The Motors were a British pub rock 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. Their biggest success was with the McMaster-penned song "Airport", a number 4 UK hit single in 1978.

By May they had been signed to Virgin Records and recorded material for another John Peel session on 12 September of that year.

Their first single "Dancing the Night Away", which was released in September 1977 reached number 42 in the UK Singles Chart. 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, "Forget About You", was released two months later.

The Garvey/McMaster/Tchaikovsky/Slaughter line-up split when Tchaikovsky left after they played at the Reading Rock Festival on 28 August 1978. It would become The Motors’ final UK concert. has appeared on CD, with 21 tracks and includes rare b-sides and live cuts. The audio for the reissue of Strange Man Changed Man is sourced from vinyl LPs and 45s and not the original master tapes. In December 2007, Strange Man Changed Man was issued on Compact Disc in the US by Hip-O Select with full artwork and master tapes sequenced for the original US album release. This edition has a track order from the UK LP and also different from the 1998 Japanese CD.

Garvey's one solo album, Blue Skies, has yet to be reissued in any form. Garvey appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 2001 in the Identity Parade round.

Cover versions

  • "Airport" was covered by Finnish opera singer in 1979 with the title "Lentoon". The Finnish lyrics were written by Heikki "Hector" Harma.
  • "Dancing the Night Away" was covered by Cheap Trick on their 1983 album Next Position Please.
  • "Forget About You" was covered by Leif Garrett on his 1978 album Feel the Need.
  • "Love and Loneliness" was covered by Chris Thompson in 1986 for the soundtrack of American Anthem.

Personnel

  • Nick Garvey <small>(born Brendan Nicholas Peter Garvey, 1951, Stoke-on-Trent)</small> – vocals, guitars <small>(1977–1980)</small>
  • Andy McMaster <small>(born 1941, Glasgow)</small> – bass, keyboards, vocals <small>(1977–1980)</small>
  • Ricky Slaughter <small>(born Richard Wernham)</small> – drums <small>(1977–1978)</small>
  • Rob Hendry – guitar, vocals <small>(1977)</small>
  • Bram Tchaikovsky <small>(born Peter Bramall, 1950, Lincolnshire

!width=30| AUS<br />

!width=30| US<br />

!width=30| SWE<br />

|-

|align=left|October 1977 || align=left| 1 || 46 || – || – || –

|-

|align=left|May 1978 || align=left| Approved by the Motors || 60 || 74 || – || 40

|-

|align=left|March 1980 || align=left| Tenement Steps || – || – || 174 || 33

|-

| colspan="7" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "–" denotes releases that did not chart.

|}

Compilation albums

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|-

!Date !! Album

|-

|align=left|September 1981 || align=left| Greatest Hit

|-

|align=left|April 1995 || align=left| Airport: The Motors' Greatest Hits

|-

|align=left|October 2015 || align=left| The Virgin Years

|-

|}

Singles

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|-

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Date

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Single

! scope="col" colspan="8"| Peak chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Certifications<br /><small>(sales thresholds)</small>

! scope="col" rowspan="2"| Album

|-

!width=30| UK<br />

|-

|align=left| "Forget About You" || 13 || – || – || – || – || – || 17 || 10 ||

|-

|align=left| "Today" || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – ||

|-

|align=left rowspan="4"|1980 || align=left| "Love and Loneliness" || 58 || 78 || 60 || – || – || – || – || – || – |

|rowspan="4"| Tenement Steps

|-

|align=left| "That's What John Said" || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – ||

|-

|align=left| "Tenement Steps" || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – ||

|-

|align=left| "Metropolis" || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – ||

|-

|align=left|1981 || align=left| "Dancing the Night Away" <small>(reissue)</small> || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – || – |

| 1

|-

| colspan="17" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "–" denotes releases that did not chart.

|}

References

  • [ Allmusic.com review of "Airport" by Stewart Mason]