Before they achieved stardom the
world over with "It's Raining
Men," Weather Girls Martha
Wash and Izora Rhodes Armstead
made waves in the thriving San
Francisco music scene as Two
Tons o' Fun (and, later, The
Two Tons). The powerhouse
duo began working with
gender- and genre-defying artist
Sylvester at Fantasy Records,
singing background and lead vocals on many of his most
memorable recordings. In 1980, they struck out on their
own and teamed with legendary Motown veteran Harvey
Fuqua (who had also helmed Sylvester's beloved albums)
for two remarkable LPs on his Honey Records imprint.
Fusing disco, dance, soul, funk, and R&B with roof-raising,
gospel-tinged vocals, both Two Tons o' Fun and Backatcha
put the extraordinary voices of "Queen of Clubland" Wash
and Armstead out front. Now, Real Gone Music and Second
Disc Records are thrilled to celebrate the Two Tons with
a complete 2-CD anthology that serves as a companion
to last year's acclaimed Sylvester release, Disco Heat: The
Fantasy Years 1977-1981. Two Tons o' Fun's Get the Feeling:
The Complete Fantasy/Honey Recordings brings together, on
2 CDs, both of the Two Tons' albums - the first of which
features Sylvester himself in the band - plus a host of rare
single versions, remixes, and extended versions. Among the
highlights are the top five Dance smashes "Earth Can Be
Just Like Heaven" and "I Got the Feeling" as well as such
R&B and Dance hits as "I Depend on You" and "Never Like
This." Both albums have long been overlooked; their last
CD reissue was more than thirty years ago in the U.K.; this
collection marks both albums' U.S. CD debut, while most
of the bonus tracks are also new to worldwide CD. For
the occasion, all audio has been newly remastered by Mike
Milchner, and we are remastering the two albums straight
from the original tapes, so this collection will offer a
big sonic upgrade. The collection also contains a deluxe
booklet with liner notes by The Second Disc's Joe Marchese
Marchese and unseen photos. With the return of Two Tons
o' Fun, only one exclamation is appropriate: Hallelujah!
