The Motels
Encyclopedia
The Motels are a New Wave music
band
from the Los Angeles area best known for "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer
", each of which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Their song "Total Control" reached #4 on the Australian charts in 1980. Martha Davis (born January 19, 1951), the lead singer
, reformed a version of the band called "The Motels featuring Martha Davis" in 1998; she continues to appear under that name with various line-ups of musicians.
The first incarnation of The Motels formed in Berkeley, California, in 1971. Lisa Brenneis (bass) coaxed Dean Chamberlain (lead guitar), Chuck Wada (rhythm guitar) and Martha Davis (vocals, guitar) into forming a band (then called The Warfield Foxes). Hoping for better exposure and seeking a recording contract
they made a move to Los Angeles in 1975. While in L.A., Lisa Brenneis left and the band changed its name to "Angels of Mercy" and then to "The Motels", with both Davis and Wada contributing original songs to the repertoire. The band acquired two new members around this time to fill vital slots: Richard D'Andrea on bass
and Robert Newman on drums
.
The Motels and two other local bands, The Pop and The Dogs, kicked off the local band scene with a concert
at a self-produced show titled Radio Free Hollywood, held at the old theatre, Troupers Hall. Prior to this show, few if any unsigned bands played local high profile clubs like the Whisky and The Roxy. The band guested on Rodney Bingenheimer
's popular radio show
and, after recording a demo
for Warner Bros. Records
, which was turned down, they were offered a contract with Capitol Records
. The band declined Capitol's offer and disbanded in 1977, citing musical differences amongst themselves. One song from their Warner Bros. demo, "Counting", was included on the Rhino Records
compilation Saturday Night Pogo, released in 1978.
Chamberlain was heard again in his band Code Blue which signed to Warner Bros. Records. Richard d'Andrea joined The Pits and later enjoyed almost three years with The Know. Robert Newman is a successful art director and designer. Chuck Wada still writes and performs and is a financial advisor. Lisa Brenneis has written a series of books about Final Cut Pro
editing software and grows pixie tangerines in Ojai, California.
ist Jeff Jourard (formerly of a pre-fame version of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
) decided to reform The Motels. Extensive auditions resulted in a new line-up of the band being formed, consisting of Jourard's brother Marty, who played both the saxophone
and keyboards
, Michael Goodroe on bass, and Brian Glascock
on drums. Short on funds, the band shared rehearsal space with The Go-Go's
at L.A.'s notorious punk basement, The Masque
, and they played in Chinatown, at Madame Wong's
restaurant
/nightclub
with such regularity that they were almost considered the house band
. The Motels began to draw faithful crowds around the L.A. music scene and on Mother's Day 1979 the group signed with Capitol Records, releasing their debut album
The Motels four months later. Their first single
, "Closets and Bullets", made no impact on the charts
, but their second single release, "Total Control", found its way to the Top 20 in France and the Top 10 in Australia.
In 1980 Jourard was replaced as lead guitarist by Davis' boyfriend Tim McGovern and the band went back into the recording studio
to record their second album, Careful. Released in June 1980, the album climbed to the #45 spot on the Billboard 200
chart in the U.S. In Europe and the UK, the songs "Days Are OK" and "Whose Problem?" became Top 50 hits
; "Whose Problem?" was also a top hit in Australia and "Danger" was a Top 20 hit in France.
The band hired record producer
Val Garay
for their third album, Apocalypso
. It was scheduled to be released in November 1981, but after Capitol Records heard the final product, they rejected it for being "not commercial enough" and "too weird". The band attempted to go back and re-record the entire album but in the process, Davis and McGovern's relationship dissolved and by December 1981 McGovern was no longer in the band (McGovern subsequently formed the band Burning Sensations
). The rest of the band members forged on to finish recording the new album, utilizing studio musicians
to fill in for McGovern on several of the tracks. 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 on some of the tracks, including "He Hit Me
". The album was released on April 5, 1982 under the title All Four One
.
The first single from All Four One was "Only the Lonely", which reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the Billboard
Top Tracks chart. The song "Mission of Mercy" also received enough airplay to reach #23 on the Top Tracks chart. In addition, two other singles, "Take the L" and "Forever Mine", also managed to reach the Billboard Hot 100. The release of All Four One, the band's first successful U.S. album, coincided with the emergence of MTV
, which led to music video
s being created for both "Only the Lonely" and "Take the L". Davis won an award in the Best Performance in a Music Video category at the American Music Awards in 1982 for her performance in the "Only the Lonely" video. During 1982, the band added keyboardist/guitarist Scott Thurston
formerly of Iggy and The Stooges to their touring line-up.
