The Movies were an English adult-oriented rock band from Cambridge that issued a self-titled album on A&M/Firefly in 1975, followed by two albums on GTO in 1977/78 and another pair on RCA in 1980/81. Three of the members had earlier played together in the 1973 Sovereign one-off Public Foot the Roman.
Members: Greg Knowles (guitar), Jon Cole (vocals, guitar), Julian Diggle (percussion, vocals, harmonica, keyboards), Jamie Lane (drums, 1974-80), Durban Betancourt-Laverde (bass, 1974-75), Dag Small (keyboards, 1974-75), Dave Quinn (bass, 1975-78), Mick Parker (keyboards, 1975-81), Colin Gibson (bass, 1978-81)
The Movies began in 1974 when guitarist Greg Knowles, keyboardist Dag Small, and drummer Jamie Lane regrouped after the breakup of Public Foot the Roman, their prior band that issued a 1973 self-titled album on Sovereign. For their new band, they enlisted ex-Ora percussionist Julian Diggle and two newcomers: guitarist/singer Jon Cole and Venezuelan-born bassist Durban Betancourt-Laverde.
They scored a deal with Firefly, a short-lived A&M subsidiary with hard-rockers Hustler as its only other act. The Movies recorded their first album at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth, Wales, and AIR Studios, London, with producer Pete Gage, the former guitarist of The Zephyrs, Dada, and Vinegar Joe. Gage connected The Movies with one of his other clients, singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading. They served as her backing band on the UK tour behind her 1975 A&M release Back to the Night.
Discography:
- The Movies (1975)
- Double A (1977)
- Bullets Through the Barrier (1978)
- India (1980)
- Motor Motor Motor (1981)
Sources:
Artist/Album Pages:
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