Great album cover. This album not selling a lot is one of the biggest crimes in the music world even when I was a little girl on the playground someone had it. Kids have good taste.
LOL - Good thing we were born on the same day or we'd have nothing in common at all.
1) Everything Is Everything - I like it all but the cringe worthy title track.
2) Diana Ross - It's all good but I only play it occasionally.
3) Surrender - If it wasn't for All The Befores, I'd never play it. I like Can't Give Back The Love enough. I only use the mono single mix of Remember Me.
Black Magic had it all: the best album the group ever did, radio friendly tracks, a cool cover, but a name that hadn't done a thing in too many years. I think Bless You was stupendous - a brilliant production that was ultimately wasted on MR&TV - Ross would have gone to #1 with it, JMC: Top ten. Martha did a killer vocal on it but it was over for them - couldn't get them on TV, on play lists, ....... sad. My singles: Bless You, Tear It On Down, I've Given You The Best Years Of My Life. I'd even have sent Something and No One There to AC. Look how hard it was to get Tina back from oblivion - and she wasn't carting around a 60's name like Vandellas. I think had Black Magic come out a a solo effort, it would have stood a chance. Martha's vocals are stupendous on every track. My least fave is Gordy's Your Love Makes It All Worthwhile and, I can pass on her I Want You Back. The rest is pure gold to me. I plugged that album so hard at Grant High - every dance, every party those songs got out and the response was great [[except for my hippie buds who, for the most part, wanted me to leave my records home.) They couldn't understand how I could sweat Janis and Led Zepplin - yet prefer I'm Still Waiting. LOL.
What a Shame lmao,again you should have kept that to yourself Supremester.
Please Stay Positive!
! agree - I don't like that shot at all - she's sneering and looks so posed and over processed. Martha looked great on Don Kirshner -
Clearly everything that could have gone wrong with the album, practically did. Those of us who love Martha are fond of the project, but it was a commercial nightmare - IMO and I doubt that it got her any new fans. The cover was a beast, made her look matronly and we needed hip Martha. There was so much hype on this, I was expecting a lot more, but still there are lots of good cuts.......just no hits.
Martha told me how excited she was to be rescued from Motown - she felt they were not interested in her. I've since learned otherwise, and if 4 record companies in 7 years can't get a hit on you.......it's not just the record companies. I think Martha's voice didn't connect with the mass public.
Lol there you go again Supremester,and you say you like Martha smh,one thing i know for sure,you love Diana Ross lol,and there's nothing wrong with that,but please STOP IT,with Martha Reeves lmao.you're just too nice,and nasty at the same time.if you do personal things for people,they should stay personal.
This thread is not about Miss Ross, I've said nothing nasty, I do not care for your name calling and insults and am asking you nicely to practice what you preach, stay positive, and leave me out of your whatever it is that you do. Thank You.
Ok one last comment! I cant find the footage, but Martha is on stage in a yellow dress singing with I believe a rock band. From what I remember, I was thinking a new direction is what was needed [[more rock based). She was really in control and sounded good. I always remember the drastic move Labelle did and how people reacted. I just hope my memory serves me correctly on this one lol!
I dont know if that would have worked for Martha but its a good thought when it comes to rock. The ONLY Motown group who I can think of that did a 360 degree turn when it came to looks and sound was Undisputed Truth. Its debatable as to whether it worked or not. We all know The Marvelettes and Martha and the Vandellas got more glamorous in press pics and onstage like the Supremes. In 1968 and above we know the Four Tops, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and the whole roster was changing their sound. Supremes showed up on Sullivan wearing shorts and being barefoot in the tenement slum and Marvin sang Whats Going On, The Tops were changing with Nature Planned it and STILL WATER but nobody had changed their look like Undisputed Truth I wonder whose idea that was to come out looking silver?
You're right Stephanie,about The Undisputed Truth,for some reason,i bet it was Norman Whitfield,he was they're producer,at that time,it's just a guess,i don't know for sure,i must say,i'v been playing a lot of Martha Reeves,she was great,back in the day.