Producer Val Garay was now firmly in control of album and video production for the band and had also become their new manager, following the band's decision to dispense with their previous management company, Fritz Turner Management. The Motels returned to the recording studio in February 1983 and released the album Little Robbers later that same year. The first single from the album, "Suddenly Last Summer
", was a Top 10 hit in the United States, with the album eventually going gold
in America, Canada, and a number of other countries. In January 1983 the band appeared on Saturday Night Live
. In August 1983, at the insistence of Garay, David Platshon was added on drums with Glascock reluctantly moving over to percussion.
The first leg of the Little Robbers tour started in January 1984 but ended abruptly in February with the firing of Garay as manager for personal reasons. Drummer Platshon was dropped and Glascock resumed his spot on the drum chair. The band continued performing under new management and they recorded songs for two film
soundtrack
s: "Long Day" was recorded for Moscow on the Hudson
and "In the Jungle" was recorded for Teachers
. By mid-summer the band were back in the recording studio working on new material.
In late 1984, Capitol Records brought in producer Richie Zito
, in an attempt to maintain the band's commercialism. After more than a year of recording, the group finally released their fifth album, Shock, in September 1985. The first single from the album was "Shame", which reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Top Rock Tracks chart in the U.S. Two other singles were taken from the album: the title-track "Shock" and "Icy Red", with the former peaking at #84 on the Billboard chart. From early 1986 to February 1987 The Motels worked on songs for a planned sixth album. However, on February 13, 1987, Martha Davis took each member of the band in turn to a local bar to notify them that she had decided to dissolve the band and go solo.
All of the members of the 1982—1987 line-up of the band reunited in 2004 for an appearance on VH1's Bands Reunited
; rejoining Davis were Michael Goodroe, Marty Jourard, Brian Glascock and Adrian Peritore (aka Guy Perry). On August 9, 2011 the original version of the Motels third album, Apocalypso, was released by "Omnivore Recordings."
in November 1987. Musicians who worked with her included Clarence Clemons, Kenny G
and Charlie Sexton. In November, she had a #8 hit in Australia with "Don't Tell Me the Time", but in the U.S. the song only reached #80. the album's critical reception was lukewarm, with many reviewers praising Davis' voice but noting that the album sounded lightweight and lacking atmospheric punch. Soon afterwards, Davis asked to be released from her contract with Capitol Records.
After leaving Capitol, Davis focused on different music styles and recorded songs for several film soundtracks but it appeared as if her music career was winding down. In the early 1990s she began performing occasional surprise gigs which found her experimenting with new songs that she had written.
Martha Davis has released several albums in the new millenium. She released ...So the Story Goes
in 2004, Beautiful Life in 2008, and in 2011, she released a children's music album, Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs For Parents And Children.
on bass, Kevin Bowen on keyboards, Michael Barbera on keyboards/saxophone, and Jason Loree on drums. The repertoire performed at these gigs consisted almost entirely of new material. In 2001 the band changed to a compact, four piece ensemble with Davis and Taras being accompanied by Fritz Lewak (drums) and David Sutton (bass). By 2004 the band had performed more than 70 concerts and toured in the U.S. and Australia. As of 2006 the band included Davis on vocal and guitar, Nick Johns (bass/keyboard), Eric Gardner (drums), Clint Walsh (guitar), and Jon Siebels (guitar).
In 2005 Davis and the new Motels released an independent CD
titled So the Story Goes which sold out. Sony Records also released a live album titled Standing Room Only, which was recorded live in 2006 at the famed Coach House Club in San Juan Capistrano. The Motels featuring Martha Davis also appeared on the U.S. version of Hit Me, Baby, One More Time and toured the U.S. and Australia in 2007. Martha Davis performed at Seattle's Teatro ZinZanni
in 2005, for which she collaborated with TZ Maestro Norm Durkee to make the special CD Omnium, which is available only through the Teatro ZinZanni gift shop. In August 2007, she joined other 1970s and 1980s acts for the Australian concert series Countdown Spectacular 2.
The album Clean Modern and Reasonable, issued in September 2007, was the first release under the banner "The Motels" in 22 years. The album contains acoustic versions of past hits, B-sides
and Davis solo material, including new recordings of "Take The L", "Only the Lonely", and "Suddenly Last Summer". In April 2008 The Motels released two new albums on the same day, This and Beautiful Life, the latter of which was a darkly autobiographical journey through Davis' life. The Motels 2009 summer tour found Martha Davis once again surrounding herself with all new musicians: Felix Mercer (keyboards), Matthew Brown (bass), Matthew Morgan (drums), and Matt Miller (guitar). However, previous members continue to play in the band in a mix-and-match arrangement depending on the venue.
