Liner Notes From The Release
of Moon Martin's
First Four Albums on CD
by Johnny Rogan

John "Moon" Martin first became known to me as an aspiring songwriter with a penchant for strong melodies, distinctive arrangements and tart lyrics which betrayed a loving debt to the early rock & roll songs of the 50's. He was 28 in 1978 when his debut album 'Shots From A Cold Nightmare' was released to critical acclaim.

Among the backing musicians were ex-Blondie bassist Gary Valentine, and Dwight Twilley's drummer, Phil Seymour. Not surprisingly, Moon was filed under 'American New Wave', but it was obvious from the material that he had been around long before punk made its uneasy transition across the Atlantic. In fact, he'd begun his career playing lead guitar in a straight country band, Cec Wilson and the Panhandlers. Even then, he was more known for his imitation Chuck Berry riffs. While studying at the University of Oklahoma, he formed a rockabilly group, The Disciples, who played regular gigs as far away as New Orleans and Chicago.

During the late 60's, Martin relocated to L.A., where he found work as a session musician, contributing to recordings by Del Shannon and Jackie DeShannon. His college group, The Disciples, soon followed him, and, along the way, underwent a name change, emerging as Southwind. Between 1969-72, they recorded three albums, 'Southwind', 'Ready to Ride' and 'What a Place to Land'. Although well-placed to take advantage of the Country Rock boom, they achieved only minor success, supporting The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, among others, but failing to sell albums in sizeable quantities. When Southwind split, Martin returned to session work, contributing guitar to some unissued Gram Parson songs before appearing on Jesse Ed Davis' 'Ululu' and Linda Ronstadt's 'Silk Purse'.

As his songwriting developed, Martin began to harbour thoughts of a solo career. Musician friends complimented him on his songwriting, but also teased him about the number of times he used the word "moon" : thus the nickname Moon Martin. His "moon tunes" became part of his appeal, as you hear on such songs as 'Hot Nite in Dallas' ("Dark rolls the moon"), 'Cadillac Walk' ("When the moon comes up"), 'Hands Down' ("Now the moon rises in the sky"), 'Paid the Price' ("Dark night, dark moon") and 'Deeper (Into Love)' ("I raise the curtain to the moon").

By late 1974, Martin had teamed up with legendary producer Jack Nitzsche, but album sessions were delayed when the latter was asked to work on a Mink DeVille project. Fortunately, Nitzsche took some material to the DeVille sessions, including 'Cadillac Walk', which subsequently became a radio hit. Moon Martin's reputation was further enhanced by Michele Phillips' decision to include several of his compositions on her striking solo album, 'Victim of Romance'. The following year, Lisa Burns also used Martin as a songwriter source, just as his debut album was about to be released.

Visually, Moon Martin was an unlkely pop star, resembling a cross between Buddy Holly, Warren Zevon and John Denver. His songs echoed the influences of the 50's, in which seemingly innocent lyrics could be suddenly subverted by an unexpected sexual innuendo. With power pop still in the ascendant, he seemed in the right place at the right time. The debut for Capitol bore the portentous title 'Shots From A Cold Nightmare', a phrase that appeared to be taken from the "cold shot" line in 'Paid Killer'. As Martin reflected : "I thought that too. A friend of mine asked me what I was planning to call the album, and it just popped into my head. Then I tried to figure out where it came from. I figured that the 'shots' was like my shot to make it, and the cold nightmare was trying to get someone to listen to me".

The album opens with 'Hot Nite In Dallas", a song inspired by a trip to Texas as a child, when Moon recalled seeing some exotic people on the street, including "drag queens and whores". "My father, who was a merchant, used to take me to Dallas to buy clothes in the marketplace," he explained. "We used to stay in these second-rate hotels with no air conditioning, and the windows

would be open. It would be real hot and the sheets would stick to your skin. There were a lot of people outside your window ~ it was like a Raymond Chandler novel."

