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Elton Motello

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Active from
  
1975

Record label
  
Attic Records

Genre
  
New wave/post-punk

Elton Motello images45catcomeltonmotellopogopogonegramjpg

Members
  
Plastic Bertrand, Alan Ward

Albums
  
Victim of Time, Jet Boy, Pop Art, Elton Motello

Similar
  
Lou Deprijck, Chron Gen, Hubble Bubble, Raxola, Brian James

Elton motello promo video 1980 part1


Elton Motello was an English punk and new wave band.

Contents

Elton Motello is both the moniker of Alan Ward, the lead singer and songwriter, and the name of the band itself. Alan Ward was formerly a member of the glam punk band Bastard along with Damned guitarist Brian James, Dez Lover and Nobby Goff.

Elton Motello DOWN UNDERGROUND Elton Motello Pop Art LP 80 w Victim Of Time LP 79

Motello then recruited a new set of musicians including Mike Butcher (aka "Jet Staxx" who had played on Jet Boy, Jet Girl), Willie Change (bass), and Nobby Goff (drums), to record debut album Victim of Time, which also featured guest appearances from former Pretty Things and Pink Fairies drummer John "Twink" Alder, Tony Boast, and Peter Goff (guitar).

Elton Motello 45cat Elton Motello Jet Boy Jet Girl Pogo Pogo Pinball

Motello returned in 1980 with a second album, Pop Art, now backed by Butcher, Andrew Goldberg, J.P. Martins, and Walter Meter. Two singles followed towards the end of the year, after which the band split up.

Elton Motello Elton Motello

Elton motello victim of time


Jet Boy Jet Girl

Elton Motello Elton Motello Get The Guy 1978 YouTube

Alan Ward had toured Belgium with Bastard. Through his connections there, he had his new moniker, Elton Motello, debut on the Belgian label Pinball with the single "Jet Boy, Jet Girl" in 1977. The song was backed by session musicians Mike Butcher (guitar), John Valcke (bass) and Bob Dartsch (drums), instead of Elton Motello's regular musicians. That exact same backing track was simultaneously used by Belgian artist Plastic Bertrand on his internationally successful hit single "Ça plane pour moi". Since then, "Jet Boy, Jet Girl" has sometimes been wrongly thought to be a cover for "Ça plane pour moi", with new lyrics over the same backing track, but the truth is, the two songs were simultaneous adaptations of one same backing track.

While Bertrand's single was an international hit, Motello's single in English made little impact, except in Australia, where it was released on the RCA label and hit #33 on the National Top Forty (and regionally in Melbourne at #11 and in Sydney, at #10). Also in Australia, "Jet Boy Jet Girl" has appeared in a television commercial, though the commercial only included the chorus and none of the once-controversial lyrics.

After Pop Art

Alan Ward, after his time with Elton Motello, continued his musical career through producing for other artists, including Plastic Bertrand, the musician behind "Jet Boy, Jet Girl"'s sister song, "Ça plane pour moi. Alan Ward currently resides in Belgium where he works as a producer at Electric City Recording Studio.

Songs

Jet Boy - Jet GirlVictim of Time · 1978
ApocalipsticVictim of Time · 1978
Pogo PogoVictim of Time · 1978

References

Elton Motello Wikipedia