| All Four One | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by The Motels | ||||
| Released | April 5, 1982 | |||
| Recorded | 1981–82 | |||
| Genre | New Wave | |||
| Length | 33:02 | |||
| Label | Capitol Records | |||
| Producer | Val Garay | |||
| The Motels chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| This table needs to be expanded using prose. See the guideline for more information. | |
All Four One is the third studio album by the New Wave band The Motels, released in 1982. The album felt like the 'fourth album' to the band, as it is mostly a re-recording of an unreleased album titled Apocalypso.
Contents |
After the mild success of their second album Careful, The Motels went back into the studio in early 1981 to record album three with the then up and coming producer Val Garay. The band at this time consisted of Martha Davis on vocals and guitar, Tim McGovern on lead guitar, Marty Jourard on keyboards, Michael Goodroe on bass and Brian Glascock on drums.
Wanting to stretch the limits as to what they could do artistically and musically, the band recorded some of its darkest and heaviest music to date. Despite having Garay as producer for the album, the songs were basically arranged and handled by McGovern. The results were mixed. While some arrangements on the tracks were outstanding rock numbers ("Mission of Mercy", "Schneekin'" and "So L.A."), some were a little too experimental and not as well produced ("Sweet Destiny" and the first version of "Only the Lonely"). Neither the band nor Garay ever submitted any of the recordings to Capitol Records while the recording process was going on. When the band submitted the final tapes to Capitol, the label rejected it stating that it was "not commercial", essentially meaning it was a dead record.
The band began getting local gigs in the L.A. area to try out their new material, but by the end of 1981, McGovern officially left the band for personal and private reasons, leaving The Motels without a lead guitarist.
Unwilling to give up, the remaining members forged on back into the studio with Val Garay at the controls. This time Garay had more liberty to mold the band's sound to a more commercial venue. Studio musicians were added to fill the lead guitar void for several of the tracks, as well as to flesh out the sound of the recordings. Adrian Peritore (who went by the name Guy Perry because his former producer had misspelled his name on an album cover) was hired in late January and played lead guitar to some of the tracks, including "He Hit Me".
The album was retitled All Four One because the band had recorded four albums but one would not be released, and also because the four remaining members had stayed together to complete the album ("one for all and all for one!"). It was released in April 1982 on Capitol Records.
The result was the biggest selling album for The Motels. The album spurred both American and International hits. The album was certified gold in several countries including the United States and Canada by the end of 1982. The hits from the album included "Mission of Mercy", "Only the Lonely", "Take the L", "Forever Mine", "So L.A.", and "Art Fails".