Namesakes #159: The Motions

After last week's emotional post, I thought I'd drop an E this week and look at bands called The Motions.

Am I the only one who thinks that calling your band The Motions is a very bad idea? Still, better than calling yourself The Shits (like at least seven different bands on discogs) or The Poos (sadly, only one). or even Dump (nine and counting). Motion, it turns out, is a peculiarly British euphemism for such activities, and rest of the world appears to see no problem with the act of moving or being moved, on indeed putting forward a proposal to the committee. In fact, if I hadn't mentioned all this, I'm sure none of your thoughts would have even gone there.

Forget I said anything.

Let's enjoy some Motions...

THE MOTIONS #1

We kick off today with some Brooklyn doo-woppers from 1961, led by Tommy Tucker, singing for his supper.

The Motions - Mr. Night

THE MOTIONS #2

Next, some surfer dudes from Ohio (a land-locked state, unless they went surfing on the shore of Lake Eerie), active between 1962 and '66. Here's their tribute to Ringo...

The Motions - Beatle Drums

(RON &) THE MOTIONS #3

Ohio was clearly the place to go if you wanted to have a good Motion. Here's Ron, with his Cincinnati Motions, in 1967...

Ron & The Motions - Take Me Away

THE MOTIONS #4

"One of the bigger groups of the 1960s Dutch beat explosion, or Nederbeat if you want to sound more cosmopolitan. " Guitar player Robbie van Leeuwen went on to enjoy further success with Shocking Blue. 

The Motions - Wasted Words

(MICKEY &) THE MOTIONS #5

Massachusetts Motions who are clearly taking the Mickey in 1965...

Mickey & The Motions - I Do

THE MOTIONS #6

Italian Motions from 1968, with their version of the theme tune to the variety TV show Canzonissima...

The Motions - Zum Zum Zum

THE MOTIONS #7

AKA the far more well-known musical combo, McFly. Nobody seems to know why they also released this tune as a white label recording under the name The Motions. But I'm happy to include them here.

The Motions - Transylvania

THE MOTIONS #8

Rocky Motions, also from Massachusetts, in the Year of our Lord 2013.

The Motions - You're Never Too Old For Space Camp

MOTIONS #9

Oregon alt-rock from 2017 with a very wide-angle lens on his camera. Gets in on the song title alone.

Motions - I Hope Your Friends Don't Like You

THE MOTIONS #10

A pleasant enough bunch from North Carolina, circa 2018.

The Motions - Missed You Yesterday

MOTIONS #11

"A collective of musical ideas. Heavy, ambient, driving soundscapes..." from Townsville, Australia in 2019.

Motions - Feather

THE MOTIONS #12

And finally, bang up to date with a "melodic alt-metalcore" band from Teeside who don't believe in capital letters. Your definition of "melodic" may differ.

motions - Shattered Mirror

Which ones move you... and which ones just give you the shits?

Live In 25: The Lightning Seeds

Lightning Seeds - Sense

You should take it as read by now that the only gigs I can be bothered to drag my weary arse to these days are ones on my doorstep - so I was over the moon when I heard that the Lightning Seeds would be playing at the local village hall last Saturday - with a 35th Anniversary Greatest Hits tour to boot.

Lightning Seeds - Life Of Riley

Of all the great bands of the Britpop era, the Lightning Seeds were surely the best at writing pure pop songs, and they've easily got enough hits to fill an hour and a half on a Saturday night. Ian Broudie (with son Riley... yes, that Riley, he's now part of the band) was on top form, and by the end of the gig, I felt he was channeling that same quasi-religious aura that so many great frontmen from Liverpool so effortlessly do. Ian McCulloch. Julian Cope. Pete Wylie. Ian McNabb. Although Broudie started a little later, he easily fits into that group, making music that lifts you to another place, with a genuine sincerity performers from other parts of the country often try (and fail) to match. I'm not sure I'm explaining myself very well here. If you know what I mean, you know what I mean. 

Lightning Seeds - Lucky You

Now I know I'm in the minority here, but I'm always surprised when the Lightning Seeds play their biggest hit. For obvious reasons, it's never one that springs to mind for me, so while the rest of the crowd are chanting away to the terrace anthem, I take a moment's pause and wait for Marvellous, Lucky You or Sense. Nothing against Three Lions as a song, I'll just never be part of the culture that spawned it, no matter how many Sunday league matches I watch Sam play in. 

