Materick, Ray - Life And Times

Tracks

Disc 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Emily
	2	Ashes and Dust
	3	Fish in the Ocean
	4	Talkin' About You
	5	You Babe
	6	Fleshpot
	7	Listen to Your Heart
	8	Wild World
	9	Sister Ruth
	10	Nothin' At All
	11	Never Shoulda Done It
	12	Red Hot Momma

Disc 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Linda Put The Coffee On
	2	Feelin' Kinda Lucky Tonight
	3	Northbound Plane
	4	I'd Be Your Man
	5	Holiday Bar And Grill Cafe
	6	Waiting So Long
	7	Goodbye Again
	8	Like A Midnight Rider
	9	Carnival Knowledge
	10	Long Thin Highway Line
	11	Lonely Hearts Hotel
	12	Ride Away

Photos

No Photos

Videos

No Video

Information/Write-up

Ray Materick, life and times (Linus/Warners, 2003)

When I was scuffling around, playing coffeehouses for bus fare and coffee, back before I even drank coffee, there were some models for me to emulate, or not. One of them was Stan Rogers, and my experiences with Stan will be told some day; another was Ray Materick. He had a book of poetry out, and a record, both with the same picture on the front, a bearded guy ambling down the street with a guitar. Then Ray Materick signed to Asylum, and had a hit single. You could not escape hearing "Linda Put the Coffee On" anywhere that season. Canadian radio played it almost hourly as I recall. The Asylum album had better songs, but the powers that be knew that "Linda..." was the hit. And on disc two (entitled '70s Stuff) of this two disc set "Linda Put the Coffee On" is the lead track, and the only song from that first Asylum album.

Neon Rain was the name of the album, produced by Eugene Martynec, who managed a beautiful clean guitar based sound. "Linda..." was more band oriented than much of the album, Bruce Cockburn played electric guitar, Gene Falbo bass and Barry Keane drums. In retrospect it's a good song and deserved the attention. The second Asylum album was Best Friend Overnight, produced by Don Potter and featuring stalwart support by Daniel Lanois, Bob Doidge, Hugh Syme and Artie Traum, amongst others. Five tracks from this album are included on this second disc. "Feelin' Kinda Lucky Tonight" has an even fuller sound, with strings. Materick's voice is rugged yet comfortable, countryish and folky like the songs he writes. His melodies echo old familiar songs that you can never pinpoint, and before you know it you're singing Materick's tune. "Feelin' Kinda Lucky..." and "Northbound Plane" feature Lanois' pedal steel, an instrument he has recently returned to (on his new CD, Shine). Materick's own fingerpicked acoustic is present in a background, or in the fore on "I'd Be Your Man."

Six tunes are presented from the third Asylum record, Midnight Matinee. I owned all these albums on vinyl, but only Neon Rain remains in my library. I can't remember what happened to them but these samples have reawakened my interest in locating the full albums. The same musicians and producer were present for this third record, and the songs are sensitive singer-songwriter material. "Goodbye Again" features a melancholic cello played by Michael Bacon. "Carnival Knowledge" finds a mariachi beat and adds a trumpet to the mix. "Lonely Hearts Hotel" succeeds with Materick's growl over some pretty harmonies by Doidge and Lanois. '70s Stuff concludes with "Ride Away" an up tempo song about escape. Haunting guitar work by Lanois.

That was then. Disc one is now. Titled New Stuff, as you might imagine, it begins with Materick's new single "Emily." This song echoes the drive and tone of "Linda..." and the lyrics are a tribute to Materick's daughter, "I love your company, Emily." Sessionman extraordinaire Tim Drummond provides bass. Eric Maher, Rob Lamothe, and Materick play guitars. Steel guitar is added by Steve Smith. Michael Fonfara guests on Hammond organ, and Mark Mariash contributes percussion. Produced by the legendary Frazier Mohawk, New Stuff boasts a powerful sound. The band is full and hot, and Materick's vocals, which remind this listener of John Prine, are rough but warm.

"Ashes and Dust" is a melancholy song described in the minimalist notes as "paradise lost." "Fish In the Ocean" begins with Fonfara's Hammond swells, some rocking acoustic guitar, and leads into a fairly driving tune. Materick pays tribute to his father in the folky "Talkin' About You." The new songs are a marvelous complement to the older material. Apparently the writer went through a dry spell, but he describes his development in an interesting liner note.

"After recording and touring six albums in the 1970s the wheels on my musical van fell off and burned. I found myself physically and spiritually exhausted. The bright and passionate light that once shone from my rock and roll heart had been beaten down to a tiny ember. I eventually found peace and spiritual re-awakening through listening to the three Bob Dylan albums Saved, Shot of Love and Slow Train Coming. I began to see life differently and my songwriting began to reflect an attempt at making the world a better place in which to live. Once more I can play with creative fire and abandon, I can sing with power and conviction, and I can write a song that just might touch your heart and your mind while it's busy rocking your socks off!"

Hmmm. I would have to say that the influence of those three Dylan albums is clear, but Materick's songs are strong and individual, even while reflecting his influences. A particular favourite is "Flesh Pot" which is a smouldering rocker, lots of Hammond and song creative guitar manipulations in the background. Gutsy solo too!

So there you have it. The life and times of one Ray Materick. A solid slice of his past, and an encouraging chunk of the present, boding well for the future. A look at Materick's Web site shows a large collection of relatively new material which is being made available and promises the re-issue of that first album. From those scuffling days, a man, a guitar and an empty street. Materick is older now, wiser, settled, but grounded and making some of the best music of his career.

Comments