Deadline for My Memories

Deadline for My Memories
Studio album by
Billie Ray Martin
ReleasedOctober 1995 European Union
January 1996 United Kingdom
June 1996 United States
Genres
Length64:31
LabelsMagnet (Europe, Australia, Canada)
Sire/Elektra Records (US)
ProducersBT, Billie Ray Martin, The Grid
Billie Ray Martin chronology
Four Ambient Tales-EP
(1993)		 Deadline for My Memories
(1995)		 18 Carat Garbage
(2001)

Deadline for My Memories is the debut solo album by Billie Ray Martin. It was originally released in October 1995 and includes Martin's biggest hit single, "Your Loving Arms" and four further singles. The album, initially planned to be released soon after "Your Loving Arms", had the working title Salad Days, then Space Oasis.[1][2][3][4]

Martin described the album as 'Kraftwerk-meets-Phil Spector, or possibly Mariah Carey-on-acid-with-touches-of-Brian Eno'. (...) Martin, along with underground producer/remixer/artist Brian Transeau, has crafted an uberdelicious album that fuses intense lyrics and digital noise with deep-fried Southern soul and 60's pop and country. – Michael Paoletta, Papermag, June 1996[5]

The album was mainly produced by Brian Transeau (aka BT), his first main production for another artist. Reportedly, the working relationship was turbulent and suffered from a clash of production styles, Martin wanting co-operation and Transeau working on his own. Eventually, Martin reigned back control and what is heard on the album reflects more her style and choices than BT's.[6][5]

For the album, Martin collaborated with a wide array of musicians and producers.[7] Six of the tracks had been demoed by Electribe 101 for their unreleased second album in 1991/92.[8] "Persuasion" and "Wishing You Well" first recorded during those sessions had already been released on Martin's 1993 singles.[9][10] Other writing collaborators include Arthur Baker, Genetic, Eric Kupper, Patrick Patterson and Andrew Vowles.

The U.S. issue comes with the bonus track "Stand by Me", Martin's interpretation of the 1905 gospel hymn by Charles Tindley.[11]

Release history

The album was first released in continental Europe on Magnet/Eastwest in October 1995. A vinyl edition was released in the UK and a CD in Australia around the same time. The CD issue was released in the UK in January 1996. The U.S. and Canada CD versions were released on Sire label in June 1996.[12]

Track listing

CD LP MC Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1 A1 A1 "Hands Up and Amen" Billie Ray Martin Brian Transeau 5:25
2 A2 A2 "Running Around Town" Martin Transeau 4:26
3 A3 A3 "Still Waters" Martin · Arthur Baker · Andrew Vowles Transeau 5:07
4 B1 A4 "Deadline for My Memories" Martin · Leslie Fleming · Robert Cimarosti · Joseph Stevens · Brian Nordhoff Transeau 4:59
5 B2 A5 "Imitation of Life" Martin · Eric Kupper Transeau 4:27
6 B3 A6 "I Try" Martin · Patrick Patterson Transeau 3:16
7 C1 B1 "True Moments of My World" Martin · Fleming · Cimarosti · Stevens · Nordhoff Martin 5:23
8 C2 B2 "We Shall Be True" Martin · Genetic Transeau 4:40
9 C3 B3 "I Don't Believe" Martin · Franz Stegman Transeau 5:59
10 D1 B4 "Space Oasis" Martin · Martin King Transeau 5:05
11 D2 B5 "You and I (Keep Holding on)" Martin · Fleming · Cimarosti · Stevens · Nordhoff Transeau 4:39
12 D3 B6 "Your Loving Arms"[a] Martin · David Harrow The Grid 6:33
13 D4 B7 "Big Tears and Make-up"[b] Martin Transeau 4:10

Bonus tracks

CD LP MC Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
14 — — "Stand by Me"[c] Charles Tindley Martin 5:41
14 — — "Ich Glaube Nicht"[d] Martin · Stegman Transeau 6:03
  1. ↑ Remix of 'Original Extended Mix' released on the 1994 and 1995 singles.
  2. ↑ Bonus track on the U.S. CD; doesn't appear on the U.S. cassette edition.
  3. ↑ Bonus track on the U.S. CD.
  4. ↑ German version of "I Don't Believe", bonus track on Germany CD (Magnet 0630 12181 2).

Single releases

"Your Loving Arms" was the first single released from the album. Originally it reached number 38 in the UK Singles Chart in 1994, but it went on to reach number 6 when it was re-released the following year.[13] It also peaked at number 46 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[14] Four further singles were released from the album: "Running Around Town" (UK No. 29), "Imitation of Life" (No. 29), "Space Oasis" (No. 66), and "You and I (Keep Holding on)" (No. 76).[13]

#TitleDate
1."Your Loving Arms" (1st Issue)October 1994
2."Your Loving Arms" (2nd Issue)March 1995 (US), May 1995 (UK)
3."Running Around Town"August 1995
4."Imitation of Life"December 1995
5."Space Oasis"March 1996
6."You and I (Keep Holding on)"July 1996

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Aftonbladetbad 2/6[15]
AllMusicStarStarStar[16]
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar[17]
The GuardianStarStarStarStarStar[18]
Music WeekStarStarStar[19]
MuzikStarStarStar[20]
QStarStarStar[21]
Spin8/10[22]

The album received mostly positive reviews.

