Reviews of the CD:
MYSTERY TICKET

1982: DONNA PISELLI

Moon Martin's music has always been underrated and unnoticed, and for no apparent reason. This time, Martin's newest release, Mystery Ticket, is going to clinch all the recognition he's been deserving for years.

The bearer of a Mystery Ticket entitles the owner admission into Moon Martin's world of diverse musical tastes and talents. Under the direction of producer Robert Palmer ("Looking For Clues", "Bad Case Of Loving You"), Martin combines many different forms of music into one fine recording.

"X-Ray Vision" and "Firing Line" are exciting, keyboard-oriented dance songs that are reminiscent of many tunes on Palmer's last album, Clues. But Martin gives you more than dance music: Mystery Ticket offers something for Top 40 lovers, Pop Rock lovers, and even oldies fans.

"Aces With You" is a Pablo Cruise type of tune full of captivating keyboards and hearty harmonies. "Paid The Price" is a 1950's type of love ballad, sounding like The Penguins' "Earth Angel". "She's In Love With My Car" has a poppish beat and accented with a touch of ragtime piano.

The lyrics in Martin's songs have a deeper quality and meaning than most rock/pop songs that are being released. In "Witness", Martin sings "Slogans written on the wall, This country's gonna fall, I heard a shot come down the street, And my heart fell to my feet". His songs make observations about all aspects of our lives, unlike the majority of popular
music that's concerned only with "letting it rock, getting wasted, and making love".

There's one problem, however, when it comes to evaluating this album: it's impossible to to credit any of the excellent musicians that perform since Martin employs two drummers, two bassists, three guitarists, and five keyboardists to support him. "Chain Reaction" is Mystery Ticket's most powerful song wth strong drumming and guitar work, but unfortunately the proper performers can't be congratulated here.

Aside from the help of Palmer, Andrew Gold ("Thank You For Being A Friend") and Gene Taylor (The Blasters) also lend Martin a hand on the LP. To this date, Martin has two popular songs to his credit, "Cadillac Walk" and "Rolene", but has never really enjoyed the benefits of getting his music regularly played on the airwaves. After listening to this album, Martin's music will no longer remain a mystery to you. His performance is well worth the cost of one Mystery Ticket.

1982: CARLO WOLFF

John "Moon" Martin is back on track with his fourth album, having gained the momentum he seemed in danger of losing on his last album, Street Fever of late 1980. In fact, he may even score a hit off Mystery Ticket, a hard-rocking, eclectic album with pop potential in such tracks as the sweet "Aces With You" and the tough "Chain Reaction.

Martin has shed his backup band, the Ravens, opting for slick studio musicians and that wonderful pianist, Gene Taylor, borrowed from the Blasters. More synthesizer-oriented than his previous album, Mystery Ticket rocks as hard as Martin's first disc, Shots From A Cold Nightmare (1978). He's still playing the jilted, vengeful lover: Almost half the album deals with women who have left him and in one case the girl likes Martin's car more than she likes him. That's a hackneyed theme, but Martin, as usual, manages to detail it in a uniquely humorous way, crossing his commentary with forboding.

"X-Ray Vision", a heavily sythesized piece that kicks off the album, is the best arranged tune; it pits Martin's breathy tenor against a near-disco rhythm track, in an economically sketched tale of deception and depth. The following tune, "Witness", is slower, actually a retelling of the Orpheus myth and, in it's own neat way, an update of Marvin Gaye's "Can I Get A Witness".

Robert Palmer, who scored a big hit with Martin's "Bad Case Of Loving You" two years ago, has given Martin a neat, contemporary sound: snappy, rhythm-heavy, cleverly layered. Ironically, "Aces With You", produced by schlockmeister Andrew Gold, has the best shot at pop success: Its sentimentaity is simple, its melody catchy.

Martin's still playing very hot guitar, spiraling Chuck Berry through tunes whose lyrics don't always have the depth the music has. He's been around for many years, gives great live shows and has an unmistakable sound. Mystery Ticket, in its blend of infectiousness and drama, may be just what he needs to propel from cult to mass appeal.

1982: GENE TRIPLETT

Somebody give this guy a chair. His name is Moon Martin, he plays some of the cleverest, meanest rock 'n' roll since Bruce Springsteen ~ and he's from Oklahoma! Mystery Ticket is his fourth album as far as I know, and it's got to be his best. If he's done something better than this, I've got to hear it right away.

His vocals are smooth and stinging and his guitar is right on the mark while he's telling us on tunes like "X-Ray Vision", "Looking out my room the stars are burning/There's a lesson that I should be learning/You know lead will never hide it, baby/Now that I can see behind it, baby". This song, by the way, was co-written with former King Crimson lyricist Pete Sinfield, and is one of the most scathing tell-offs I have ever heard.

These are the kinds of raw, jumping rockers we used to hear on the radio (that is, if we grew up in the late 60's or early 70's) and wish we could hear again once in a while. The strident hand-claps and reverberating percussion of"Firing Line" and the pub-rock rowdiness of "Don't You Double (Cross Me Baby)" will leave you breathless. And if that's not enough we've got "Aces With You" ~ a Buddy Holly-styled ballad with throbbing piano and the whole works ~ or "Chain Reaction", with its bubbling, frenetic keyboards and new-wave intensity.

Martin's music is rough and tumble and lots of fun. He apparently draws on his Okie roots (he grew up somewhere near the Texas border) and the influences of the the East Coast masters (especially Springsteen) to create a tasteful and distinctive rock variation of rural-smelling, urban-wise music.

1982: TOM VON MALDER

Moon Martin's fourth album is produced by Robert Palmer, in part as a return favor for the big hit Palmer had with Martin's song, "Bad Case Of Loving You". Despite Palmer's production and the fact that the album was recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, there is very little island feel and no reggae on the album. (Palmer loves to incorporate Caribbean rhythms into his own music).

The album opens in fine fashion with the propelled "X-Ray Vision", the album's first single. It has the electronic percussion that Palmer likes to use (listen to "Witness" and "Chain Reaction" as well) and is heavy on the keboards and backing vocals. There is some slashing guitar and I like the drum-keyboard combination (Gene Taylor of the Blaster's is one of five keyboardists on the album). The love song was co-written with Pete Sinfield, the former lyricist with King Crimson among other progressive groups.

On the rest of the first side, Martin is out to prove his versatility and does. The slower "Witness" is a smooth song with a dark vision of street violence in this country. Delightfully bouncy is the rockabilly "She's In Love With My Car" (rather than him, the lyric says). It was co-written with Martin's former guitarist, Jude Cole, who also put in a stint with England's popsters The Records. "Paid The Price", dating from 1977, is a country-rock ballad, while "Firing Line" returns to the energy of "X-Ray Vision".

Side two, after opening with a typical but undistinguished Martin rocker called "Dangerous Game", has a winner with "Don't You Double (Cross Me Baby)", which is in the same style as Martin's earlier hit, "Rolene". It has both a good lead vocal and backing vocals, and has the style of an updated Fifties rocker. An updated early Sixties rocker follows, the very fine "Aces With You", which should be the second single from the album. Produced by Andrew Gold (who also plays guitar) "Aces" recalls the Everly Brothers with a bit of Phil Spector production thrown in.

After a darker love song, "Deeper (Into Love)", the album closes with "Chain Reaction", with heavy, synthesized percussion. The album is another good one from Martin. It will satisfy his existing fans, and should create many new ones.