At the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, Davis made available two direct to download releases, one of which, "Mr. Grey", was a single from her forthcoming album, currently known as the Jazz CD. She followed this release with an album of children's songs titled Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs for Parents and Children which was released on January 20, 2010, while work on her Jazz CD continued.As of late summer 2011, Davis has put her jazz album (rechristened as "I Have My Standards") on hold, but she still plans to release it down the line. Martha Davis and the Motels still tour and record, and they have plans for more music releases in the future.
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
from the Los Angeles area best known for "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer
Suddenly Last Summer (song)
"Suddenly Last Summer" is a song by The Motels released as a 7" single in September 1983, backed with "Some Things Never Change." The song reached number 1 on the U.S...
", each of which peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1982 and 1983, respectively. Their song "Total Control" reached #4 on the Australian charts in 1980. Martha Davis (born January 19, 1951), the lead singer
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
, reformed a version of the band called "The Motels featuring Martha Davis" in 1998; she continues to appear under that name with various line-ups of musicians.
First incarnation
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
they made a move to Los Angeles in 1975. While in L.A., Lisa Brenneis left and the band changed its name to "Angels of Mercy" and then to "The Motels", with both Davis and Wada contributing original songs to the repertoire. The band acquired two new members around this time to fill vital slots: Richard D'Andrea on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and Robert Newman on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
.
The Motels and two other local bands, The Pop and The Dogs, kicked off the local band scene with a concert
Rock concert
The term rock concert refers to a musical performance in the style of any one of many genres inspired by "rock and roll" music. While a variety of vocal and instrumental styles can constitute a rock concert, this phenomenon is typically characterized by bands playing at least one electric guitar,...
at a self-produced show titled Radio Free Hollywood, held at the old theatre, Troupers Hall. Prior to this show, few if any unsigned bands played local high profile clubs like the Whisky and The Roxy. The band guested on Rodney Bingenheimer
Rodney Bingenheimer
Rodney Bingenheimer, born December 15, 1947, is a radio disc jockey on the long-running Los Angeles rock station KROQ who is notable for helping numerous iconic bands become successful in the American market. His contribution to the music business has been described as important...
's popular radio show
Radio programming
Radio programming is the Broadcast programming of a Radio format or content that is organized for Commercial broadcasting and Public broadcasting radio stations....
and, after recording a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
for Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, which was turned down, they were offered a contract with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
. The band declined Capitol's offer and disbanded in 1977, citing musical differences amongst themselves. One song from their Warner Bros. demo, "Counting", was included on the Rhino Records
Rhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
compilation Saturday Night Pogo, released in 1978.
Chamberlain was heard again in his band Code Blue which signed to Warner Bros. Records. Richard d'Andrea joined The Pits and later enjoyed almost three years with The Know. Robert Newman is a successful art director and designer. Chuck Wada still writes and performs and is a financial advisor. Lisa Brenneis has written a series of books about Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is a non-linear video editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and then Apple Inc. The most recent version, Final Cut Pro X, runs on Mac personal computers powered by Mac OS X version 10.6.7 or later and using Intel processors...
editing software and grows pixie tangerines in Ojai, California.
Second incarnation
In March 1978, Davis and lead guitarLead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
ist Jeff Jourard (formerly of a pre-fame version of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers are an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. They were formed in 1976 by Tom Petty , Mike Campbell , Benmont Tench , , Ron Blair and Stan Lynch...
) decided to reform The Motels. Extensive auditions resulted in a new line-up of the band being formed, consisting of Jourard's brother Marty, who played both the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, Michael Goodroe on bass, and Brian Glascock
Brian Glascock
Brian Glascock is known as a rock drummer for The Gods, Toe Fat, Bee Gees, Carmen, Captain Beyond and The Motels. He also played on albums by Joan Armatrading, Dolly Parton and Iggy Pop and performed in a music video with Nancy Wilson of Heart.He currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he...
on drums. Short on funds, the band shared rehearsal space with The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
at L.A.'s notorious punk basement, The Masque
The Masque
The Masque was a small punk rock club in central Hollywood, California which existed intermittently from 1977 to 1979. It is remembered as a key part of the early L.A. punk scene.-History:...
, and they played in Chinatown, at Madame Wong's
Esther Wong
Esther Wong was born August 13, 1917 in Shanghai, China, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1949.After fierce initial resistance, she became a punk rock and New Wave music promoter. She got started in the early 1970s as the owner of “Madame Wong’s," a Los Angeles Chinatown restaurant with a floorshow --...
restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
/nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
with such regularity that they were almost considered the house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
. The Motels began to draw faithful crowds around the L.A. music scene and on Mother's Day 1979 the group signed with Capitol Records, releasing their debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
The Motels four months later. Their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Closets and Bullets", made no impact on the charts
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
, but their second single release, "Total Control", found its way to the Top 20 in France and the Top 10 in Australia.
