Street Fever / Mystery Ticket [Import]

Moon Martin | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 21, 1995)
• Original Release Date: November 2, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Edsel Records UK
• ASIN: B0000011V5
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #626,304 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Five Days Of Fever

2. Signal For Help

3. Pushed Around

4. Love Gone Bad

5. Stranded

6. Breakout Tonight

7. Bad News

8. No Dice

9. Whispers

10. Cross Your Fingers

11. Rollin' In My Rolls

12. X-Ray Vision

13. Witness

14. She's In Love With My Car

15. Paid The Price

16. Firing Line

17. Dangerous Game

18. Don't You Double (Cross Me Baby)

19. Aces With You

20. Deeper (Into Love)

See all 21 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Secrets of Street Fever and Mystery Ticket, October 20, 2007

By 

Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Street Fever / Mystery Ticket (Audio CD)

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, and finally found his moment. Unfortunately, he never got the huge break his songs were worthy of. This two-fer-one CD (holy moly, is my copy really worth 80$?!?) is the only time his third and fourth solo albums have made it to CD (and his original two Capitol albums Shots From a Cold Nightmare/Escape From Domination, are on a similar out-of-print set), and are the some of his best songs in one setting.

While his best known songs (IE: those that became popular via other artists) are on the Shots/Escape CD, these two albums were Martin's attempt to break into other dimensions of sound. On "Street Fever," the results tended towards the generic. "Five Days Of Fever" bursts forth like a Bob Seger/John Mellencamp rocker, and managed some AOR play back in the day. But Martin's interesting style, sort of a New-Wave Buddy Holly with rockabilly leanings and a keen sense of pop) is at its best when he leans towards his Buddy Holly pop/rock, like "Whispers." Martin also self-produced (with Warren Dewey), and his backing band The Ravens were tight as always. (In addition, one of my fave artists, Jude Cole - A View from 3rd Street - was a bandmate and co-wrote the fun "No Dice.") Alas, the album sold less than its predecessor, lacking a hit single like "Rolene."

"Mystery Ticket" as Martin's final Capitol record and a major departure from his first three. Robert Palmer, who had taken Martin's "Bad Case Of Loving You" into the Top 20, was the producer this time around and punched up the sound with 80's synths and dance beats. "X-Ray Vision" was positively new-wavish and scored in dance clubs, but Martin's moment had passed. Oddly enough, it was the non-Palmer production that yielded my favorite song on the album. Andrew Gold (best known for his hit Lonely Boy), wrote and produced "Aces With You." In a better world, this would have been a massive hit.

Both albums are hook-laden and filled with good songs. There are nods to Chuck Berry ("Rolling In My Rolls" and "She's In Love With My Car"), punkish energy ("Bad News" and "X-Ray Vision") and terrific ballads. "Signal For Help" and "Aces With You" are both the type of songs waiting for someone to double back to Martin's catalog and turn into hits. But for now, Moon Martin remains a cult item, deserving of better than out of print imports CD's.