The Motels - All Four One (1982)/Little Robbers (1983)

UK import

Impulse buy of a BGO twofer set of early '80s albums from the New Wave group out of California. I've always liked Martha Davis's sultry, no-nonsense voice, enjoyed the Top 40 singles I heard on the radio, I've got a music/CD addiction to feed so why the hell not? Two US Top 30 albums, digitally remastered, slipcased, new comprehensive essay, lyrics, bonus tracks, each album gets its own disc in this two disc set.

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ALL FOUR ONE (1982)
10 tracks, 5 bonus tracks, 52 minutes

I'm pretty much in agreement with the reviews below, which seem to rate the album at slightly below average. They couldn't decide on a musical direction, so they go every which way they can.

The album had a bit of trouble getting recorded; that drama recapped over at the album's Wikipedia entry.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★): "Singer Martha Davis can be a riveting centerpiece"
• Trouser Press: "easy to appreciate but hard to get involved with"
• High Fidelity: "a compromised, lackluster collection"
• CashBox: "an effervescent blend of technorock, quirky yet sultry vocals, and offbeat, angular rhythms"
• Billboard: "As always, it's the mercurial Martha Davis who rivets attention"
• Robert Christgau (C+): "Take the `L' out of Lover and it's over"? "Apocalypso"? "Tragic Surf," for Christ's sake? They've got to be kidding.

Chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200 chart: #16
• Billboard Rock Albums chart: #4
• CashBox album chart: #17
• Rolling Stone chart: #13

Tracks: After starting off with a decent opening rocker, we quickly go to Take the L, which I previously described as a song with "hilarious lyrics ('Take the L out of lover and it's over'), but it is sung with such earnestness that it makes me chuckle." We rebound quickly with the fantastic lead single, Only The Lonely (#9 pop, #6 rock, #27 AC), which is easily the strongest track on the album. The rest is filler, although I enjoy the noirish Change My Mind. The penultimate track, a cover of the Goffin/King 1962 tune He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss), is both regrettable and forgettable.

Bonus tracks: 4 tracks from Apocalypso version of the album for those of you that like to do A/B comparisons (spoiler alert: the Apocalypso versions rock a little harder).  Plus a live version of Only The Lonely, presumably from a 1982 show as there's no show info in the credits but Davis does thank Santa Barbara near the end of the performance. And I just figured out the word "apocalypso" is a portmanteau of "apocalypse" and "calypso." No flies on me...sheesh.

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LITTLE ROBBERS (1983)
10 tracks, 36 minutes

The better album of the two and I'll go ahead and call Suddenly Last Summer the best thing the group ever recorded.

Press of the time:

• Rolling Stone (★★★½ ): "bursting with creative energy"
• Trouser Press: "too canned; every last note has obviously been plotted beforehand"
• Stereo Review: Recording of Special Merit
• CashBox: "sure to curry favor with pop, new music and AOR outlets"
• Billboard: "sleeker production finish and atmospheric pop elements"

Chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200 chart: #22
• Billboard Rock Albums chart: #3
• CashBox album chart: #15
• Rolling Stone chart: #18

Tracks: Another good opening rocker, this one a bit more surfy New Wave-ish. Then the track that someone recently called "the best thing the group ever recorded," Suddenly Last Summer (#9 pop, #1 rock, #18 AC). Of the remaining 8 tunes, I prefer the follow-up single Remember The Nights, the reggae-lite of Isle Of You (sounds like "I love you," get it?), the rockin' Trust Me, the title track, and Into The Heartland.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Oddly enough, neither I nor any of my high school pals bought either album back then. I do remember my buddy Jim loaning me a cassette of the group's 1979 debut album, but that didn't really do it for me back then. Maybe another listen is in order.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Back 2 Back Hits (1997)