Several other songs on the album proved equally compelling, with Martin showing his rockabilly influences, and producer Craig Leon establishing a suitably minimalist feel. A cover of the Beatles 'All I've Got To Do' recalled Martin's stint in teenage cover groups, and his subsequent concerts usually included at least one Lennon/McCartney homage. There was also the engagingly commercial 'Bad Case of Lovin' You', which was later picked up by Robert Palmer, and went onto become a US Top 20 hit.

With a backlog of songs ready for release, Moon Martin wasted no time in recording his second album. One of the intended titles was 'Motel Ozone', but Martin eventually decided upon the more dramatic 'Escape From Domination'. "I'd like to think it was significant," he told me. "It could be boy/girl relationships or escape from the domination of disco. There's a lot of things you could throw in there. I just thought it was kind of funny."

The most immediate difference between 'Escape From Domination' and 'Shots From A Cold Nightmare' was the presence of Martin's backing band The Ravens, featuring Jude Cole (guitars), Dennis Croy (bass), and Rick Croy (drums). "I never wanted any record of mine to sound anything other than a band," he noted. "I wasn't trying anything more on this album except aiming for a live record."

The album received a boost when 'Rolene' was issued as a single and gave Moon Martin his sole US Top 30 hit. "The reason I didn't do 'Rolene' on the first record was that Mink DeVille had already recorded it," Martin told me. "I didn't know how it was going to turn out. I wanted him to get a shot at the song, so it was an ethical situation. I didn't want mine to turn out better as his might have been a single. If I put it on 'Shots From A Cold Nightmare', they would have been released very close together. The reason I put it on ' Escape From Domination' was that my band liked it a lot, and they kept asking me to record it."

The Mink DeVille/'Cadillac Walk' style was also evident on 'Hot House Baby' and 'Bootleg Woman', the latter having originally appeared on Southwind's 'What A Place To Land', albeit in a very different arrangement.

Perhaps the classic examples of Moon's 50's / 80's style was 'No Chance' which owed much to the Buddy Holly songbook. "When people ask me my influences, I usually say Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry," Moon confessed, "but Buddy Holly was much closer. I don't know why I never mention him, because I probably played his records more then the others. As a matter of fact, I bought all the Bobby Vee records because he was the only person who sounded like Buddy Holly after his death.

The first song I ever learned to play was 'Peggy Sue' and that was the first song I ever played at a dance."

On the strength of 'Escape From Domination', Moon Martin undertook a European tour, playing various small clubs.

His performances were reasonably tight, but no live album was forthcoming. Indeed, the only time Moon Martin featured on a live recording was on a 12-inch version of 'Victim Of Romance', which included four tracks taken from the El Mocambo, Toronto, one of which was another Beatles cover, 'I Saw Her Standing There'.

For his third album, 'Street Fever', Moon Martin offered more of the same. The results tended a little towards the formulaic, however, but tracks such as the melodic 'Love Gone Bad' were inspired. It was clear that a rethink was required, with approach. A two-year gap ensued before Moon Martin's final album for Capitol was issued in 1982.

The appropriately titled 'Mystery Ticket' was a striking departure from the old Moon Martin sound. Robert Palmer, whose hit recording of 'Bad Case Of Lovin' You' had brought Martin's greatest commercial success, took over production duties and provided a more contemporary, radio-friendly approach. 'X-Ray Vision', co-written by Pete Sinfield, was a stab at electronic pop, with synths prominent. Mid-way through the album, Martin threw in some vestiges of the old sound, reverting to his Chuck Berry roots for 'She's In Love With My Car'. The remainder of the album veered between the old and the new; and a long cast of musicians, including The Blasters' Gene Taylor, lent their support. Perhaps the highlight of the album was the Andrew Gold- produced 'Aces With You' which, in luckier times, might have provided a hit single. Alas, Moon Martin's moment had passed, and his four album career with Capitol ended at this point.

What remains is an interesting series of albums documenting the career of a talented songwriter who, for several years, enjoyed modest success as an engaging performer in his own right.

Johnny Rogan
June 1995