While the Motors enjoyed considerably greater success with their second album, 1978's Approved by the Motors, than they did with their debut LP, it wasn't enough to keep guitarist Bram Tchaikovsky and drummer Ricky Slaughter on board, and by the time the band's third (and final) album appeared in... [+] Expand

While the Motors enjoyed considerably greater success with their second album, 1978's Approved by the Motors, than they did with their debut LP, it wasn't enough to keep guitarist Bram Tchaikovsky and drummer Ricky Slaughter on board, and by the time the band's third (and final) album appeared in 1980, the Motors were down to founding members Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster, accompanied by a handful of session musicians. Tenement Steps didn't bear an especially close resemblance to the scruffy guitar-based pub rock combo of The Motors 1; the pop hooks and keyboard flourishes that began to make their presence known on Approved were pushed to the forefront, and producer Jimmy Iovine wrapped up the tunes in a production so slick it resembles Teflon. With their synthesizer-based arrangements, choral punctuations, and dramatic horn and string accents, both "Metropolis" and "Slum People" sound like production numbers from some thankfully forgotten pop musical (the title tune is only slightly less bombastic), and while "That's What John Said" and "Nightmare Zero" sound like they could have been good, straightforward rockers under different circumstances, the versions here don't give them much of a chance. The shame of it is that most of the tunes on deck boast strong melodies and decent hooks, and Garvey and McMaster belt out even the weakest of them with an admirable degree of passion and soul; Tenement Steps might have been a fine album cut with a simple four- or five-piece band and an unobtrusive producer in the manner of Nick Lowe, but Iovine's attempts to craft these eight songs into something ringing with greatness prevents them from sounding very good at all. [Tenement Steps was reissued by the Captain Oi label in 2006 with a whopping nine bonus tracks, including three songs that appeared on single B-sides, three 7" edits, and three alternate mixes. They don't quite salvage the album, but they certainly add value to the package, especially since the original LP only featured eight songs.] ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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