BURNING THE GROUND EXCLUSIVE 1984

Today, the US celebrates the life and legacy of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr, who would have turned 89 years old. I thought it fitting to post a single dealing with racism a topic that we are dealing with, in 2018.

“Black Stations/White Stations” is a song recorded by the Canadian group Martha and the Muffins in 1984 from the album Mystery Walk under the shortened name M+M. The track was the first single to be released after the act became a duo consisting of lead singer Martha Johnson and group founder Mark Gane (hence the shortened name, with the first letter of their first names). The single is a departure from the new wave genre, with emphasis this time around on a dance/funk direction, which featured brothers Randy & Michael Brecker and Wayne Mills on horns.

The song’s title deals with the subject of racism in the radio industry, at a time when more cutting-edged songs and the radio stations, in general, were starting to open up to newer formats like rhythmic contemporary, which genre this song predates. It also took on how station policies dictate what can or can not be played on air. This was evidenced by Johnson, who recalled how a radio station refused to play a song about an interracial relationship. That experience prompted Johnson and Gane to write about their feelings over this practice by recalling the events, in which they use lyrics like “I dream in Black and White” and call for stations in general to “Stand Up and Face the Music/This Is 1984!”.

The single was also controversial in its own right, as radio stations avoided playing the single because of the song’s title and lyrics despite being a modest hit in Canada, where it reached No. 26. In the United States, the single peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 2 on the Dance/Disco chart, where it reached number 2 in 1984.

SIDE A:
Black Stations/White Stations (Extended Dance Mix) 6:26
Remix – Mark Gane, Martha Johnson, Mike Jones (3)

SIDE B:
Black Stations/White Stations (Instrumental Remix) 4:54
Remix –Mark Gane, Martha Johnson, Mike Jones (3)

VINYL GRADE:
Vinyl: Near Mint
Sleeve: Near Mint

U.S. CHART HISTORY:

RELEASE INFORMATION:
Label: Current ‎– WASH-4, Current ‎– WASH4
Format: Vinyl, 12″, 33 ⅓ RPM
Country: Canada
Released: 1984
Genre: Electronic
Style: New Wave, Funk

CREDITS:
Producer – Daniel Lanois, Mark Gane, Martha Johnson
Written-By – M. Gane*, M. Johnson*

NOTES:
From the LP “Mystery Walk”

Find the 12″ on DISCOGS

VINYL RESTORATION BY:
-DjPaulT
burningtheground.net

EQUIPMENT USED:
Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (DC)
Cartridge: Ortofon 2M
Stylus: Ortofon 2M Bronze
Isolation: Auralex Acoustics ISO-Tone Turntable Isolation Platform
Platter: Pro-Ject Acryl-It platter
Stabilizer: Pro-Ject Record Puck 
Phono Pre-amp: Bellari VP130 Tube Phono Preamp
Tube: Tung-Sol 12AX7 TubeGold Pins
Soundcard: Novation Audiohub 2×4 Audio Interface
Record Cleaning: VPI HW 16.5 Record Cleaning Machine
Artwork Scans: Epson Workforce WF-7610 Professional Printer/Scanner

SOFTWARE USED:
Recording/Editing: Adobe Audition 3.0 (Recording)
Down Sampling: iZotope RX Advanced 2, ocenaudio
Artwork Editor: Adobe Photoshop CS5
Click Removal: Manual
FLAC/MP3 Conversion: dBpoweramp
M3U Playlist: Playlist Creator

RESTORATION NOTES:
All vinyl rips are recorded @ 32bit/float
FLAC (Level Eight)
MP3 (320kbps)
Artwork scanned at 600dpi