''Motels'' is the first studio album by new wave band

The Motels The Motels are an American new wave band from Berkeley, California, that is best known for the singles "Only the Lonely" and "Suddenly Last Summer", each of which peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, in 1982 and 1983, respectively. In ...

, recorded in the spring of 1979 and released in the fall. It was produced by John Carter. It peaked at #175 on

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

's album chart in December. 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). 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 Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

in Australia in 1980. Tina Turner recorded "Total Control" in 1985 on the ''

We Are the World "We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album ''We Are the World''. Wit ...

'' 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.

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Personnel

Credits are taken from the CD's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

The Motels

*Martha Davis – vocals, rhythm guitar *Jeff Jourard – lead guitar *Marty Jourard – keyboards, saxophone *Michael Goodroe – bass *

Brian Glascock Brian Glascock (born 17 July 1948) is an English rock drummer for The Gods, Toe Fat, Carmen, Captain Beyond, Soy Cowboy, and primarily for The Motels. He also played on albums by Dolly Parton, Iggy Pop, and Joan Armatrading. He performed ...

– drums

Production

Credits are taken from the CD's

. *Produced and engineered by John Carter

Notes

References

1979 debut albums The Motels albums Capitol Records albums {{1970s-rock-album-stub