In 1980 Jourard was replaced as lead guitarist by Davis' boyfriend Tim McGovern and the band went back into the recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
to record their second album, Careful. Released in June 1980, the album climbed to the #45 spot on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart in the U.S. In Europe and the UK, the songs "Days Are OK" and "Whose Problem?" became Top 50 hits
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
; "Whose Problem?" was also a top hit in Australia and "Danger" was a Top 20 hit in France.
The band hired record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Val Garay
Val Garay
Val Garay is a record producer and engineer who has worked with Kim Carnes, The Motels, Marty Balin, Bonnie Raitt, Joan Armatrading, Dolly Parton, Pablo Cruise, James Taylor, Queensrÿche, Cock Robin, Dramarama, EZO, Ringo Starr, Linda Ronstadt, Sarah Brightman, Nicolette Larson, and Reel Big Fish,...
for their third album, Apocalypso
Apocalypso (The Motels album)
Apocalyso was intended to be the third studio album by the band The Motels, recorded between April and August, 1981, but it was rejected by the Capitol Records promotions department. The album that was re-worked and released is All Four One...
. It was scheduled to be released in November 1981, but after Capitol Records heard the final product, they rejected it for being "not commercial enough" and "too weird". The band attempted to go back and re-record the entire album but in the process, Davis and McGovern's relationship dissolved and by December 1981 McGovern was no longer in the band (McGovern subsequently formed the band Burning Sensations
Burning Sensations
Burning Sensations was a short-lived Los Angeles area rock band. The group is best known for its MTV hit "Belly of the Whale", the music for which blends a rather unique fusion of rock and calypso styles, and for covering the Jonathan Richman song "Pablo Picasso", which was included in both the...
). The rest of the band members forged on to finish recording the new album, utilizing studio musicians
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
to fill in for McGovern on several of the tracks. 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 on some of the tracks, including "He Hit Me
He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss)
"He Hit Me " is a pop song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded by The Crystals under the guidance of Phil Spector in 1962.-The song:...
". The album was released on April 5, 1982 under the title All Four One
All Four One
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.-Background and writing:...
.
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top Tracks chart. The song "Mission of Mercy" also received enough airplay to reach #23 on the Top Tracks chart. In addition, two other singles, "Take the L" and "Forever Mine", also managed to reach the Billboard Hot 100. The release of All Four One, the band's first successful U.S. album, coincided with the emergence of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, which led to music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s being created for both "Only the Lonely" and "Take the L". Davis won an award in the Best Performance in a Music Video category at the American Music Awards in 1982 for her performance in the "Only the Lonely" video. During 1982, the band added keyboardist/guitarist Scott Thurston
Scott Thurston
Scott Troy Thurston is an American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and session musician. He is currently a member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, in which he sings harmony vocals and plays guitar, keyboards, and harmonica....
formerly of Iggy and The Stooges to their touring line-up.
Producer Val Garay was now firmly in control of album and video production for the band and had also become their new manager, following the band's decision to dispense with their previous management company, Fritz Turner Management. The Motels returned to the recording studio in February 1983 and released the album Little Robbers later that same year. The first single from the album, "Suddenly Last Summer
Suddenly Last Summer (song)
"Suddenly Last Summer" is a song by The Motels released as a 7" single in September 1983, backed with "Some Things Never Change." The song reached number 1 on the U.S...
", was a Top 10 hit in the United States, with the album eventually going gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in America, Canada, and a number of other countries. In January 1983 the band appeared on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. In August 1983, at the insistence of Garay, David Platshon was added on drums with Glascock reluctantly moving over to percussion.
The first leg of the Little Robbers tour started in January 1984 but ended abruptly in February with the firing of Garay as manager for personal reasons. Drummer Platshon was dropped and Glascock resumed his spot on the drum chair. The band continued performing under new management and they recorded songs for two film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s: "Long Day" was recorded for Moscow on the Hudson
Moscow on the Hudson
Moscow on the Hudson is a 1984 comedy-drama film starring Robin Williams, and directed by Paul Mazursky. Williams plays a Soviet circus musician who defects from the Soviet Union while on a visit to the United States...
and "In the Jungle" was recorded for Teachers
Teachers (film)
# "Teacher, Teacher" - 38 Special# "Cheap Sunglasses" - ZZ Top# "Foolin' Around" - Freddie Mercury# "I Can't Stop the Fire" - Eric Martin# "Edge of a Dream" - Joe Cocker# " Teacher" - Ian Hunter# "One Foot Back in Your Door" - Roman Holliday...