Of the favourable ones, the British magazine Music Week wrote, "The voice is smooth, the production slick and the demographic almost perfect – Annie Lennox meets Aretha Franklin in Nineties clubland."[19] The i-D magazine wrote, "Dietreich (sic) of '90s dancefloors makes her great return, crooning through the hard-edged glamour of epic BT handbag tunes into plains of deep, introspective soul. Sadness has never sounded so sweet."[23] Andrew Smith of The Sunday Times concluded his favourable review in 'The Culture' supplement simply stating "the record is a joy".[24] Michael Paoletta summed it up for MTV.com: "Martin (...) has crafted an uberdelicious album that fuses highly emotional storytelling and new concepts in noise and sound with club-savvy beats, deep-fried southern soul, and '60s pop and country."

Tom Doyle was slightly more hesitant in the Q magazine, concluding: "It is with the moodier material (...) that the musical backdrops manage to actually enhance her remarkable vocal prowess and make for engaging material of stylistic strength and individuality."[25]

On the other hand, Taylor Parkes of the Icon magazine described the album "a pretty cheap thing" and claimed "there's something faintly frowzy about it all."[26] In Aftonbladet, Anders Hvidfeldt described the album: "A German who sounds like a bad version of Annie Lennox and tumbles through sticky ballads, technoblob, country (all in English) and finishes with "Ich glaube nicht" in her native tongue. Tangled."[27]

Charts

Chart (1996) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] 146
UK Albums Chart[13] 46

Personnel[29]

  • Billie Ray Martin – lead vocals, background vocals, string arrangements, vocal arrangement, brass arrangement, melody arrangement, mixing, vocal production, pedal steel producer, additional production, producer, executive producer, photography/styling/make up concept
  • Brian Transeau – producer, mixing
  • The Grid – producer, mixing
  • Adrian Scarff – recording engineer, assistant engineer
  • Pete Schwier – recording engineer
  • Nick Sykes – recording engineer
  • Ren Swan – recording engineer, mix engineer
  • Paul Gomersall – mix engineer
  • Greg Jackman – mix engineer
  • Andrew Fryer – additional production, programming
  • Martin King – original programming
  • Volker Janssen – piano, additional keyboards
  • Dean Ross – additional keyboards
  • B.J. Cole – pedal steel
  • Stuart Johnson – pedal steel
  • Shawn Lee – guitars, drums
  • Colette – piano
  • Luvaine Maximum – background vocals
  • Danny Campbell – background vocals
  • Caroline Mackendrick – background vocals
  • Anita Kelsey – background vocals
  • Ade – background vocals
  • Gary Barnacle – string arrangements, brass arrangement, orchestra leader
  • The Phantom Horns – brass arrangement
  • Gavyn Wright – orchestra leader
  • Roebuck Staples - arrangements

References

  1. ↑ Collis, Clark (30 Dec 1995). "The Arts: Billie's soul isn't where the home is". The Daily Telegraph. p. 9.
  2. ↑ "[POP #9] Billie Ray Martin". Tidskriften POP revisited (in Swedish). 2010-01-18. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  3. ↑ Palmer, Tamara. "Walking On". URB (43, June/July 1995).
  4. ↑ "Billie Ray Martin songs and albums | full Official Chart history". Official UK Top 40 Charts. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 Paoletta, Michael (6 June 1996). "The resurrection of Billie Ray Martin". Papermag.
  6. ↑ Consola, Matthew (July 1996). "Billie Ray Martin". DMA Magazine. 4, issue 7.
  7. ↑ Krause, Reinhard (12 Oct 2002). "Southern discomfort". taz Magazin (Die Tageszeitung).
  8. ↑ Electribe 101 - Electribal Soul, 2022, retrieved 2026-08-27
  9. ↑ "Billie Ray Martin". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  10. ↑ Electribe 101 - Electribal Soul, 2022, retrieved 2026-08-27
  11. ↑ Robert Darden, Bob Darden People Get Ready!: A New History of Black Gospel Music 2005- Page 162 "Tindley had a rare gift for both creating Bible-based images and imminently singable choruses: "Stand by Me" (Charles Albert Tindley, originally copyrighted 1905) When the storms of life are raging, Stand by me When the storms of life are ..."
  12. ↑ Billie Ray Martin - Deadline For My Memories, 1995, retrieved 2026-08-12
  13. 1 2 3 "BILLIE RAY MARTIN - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  14. ↑ "Billie Ray Martin Your Loving Arms Chart History". Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  15. ↑ Hvidfeldt, Anders. "Deadline for My Memories". Aftonbladet.
  16. ↑ "Deadline for My Memories - Billie Ray Martin - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  17. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 529.
  18. ↑ Wollaston, Sam (26 January 1996). "Music: This week's pop cd releases". The Guardian.
  19. 1 2 "Reviews: Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 9 September 1995. p. 49. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  20. ↑ Barnes, James (October 1995). "Billie Ray Martin: Deadline For My Memories" (PDF). Muzik. No. 5. p. 82. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2022.
  21. ↑ Doyle, Tom (Nov 1995). "Deadline for My Memories". Q (110).
  22. ↑ Walters, Barry (1 April 1996). "Spins: Billie Ray Martin - Deadline for My Memories". Spin. p. 110. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  23. ↑ "Deadline For My Memories". iD. Oct 1995.
  24. ↑ Smith, Andrew (Jan 1996). "Deadline for My Memories". The Sunday Times.
  25. ↑ Doyle, Tom (Nov 1995). "Deadline for My Memories". Q (110).
  26. ↑ Parkes, Taylor (Nov 1995). "Deadline For My Memories". Icon.
  27. ↑ Hvidfeldt, Anders. "Deadline for My Memories". Aftonbladet.
  28. ↑ "Billie Ray Martin chart history, received from ARIA in May 2024". ARIA. Retrieved 7 July 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  29. ↑ Deadline for My Memories (CD booklet). Magnet Records. 1995. p. 11.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.