Approved by the Motors
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Approved by the Motors is the second studio album by English rock band The Motors, originally released in May 1978.[2] The album only spent 1 week in the UK Albums Charts reaching number 60.[3][4] Four singles came from the album, "Airport", "Forget About You", "Today" and "Sensation".
Background and production
The Motors had just completed a 5-week tour of the USA when they started recording the album on 1 February 1978.[5] The album was produced by Peter Ker and the two main songwriters in the group, Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster.[5] It was mostly recorded at Pathway Studios, London and engineered by Andy Miller at IBC Studios and Pathway Studios, Basing Street Studios, Olympic Studios.[1][5] This album used some material that had been written by McMaster and Garvey before the band had formed the year before.[6] The album cover was designed by Cooke Key Associates.[1]
Reviews
Rolling Stone magazine (No. 274) reviewed the album on 21 September 1978. Jim Farber said:
Approved by the Motors is a near-perfect LP of pure, pulverizing pop in the best Sweet, Slade, and Pilot tradition, cutting through the cuteness of that genre with Nick Garvey's and Andy McMaster's dynamic dual vocals… the band sings sweetly about S&M activities, disarming the entire subject in the same endearing manner as Cheap Trick joyously trivializes suicide.[7]
It has since been published by Rolling Stone as "20 Rock Albums Rolling Stone Loved in the 1970s That You Never Heard"[7]
Record Collector magazine's Joe Geesin said of the album:
"The music was a contrast to the debut album, featuring McMaster on keyboards, mainly on tracks he’d largely written, with Garvey switching between bass and guitar. More polished, melodic, and in some cases poppier too, but it still has it’s powerpop rock’n’roll moments. The roots hadn’t been lost completely...the album came with an inner sleeve and initially with an ‘Approved By’ sticker. In many territories the band picture on the front was mirrored on the back, making it hard to tell which way round it should be. With confidence growing, McMaster and Garvey produced the set themselves, with the help of Peter Ker, who’d engineered the November 1976 demos.[6]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[9] |
AllMusic's reviewer Chris Woodstra said of the album:
The Motors' second album shows a marked improvement over their debut, with a stronger melodic base and catchier songs including the British hits "Airport" and "Forget About You".[8]
Robert Christgau rated the album B+, meaning that he felt that it was a good record. At least one of whose sides can be played with lasting interest and the other of which includes at least one enjoyable cut.[9][10]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Airport" | Andy McMaster | 4:36 |
| 2. | "Mamma Rock 'n' Roller" | Nick Garvey, McMaster, Bram Tchaikovsky | 4:03 |
| 3. | "Forget About You" | McMaster | 2:51 |
| 4. | "Do You Mind?" | McMaster | 3:22 |
| 5. | "You Beat The Hell Outta Me" | McMaster | 3:24 |
| No. | Title | Writers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Breathless" | Garvey, McMaster, Gordon Hann | 3:33 |
| 2. | "Soul Redeemer" | McMaster | 2:40 |
| 3. | "Dreaming Your Life Away" | Garvey, McMaster, Hann | 4:48 |
| 4. | "Sensation" | Garvey, McMaster, Hann, Tchaikovsky | 3:22 |
| 5. | "Today" | McMaster | 3:59 |
| Total length: | 45:35 | ||
Personnel
- Nick Garvey - vocals, guitar, bass
- Bram Tchaikovsky - vocals, guitar
- Andy McMaster - vocals, bass, keyboards
- Ricky Slaughter - drums
References
- ^ a b c "The Motors – Approved By The Motors". Discogs. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ "Approved by The Motors". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records. p. 381. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "The Motors". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ^ a b c "Approved by The Motors". Last.fm. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ a b "The Motors - Sleevenotes - Approved by The Motors". Joe Geesin. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ a b "20 Rock Albums Rolling Stone Loved in the 1970s That You Never Heard". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ a b "The Motors - Approved by The Motors". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ a b "The Motors". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
- ^ "The Grades". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 8 April 2016.