The Motors
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1977 in London, England |
| Founder | Nick Garvey, Andy McMaster |
| Defunct | 1980 |
| Headquarters | London , England |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
The Motors emerged as a British pub rock ensemble established in London in 1977 by ex-members of Ducks Deluxe, Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster. They were joined by guitarist Rob Hendry—who was succeeded by Bram Tchaikovsky in May 1977—and drummer Ricky Slaughter. The band’s most notable commercial achievement was the McMaster-written track "Airport", which climbed to number 4 on the UK singles chart in 1978.
History
Following his departure from Ducks Deluxe in early 1975, Garvey formed The Snakes with Slaughter and vocalist Robert Gotobed, who would later join Wire. This group released a single before disbanding. Acting on advice from his manager Richard Ogden, Garvey teamed up with McMaster to establish The Motors, recording demo tracks in January 1977. Their first live performance took place at London's Marquee Club in March 1977, the same month they recorded three songs for John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 program.
By May 1977, The Motors had secured a contract with Virgin Records and completed a second Peel session in September. The original members produced two albums that achieved moderate success: 1 in October 1977 and Approved by the Motors in 1978. Their debut single, "Dancing the Night Away", reached number 42 on the UK charts. In 1978, "Airport" became their highest-charting hit, peaking at number 4 and attracting some attention in the United States. The single that followed was "Forget About You."
The lineup consisting of Garvey, McMaster, Tchaikovsky, and Slaughter disbanded after Tchaikovsky departed following their concert at the Reading Rock Festival on 28 August 1978—this event marked their last UK appearance while supporting Status Quo. Shortly thereafter, Slaughter also exited the group. Tchaikovsky pursued a solo career with three albums, including the US Top 40 power pop single "Girl of My Dreams."
To finalize studio recordings, bassist Martin Ace and drummer Terry Williams joined the lineup; both had previously performed together in the rock band Man. Williams later became a member of Rockpile and Dire Straits. After issuing their third album, Tenement Steps (1980), which featured the minor hit "Love and Loneliness," Garvey and McMaster formally dissolved The Motors.
After The Motors
Tchaikovsky briefly gained prominence through his solo work, touring alongside The Joe Perry Project, The Cars, and Alice Cooper, as well as appearing on Don Kirshner’s syndicated program Rock Concert. Following his last solo album release in 1981, Funland—produced by Garvey—he operated a recording studio during the 1980s and occasionally performed blues gigs into the early 1990s. After parting ways with McMaster, Garvey released one solo album titled Blue Skies in 1982 and contributed session work for artists including Paul McCartney throughout that decade. He also co-produced The Sunnyboys’ third album, Get Some Fun (1984). McMaster is believed to continue making music while residing in southeast England, whereas Slaughter played with groups such as Fallen Angels during the 1980s.
On 27 March 2006, Captain Oi! Records reissued all three of the band’s albums in the UK; these editions included live recordings, B-sides, remixes, sleeve notes by Record Collector’s Joe Geesin, and quotes from Garvey.
Tchaikovsky’s initial two solo albums—Strange Man Changed Man and The Russians Are Coming—were re-released on CD in 1998 as part of a British Rock collection. Subsequently, WEA Japan issued both albums again using original master tapes and artwork accompanied by comprehensive liner notes and Japanese lyrics. These versions were exclusive to Japan and have since gone out of print.
An expanded edition of Strange Man Changed Man features 21 tracks including rare B-sides and live performances; however, its audio derives from vinyl sources rather than original masters. In December 2007, Hip-O Select released this album on CD in the United States with complete artwork and master tapes arranged to match the original US release track order—which differs from both the UK LP and the Japanese CD issued in 1998.
Garvey’s solo album Blue Skies has not been reissued to date. He also appeared on an episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 2001 during the Identity Parade segment.
Cover Versions
- Finnish opera vocalist Timo Kuusisto recorded a rendition of "Airport" in 1979 titled "Lentoon," featuring Finnish lyrics by Heikki "Hector" Harma.
- The track "Dancing the Night Away" was interpreted by Cheap Trick on their 1983 release Next Position Please.
- Leif Garrett included a cover of "Forget About You" on his 1978 album Feel the Need.
- Chris Thompson performed a version of "Love and Loneliness" for the 1986 soundtrack of American Anthem.
Band Members
- Nick Garvey (full name Brendan Nicholas Peter Garvey, born 1951, Stoke-on-Trent) – lead vocals, guitar (1977–1980)
- Andy McMaster (born 1941, Glasgow) – bass guitar, keyboards, vocals (1977–1980)
- Ricky Slaughter (born Richard Wernham) – drums (1977–1978)
- Rob Hendry – guitar, vocals (1977)
- Bram Tchaikovsky (born Peter Bramall, 1950, Lincolnshire) – guitar, vocals (1977–1978)
- Martin Ace – bass guitar (1978–1980)
- Terry Williams (born 1948, Swansea) – drums (1978–1980)
Studio Albums
| Release Date | Album Title | Highest Chart Positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | US | SWE | |||
| October 1977 | 1 | 46 | – | – | – | |
| May 1978 | Approved by the Motors | 60 | 74 | – | 40 | |
| March 1980 | Tenement Steps | – | – | 174 | 33 | |
| "–" indicates albums that did not chart. | ||||||
Compilation Albums
| Release Date | Compilation Title |
|---|---|
| September 1981 | Greatest Hit |
| April 1995 | Airport: The Motors' Greatest Hits |
| October 2015 | The Virgin Years |
Singles
| Release Year | Single Title | Peak Chart Positions | Certifications | Associated Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | US | CAN | AUS | NZ | SA | SWE | IRL | |||||
| 1977 | "Dancing the Night Away" | 42 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 1 | |
| "Be What You Gotta Be" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||
| "Cold Love" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||
| 1978 | "Sensation" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Approved by the Motors | ||
| "Airport" | 4 | – | – | 31 | 37 | 19 | 4 | 8 |
| |||
| "Forget About You" | 13 | – | – | – | – | – | 17 | 10 | ||||
| "Today" | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | ||||
External links
- [Review of "Airport" by Stewart Mason on Allmusic.com]
- Articles with short description
- The Motors
- Musical groups formed in 1977
- Musical groups that disbanded in 1980
- English pub rock bands
- Rock bands originating from London
- English power pop bands
- English new wave bands
- Artists signed to Atlantic Records
- Artists signed to Virgin Records
- Musical groups disestablished in 1980