Customer Reviews

Little Robbers

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

With new found national and international success, The Motels forged on in 1983 with their fifth album (fourth to actually be released) "Little Robbers." The production for album 5 proved to be more refined than "All Four One," but the basic elements were intact. Leading the album to chart success was the first single, "Suddenly Last Summer" that made the U.S. Top 10 and went to #1 on the U.S. FM Radio list. "Remember the Nights" followed, landing in the U.S. Top 40 and reaching to #10 on the U.S. FM Radio list. While on tour to promote the album, Martha fell ill with cancer and the tour was cancelled. Capitol decided not to release any more singles from the album, but two songs received strong FM Radio play: "Little Robbers" (#18 FM Radio list), and "Trust Me" (Top 100 FM Radio list). Any of the songs could have been potential singles, which is probably why non-album tracks were used for the b-sides of the two singles. "Tables Turned" is a beautiful rock ballad that Martha sings with the utmost seductive passion, yet she is able to turn around and rock out on the opening song for the album, "Where Do We Go From Here?" While more polished than "All Four One," the album is a definite statement on how powerful The Motels sound was and is. It earned the band a gold record in the U.S., Cananda, and Australia. -- One sad note, while I am grateful One Way Records rereleased the album on CD, they did not include the two b-side tracks "Some Things Never Change" (b-side to "Suddenly Last Summer") and "Killing Time" (b-side to "Remember the Nights"). Two song definitely worthy of inclusion.-Alan

and this is arguably their best record. 'Remember the Nights' was one of the best songs of the 80s and 'Suddenly Last Summer' is pure Motels and anyone wishing to explore their music would be well-served by starting here. (Though all of their albums are brilliant and the same kind of argument could be made for any of them -- this record is just my personal favorite.) Hopefully, there are some live tapes of The Motels out there somewhere which will one day show up on DVD, I'd be a buyer. As one of the best bands of the 80s, I'd love to see The Motels in action.

I came of age during the 1980s and The Motels are part of the "soundtrack of my life." I used to hear "Only The Lonely" (the track that put them on the map, in my opinion), "Suddenly Last Summer," and "Remember The Nights" on pop radio and they've been on my "favorites list" ever since.

I got "Little Robbers" because it had two out of the three of my favorites, and I liked a couple of the other samples I heard on here.

Of the titles on this CD, "Remember the Nights" is my favorite! It's energetic, and colorful, telling wistfully of wonderful, romantic getaways.

After listening to the CD, I also came to like "Where Do We Go From Here," and "Monday Shut Down" (which apparently doesn't exist on any other Motels CD).

The title track, "Little Robbers" is a playful party tune and it's enjoyable.

All in all I liked half the tracks on this album, which isn't bad.

This is a GREAT album. Martha Davis is an extremely talented (and underrated) singer-songwriter. From the opening cut all the way through Footsteps this band absolutely ROCKS! I love all these songs specially the gorgeous "Isle of you". Other gems are Suddenly Last Summer, Trust Me, Where do we go from here, Remember the nights and the album title. Remember this: Before Gwen Stefani (and I like No Doubt) there was and still there is the Diva: Martha Davis. Look for a new release next year! She's still making great music and touring. Get this album now available in CD.

After The Motels' commercial breakthrough with 1982's All Four One comes this killer followup that proved frontwoman and chief songwriter Martha Davis had consistent command of hooks and melodies. The singles are great, "Suddenly Last Summer" and "Remember the Nights." But there's so much more to the album. We again hear plenty of reminders of the band's late '70s L.A. punk scene days in "Monday Shutdown" and "Where Do We Go From Here (Nothing Sacred)." And we even get Martha's penchant for tropical sounds on the clever "Isle of You." A masterpiece!

THIS IS A GREAT ALBUM! MARTHA DAVIS IS SENSATIONAL! I REMEMBER SEEING THEM AT IRVINE MEADOWS IN 1983, AND THEY JUST BLEW ME AWAY WITH THEIR TALENT! IT WAS SO COOL TO SEE LIFE-SIZED CARDBOARD CUT-OUTS OF ALL THE BAND MEMBERS ON STAGE, AND THEN HAVING EACH MEMBER COME OUT FROM BEHIND EACH ONE! AND MARTHA WITH HER CLASSIC CIGARETTE IN ONE HAND AND A GLASS OF RED WINE IN THE OTHER! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! LITTLE ROBBERS WILL NOT DISAPPOINT! A+!

Wow, what a cool band The Motels was! I remember seeing them at Irvine Meadows Amplitheater in 1983. The stage was dark, and then the band all jumped out from behind cardboard cut-outs of each other! The band was so on, it sounded just like my cassette tape! They played the best 5 songs on the album--Suddenly Last Summer, Trust Me, Remember The Nights, Little Robbers, and my favorite--Into The Heartland...I recommend it for all Motel fans. Thanks for a great concert!

The Motels' Little Robbers CD is filled with tracks that sound just as fresh today as they did nearly twenty years ago when the album was first released.

That's the wonderful thing about the Motels' music. While they chronologically and musically straddled the punk and new wave eras, their music contains none of the excesses of either. Instead, some of the tracks are harder rock (such as 'Trust Me' and 'Where Do We Go From Here'), while others are softer (such as 'Suddenly Last Summer' and 'Little Robbers'). Some make more use of keyboards, while others feature guitar. In all, they've achieved a very pleasing balance in this album -- a balance that is not at all typical of the era.

This one is well worth buying.

For a professed fan of musicians like John Denver and Neil Diamond, one may wonder why I even have this album in my collection - long story; but it did belong to a roommate in Alaska. I didn't like it at first, but that did not take long - shortly thereafter "Suddenly Last Summer" was all over the airwaves and I took a closer listen. I bought the "cassette" tape *S* for my car and wore it out on my car trip back from California to Alaska in 1984. Every time I see pictures of places near where I drove, the songs on this album race back into my mind. Martha Davis has one of those "instantly recognizable; I know who that is" voices .. much like a Stevie Nicks or Linda Ronstadt. Amazing lyrics, instrumentals, and vocals throughout. How many times have you spent a magical summer filled with countless memories; and then all of the sudden it is the next summer and you can't remember anything that has happened in between. "Little Robbers" to me is what I call a "visual" song - you can almost see the little crooks dressed in their black outfits and racoon-like eye masks darting in and out of dark alleys; evading the police at every turn. Unforgettable album - a must for ANY collection, regardless of your taste.

1. Where Do We Go From Here (Nothing Sacred) 2. Suddenly Last Summer 3. Isle Of You 4. Trust Me 5. Monday Shut Down 6. Remember The Nights 7. Little Robbers 8. Into The Heartland 9. Tables Turned 10. Footsteps.