Lightning Seeds - Marvellous

Marvellous was present in the rapturous encore though, followed soon after by that glorious, life-affirming song Broudie wrote for his son. And sandwiched in between was this, which Ian described as "the greatest pop song ever written". It's certainly up there...

 

Snapshots #417: Songs You Can Live In

Why is there a picture above of Sophie Ellis Bextor holding a camera? Two reasons - firstly because she had a big hit in 2001 with a song called Take Me Home. And secondly, because I couldn't find a picture of Shakin' Stevens or Peters & Lee holding a camera.

A house (even This Ol' one) isn't a home... but it could be. So could all the places mentioned in the songs below...

15. Big gigs at Butlins.

Butlins run a series of big gigs called Weekenders.

The Weekenders - Inelegantly Wasted In Papa's Penthouse Pad In Belgravia

14. Now in interstellar space.

NASA's Voyager probes have now passed beyond our galaxy...

Voyager - Halfway Hotel

13. Fooled Ulric into thinking they were someone else.

"Fooled Ulric" was an anagram.

The Colourfield - Castles In The Air

12. She could have been part of last week's quiz. They mix Astbury and Weller with maximum effort.

Last week's quiz involved songs with repeated names - like Lisa Lisa. If Ian Astbury and Paul Weller got together, they could form a supergroup called Cult Jam. Maximum effort = full force.

Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force - I Wonder If I Take You Home

11. Half of Ernie the Explorer!

Ernie the Explorer was Ernest Shackleton. Half of his surname is...

Shack - On The Terrace

10. New man and old Sherlock in a good stuffing.

Paul Newman joins former Sherlock Jeremy Brett to create a key ingredient in stuffing...

Paul Brett's Sage - Cottage Made For Two

9. Les Verts.

Nickname of the famous French football club...

Saint Etienne - Wood Cabin

8. Stratofortress.

It's full name is the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress...

The B52s - Love Shack

7. Mayall, Dodd, two thousand, two hundred and forty pounds. 

Rik Mayall, Ken Dodd and a ton (in UK measurements).

Rik Kenton - Bungalow Love

6. The first red reshuffle.

"First red" was an anagram...

The Drifters - Come On Over To My Place

5. A good reason to pull onto the hard shoulder.

Puncture - You Can't Rock And Roll (In A Council Flat)

Extra marks if you got that one.

4. Between red and white.

ROSÉ (featuring Bruno Mars) - APT. 

3. Goes after a spider, leads a Mystery gang, wrote songs with Cynthia.

Spider-Man. Fred leads Mystery Inc. and drives the Mystery Machine. Cynthia Weil wrote songs with her husband Barry Mann.

Manfred Mann - Semi-Detached Suburban Mr James

2. Brain tissue.

Apparently, the softest cells in your body are in your mushy brain tissue.

Soft Cell - Bedsitter

1. Can Sam send a cryptic clue?

"Sam send" was an anagram.

Take your pick between...

...and...

Don't leave home next Saturday morning - stay in for more Snapshots!

Saturday Snapshots #417

It's Saturday, it's half past eight, it's... Snapshots!

No shit, Sherlock.

Can you work out who these Strange folk below might be... and solve the mystery of what might connect their songs?

15. Big gigs at Butlins.

14. Now in interstellar space.

13. Fooled Ulric into thinking they were someone else.

12. She could have been part of last week's quiz. They mix Astbury and Weller with maximum effort.

11. Half of Ernie the Explorer!

10. New man and old Sherlock in a good stuffing.

9. Les Verts.

8. Stratofortress.

7. Mayall, Dodd, two thousand, two hundred and forty pounds. 

6. The first red reshuffle.

5. A good reason to pull onto the hard shoulder.

4. Between red and white.

3. Goes after a spider, leads a Mystery gang, wrote songs with Cynthia.

2. Brain tissue.

1. Can Sam send a cryptic clue?

Cumber-back tomorrow morning to hear the answers!

Fun Fact Friday #1: Johnny Cash & The Ostrich

Yesterday I read about how Johnny Cash was once attacked, and nearly killed, by his pet ostrich, Waldo. And as I'm short for time, I thought I'd share that with you...

“All he did was break my two lower ribs and rip my stomach open down to my belt, If the belt hadn’t been good and strong, with a solid belt buckle, he’d have spilled my guts exactly the way he meant to. As it was, he knocked me over onto my back and I broke three more ribs on a rock—but I had sense enough to keep swinging the stick, so he didn’t get to finish me. I scored a good hit on one of his legs, and he ran off.”

Wow. I bet that... Hurt.