Monday, May 31, 2010

Martini Ranch - Holy Cow



I first heard the song "World Without Walls" in 1988, listening to the old WHFS while driving through Washington, DC. I immediately recognized Cindy Wilson's voice in the chorus, and at first assumed, with no small amount of excitement, that the B-52s were recording again and about to release another album. Mind you, at that time, it had been more than two years since the B-52's last album, Bouncing Off The Satellites, released in the wake of guitarist Ricky Wilson's death in October 1985. A lot of people, myself included, assumed that with the lack of a supporting tour for that album, and the general silence of the band over the intervening years, the B-52s were finished (of course, within two years, that would turn out to be untrue . . .). So it was good to hear what I assumed were noises from that quarter.


I wasn't quick enough to catch the name of the song at the time, so it took me a while to discover that it was not a new B-52s song at all, but one by a band called Martini Ranch. Martini Ranch was started in 1982 by guitarist Andrew Rosenthal, who noodled around the edges of L.A.'s rock scene for a while until
hooking up with a new friend and bandmate, actor Bill Paxton.  Yes, THAT Bill Paxton. In the mid-1980s, Paxton had been making a bit of a name for himself in movies like Stripes, Streets of Fire and, of course, Weird Science. But he wasn't really a huge name in Hollywood yet, so he split his time on both acting and musical endeavors.

The result was Martini Ranch's sole album, Holy Cow. Despite the band dragging in several of their more famous and successful music and Hollywood friends for guest appearances (including the aforementioned Cindy Wilson, members of Devo and Judge Reinhold(!)), or maybe because of it, this album is frankly kind of crap. Its sound, a sort of generic hybrid late-80s LA synth-pop, was dated about two minutes after the album was pressed. And a lot of the ideas behind the songs are too jokey, lame or half-baked. "World Without Walls" is the best song on the album, but that's not saying it's a classic.

With contributions from the B-52s and Devo (two long-time favorite bands of mine), this album should have been right in my wheelhouse. But outside of a couple of songs, it's just irritating. I think that Bill Paxton made the right decision to concentrate on acting. But here - you decide:  

Please use the email link below to contact me, and I will reply with the download link(s) ASAP:  

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21 comments:

  1. have been looking for this for years...now my only problem is "what's the password"

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  2. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Your review is accurate in my opinion.

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    1. Well, thank you, sir! I don't set out to trash albums . . . but I've gotta call them as I see them! Thanks for visiting, and I hope you return soon!

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  3. Thanks for the link. Much appreciated. Saludos.

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  4. Thanks for the link!
    For me Holy Cow is a Little Masterpiece!

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  5. Thanks for the link! I second Sebastiano, the album is a forgotten masterpiece!

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    1. Well, I don't know about "masterpiece" . . . As I said above, I have some real problems with this album. But as long as you're happy with it, so be it! Enjoy, and come back again soon!

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  6. Many thanks for this hard to find item!

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  7. Great stuff RIP Bill Paxton!
    Thanks!

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  8. Mixed thoughts on the album as a whole, but a few stand-outs. 'How Can The Labouring Man Find Time For Self-Culture?' is probably the highlight for me. Cheers!

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    1. Yeah - like I said, this album isn’t COMPLETE garbage… but let’s just say it’s not my go-to music at odd hours. All the best to you!

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  9. Thanks for this. Sound bytes that make up the soundtrack of my life.

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  10. Many thanks for this awesome album and responding so quickly - the tracks all work and sound great.
    Bill Paxton 4 life.

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  11. "Uknown" wasn't kidding! You do respond quickly. I can't wait to listen. Thank you.

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  12. Hi - I had just sent you a request for this link from my gmx account. Thank you so much for the link and for the quick response! Nice to see good people who help others out, it makes the world a better place.

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  13. Many thanks for your generosity. (Would that this was the norm on the internet!) I know the single, but look forward to discovering the rest of this album. Best wishes to you.

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  14. Omg I haven't thought of World Without Walls in, like, a hundred years and I, like you, discovered it on HFS. I think I even bought the single. I'm only here because yesterday one of my daughters baked a quiche and I started singing Quiche Lorraine obsessively and someone Googled it . . . Best regards from locked-down Paris.

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    1. Ha ha! It's a small world, truly! Good to hear you instilled such good musical taste into your children! All the best to you all over there in France; we're locked down here as well!

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  15. I too first heard Wild Wild West on HFS. Bought the CD and love ever tune on it. To each their own, as they say. These guys, and the Escape Club, and to a lesser extent, Gene Loves Jezebel, were the great 80's bands IMHO. A little while after this, Iggy Pop & Kate Pierson did "Candy". Just as sweet as "World Without Walls". Anyways, great post.

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    1. Yes, I think that Kate's work on Iggy Pop's "Candy" is the gold standard for B-52's members collaborating with other musicians. Many moons ago, I tried to draw together all of Kate's and Cindy's outside work (with R.E.M., Melon, etc. in addition to this group) - I need to think about revisiting that effort once again.

      Thanks for the comment!

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  16. Great idea! You could make a collection of alternative adult rock oriented collaborated efforts, like REM and Natalie (Don't go back to Rockville)among many others.

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