Metro Music
Encyclopedia
Metro Music was Martha and the Muffins
' first album, released in 1979. It contained the international hit single "Echo Beach
", which reached #3 in Canada
, #1 in Portugal
, #5 in Australia
and #10 in the UK
charts in March 1980. It also reached #37 in the U.S. on the Club Play Singles chart. "Saigon" was released as a follow-up single in the UK a few months later, but failed to chart. In Canada, the follow-up single was "Paint By Number Heart" — it climbed to #69. The album itself was certified gold in Canada (500,000 units) on September 1, 1980; "Echo Beach" was certfied gold there (5,000 units) on the following October 1.
As DinDisc
1 (DID I) Metro Music was notable for being the first album ever released on the then-new DinDisc label, followed soon after by the debut album from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
, numbered, appropriately enough, as DinDisc 2 (DID 2).
The cover image is a map of Toronto
, the band's hometown.
The entire Metro Music album also formed the first part of Martha and the Muffins' 1987 compilation Far Away in Time
.
Singles
Martha and the Muffins
Martha and the Muffins are a Canadian new wave band, active from 1977 to the present. Although they only had one major international hit single under their original band name, they had a number of hits in their native Canada, and the core members of the band also charted in Canada and...
' first album, released in 1979. It contained the international hit single "Echo Beach
Echo Beach
"Echo Beach" is a song recorded by the Canadian group Martha and the Muffins in 1979. It was released as a single from their album Metro Music in 1980 and won the Juno Award for Single of the Year. It was certified gold in Canada on October 1, 1980, a month after Metro Music achieved gold status...
", which reached #3 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, #1 in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, #5 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and #10 in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
charts in March 1980. It also reached #37 in the U.S. on the Club Play Singles chart. "Saigon" was released as a follow-up single in the UK a few months later, but failed to chart. In Canada, the follow-up single was "Paint By Number Heart" — it climbed to #69. The album itself was certified gold in Canada (500,000 units) on September 1, 1980; "Echo Beach" was certfied gold there (5,000 units) on the following October 1.
As DinDisc
DinDisc
Dindisc Records was a short-lived independent UK record label, associated with Virgin Records, which issued new releases from mid-1979 through early 1982...
1 (DID I) Metro Music was notable for being the first album ever released on the then-new DinDisc label, followed soon after by the debut album from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are a synthpop group whose founding members are originally from the Wirral Peninsula, England...
, numbered, appropriately enough, as DinDisc 2 (DID 2).
The cover image is a map of Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, the band's hometown.
The entire Metro Music album also formed the first part of Martha and the Muffins' 1987 compilation Far Away in Time
Far Away in Time
Far Away in Time was a 1987 CD compilation of tracks by Martha and the Muffins. The compilation consisted of Metro Music in its entirety , plus four tracks from Trance and Dance , two tracks from This is the Ice Age , and the non-album single "Insect Love" .The album was compiled without any...
.
Track listing
Personnel
- Martha JohnsonMartha JohnsonMartha Johnson is a Canadian pop singer and songwriter, best known as the vocalist for the 1980s new wave band Martha and the Muffins...
- keyboards, vocals - Martha LadlyMartha LadlyMartha Ladly, AOCA RGD MCSD is a Canadian academic, designer and musician. She is currently Associate Professor of interaction design, at OCAD University. Ladly has also had a long career as a musician and achieved international fame as part of Canadian New Wave band Martha & the Muffins...
- keyboards, trombone, vocals - Mark Gane - synthesizer, guitar
- Carl Finkle - bass
- Tim Gane - drums
- Mick Kent - drums
- Andy Haas - saxophone
Chart performance
Album| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
186 |
Singles
| Single | Chart (1980) | Position |
|---|
| "Echo Beach/Paint By Number Heart" |align="left"| Billboard Club Play Singles |align="center"|37 |