Hotel -

Hotel was an American melodic-rock band from Birmingham, Alabama, that released the 1979/80 MCA albums Hotel and Half Moon Silver.

Members: Marc Phillips (keyboards, guitar, lead vocals), George Creasman (bass, vocals), Lee Bargeron (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Tommy Calton (guitar), Michael Reid (guitar), Michael Cadenhead (drums, percussion, vocals)

Background

Hotel formed in Birmingham in early 1973 when singer-keyboardist Marc Phillips and guitarist Tommy Calton assembled singer Beverly Raspberry Owen, bassist Joe Breckenridge, and drummer Van Neff for a house-band residency at Knights of the Round Table in Homewood. Phillips proposed Hotel as a name while friend Bo Crowe suggested Tumbrel. The quintet initially worked as Tumbrell Hotel.

Calton entered the Birmingham rock circuit with the Swingin’ Lamp Liters. The group recorded his composition “Get Away” in 1967 at Boutwell Studios in Birmingham. Calton then played in Royal Carousel, Brass Button, and Wooden Music. Phillips entered local studio work through producer Don Mosley, who hired him for jingles and original sessions at Boutwell Recording Studios and also employed Calton.

Hotel held the Round Table residency for about a year and joined a South Central Bell Yellow Pages tour across the Southeast. When Owen left for Auburn, Hotel hired singer Alice Catanzano for a brief stint. Drummer Jim Pollard then succeeded Neff. Phillips, Calton, Breckenridge, and Pollard continued as a quartet at the Round Table and Joe Namath’s club in downtown Birmingham, where they backed singer Vickie Hallman.

Mosley connected Phillips and Calton with further studio work, and Dennis Yost of the Classics IV recorded the Phillips composition “Losing My Mind.” In spring 1974, Breckenridge joined Alabama band Cross. Hotel added bassist Mark Smith and guitarist-singer Tim Townley. The group cut demos at Sound of Birmingham and established a steady local draw at Cobblestone on Morris Avenue.

In 1976, Hotel replaced Townley and Pollard with guitarist-singer Michael Reid and drummer John Nuckols. Singer Buddy Causey introduced the group to Capitol A&R representative Dain Eric, who booked sessions at Creative Workshop in Berry Hill, Tennessee. Drummer Michael Cadenhead of Cross replaced Nuckols, and Hotel added engineer and live soundman Lee Bargeron on keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals. Bassist George Creasman completed the six-member lineup with Phillips, Calton, Reid, Bargeron, and Cadenhead.

Hotel composed and performed Seasons in 1977 for Birmingham Ballet. Eric secured a deal with Mercury, which issued their March 1978 debut single: “You’ll Love Again” (b/w “Take a Chance”), which reached No. 71 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Mercury declined an album commitment, and Hotel left the label. Eric brought the group to Scotti Brothers in Los Angeles, whose promotion company secured an MCA album agreement for Hotel at Creative Workshop in Berry Hill, Tennessee.

Hotel

Hotel released their self-titled debut album in July 1979 on MCA.

The album contains ten originals, including their Mercury single “You’ll Love Again” and two songs from their earlier Round Table period: “Losing My Mind” and “City Lights.” Marc Phillips wrote three songs and co-wrote six with fellow keyboard-guitarist Lee Bargeron; two with input by guitarist Tommy Calton. String arranger Shane Keister supplements with Moog and organ. Hotel also features Direct Flight percussionist Farrell Morris and the Shelly Kurland Strings.

“You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” beacons with a laid-back opening through layered leads and atmospheric keyboards into a soaring chorus. “You’ll Love Again” swells on lush multipart harmonies and orchestral backing, then gains harder emphasis across its chorus. “Right on Time” glides through fluid lead work and bright keyboard passages. “Old Silver” mourns around Phillips’ grand piano and restrained delivery as strings sweep across a middle eight.

“Not Wise to Say” surges from a piano opening into broad riffs and an oversized arrangement. “Losing My Mind” settles into acoustic strums and spacious atmospherics punctuated by short electric bursts. “City Lights” charges through a harder guitar-led setting. “Your Green Eyes” sways with an upbeat feel before an instrumental break turns toward calypso accents.

A1. “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” (5:16) – Phillips, Bargeron
A2. “You’ll Love Again” (3:14) – Phillips
A3. “Right on Time” (3:39) – Phillips, Calton, Bargeron
A4. “One Time Too Many” (2:38) – Phillips, Bargeron
A5. “Old Silver” (5:25) – Phillips

B1. “Not Wise to Say” (4:13) – Phillips, Bargeron
B2. “Losing My Mind” (2:36) – Phillips
B3. “City Lights” (3:35) – Tim Townley
B4. “Hold On to the Night” (4:08) – Phillips, Mann
B5. “Your Green Eyes” (3:49) – Phillips, Calton, Bargeron

Sessions took place at Creative Workshop in Berry Hill, Tennessee, with producer Dain Eric and engineers Tod Cerney and Brent Maher. Eric also produced and arranged the 1979 Michael Clark album Save the Night. Maher, chief engineer at Creative Workshop, also engineered Randy VanWarmer (Warmer) and co-produced Dottie West (Special Delivery) in the same period.

