The Motors
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The Motors was a British pub rock/punk band, formed in London in 1977 by former Ducks Deluxe members Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster, together with guitarist Rob Hendry (who was replaced in May 1977 by Bram Tchaikovsky) and drummer Ricky Slaughter.
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[edit] History
Having left Ducks Deluxe in early 1975, Garvey formed a band called The Snakes with Slaughter and vocalist Rob Gotobed, who would later form the punk band, Wire. Following the former group's quick demise (having released only one single before splitting) Garvey's manager Richard Ogden suggested that he form his own band. He contacted his former bandmate Andy McMaster (who had been working for a music publisher since leaving Ducks Deluxe) and they began recording demos together in January 1977. The Motor's debut live performance was at the Marquee Club in March 1977, and they recorded three songs for John Peel's weekly BBC Radio 1 show the same month.
By May they had been signed to Virgin Records, and recorded material for another John Peel session in September of that year.
Their first single was "Dancing The Night Away", which spent a month in the public eye, and reached number 42 in the UK Singles Chart in 1977. Two other sizeable hits followed. In 1978 the band released "Airport" - which proved to be the band's biggest seller - and which peaked at number 4. The song was also a minor hit in the United States. The follow-up - the Motown-influenced "Forget About You" - was released two months later.
The Motors' original recording line-up released two albums, both of which met with modest success; The Motors in 1977 and Approved By the Motors the following year.
The Garvey/McMaster/Tchaikovsky/Slaughter line-up split when Tchaikovsky left in mid-1978; largely due to his frustration with being on a retainer salary, rather than a full band member like Garvey and McMaster. Slaughter also left the group soon afterwards.
Tchaikovsky would subsequently release three solo albums, the first of which took him into the American Top 40 with the power pop classic "Girl of My Dreams" (on which former Motors bandmate Garvey played bass and sang backing vocals).
Following the departures of Tchaikovsky and Slaughter, bassist Martin Ace and drummer Terry Williams (who had been the rhythm section for 1970s prog rockers Man) were recruited to fill out the Motors' studio line-up. Following the release of the group's third album, 1980's Tenement Steps - a somewhat disappointing album which nevertheless contained the hits "Love And Loneliness" and the Lennon-esque "That's What John Said" - Garvey and McMaster finally announced that they had dissolved the group in 1982.
[edit] After The Motors' show
Tchaikovsky was - if briefly - the most visible former member of the group thanks to his solo career. His band toured with the likes of The Joe Perry Project, The Cars, and Alice Cooper, and performed on Don Kirshner's syndicated Rock Concert TV show. Following the release of his final solo album - 1981's Funland, produced by Garvey - he operated a recording studio during the 1980s and occasionally played blues gigs in the early 1990s. Nick Garvey released one solo album - 1982's Blue Skies - following the final split with McMaster, and did session work with Paul McCartney and others through the 1980s. Andy McMaster is reported to still be recording music and living in a small town in the southeast of England, and Slaughter continued to play with a number of bands through the '80s, including Fallen Angels, which included Ian "Knox" Carnochan, former lead vocalist of The Vibrators (and Wernham's cousin).
The band's three albums were reissued on March 27, 2006 in the UK with a variety of live tracks, b-sides, and remixes. Of Tchaikovsky's three solo albums, only the first - Strange Man, Changed Man - has appeared on CD (and then only in Japan). Garvey's one solo album has yet to be reissued in any form.
[edit] Cover versions
- "Dancing the Night Away" was covered by Cheap Trick on their 1983 album Next Position Please
- "Love and Loneliness" was covered by Chris Thompson in 1986 for the soundtrack of American Anthem.
[edit] Main band personnel
- Nick Garvey - born 26 April 1951, in Stoke-on-Trent - lead vocalist / guitarist.
- Bram Tchaikovsky - born Peter Bramall on 10 November 1950, in Lincolnshire - guitarist / vocalist.
- Andy McMaster - born 27 July 1947, in Glasgow - bassist/keyboardist/vocalist.
- Ricky Slaughter - born Richard Wernham - drummer.
[edit] Audio sample
- The Motors - Airport excerpt (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- An excerpt from Airport
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
[edit] References
- Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
- Guinness Book of British Hit Albums - 7th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-619-7
