The Motors

'Pub Rock' Bands Continued

The Motors (1977-1982)

To continue this brief look at British 'Pub Rock' bands of the '70's, I had hoped to include something from The Motors, the band formed by Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster after they left Ducks Deluxe. The Motors debuted in early 1977 with Garvey, McMaster, guitarist Rob Hendry, and drummer Ricky Slaughter, but Hendry was soon replaced by Bram Tchaikovsky later in 1977. The Motors made 2 well-received albums with this lineup, 1 (1977) and Approved by The Motors (1978), and had some chart success in the UK with the singles 'Dancing the Night Away', 'Airport', 'Forget About You', before Bram Tchaikovsky left to go solo later in 1978, with Slaughter also leaving soon after. Bassist Martin Ace and drummer Terry Williams (both formerly of Man, and Williams also from Rockpile) were brought in as replacements and The Motors continued, releasing The Tenement Steps in 1980. But the group disbanded for good by 1982. Bram Tchaikovsky released three successful solo albums between 1978 and 1981 (Strange Man Changed Man, Pressure, and Funland), before quitting music performance to run a recording studio. Garvey released a solo album, Blue Skies in 1982, and then did session work for many years. McMaster and Slaughter also continued on performing with various bands over the years. Martin Ace  went back to the re-formed Man, and Terry Williams went on to Dire Straits, as well as various projects with Edmunds and/or Lowe over the years, and eventually also re-joined Man in the late '90's.

I said I hoped to post some Motors live tracks. Unfortunately, however, I have not been able to find any unofficial live recordings from The Motors at all, which is surprising for a 'pub rock' band, known for their live shows. They did have several BBC live sessions, but it appears that these have also been officially released. So, sorry, but I do not have any of The Motors music that I can share here. If anyone knows of any unofficial recordings that could be posted, let me know. Anyway, even though I have nothing available for download here, I still wanted to include something about the band in this little glimpse of the pub rock scene in England. Their albums are still very fondly remembered.

Ok, so to move on, this seems like a good time and opportunity to feature more from Graham Parker & The Rumour, so that is coming next.

Ducks Deluxe - 1975-07-01 - London (Last Night)

Ducks Deluxe
1975-07-01
100 Club, London, UK
'Last Night of a Pub Rock Band'(Liberated bootleg)
Audience recording, good quality
Mp3 @320 kbps

Continuing with legendary British 'Pub Rock' bands of the '70's, after the demise of Brinsley Schwarz (the band) in early 1975, guitarist Brinsley Schwarz and drummer Billy Rankin teamed up with their friend (and former Brinsley Schwarz roadie) guitarist Martin Belmont in his pub rock band, Ducks Deluxe, which was also in their final days and on the verge of calling it quits. Ducks Deluxe was formed by Belmont and guitarist Sean Tyla in 1972, initially with Ken Whaley (bass) and Michael Cousins (percussion), soon to be replaced by drummer Tim Roper, and additions of guitarist/songwriter Nick Garvey and (briefly) bass-keyboardist Andy McMaster. They released two albums, Ducks Deluxe (1974) and Taxi to the Terminal Zone (1975), after which McMaster and Garvey left. In 1975, Belmont and Tyla were trying to hold the band together a bit longer by bringing in Rankin and Schwarz, and Mickey Groome (bass), but the band pulled the plug in Mid-1975 anyway. But the Ducks were a 'real' pub rock band, harder-edged, and with a much rougher, looser sound than the clean, polished licks and harmonies of Brinsley Schwarz. The Ducks were a popular pub band with a strong following, but they never made any money so packed it in. But that's OK, because from here Schwarz, Belmont, and Bob Andrews went on to form The Rumour and teamed up with Graham Parker for a glorious run. Ex-Ducks Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster formed The Motors (another somewhat legendary pub rock band, 1977-1982). Sean Tyla went on to form Tyla Gang and subsequent solo projects. Anyway, here we have what has been called the final performance of Ducks Deluxe, at the 100 Club on July 1, 1975. And also joining in at the end here (for a couple songs) is none other than Nick Lowe and Bob Andrews (from Brinsley Schwarz). And they really live up to their pub rock name here, storming through a set of mostly classic rock covers (featuring a couple each from Dylan, CCR, and the Stones), as well as several Ducks originals. And although this ended the Ducks tenure at that time, it was not the end entirely, for years later, in 2007, Ducks Deluxe was re-formed (featuring Sean Tyla, Martin Belmont, Billy Rankin, and Mickey Groome) to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the original band, and they stayed together for touring, and eventually even a new album in 2010. In 2012, and continuing, the band is still touring, with the addition of Brinsley Schwarz back in the fold once again. So, rock on Ducks Deluxe, and all the old pub-rockers, wherever they might be.
  
Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Fireball (Tyla)
3. Proud Mary (John Fogerty)
4. Trouble
5. Midnight Moon (Tyla)
6. Mighty Quinn (Dylan)
7. Here Comes the Night (Berns)
8. Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Dylan)
9. Have You Ever Seen the Rain? (Fogerty)
10. Amsterdam Dog (Tyla)
11. Jumpin' in the Fire (Tyla)
12. Run Rudolph Run (C. Berry)
13. Teenage Head (Flamin Groovies)
14. Coast to Coast (Garvey/Tyla)
15. Route 66 (B. Troup)
16. Encore
17. Little Queenie (Berry)
18. Brown Sugar (Stones)
19. Midnight Rambler (Stones)
20. Going Down the Road

Sean Tyla - gtr, vocals
Martin Belmont - gtr, vocals
Mickey Groome - bass, vocals
Brinsley Schwarz - gtr, sax
Billy Rankin - drums

Guests
Martin Stone, Les Brilleaux (from Dr. Feelgood) (track 15 only)
Nick Lowe - gtr, Bob Andrews - vocals (tracks 18-19 only)

Ducks Deluxe_1975-07-01_London.rar
Link updated 10/8/21