Sporting a bizarre cover, The Motels contained 10 subtly edgy songs that drew from pop, rock and reggae. Highlights ranged from the slow-burning ballad “Total Control” (later a hit for Tina Turner) to the rocking “Kix,” an ode to downtown L.A. But the best song on the debut may have been “Celia,” an understated, bass-driven tune about a girl who had pissed off her volatile boyfriend. That track contained the infamous lines, “I heard him talking/I heard him say/He wasn’t gonna kill you/He was only gonna fuck up your pretty face.” Bear in mind, this was years before gangsta-rap; the F-word was not routinely used in songs back then, and rarely used by a woman in such a surprising context.

The Motels’ sophomore album, Careful, arrived a year later. The robotic title track was a keeper but on the whole, the disc failed to provide the band with the breakthrough they were looking for. However, their third effort, 1982’s All Four One, was an across-the-board smash. That album catapulted The Motels into the Top 10, courtesy of the lovely, change-of-pace ballad “Only the Lonely.” But that was only the tip of the iceberg. All Four One was a diverse effort that also included the opening rocker “Mission of Mercy,” the second single “Take the L,” a cover of the ‘60s girl-group classic “He Hit Me (and it Felt Like a Kiss)” and yet another ode to the City of Angels, “So L.A.” All in all, the album made The Motels pop stars of the MTV era.

Their next disc, 1983’s Little Robbers, maintained the band’s winning streak with the popular title track and the hit singles “Suddenly Last Summer” and “Remember the Nights.” But The Motels’ success seemed to wane somewhat with their fifth album, 1985’s Shock. It was glossier than previous albums had been and produced just one minor hit, “Shame.” Between the commercial downturn, ongoing lineup changes and Davis having some health issues, The Motels broke up in 1987.

Over the last two decades or so, Martha Davis has been active sporadically, issuing the occasional solo album. In addition, Motels compilations seem to pop up every few years. But these days, Davis appears revitalized. Now based in Portland, Oregon, she recently issued three new albums: a solo disc called Beautiful Life, an album of new Motels material called This and a collection of acoustic versions of Motels favorites called Clean, Modern and Reasonable. All three are available from www.marthadavis.com or www.myspace.com/themotels.

I recently caught up with Martha Davis and have included some excerpts from our conversation below.

BR: Tell me a little about the L.A. music scene in the late ‘70s that The Motels came out of.

MD: When we (the first line up of the Motels) ended up in LA in 1975 there was no place you could play as an unsigned act. There were two clubs, "The Whisky" and "The Starwood", both of which you needed a record deal to play at (very frustrating). But the local scene was pretty strong. We made friends and were rehearsing with a couple of bands called "The Pop" and "The Dogs." We ended up pooling our resources and putting on our own show called "Radio Free Hollywood."

It all worked out pretty well, because shortly after that we were asked to play "The Whisky” and "The Starwood." That line up of the band broke up the night of our first record company interest. Timing is everything! I went on to reform the band. By now (1977 or so), there was a pretty raging punk scene and by 1979 a new lineup was together and we were rehearsing in a very notorious place called "The Mask" located beneath the "Pussycat Theater" on Hollywood Blvd. That place was nuts! All manner of crazy punks and rockers. We ended up sharing our space with this new all girl band called "The Go Go’s." Ah the good old daze!

BR: How is it different performing as Martha Davis than it is being a member of The Motels?

MD: It's really not different at all. Even though I'm in "The Motels", it is an all new group, so basically I'm just a girl playing with a bunch of guys which is what I've always done and probably always will do (knock on wood).

BR: I want to ask you about some specific songs – just whatever inspired them or any memories or associations you may have with them.

“Suddenly Last Summer”

MD: “Suddenly Last Summer” woke me up at 3am one morning. It seems that it is a time travel tune because it conjures up images as far back as when I was 12. I believe the song to be about irrevocable change, the loss of innocence, the melancholy associated with not being able to go home again. When I was still living in Berkeley, in my early 20's, I remember sitting in the back yard of the little house I bought after my parents died. It was the end of summer. From down the street, I heard the sound of the ice cream truck with its haunting little song. As I lay there, the first cold wind of autumn started to blow and I knew I would not see the truck again that year, and that summer was over. That incident resonated with me and I think the bells from that truck became the concept for repeating melodic line that runs through 'Suddenly.'

“Celia”

MD: “Celia” was a rare song in its day because it featured the F word (something that's very common nowadays). But back then they required a 'safety' or alternate line. The line they thought would be better was "he isn't gonna kill you he's just gonna cut up your pretty face." Maybe it's just me, but I find that much more disturbing than "fuck up your pretty face.”

“Only the Lonely”

MD: “Only the Lonely” was one of those songs that was sitting on my guitar waiting for me. It literally wrote itself. It's a song about empty success. It came about while the Motels were experiencing critical acclaim, traveling the world, riding in limos, and yet I was probably as sad as I had ever been. I was in a horrible relationship and had not yet recovered from my parents’ death (I doubt one ever does). The contradiction of these two worlds was where “Only the Lonely” lived.... bittersweet.

BR: Who else is in The Motels these days?

MD: Nowadays, The Motels is an ever-growing super group. The line up is as follows: ERIC GARDNER, drums, CLINT WALSH guitar, NICK JOHNS keys, JON SIEBELS, bass and all manner of production. Also, MATHEW MORGAN, engineer and multi-instrumentalist (unofficial Motel).

BR: Any plans for the future, either with or without The Motels?

MD: We will be doing gigs, more recording, both with The Motels and solo, trying to plant a garden and getting Barack Obama elected president!