The Motels by The Motels

Motels is the first studio album by new wave band The Motels, recorded in the spring of 1979 and released in the fall. It was produced by John Carter. It peaked at #175 on Billboard's album chart in December. On the 12th of May 1979 (Mother's Day), the Motels signed with Capitol Records. The band began recording on the 14th of the same month 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 Glasscock (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 in Australia in 1980. Tina Turner recorded "Total Control" in 1985 on the We Are the World 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.