Art director Tommy Steele directed the package, with design by Andy Engel and illustration by Ron Larson through Terry Larson Studio. Engel also worked on 1979/80 sleeves for Claudja Barry (Boogie Woogie Dancin’ Shoes) and Levon Helm (American Son). Neal Preston supplied photography amid 1979 sleeve work for Kansas (Monolith), REO Speedwagon (Nine Lives), and The Who (The Kids Are Alright). The front places a beveled Hotel logo over glass-block panels with blue and rust forms behind the lettering.

MCA lifted “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” as a July 1979 single (b/w “One Time Too Many”), which reached No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100. “Hold On to the Night” followed in September (b/w “Losing My Mind”) and reached No. 80 on the same chart.

In August 2018, Rock Candy reissued Hotel as a remastered collector’s-edition CD.

Half Moon Silver

Hotel released their second and final album, Half Moon Silver, in July 1980 on MCA.

Half Moon Silver contains eight songs written primary by Marc Phillips. Tommy Calton emerges as the chief co-writer, joined by drummer Michael Cadenhead on two cuts, including the multi-level opener “A Place in Time (Refugee).” Lee Bargeron reduced his input to “Blind Side of Love” and the co-written title track. They tackle one outside composition, “Cold Blooded Red Hot Love,” co-written by poet Tom Kimmel and ex-Jellyroll guitarist Eddie Setser.

“A Place in Time (Refugee)” rises from a languid guitar-and-keyboard riff into intricate interplay, then climbs toward a wailing solo punctuated by stabbing synths. “Cold Blooded Red Hot Love” breaks from a moody opening into an explosive chorus. “Now That She Loves You” drives on a bright riff and emphatic chorus. “Ned and Mary” coils around a mobile bass figure before dual leads trade space across a middle passage.

“Half Moon Silver” glides on sparse acoustic backing beneath close harmonies. “Blind Side of Love” pivots from an opening lick into smooth singing, then breaks through meter changes across its middle section. “How It Feels” surges on strident keyboards, cultured lead work, and a pumping bassline.

A1. “A Place in Time (Refugee)” (5:15) – Phillips, Calton, Cadenhead
A2. “Cold Blooded Red Hot Love” (3:30) – Kimmel, Setser; covered in 1982 by Belinda Metz.
A3. “Now That She Loves You” (3:42) – Phillips, Calton
A4. “Ned & Mary” (3:38) – Phillips, Calton
A5. “Half Moon Silver” (3:48) – Phillips, Calton, Bargeron

B1. “Blind Side of Love” (3:23) – Bargeron
B2. “I Can’t Believe” (3:13) – Phillips
B3. “Wanting You Too My Love” (4:23) – Phillips, Calton, Cadenhead
B4. “How It Feels” (3:04) – Phillips, Calton
B5. “Talk to Me” (3:45) – Phillips, Calton

Sessions took place at Creative Workshop with Dain Eric and Hotel as co-producers; manager Debbie Towsley received associate-production credit. Tod Cerney engineered the sessions and mixed Half Moon Silver with Bargeron.

Tommy Steele designed the package around a black, blue, and silver scheme. Don Miller supplied the front photograph, with the rear image by Nashville photographer Alan Messer. Miller also photographed the 1980 Average White Band album Shine. Messer worked on contemporary sleeves for the Bar-Kays (Injoy) and Tanya Tucker (Dreamlovers). The front sets the blue Hotel logo above a folded white napkin, cigarette, and glassware on a black tabletop.

MCA lifted “Cold Blooded Red Hot Love” as a May 1980 single (b/w “I Can’t Believe”). In July 1980, “Half Moon Silver” followed with the same B-side and reached No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Rock Candy followed in August 2018 with a remastered collector’s-edition CD of Half Moon Silver. The package added a 12-page booklet with a new interview and unpublished photographs. Rock Candy also restored and expanded the sleeve artwork.

Postlude

By 1981, Hotel parted with MCA and spent their final year on the southeast club circuit. They cut further demos but ran aground with the departures of Creasman and Bargeron.

Phillips and Calton formed the Calton Phillips Group, later Split the Dark. Reid toured with Pam Tillis, then moved to Los Angeles. He later joined Wang Chung and built a career as an engineer-producer. Cadenhead also toured with Tillis and joined the Extras, while Bargeron established a recording-engineering career in Birmingham.

Discography: