This Is the Ice Age
Encyclopedia
This is the Ice Age was Martha and the Muffins
' third album, released on LP and cassette in 1981. The track "Women Around the World at Work" was released as a single in the UK
and Canada
.
The album was a debut for Daniel Lanois
as a rock music producer; he would later be discovered by Brian Eno
and produce for artists as diverse as U2
, Bob Dylan
, and Dashboard Confessional
.
The cover image was taken by Muffins' guitarist Mark Gane from an apartment he was living in on Bloor Street
in Toronto
. It depicts the Bank of Montreal
tower over a building in poor repair.
After being unavailable for over 20 years, this much sought after album was finally re-released on CD in 2005 by EMI
Canada
and includes two bonus tracks that were not on the original release. The CD has been released with copy protection
technology which may make it difficult to play in some players or rip for use on MP3 players.
The working title for this album was The Big Merge.
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...
' third album, released on LP and cassette in 1981. The track "Women Around the World at Work" was released as a single 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...
and 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...
.
The album was a debut for Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois
Daniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
as a rock music producer; he would later be discovered by Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and produce for artists as diverse as U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, and Dashboard Confessional
Dashboard Confessional
Dashboard Confessional is an American rock band from Boca Raton, Florida, led by singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba. The name of the band is derived from the song "The Sharp Hint of New Tears" from the debut album The Swiss Army Romance....
.
The cover image was taken by Muffins' guitarist Mark Gane from an apartment he was living in on Bloor Street
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct westward into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same...
in 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...
. It depicts the Bank of Montreal
Bank of Montreal
The Bank of Montreal , , or BMO Financial Group, is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded on June 23, 1817 by John Richardson and eight merchants in a rented house in Montreal, Quebec. On May 19, 1817 the Articles of Association were adopted, making it...
tower over a building in poor repair.
After being unavailable for over 20 years, this much sought after album was finally re-released on CD in 2005 by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
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...
and includes two bonus tracks that were not on the original release. The CD has been released with copy protection
CD/DVD copy protection
CD/DVD copy protection is a blanket term for various methods of copy protection for CDs and DVDs. Such methods include DRM, CD-checks, Dummy Files, illegal tables of contents, over-sizing or over-burning the CD, physical errors, and bad sectors...
technology which may make it difficult to play in some players or rip for use on MP3 players.
The working title for this album was The Big Merge.
Track listing
- "I'm No Good At Conversation" was the B-side of the "Several Styles of Blonde Girls Dancing" single from DanseparcDanseparcDanseparc was Martha and the Muffins' fourth album, recorded in 1982 at Grant Avenue Studios in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and released in 1983....
. - "Twenty-two in Cincinnati" was the B-side of the "Women Around the World at Work" single.
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 - Mark Gane - guitar, vocals
- Jocelyne LanoisJocelyne LanoisJocelyne Lanois is a Canadian musician, bassplayer and songwriter from Hull, Quebec, who has been a member of the bands Martha and the Muffins and Crash Vegas. She has also had touring stints as bassplayer with Ani DiFranco and Chris Whitley, and played on Sarah McLachlan's album Solace...
- bass - Daniel LanoisDaniel LanoisDaniel Lanois born September 19, 1951 in Hull, Quebec) is a Canadian record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He has released a number of albums of his own work and has produced albums for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Emmylou Harris, Willie...
- treatments - Glenn SchellenbergGlenn SchellenbergGlenn Schellenberg is a Canadian composer. He is a frequent collaborator of director John Greyson, having composed the music for three of Greyson's films. For one of these films, Zero Patience, Schellenberg was nominated, along with Greyson, for a Genie Award for Best Song for the song, "Just...
- piano - Andt Haas - saxophone
- George Axon - percussion
- Alyx Skriabow, Sandy Horne, Corinne Plomish, Gordon Deppe - background vocals