40 Years of Punk & New Wave 1977: Dancing The Night Away - The Motors

(7" UK Picture Sleeve)

12" Version

A-Side: Dancing The Night Away

B-Side: Whisky and Wine

Released on 7" and 12"

 Virgin Records

Produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange

Released 9th September 1977

UK Chart #42

The album version is a little bit longer at over six and a half minutes.

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Dancing The Night Away

The Old Grey Whistle Test

Don't you just love musical history? Well, the anorak in me certainly does! The road to the Debut Single from The Motors was a long one and I previously outlined some of that history in a post on The Snakes  (who were Nick Garvey's band after he had left Ducks Deluxe in 1975) back in January this year.

Former Ducks Deluxe Bassist Andy McMaster and former Drummer for The Snakes (and also The Art Attacks) Ricky Slaughter teamed up with Nick Garvey and also Rob Hendry (Bram Tchaikovsky joined the band in May 1977 after his departure) and The Motors roared into life.

The band made their live debut at The Marquee Club on Wardour Street in March 1977 and a couple of days later recorded their Debut Session for John Peel on the 22nd March (and broadcast on 22nd April). By May they had been signed to Virgin Records and there followed some minor success with Airport being their biggest hit (reached #4 in 1978).

It's of course been questioned many times the place of The Motors in the world of Punk/New Wave because they were not really punks as such but I think that at least for their Debut Single and Debut Album for that matter they slotted into the New Wave situation. If you are wanting to be a stickler for things though it could also be that they fit the mould of the Power Pop brigade! 

Best not to argue though whether they fitted into one particular genre or not because ultimately their Debut Single I think is an absolute classic. I do prefer the 12" version to the 7" of course but the album version (as well as being longer) is the superior one to listen to I think.

40 years on from its release it is still a record that I go back to time and time again because it's so brilliant.

45RPM: #123 Teenage Head - The Snakes (1976)

Teenage Head / Lights Out

Dynamite Records (Netherlands)

Produced by Nick Garvey

Released 1976

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The Snakes only ever released one single and for some odd reason it was released in the Netherlands back in 1976. I had just read about this a couple of days ago and was very surprised to see it on You Tube, so I thought I'd include it as part of the 45RPM Series.

They also appeared on a compilation from the Dutch Rock and Roll label Dynamite Records called Light Up The Dynamite (DYR 3304). They have two songs on the 1977 album: Have You Seen My Baby, and Little Queenie. The album was reissued two years later on another Dutch label called Magnum Force (MFLP-006).

You are probably wondering why on earth I would be interested in this record? I really love discovering history and connections when it comes to particular records and this Single has some great history. 

The single is produced by Nick Garvey (who also happened to be a member of The Snakes). Nick Garvey's claim to fame is of course that he was the frontman for The Motors (which is the band that followed The Snakes after they broke up).

The remaining members of the band would all become known for their contributions to other up and coming bands in the fairly young Punk & New Wave Scene in the UK in 1976 -77:

The Snakes were:

Robert "Bob" Gotobed (known these days as Robert Grey) - Vocals

Nick Garvey - Guitar

Rob Smith - Bass

Richard Wernham (aka Ricky Slaughter) -  Drums

If you know a little about the Punk & New Wave Scene then maybe those names might be a little bit familiar to you, if not let me explain a bit further:

Robert Gotobed on the vocals would go on to become drummer for Wire between 1976-1990 and then a second term between 2000 and the present day. He would also for a short period of time play with The Art Attacks. He actually played on their first recording Rat City (which would not be the first single from The Art Attacks but rather the B-Side to their second and farewell release in 1979 called Punk Rock Stars).

Nick Garvey had been a member of Pub Rock band Ducks Deluxe alongside Sean Tyla (The Tyla Gang), future Motor Andy McMaster, and lead guitarist Martin Belmont (who had been a roadie for Brinsley Schwarz - Nick Lowe's early band and later to become a founding member of Graham Parker & The Rumour). He left Ducks Deluxe in 1974 not long after the debut album as released and formed The Snakes. I wasn't aware of it before but I read just recently that Nick had been a Roadie for the Flamin' Groovies, and so it must have been a bit like coming full circle releasing one of their most famous songs!

Rob Smith played a few shows with The Art Attacks and vanished off the face of the earth (well not literally we hope!).

Richard Wernham (aka Ricky Slaughter) - would play some shows with The Art Attacks and as a result The Motors played on the same bill as the band. He went full time with The Motors and The Art Attacks got JD Haney (who would later go on to Drum for The Monochrome Set).

The B-side of the single is a track that maybe is better known for the Dr Feelgood version that appeared on the B-Side of Sneakin' Suspicion in May 1977. The first version of Lights Out was released in 1958 by Jerry Byrne.

So many connections from one single...I'm such an anorak that I get excited about these types of things! 😁

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!: Day 179 - The Motors

1 - The Motors

Virgin

Produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange

Released October 1977

UK Chart #46

The Motors were a 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 (cousin of Knox from The Vibrators). Their biggest success was with the McMaster penned song Airport, a #4 UK hit single in 1978. Forget About You had reached #13 whilst their debut single Dancing the Night Away (which I think was their best) only got to #42.

Prior to the formation of The Motors Nick Garvey had been in a band called The Snakes with Robert Gotobed who would go on to form Wire after the band broke up after releasing one single.

Obviously due to the connections that Garvey and McMaster had from their days in Ducks Deluxe they were able to go from writing and recording demos in January 1977 to playing their debut show in March 1977 at The Marquee and followed that a few days later with their debut John Peel Session. By May 1977 they had signed with Virgin Records.

Between 1977 -1980 they released three albums (though the third album, Tenement Steps, was really just Garvey and McMaster backed by various session musicians). Bram Tchaikovsky left the band in 1978 following their show at Reading Festival and went solo.

The Third album did not chart in the UK but in the US crept into the lower reaches of the Billboard Chart (#174). After a series of singles from the album all failed to chart The Motors finally disbanded in 1982.

 Approved By The Motors - The Motors
Virgin
Produced by Andy McMaster, Nick Garvey, Peter Ker
Released May 1978
UK Chart #60

Let The Day Begin...Let The Day Start!