Meat Loaf exploded to superstardom like a <ahem> bat out of hell, with his 1977 solo debut. But the roots of his success could be traced to his short but blazing tenure with, of all labels, Motown. In 1970, the young performer, then known as Meatloaf [one word], was garnering rave reviews in the Detroit company of Hair alongside Shaun Murphy, a.k.a. Stoney, a powerhouse blues singer who stopped the show nightly with her incendiary rendition of “Easy to Be Hard.” Motown quickly saw the potential of this one-of-a-kind duo and signed them to its rock-oriented Rare Earth imprint.
Produced in the Motor City by Ralph and Russ Terrana and Mike Valvano, 1971’s Stoney and Meatloaf fused rock, soul, blues, gospel, funk, and country. But despite the duo’s explosive vocals, top-drawer songs and production, and the top 40 R&B success of the single, “What You See is What You Get,” the pair’s time at Motown was short-lived.
Stoney and Meatloaf remained Meat Loaf’s only album to never see an official CD release until now. Everything Under the Sun: The Motown Recordings, released on June 3, 2022, from Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records, celebrates the late rock legend’s collaboration with Murphy on a 28-track anthology. The 2-CD set includes the original 1971 Stoney and Meatloaf album and adds rare singles including both sides of Stoney’s solo Motown 45.
It also premieres six never-before-heard Stoney solo cuts (including songs by Bob Gaudio, Jerry Fuller, and Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham) and brand-new mixes restoring the duo’s complete vocals to the outtakes which premiered on 1978’s controversial reissue Meatloaf Featuring Stoney and Meatloaf.
Everything Under the Sun has been produced by the team of Joe Marchese and Andrew Skurow (The Supremes, Bobby Darin) and remastered and remixed by Kevin Reeves. The deluxe booklet (inside a 6-panel digipak) features rare and never-before-published photos as well as comprehensive liner notes by The Second Disc’s Randy Fairman drawing on fresh interviews with Murphy and Ralph Terrana.
Everything Under the Sun: The Motown Recordings Track Listing
CD 1
1. (I’d Love To Be) As Heavy As Jesus
2. She Waits By the Window
3. It Takes All Kinds of People
4. Game of Love
5. Kiss Me Again
6. What You See Is What You Get
7. Sunshine (Where’s Heaven)
8. Jimmy Bell
9. Lady Be Mine
10. Jessica White
11. What You See Is What You Get (Mono Single Version)
12. Lady Be Mine (Mono Single Version)
13. It Takes All Kinds of People (Mono Single Version)
14. The Way You Do the Things You Do (Mono Single Version)
CD 2
1. Let Me Come Down Easy (Single Version)
2. It’s Always Me (Single Version)
3. Carry Me
4. A Woman Left Lonely
5. Mo Jo Hannah
6. Stone Liberty
7. Sunshine (Where’s Heaven) (Stoney Solo Version)
8. Touch and Go
9. The Way You Do the Things You Do
10. Everything Under the Sun
11. Stone Heart
12. Who Is the Leader of the People
13. Jimmy Bell
14. It Takes All Kinds of People
Murphy continues to perform with her own band and has toured with such classic rock stars as Bob Seger, Bruce Hornsby, and many others.
Related: Our obituary of Meat Loaf, who died on Jan. 20, 2022
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