5000 Volts
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1970s |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Disco music |
5000 Volts was a British disco group that achieved notable success throughout Europe during the 1970s. The ensemble included vocalists Tina Charles and Martin Jay, accompanied by various session musicians.
Career
Following several singles released in the mid-1970s, the band gained wide recognition when radio stations began playing the B-side of their 1975 release "Bye Love." The song "I'm on Fire" emerged as a significant hit across Europe, climbing to number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, topping the charts in Germany and Sweden, and reaching number 10 in South Africa. It also made appearances on charts in Australia and the United States, where it peaked at number 26 despite competition from Jim Gilstrap's rendition.
Although Tina Charles provided the vocals, she was not publicly acknowledged; during their 1975 Top of the Pops performance, singer and actress Luan Peters appeared as the group's frontwoman.
In 1975, producer Tony Eyers expanded the lineup into a stable five-member band by adding Martin Cohen (bass/vocals), Kevin Wells (drums), and Mike Nelson (keyboards). While their subsequent success in the UK was limited, they retained strong followings in South Africa and Germany. After a disagreement with their record label, Charles departed to pursue a solo career and was succeeded by Linda Kelly.
Their next single, "Doctor Kiss Kiss", attained number 8 on the UK charts and number 6 in South Africa; however, their popularity gradually declined, leading to their dissolution in 1978.
Martin Jay pursued a solo path briefly before returning to session work with groups such as Enigma, Tight Fit, and the UK Mixmasters. In 2012, Charles and Jay reunited to re-record their hits for the album Reunited.
Albums
- 1976: 5000 Volts (Philips Records 9109-215) – SWE #30
- 1997: 5000 Volts (Rem!nd Records 5300211 - The Netherlands, compilation)
- 2012: Reunited
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | BE (FLA) | BE (WA) | GER | IRE | NL | NOR | NZ | SA | SWE | SWI | US | ZIM | ||
| "Fly Away" (as Airbus; Germany and Denmark-only release) | 1974 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "I'm on Fire" (originally released in Germany and Italy as Airbus) | 1975 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 26 | 2 |
| "Motion Man" (Germany-only release) | — | — | — | — | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Bye Love" | 1976 | — | — | 17 | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "Doctor Kiss Kiss" | 8 | 45 | 30 | — | — | 6 | 24 | 10 | 36 | 6 | 17 | — | — | 3 | |
| "Light the Flame of Love" | — | ||||||||||||||