Andy McMaster and Nick Garvey got together in 1974 when the former successfully auditioned for a keyboard slot in Ducks Deluxe, a renowned London-based pub rock band. Garvey played bass in the short-lived Ducks.
Ducks Deluxe split up in early 1975, and when Glaswegian McMaster and the portly Garvey resurfaced as The Motors two years later – with lanky horse-faced guitarist Bram Tchaikovsky and drummer Rick Slaughter (real name Richard Wernham) – they were far more assured of their goals.
Their self-titled debut album (1977) – produced by wide-screen sonic colourist Robert John “Mutt” Lange – was a sophisticated variation on New Wave: metallic guitars and a mostly pounding pulse set up by the rhythm section.
Their first single, Dancing the Night Away, reached #42 on the UK Singles Chart in 1977.
Although never pop stars in the conventional sense (Andy looked as though he’d just finished a round of golf, and Nick – in his regulation brown cords and woolly pullover – lacked only a pair of mud-caked wellies to convince you he’d just parked his tractor), the band gained a reputation as a fine live act over the next six months, although singles Be What You Wanna Be and Sensation came and went, out of step with Britain’s New Wave.
A second album, Approved by the Motors (1978), was transitional: four tracks retained the first LP’s unique sound, but there was also bouncy commercial pop-rock (some fluff too close to MOR for comfort) and anomalously theatrical emoting.
Approved yielded two UK hit singles, Forget About You and Airport – four glorious minutes of pop perfection and a Top 5 hit – but The Motors suffered the loss of Tchaikovsky in late 1978 and ground to a halt.
Tchaikovsky moved swiftly from band member to leader and made a dent in both the UK and US Top 40.
Tenement Steps (1980) was released by the remaining Motors, heralding a further refinement of the Motors’ aural approach. The LP was dominated by keyboards – with orchestral backing slipping in and out of the songs. It was a far cry from the chromium-layered guitar sound of the debut LP.
The band finally split up after the failure of two more 45s: That’s What John Said and Metropolis.
Nick Garvey went solo, releasing one album, Blue Skies (1982), and Terry Williams joined Dire Straits.
Nick Garvey
Vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass
Andy McMaster
Bass, keyboards, vocals
Bram Tchaikovsky Guitar, vocals
Ricky Slaughter (Richard Wernham) Drums
Martin Ace
Bass
Terry Williams
Drums
Michael Desmarais
Drums
Video
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Tenement Steps (1980) was released by the remaining Motors, heralding a further refinement of the Motors’ aural approach. The LP was dominated by keyboards – with orchestral backing slipping in and out of the songs. It was a far cry from the chromium-layered guitar sound of the debut LP.
