{"id":2140,"date":"2020-01-23T10:54:57","date_gmt":"2020-01-23T15:54:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/musicalurbanism\/?p=2140"},"modified":"2020-02-11T12:20:05","modified_gmt":"2020-02-11T17:20:05","slug":"martha-and-the-muffins-insect-love-b-w-suburban-dream-mm-001","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.vassar.edu\/musicalurbanism\/2020\/01\/23\/martha-and-the-muffins-insect-love-b-w-suburban-dream-mm-001\/","title":{"rendered":"Martha and the Muffins \u2013 \u201cInsect Love\u201d b\/w \u201cSuburban Dream\u201d (MM 001)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

“Insect Love” b\/w “Suburban Dream”<\/strong>
\nMuffin Music MM 001 (Canada)<\/strong>
\nReleased in February 1979<\/strong>
\nProduced by Martha and the Muffins<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a self-released single under the band’s DIY label, Muffin Music. The tracks were taken from a June 1978 demo of five songs (the other three recordings are “Teddy the Dink,” “Trance and Dance,” and “Echo Beach,” all still unreleased) and remixed by CFNY disc jockey Keith Elshaw. The classic six-member line-up \u2014 Martha Johnson (vocals and keyboards), Mark Gane (guitar), Carl Finkle (bass), Tim Gane (drums), Andy Haas (saxophone), Martha Ladly (keyboards and background vocals) would have only been together for three months when they went into a small Toronto recording studio to lay these down to tape. The distinctive features band are readily apparent, with Carl’s melodic bass lines and Andy’s jazzy attack already notable, but the Muffins aren’t yet the well-rehearsed unit they would be by the end of 1979. In particular, the two Marthas aren’t quite the equal vocalists that their first label would encourage them to be.<\/p>\n