The Lambrettas are an English

mod revival The mod revival was a subculture that started in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and later spread to other countries (to a lesser degree). The mod revival's mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence lasted for de ...

band, first active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Named after the iconic

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

Lambretta Lambretta () is the brand name of mainly motor scooters, initially manufactured in Milan, Italy, by Innocenti. The name is derived from the word Lambrate, the suburb of Milan named after the river Lambro which flows through the area, and whe ...

scooter brand popular among Mods, the band was formed in Brighton, England. Their original line-up consisted of Jez Bird (singer/guitarist), Doug Sanders (guitarist/vocalist), Mark Ellis (bassist) and Paul Wincer (drummer). Their biggest

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

was in 1980, with a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the 1950s Leiber and Stoller song, " Poison Ivy", which reached No. 7 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. They scored a No. 12 hit with the follow-up, "Da-a-a-nce". In the same year, they released the album ''Beat Boys in the Jet Age'', which reached No. 28 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

, and scored another minor hit single, "Another Day (Another Girl)" (hastily renamed from "

Page 3 Page 3, or Page Three, was a British newspaper convention of publishing a large image of a topless female glamour model (known as a Page 3 girl) on the third page of mainstream red-top tabloids. '' The Sun'' introduced the feature, publishi ...

" after complaints from '' The Sun'' newspaper). After the mod revival faded, subsequent singles, which included a 1982 cover of Jefferson Airplane's " Somebody to Love", and a second album, 1981's ''Ambience'', did not chart. The band played their final concert in their original incarnation in London on 14 April 1982. Bird re-formed the band for a time in the 1990s. The band reformed in 2009 and toured the UK and Europe. A new EP, ''Go 4 It'' was released in February 2017 with three new tracks, and a cover of

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

' song " All Day and All of the Night".

History

Early years (1970s–1980)

Dressing in matching mohair suits, the band named themselves after one of the mod-favoured motor scooters. The Lambrettas played various gigs around England until they were finally spotted by Elton John's record label,

The Rocket Record Company The Rocket Record Company was a record label founded by Elton John, along with Bernie Taupin, Gus Dudgeon, Steve Brown and others, in 1973. The company was named after the hit song " Rocket Man". The label was originally distributed in the ...

. At the time, Rocket was a new label featuring new and unknown acts. It was through this label that The Lambrettas released their first single, "Go Steady". The single did reasonably well and Rocket decided to sign the band to a longer-term contract.

Debut album

The band's next recording was a cover version of the 1950s song " Poison Ivy", which had been suggested to them by

Pete Waterman Peter Alan Waterman, (born 15 January 1947) is an English record producer, songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Water ...

, the business partner of their producer Peter Collins. The Lambrettas version had brass arrangements and a clear upbeat "

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" feel to it. The single did well in the UK, reaching No. 7 on the

. It earned the band a silver disc, for sales of over 250,000 copies, and it was to be the band's best selling single. The next single, "D-a-a-ance", was more typical of the band's sound and it reached No. 12 on the chart. With three singles released, the band then released their debut album, ''

Beat Boys In The Jet Age ''Beat Boys in the Jet Age'' was the debut album by English power pop band The Lambrettas. It included the band's hit cover version of the song " Poison Ivy" which reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart. The band would continue this success with the ...

''; however, controversy occurred when the band attempted to release their fourth single, “Page 3”. The newspaper '' The Sun'' objected to the reference to its

Page Three Page 3, or Page Three, was a British newspaper convention of publishing a large image of a topless female glamour model (known as a Page 3 girl) on the third page of mainstream red-top tabloids. '' The Sun'' introduced the feature, publishi ...

pin-up girl feature and forced a change of title, necessitating the destruction of all the manufactured sleeves. The album did do reasonably well, however, and due to this the band secured a spot supporting Madness on their European tour.

Ambience and split

After the band's European tour, they released their second album, ''Ambience''. It was during this period that Steve Bray (former drummer for

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) replaced Paul Wincer. However, despite the album's high level of production and general solid feel, it was not a success. The band had tried to reach larger audiences by toning down on their mod image. Throughout 1981, singles were released from the second album but all failed to make a major impact with the British public. Steve Bray was replaced by Pat Freyne and the band continued their struggle. By 1982 it was decided that they would record another cover. Jefferson Airplane's song " Somebody to Love" was chosen. Despite attempts to gain popularity through radioplay, the single did not chart. By mid-1982, hopes of success had faded and the band parted with their record label and each other. In 1985 a best of album was released entitled ''

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''.

Later work

Jez Bird re-formed the band in the 1990s, performing at small venues in England, and recording several demos for a new album that was never issued. In 1997 he re-recorded the band's hit "Da-a-ance". This featured on the compilation album, ''Generation to Generation'', released on the Dr. Martens Records label. He subsequently recorded a new version of the theme from TV series ''Starsky & Hutch'', which featured on the ''Cult Themes from the 70s Vol.1'' album, released in 1997. Jez Bird died of cancer on 27 August 2008, at the age of 50.

Current line-up

Guitarist Doug Sanders and drummer Paul Wincer reunited to play a one-off gig as The Lambrettas at the "Modrophenia '79" event in Brighton on 15 August 2009, with Doug Sanders taking over vocal duties. Joining them were guitarist Philip Edwards and Chris Venzi-James on bass. The band were well received and what was supposed to be a one-off gig inaugurated a return to touring. The band have been touring the UK and Europe since then. Ant Wellman replaces Chris Venzi-James on bass guitar in 2015. A three-piece brass section is added to the band in 2015, adding an additional layer to the band's sound. February 2017 saw the release of a new EP "Go 4 It" featuring three new songs on the Jet Age Records label. * Doug Sanders – vocals, guitar * Paul Wincer – drums * Philip Edwards – guitar * Ant Wellman – bass * Richard Anstey - sax * David Medland - trumpet * Dan Rehahn - trombone

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

*''

'' (1985) *''The Best of the Lambrettas - The Singles Collection'' (1995) *''The Definitive Collection (Beat Boys in the Jet Age)'' (1998)

Singles and EPs

References

External links

* *
Future Legend Records: The Lambrettas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lambrettas, The English rock music groups Musical groups established in 1979 Musical groups disestablished in 1982 Musical groups reestablished in 1995 English new wave musical groups English power pop groups British mod revival groups Rocket Records artists