. By mid-summer the band were back in the recording studio working on new material.
In late 1984, Capitol Records brought in producer Richie Zito
Richie Zito
Richie Zito is a session guitarist and record producer from Los Angeles.He has worked with Poison, Neil Sedaka, Yvonne Elliman, Eric Carmen, Art Garfunkel, Leo Sayer, Diana Ross, Marc Tanner, Elton John, the Motels, as well as The Cult, White Lion, Eddie Money, Heart, and Bad English...
, in an attempt to maintain the band's commercialism. After more than a year of recording, the group finally released their fifth album, Shock, in September 1985. The first single from the album was "Shame", which reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the Top Rock Tracks chart in the U.S. Two other singles were taken from the album: the title-track "Shock" and "Icy Red", with the former peaking at #84 on the Billboard chart. From early 1986 to February 1987 The Motels worked on songs for a planned sixth album. However, on February 13, 1987, Martha Davis took each member of the band in turn to a local bar to notify them that she had decided to dissolve the band and go solo.
All of the members of the 1982—1987 line-up of the band reunited in 2004 for an appearance on VH1's Bands Reunited
Bands Reunited
Bands Reunited is a television program produced by VH1 in 2004. Hosted by Aamer Haleem, the show documented the attempted reuniting of a formerly popular musical ensemble for a special concert in either London or Los Angeles....
; rejoining Davis were Michael Goodroe, Marty Jourard, Brian Glascock and Adrian Peritore (aka Guy Perry). On August 9, 2011 the original version of the Motels third album, Apocalypso, was released by "Omnivore Recordings."
Martha Davis solo
Davis released her first solo album entitled PolicyPolicy (album)
Policy is the first solo studio album by Martha Davis, who is better known as the lead singer for the band The Motels. Martha broke up with her band in February of 1987, declaring that she was going solo, and by November, she had released her first solo album.-Track listing:#"Tell It To The Moon" ...
in November 1987. Musicians who worked with her included Clarence Clemons, Kenny G
Kenny G
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick , better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986...
and Charlie Sexton. In November, she had a #8 hit in Australia with "Don't Tell Me the Time", but in the U.S. the song only reached #80. the album's critical reception was lukewarm, with many reviewers praising Davis' voice but noting that the album sounded lightweight and lacking atmospheric punch. Soon afterwards, Davis asked to be released from her contract with Capitol Records.
After leaving Capitol, Davis focused on different music styles and recorded songs for several film soundtracks but it appeared as if her music career was winding down. In the early 1990s she began performing occasional surprise gigs which found her experimenting with new songs that she had written.
Martha Davis has released several albums in the new millenium. She released ...So the Story Goes
...So the Story Goes
...So the Story Goes is the second solo studio album by Martha Davis, who is better known as the lead singer for the band The Motels.-Track listing:*All songs are written by Martha Davis.#"Into Your Arms" - 4:10#"True Love" - 4:15#"Angel" - 4:07...
in 2004, Beautiful Life in 2008, and in 2011, she released a children's music album, Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs For Parents And Children.
Third incarnation: The Motels featuring Martha Davis
In 1997, Martha Davis began appearing live with a band composed of Erik Lemaire (guitar), Adrian Burke (bass), Jason Loree (drums), and David Van Pattoen (keyboards/guitar). This group began calling themselves Martha Davis and The Motels in March 1998. After 1998, the line-up consisted of Mic Taras on lead guitar, Angelo BarberaAngelo Barbera
Angelo Barbera is an American bass player best known for his work with the Robby Krieger Band and The Doors of the 21st Century.-Life and career:...
on bass, Kevin Bowen on keyboards, Michael Barbera on keyboards/saxophone, and Jason Loree on drums. The repertoire performed at these gigs consisted almost entirely of new material. In 2001 the band changed to a compact, four piece ensemble with Davis and Taras being accompanied by Fritz Lewak (drums) and David Sutton (bass). By 2004 the band had performed more than 70 concerts and toured in the U.S. and Australia. As of 2006 the band included Davis on vocal and guitar, Nick Johns (bass/keyboard), Eric Gardner (drums), Clint Walsh (guitar), and Jon Siebels (guitar).
