The Motorcycle Boy were a Scottish

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

band formed in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, Scotland, in 1987 by former members of

Meat Whiplash Meat Whiplash was an alternative rock band from East Kilbride, Scotland, that were amongst the first to be signed to Creation Records. The line-up was Paul McDermott (vox), Stephen McLean (guitar), Edward Connelly (bass guitar) and Michael Kerr ( ...

and

The Shop Assistants Shop Assistants were a Scottish indie pop band from Edinburgh, Scotland, formed in 1984, initially as 'Buba & The Shop Assistants'.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 502 After achieving success with indepe ...

History

The band consisted of Alex Taylor (vocals, formerly of The Shop Assistants), with Paul McDermott (drums), Michael Kerr (guitar), and Eddy Connelly (bass) (all formerly of Meat Whiplash), and David "Scottie" Scott (guitar). They were signed by

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. Having successfully promoted and sold records by punk rock and early post-pun ...

, who issued their debut single, "Big Rock Candy Mountain", which reached number 2 in the

UK Independent Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

. The band were then signed up by

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Ag ...

, with two singles and debut album ''Scarlet'' that was never released, but failed to achieve great success despite considerable press attention. The band then split with Chrysalis, with two further singles released on the Nymphaea Pink Sensation label in 1990, before the band themselves split up. The band made the cover of the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' on September 19, 1987, despite only having a brief half-page feature. This was because the entire contents of a themed issue on

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

(which would have had a painting used on the

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk rock, punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, sa ...

' album '' Frankenchrist'', then the subject of an obscenity trial in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, on the cover) had themselves been censored, with

Stuart Cosgrove Stuart John Francis Cosgrove (born 12 November 1952) is a Scottish journalist, broadcaster and television executive. As a journalist Cosgrove served on the ''NME'' (Media Editor) and '' The Face'' during the 1980s, before joining Channel 4 in 19 ...

sacked from the paper, and a new cover had to be designed at very short notice. Forgotten Astronaut Records have procured the licence for the unreleased album ''Scarlet'', and released the album in late 2019. It was released on both CD and vinyl with the CD containing two bonus tracks, the Flood produced "Sweet Dreams Pretty Baby", and the Pat Collier produced "Days Like These". It was revealed in 2020 that Alex Taylor had died in 2005.

Discography

Singles

*"Big Rock Candy Mountain" (7") (1987) Rough Trade RT 210 ** A. Big Rock Candy Mountain - 3:13 ** B. Room At The Top - 3:55 *"Big Rock Candy Mountain" (12") (1987) Rough Trade RTT 210 ** A. Big Rock Candy Mountain (Velocity Dance Mix) - 4:40 ** B1. Room At The Top - 3:55 ** B2. His Latest Flame - 2:18 ** B3. Big Rock Candy Mountain (7" Mix) - 3:13 *"Hey Mama" (12" white label promo copy) (1988) Blue Guitar / Chrysalis AZURX 10 * A. Hey Mama (Born Bad Mix) ** B1. Days Like These ** B2. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow ** B3. Hey Mama (7" Version) *"Trying To Be Kind" (7") (26 June 1989) Chrysalis CHS 3310 ** A. Trying To Be Kind ** B. world Falls Into Place *"Trying To Be Kind" (12") (26 June 1989) Chrysalis CHS 12 3310 ** A. Trying To Be Kind (Extended Mix) ** B1. World Falls Into Place ** B2. Will You Love Me Tomorrow ** B3. Trying To Be Kind (1,000cc Version) *"You And Me Against The World" (7") (1989) Chrysalis CHS 3398 **A. You And Me Against The World **B. Under The Bridge *"You And Me Against The World" (12″) (1989) Chrysalis CHS 12 3398 **A. You And Me Against The World **B1. Under The Bridge **B2. Some Girls **B3. You And Me Against The World (Extended Mix) *"The Road Goes On Forever" (12") (1990) Nymphaea Pink Sensation NPS T001 **A1. Starlight - 3:20 **A2. Starlight (Paradise A Go-Go Mix) - 5:05 **B1. The Road Goes On Forever (Overdrive Karma Mix) - 5:16 **B2. Salvation - 3:13 **B3. The Road Goes On Forever- 3:26 *"Here She Comes" (12") (1990) Nymphaea Pink Sensation NPS T002 **A. Here She Comes **B1. Everything I See **B3. The Road Goes On Forever (Live)

Albums

*''Scarlet'' (2019) Forgotten Astronaut Records **1. Hey Mama **2. Baby Let Go Of My Heart **3. The World Falls Into Place **4. Valentine **5. No Pain **6. Take Me For A Walk **7. Some Girls **8. Under The Bridge **9. Trying To Be Kind **10. Scarlet **11. Big Rock Candy Mountain **12. Up Here **13. Sweet Dreams Pretty Baby (Bonus track) **14. Days Like These (Bonus track)

Appearance on compilation albums

*"Indie Top 20 Volume III - War Of Independents" (2LP) (1988) Beechwood Music TT03 ** A6. Big Rock Candy Mountain - 3:13 *"Indie Top 20 Volume III - War Of Independents" (2Cass) (1988) Beechwood Music, Melody Maker TT03MC ** A6. Big Rock Candy Mountain *"Art Of Compilation CD 7" (CD, Promo) (1991) Art Of Mix CD 7 ** 7. Here She Comes (Digi Boy Mix) - 6:51 *"Precision Three" (12", Promo) (1991) Art Of Mix AMP-9003 ** A2. Here She Comes (Digi Boy Mix)

Bibliography

* "Shop Assistants, The Fizzbombs, The Motorcycle Boy" chapter in ''YinPop: Women in Indie and Alternative Rock, Vol. 1: UK Bands'' (2014), by S. White. Fly-By-Night Books, , pp. 131-148.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Motorcycle Boy Scottish pop music groups Chrysalis Records artists