Motels (album)

Motels is the first studio album by new wave band The Motels, recorded in the spring of 1979 and released in the fall. It was produced by John Carter. It peaked at #175 on Billboard's album chart in December.

Motels
Studio album by
The Motels
ReleasedSeptember 17, 1979 (1979-09-17)[1]
RecordedMay–June 1979
GenreNew wave
Length38:13
LabelCapitol
ProducerJohn Carter
The Motels chronology
Motels
(1979)		 Careful
(1980)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]

On May 12, 1979 (Mother's Day), The Motels signed with Capitol Records. The band began recording on the May 14 and finished within the first week of September. The band consisted of Martha Davis (lead vocals, guitar), Jeff Jourard (lead guitar), Marty Jourard (keyboard, saxophone), Michael Goodroe (bass) and Brian Glascock (drums).[3]

The first single, "Closets and Bullets", did not chart anywhere, but the second single, "Total Control", became a Top 10 hit in Australia and went Top 20 in France. (It 'Bubbled Under' at #109 in Billboard in the US.) A third single, "Anticipating", was released in Japan in early 1980 but failed to chart. The album was certified Gold in Australia in 1980.

Tina Turner recorded "Total Control" in 1985 on the We Are the World album, a superstar charity recording for famine relief efforts in Ethiopia. Anna Oxa recorded the song in Italian and it was released as a single in Italy in 1980.[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Martha Davis, except where noted

Side 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Anticipating" 3:51
2."Kix" 2:15
3."Total Control"Martha Davis, Jeff Jourard5:54
4."Love Don't Help" 1:58
5."Closets and Bullets" 4:25
Total length:18:23
Side 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Atomic Cafe" 2:48
2."Celia" 3:07
3."Porn Reggae" 4:18
4."Dressing Up"Martha Davis, Jeff Jourard5:04
5."Counting" 4:33
Total length:19:50

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1979–80) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[5] 23
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[6] 4

Year-end charts
Chart (1980) Position
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[7] 16

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[8] Gold 20,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

Credits are taken from the CD's liner notes.[9]

The Motels
  • Martha Davis – vocals, rhythm guitar
  • Jeff Jourard – lead guitar
  • Marty Jourard – keyboards, saxophone
  • Michael Goodroe – bass
  • Brian Glascock – drums

Production

Credits are taken from the CD's liner notes.[9]

Notes

    References
    1. "THE MOTELS: Albums". www.the-motels.info.
    2. Motels at AllMusic
    3. "The Motels Timeline". www.the-motels.info.
    4. "Artist's Story".
    5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 209. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
    6. "Charts.nz – The Motels – The Motels". Hung Medien. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
    7. "Top Selling Albums of 1980 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
    8. "International Certifications" (PDF). Cash Box. June 21, 1980. p. 40. Retrieved December 3, 2021 – via World Radio History.
    9. Motels (CD liner). The Motels. Australasia: Capitol Records. 1979. 7484452.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)


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