In 2005 Davis and the new Motels released an independent CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
titled So the Story Goes which sold out. Sony Records also released a live album titled Standing Room Only, which was recorded live in 2006 at the famed Coach House Club in San Juan Capistrano. The Motels featuring Martha Davis also appeared on the U.S. version of Hit Me, Baby, One More Time and toured the U.S. and Australia in 2007. Martha Davis performed at Seattle's Teatro ZinZanni
Teatro ZinZanni
Teatro ZinZanni is a circus dinner theater that began in the neighborhood of Lower Queen Anne in Seattle, Washington. It has since expanded to a site on the waterfront at Pier 29 on the San Francisco, California The Embarcadero....
in 2005, for which she collaborated with TZ Maestro Norm Durkee to make the special CD Omnium, which is available only through the Teatro ZinZanni gift shop. In August 2007, she joined other 1970s and 1980s acts for the Australian concert series Countdown Spectacular 2.
The album Clean Modern and Reasonable, issued in September 2007, was the first release under the banner "The Motels" in 22 years. The album contains acoustic versions of past hits, B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
and Davis solo material, including new recordings of "Take The L", "Only the Lonely", and "Suddenly Last Summer". In April 2008 The Motels released two new albums on the same day, This and Beautiful Life, the latter of which was a darkly autobiographical journey through Davis' life. The Motels 2009 summer tour found Martha Davis once again surrounding herself with all new musicians: Felix Mercer (keyboards), Matthew Brown (bass), Matthew Morgan (drums), and Matt Miller (guitar). However, previous members continue to play in the band in a mix-and-match arrangement depending on the venue.
At the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, Davis made available two direct to download releases, one of which, "Mr. Grey", was a single from her forthcoming album, currently known as the Jazz CD. She followed this release with an album of children's songs titled Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs for Parents and Children which was released on January 20, 2010, while work on her Jazz CD continued.As of late summer 2011, Davis has put her jazz album (rechristened as "I Have My Standards") on hold, but she still plans to release it down the line. Martha Davis and the Motels still tour and record, and they have plans for more music releases in the future.
Studio
| Year | Album | U.S. albums | AU albums | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Motels Motels (album) Motels is the first studio album by the band The Motels, recorded in May, 1979, released in September, 1979.-Track listing:*All Songs Written By Martha Davis, except where noted.#"Anticpating" - 3:51#"Kix" - 2:15... |
175 | 13 | Gold - AU |
| 1980 | Careful Careful (album) Careful is the second studio album by the band The Motels, recorded between March and May, 1980 and released in June, 1980.-Track listing:#"Danger" - 3:26#"Envy" - 3:26... |
45 | 26 | Gold - AU |
| 1982 | All Four One All Four One 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.-Background and writing:... |
16 | 20 | Gold - US |
| 1983 | Little Robbers Little Robbers Little Robbers is the fourth studio album by the band The Motels, recorded between January and August, 1983 and released in September, 1983.-Track listing:#"Where Do We Go From Here " - 3:34... |
22 | 34 | Gold - US |
| 1985 | Shock Shock (album) Shock is the fifth studio album by the band The Motels, recorded in 1984 and 1985 and released in August 1985.-Track listing:#"Shock" - 4:30#"Shame" - 4:12#"Hungry" - 4:21... |
36 | 23 | |
| 2007 | Clean Modern and Reasonable | -- | -- | |
| 2008 | This | -- | -- | |
| 2011 | Apocalypso Apocalypso (The Motels album) Apocalyso was intended to be the third studio album by the band The Motels, recorded between April and August, 1981, but it was rejected by the Capitol Records promotions department. The album that was re-worked and released is All Four One... |
-- | -- | Recorded in 1981, after Careful |
Live albums
| Year | Album | U.S. albums | AU albums | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Standing Room Only Standing Room Only (The Motels album) Standing Room Only is the first live album by the band The Motels, recorded live on June 9, 2006, at The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano.-Track listing:*All songs written by Martha Davis, except where noted.#"So L.A." - 4:41... |
-- | -- | Live at the Coach House |
| 2009 | Atomic Cafe: Greatest Songs Live Atomic Cafe: Greatest Songs Live Atomic Cafe: Greatest Songs Live is the second live album released by the band The Motels, recorded live in Boston in 1979 & 1980.-Track listing:*All songs written by Martha Davis, except where noted.#"Atomic Cafe" - 2:58#"Closets And Bullets" - 4:43... |
-- | -- | Live in Boston 1979 & 1980 |
Martha Davis solo
