Moti Special
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Moti Special was a German New Wave band, formed in 1981 in Hamburg, by Danish guitar player Nils Tuxen, Romanian keyboard player Michael Cretu, bassist/vocalist Manfred "Thissy" Thiers and drummer Reinhard "Dickie" Tarrach. All of the members had previous experience as session musicians. Thiers decided on the name of the band after visiting an Indian restaurant in London, where he had the "special" (extra spicy) dish of the house.
It was not until 1985 that the band became successful when Stop! Girls Go Crazy made it to Number 53 in the German charts. The follow-up, Cold Days, Hot Nights, was a major hit in Europe, reaching Number 3 in Germany. The third single Don't Be So Shy made it to Number 8. The band's first album, Motivation, reached Number 20 in the charts that same year.
Michael Cretu left the band to pursue his solo career, and production work with various artists, including his wife, 80s superstar Sandra Cretu.
Nothing was heard from the band until 1989, when a new single was released. The single and the album, Dancing For Victory were not received as well as the first album. By 1989, only Tuxen and Tarrach were still in the band, from the original members.
Michael Cretu has since had a successful career, as a solo artist, collaborator, producer, and most notably as the creator of Enigma.
Manfred "Thissy" Thiers is still working as a session bass player, and in 2005 performed on the album "The Voice of Leonard Bernstein", alongside Leonard Bernstein, Jose Carreras, and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, as well as many other great performers. He also (important!) is a member of Schiller-live Band (Weltreise/Voyage, Leben/Life and Tag und Nacht/Night and Day live tour)
In 2006, official remixes of Cold Days, Hot Nights by DJ/producer Arnold Palmer took the track, now re-titled simply Cold Days, into the Top 5 of the Official German Dance Charts. A subsequent full release has yet to materialise despite the track's considerable success in German clubs.