The origins of the Motorcycle Boy go back to Scotland 1985 when a band named after a Fire Engines b-side were formed - Meat Whiplash.

They signed to Creation Records releasing one single for that label (which was produced by The Jesus & Mary Chain). In 1987 the band recruited vocalist Alex Taylor from The Shop Assistants and changed their name to The Motorcycle Boy (from a character in the movie Rumblefish).

They signed to Rough Trade releasing one single for that label before signing to Chrysalis releasing two singles. An album titled Scarlet was recorded but was never released and after the band were dumped by Chrysalis they moved onto Nymphaea Pink Sensation releasing another couple of singles before calling it a day in 1990.

Taylor and Eddy Connolly then jumped on the indie dance bandwagon as One Note Jam releasing one single titled Warp Eight in Electraglide (Only You) before vanishing from pop history.

These tracks are from the bands last ever single. It was released on Nymphaea Pink Sensation (NPS002) in 1990.

The Motorcycle Boy - Here She Comes
The Motorcycle Boy - Everything I See
The Motorcycle Boy - The Road Goes On Forever(live)

This post is dedicated to Lester who requested Here She Comes. If there is the demand (leave a comment) then I will post more Motorcycle Boy tracks.

This post was originally posted on indie-mp3. A My Space page has been set up using my words but it has nothing to do with me!

It seemed that for a brief moment in 1995 everyone became a Boo Radley's fan following the release of the Wake Up Boo! single. Extremely catchy and addictive it delivered the band their first major hit and was part of that years soundtrack.

I found the band to be adept at producing singles and they first caught my attention when I heard Lazarus which was released in 1992. it was a great single and Creation thought so too, re-releasing it over two CD's with a number of remixes in 1994. Amongst the usual dull plodding remix by Secret Knowledge were two of the best remixes I have heard. One was by Augustus Pablo whilst the other was remixed by Saint Etienne which became a firm favourite of mine and was generally added to tape mixes I did for friends at the time.

Concentrating on just one aspect of the original the band created a tune which is hauntingly beautiful. Slightly more upbeat than ambient it hinted at the darker side of the original and to great effect too. Enjoy!

Boo Radleys - Lazarus (St Etienne Mix)
Boo Radleys - Lazarus (Augustus Pablo Mix)

The Soup Dragons were formed in 1985 in Belshill near Glasgow. The original line up consisted of Sean Dickson (lead guitar, voice), Sushil Dade (bass), Jim McCulloch (guitar) and Ross Sinclair (drums). The bands early output was a fuzzy guitar sound heavily influenced by the likes Of The Buzzcocks.

The band released three singles/EP's between 1985/86 and these can be found on The Hang Ten Compilation. The Sun In The Sky Ep on Subway was scheduled to be their first release but the band were unhappy with the sound of the record so it was pulled with Whole Wide World becoming their debut single. Unsurprisingly the band ended up on the C86 compilation with the track Pleasantly Surprised. They also recorded two sessions for John Peel in 1986 where the line up was completed with the backing vocals and tambourine playing of Jacqueline (no surname). The band also had entries in the 1986 Festive 50 with Hang Ten reaching number 17 and Whole Wide World reaching number 25.

The band released their début album This Is Our Art the following year. It included, for me, their best ever single Can't Take No More. Sadly after that the band changed to a more rockier sound which was then followed by their indie dance/baggy conversion which gave them the commercial chart success they craved. It also saw them score their highest chart placing in the States with Divine Thing which reached number 35 in the billboard chart.

The band finally called it a day in 1995 with members going onto other outfits. Dickson formed The High Fidelity with Dade forming Future Pilot AKA.

The Soup Dragons - Hang Ten
The Soup Dragons - Can't Take No More (Live)

The Peel Session recorded on 16/02/1986 (broadcast 24/02/1986) can be downloaded via The Perfumed Garden.

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