| Year | Album | U.S. albums | AU albums | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Policy Policy (album) Policy is the first solo studio album by Martha Davis, who is better known as the lead singer for the band The Motels. Martha broke up with her band in February of 1987, declaring that she was going solo, and by November, she had released her first solo album.-Track listing:#"Tell It To The Moon" ... |
127 | 28 | |
| 2004 | ...So the Story Goes ...So the Story Goes ...So the Story Goes is the second solo studio album by Martha Davis, who is better known as the lead singer for the band The Motels.-Track listing:*All songs are written by Martha Davis.#"Into Your Arms" - 4:10#"True Love" - 4:15#"Angel" - 4:07... |
-- | -- | |
| 2008 | Beautiful Life | -- | -- | |
| 2010 | Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs For Parents And Children | -- | -- | |
Compilations
| Year | Album | U.S. albums | AU albums | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Saturday Night Pogo | -- | ||
| 1988 | No Reservations No Reservations - The Best of The Motels No Reservations – The Best of The Motels is a compilation album by the New Wave band, The Motels released in 1988. This album was released in Australia.- Track listing :#"Danger"#"Only the Lonely"#"Celia"#"Shame"#"Careful"#"Suddenly Last Summer"... |
-- | 48 | |
| 1990 | No Vacancy | -- | -- | |
| 2001 | Anthologyland Anthologyland Anthologyland is a compilation album containing material from the New Wave band, The Motels, plus work by Warfield Foxes , and solo work by Martha Davis, including a couple of duets with Sly Stone and Ivan Neville... |
-- | -- | |
| 2002 | Classic Masters | -- | -- | |
| 2003 | The Best of | -- | -- | |
| 2005 | Essential Collection | -- | -- | |
Soundtrack contributions
| Year | Film | U.S. albums Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
AU albums | song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Moscow on the Hudson Moscow on the Hudson Moscow on the Hudson is a 1984 comedy-drama film starring Robin Williams, and directed by Paul Mazursky. Williams plays a Soviet circus musician who defects from the Soviet Union while on a visit to the United States... |
-- | -- | "Long Day" |
| 1984 | Teachers Teachers (film) # "Teacher, Teacher" - 38 Special# "Cheap Sunglasses" - ZZ Top# "Foolin' Around" - Freddie Mercury# "I Can't Stop the Fire" - Eric Martin# "Edge of a Dream" - Joe Cocker# " Teacher" - Ian Hunter# "One Foot Back in Your Door" - Roman Holliday... |
-- | -- | "In the Jungle (Concrete Jungle)" |
| 1986 | The Golden Child The Golden Child The Golden Child is a 1986 American comedy film starring Eddie Murphy. Murphy plays Chandler Jarrell, a social worker who is confronted by a young Asian woman , who tells him that he is The Chosen One destined to save The Golden Child, the savior of all mankind, from the clutches of the demon Sardo... |
-- | -- | "Shame On You" (Martha Davis solo) (song is on the soundtrack but not in the movie) |
| 1986 | Something Wild | -- | -- | "Total Control" |
| 1986 | Night of the Creeps Night of the Creeps Night of the Creeps is a 1986 zombie horror film written and directed by Fred Dekker, starring Tom Atkins, Jason Lively, Steve Marshall and Jill Whitlow. The film is notable as an earnest attempt at a B movie and a homage to the genre... |
-- | -- | "Nightmares" (Martha Davis solo) |
| 1986 | Soul Man Soul Man (film) Soul Man is a comedy film made in 1986 about a man who undergoes racial transformation with pills to qualify for a Black only scholarship at Harvard Law School. It stars C. Thomas Howell, Rae Dawn Chong, Arye Gross, James Earl Jones, Leslie Nielsen, James B... |
-- | -- | "Love and Affection Love and Affection "Love and Affection" is a song by Joan Armatrading. Her fourth single, and her third for A&M Records, it was her first chart success. It reached number 10 in the UK Singles Chart in November 1976. One of her best known recordings, it has been described as a "deceptively feisty ballad... an instant... " (Martha Davis and Sly Stone Sly Stone Sly Stone is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, most famous for his role as frontman for Sly & the Family Stone, a band which played a critical role in the development of soul, funk and psychedelia in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1993, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of... duet) |
| 1987 | Made in Heaven Made in Heaven (film) Made in Heaven is a 1987 feature film directed by Alan Rudolph, script from Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon, and produced by Lorimar Productions. The film stars Timothy Hutton and Kelly McGillis and has cameos by Tom Petty, Ric Ocasek, Ellen Barkin and Neil Young... |
-- | -- | "We've Never Danced" (Martha Davis solo) |
| 1990 | Madhouse Madhouse (1990 film) Madhouse is a 1990 film starring Kirstie Alley and John Larroquette as a successful married couple whose idyllic California life is ruined when their house is overrun by unwelcome houseguests. This begins when their mail is delayed due to forwarding issues and they find out a cousin, Fred, and his... |
-- | -- | "Madhouse" (Martha Davis solo) |
