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Taste-testing some fresh mash-ups last week, I came upon an unholy alliance. Somewhere in France, DJ Le Clown brought together “I Love My Bitch,” rapper Busta Rhymes’ cheerfully raw ode to inner-city romance, and “Echo Beach,” the bittersweet 1980 new-wave anthem by Canadian one-hit wonders Martha & the Muffins.
I decided not to stream the result, “Eko Bitch,” as the keystone of a full post because of the incessant repetition of the n-word, albeit pronounced “nigga” and used as a term of endearment. But, hearing the slinky, seductive guitar intro to “Echo Beach” put me in search of the original. And what better time to toast that song than on New Wave Wednesday?
In addition to being the only Martha & the Muffins track to have any impact in the U.S. through airplay on alternative and college radio, “Echo Beach” became a staple of new-wave dance clubs in the San Francisco Bay Area. It even provided the name of a San Fran nightclub that was a popular South-of-Market destination in the ‘80s.
Imagine going to Echo Beach on a weekend night and being on the dance-floor when the disc jockey spun “Echo Beach.” It was pandemonium.
Anyway, the song – which recounts a young office worker’s dream of escaping her stultifying job - still sounds pretty good. (Love the horns!) It’s available for a listen here. And, in a bit of perverse glee over its dated look, I’ve also attached the promotional video with singer Martha Johnson garbed like an escapee from a “Star Trek” convention. Calling Captain Kirk!
Speaking of perversity…
....ah MK... you've done it again...
I wanna hear the mashup w/Busta now Mike! This is good but Busta will make it so much betta I'm sure.
Nice! This track always reminds me of going on vacations to Cape Cod when I was little.
I posted this one myself on my blog awhile back.
Love it, the Knife getting in on NWW in true form! M&tM does sound good still, and Le Clown appears to have lived up to his moniker. :)
vannatta: My mission? Bringin' art to the masses - or at least a few of you...
August: C'mon, man! Busta's right up there in the first comment, courtesy of me.
PopeyePete: I figured someone must have already given M+M some MOG props. If not you, then Misstee or gmo. Still, I was moved.
goodmusiconly: Had to do it, Erin. And couldn't stop myself from sneakin' "Eko Bitch" in there. ;-)
Though "Echo Beach" was their zenith (and rightly so), there was another Martha & the Muffins song that got some attention and was pretty wonderful, if I recall correctly. It was called "Black Music/White Music." It was about the racial segregation of the airwaves, and it was impossible not to dance to. One more reason to love Canadians....
Ahh, love that gee-tar intro, too. Great song to mash with, though that Eko B*tch is just a little naughty. ;-)
I was always a big fan of M&TM's "Motorbikin" meself.
Hey! Look at me! I can actually log on and comment. Faith n' begorah!
LMI , we knew you'd come crawling back eventually....
Crawling being the operative word. I won't go into a detailed rant about technical difficulties. I think Lizzie covered that for everyone. ;-)
ivylander: I do remember a couple more cool-ish M+M tunes, but this is the one that stuck in the ol' cranium.
Lady Miss Ian: As ever, pleased to have you droppin' by here. And another vote for another M+M song. Stream, anybody? (Yep, Lizzie didn't mince words. Good for her - and, hopefully, us.)
Nice one Mike. Now all we need is a video by Rubber Rodeo and we got ourselves a New Wave part-ay!
i love the name "Eko Bitch"! such a great mash-up name. the song is hilarious! Busta is a freak, i could totally see him performing this live with M&M. easy.
Great tune. However, Echo Beach was totally not their zenith. That came the next year with This Is The Ice Age.
Misstee: The NWW gauntlet was thrown, and I did what I needed to do. Woo-hoo!
mollifire: Mashin' live wit' Busta? Get me on the list!
fastnbulbous: Simply asserting that the song was their commercial zenith in the U.S., not their best album - which is always gonna be up for debate amongst the cognoscenti.
Nice.