| 1992 | Miracle Beach Miracle Beach Miracle Beach is a 1992 fantasy/comedy film starring Dean Cameron, Ami Dolenz, and Pat Morita.-Synopsis:Scotty McKay is just an every day beach-bum who used to have it all, when he finds a genie called Jeannie who just happens to be attractive. Her mission is to assist Scott... |
-- | -- | "I Can't Believe" (Martha Davis solo) |
| 1993 | Death Ring | -- | -- | "Mission Of Mercy" |
| 1997 | A Smile Like Yours A Smile Like Yours A Smile Like Yours is a 1997 romantic comedy film directed by Keith Samples and starring Greg Kinnear and Lauren Holly. The film centers on a couple as they try to conceive a child. The film was produced by Rysher Entertainment and released by Paramount Pictures. The title song was performed by... |
-- | -- | "You Got What It Takes" (Martha Davis and Ivan Neville Ivan Neville Ivan Neville is a multi-instrumentalist musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the son of Aaron Neville and nephew to members of The Neville Brothers.... duet) |
Singles
| Year | Song | U.S. Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
U.S. Rock | U.S. Dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
AU singles | CN singles Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
UK singles UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
FR singles | NZ singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | "Closets and Bullets" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Motels |
| "Total Control" | 109 | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | 19 | 11 | ||
| 1980 | "Anticipating" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Danger" | - | - | - | - | 88 | - | - | 15 | 30 | Careful | |
| "Whose Problem" | - | - | - | - | 43 | - | 42 | - | - | ||
| 1981 | "Days are OK" | - | - | - | - | - | - | 41 | - | - | |
| 1982 | "Mission of Mercy" | - | - | 23 | - | - | - | - | - | - | All Four One |
| "Only the Lonely" | 9 | - | 6 | 7 | 28 | 21 | - | - | 10 | ||
| "Take the L" | 52 | - | 36 | - | 21 | - | - | - | 44 | ||
| "Forever Mine" | 60 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1983 | "Art Fails" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Suddenly Last Summer Suddenly Last Summer (song) "Suddenly Last Summer" is a song by The Motels released as a 7" single in September 1983, backed with "Some Things Never Change." The song reached number 1 on the U.S... " |
9 | - | 1 | 18 | 34 | 11 | - | - | 28 | Little Robbers | |
| "Remember the Nights" | 36 | - | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1984 | "Footsteps" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Little Robbers" | - | - | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "In the Jungle" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Teachers Soundtrack | |
| 1985 | "Shame" | 21 | - | 10 | 14 | 18 | 25 | - | - | - | Shock |
| "Shock" | 84 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Icy Red" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1986 | "Love and Affection" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Soul Man Soundtrack |
| 1987 | "Shame on You" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Golden Child Soundtrack |
| "We've Never Danced" (Martha Davis solo) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Made in Heaven Made in Heaven (film) Made in Heaven is a 1987 feature film directed by Alan Rudolph, script from Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon, and produced by Lorimar Productions. The film stars Timothy Hutton and Kelly McGillis and has cameos by Tom Petty, Ric Ocasek, Ellen Barkin and Neil Young... Soundtrack |
|
| "Don't Tell Me the Time" | 80 | - | - | - | 8 | - | - | - | - | Policy (Martha Davis solo) | |
| 1988 | "Tell it to the Moon" | - | - | - | - | 65 | - | - | - | - | |
| "Just Like You" | - | - | 47 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Don't Ask Out Loud" | - | - | - | - | 90 | - | - | - | - | ||
| "What Money Might Buy" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2009 | "Mr. Grey" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Jazz CD (forthcoming CD) |
Other Martha Davis works
| Year | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Madhouse (Soundtrack) | |
| 2005 | Omnium | Written with Teatro ZinZanni Maestro Norm Durkee |
| 2005 | A T. Rex Named Sue | Contributed on the song "Fossile Hunter" |
| 2006 | That 80's Merry Christmas Album | Contributed on the song Santa Baby |
The Motels / Martha Davis videos
| Year | Video | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Only the Lonely | |
| Take the L | ||
| 1983 | Suddenly Last Summer | produced by Val Garay |
| Remember the Nights | produced by Val Garay | |
| 1985 | Shame | |
| Shock | ||
| 1986 | Icy Red | |
| Cries and Whispers | ||
| 1987 | Don't Tell Me the Time | |
| 1988 | Tell It To The Moon | |
| 2011 | Lost But Not Forgotten |
External links
- Official website
- Major website
- Biography from the VH1VH1VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
website - Booking Agency
- Interview with Martha Davis in Rocker Magazine 2011