The Movies -

The Movies were an English adult-oriented rock band from Cambridge that premiered with a 1975 album on A&M, followed by the 1977–78 albums Double A and Bullets Through the Barrier and the 1980–81 RCA titles India and Motor Motor Motor. Its three co-founders came from 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)

Background

The Movies commenced 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 that also housed hard-rockers Hustler. 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.

The Movies

The Movies released their self-titled debut album in 1975 on A&M.

The album introduces a stylistically varied mix of funk-inflected rock and Latin-tinged pop anchored by tight ensemble arrangements. Keyboardist Dag Small adds ARP textures and Fender Rhodes to guitar-driven frameworks shaped by singer/rhythm player Jon Cole and lead stringer Greg Knowles. Percussionist Julian Diggle contributes layered rhythms across side two’s more syncopated tracks.

The Movies features two songs (“Look For My Light,” “Fancy Man”) by Cole, who co-wrote the remaining tracks with Diggle and bassist Durban Laverde.

“Black Country Lady” opens with clipped guitar phrasing against a minor-key funk structure, intercut with vocal lifts and a sustained instrumental break. “Look for My Light” moves with a steady pulse and crisp, open harmonies, expanding into an extended ARP sequence. “Ladies In Waiting” features a contoured bassline and layered rhythm accents, leading into a modulated chorus and melodic break. “Son, Son, Son” sustains a relaxed samba-rock pace over Rhodes textures and syncopated percussion. “Charity Performance” closes the album on a fast shuffle with interlocking solos—first Knowles with a high-register tone, then Cole with chromatic runs—followed by a percussive tag from Diggle.

A1. “Black Country Lady” (5:04) — perky funk-rock pattern (Em/Bm) with bubbling keyboards, clipped/pinched guitar parts; marked by a harmonized chordal lift (G) for the “maybe you made it” refrain. Lengthy break with sustained guitar across a keyboard/rhythm bedrock.
A2. “Candy Bar” (5:05)
A3. “Look For My Light” (5:00) — slick up-tempo number with clean chords and airy vocals across a sliding backbeat; extended double-ARP solo.
A4. “Fancy Man” (5:01)

B1. “Ladies In Waiting” (5:18) — mid-tempo Latin funk-pop with a slick bass ostinato (in F#), swelling harmonized chorus, modulated refrain, and extended laidback middle with lyrical guitar licks.
B2. “Get Out and Get Under” (4:32)
B3. “Like a Fool” (3:53)
B4. “Son, Son, Son” (5:07) — mellow samba-rock track with subtle Fender Rhodes and rhythmic counterpoint.
B5. “Charity Performance” (4:44) — shuffling uptempo pattern with samba vibes and a double-solo; Knowles’ signature squealing tones give way to a fluid, chromatic run by Cole, followed by a percussive showcase.

Sessions occurred in spring 1975 between studios in London (Air, TPA) and Monmouthshire, Wales (Rockfield) with producer Peter Gage and engineers Chris Kimsey, Denny Bridges, and Robin Freeman. Jonathan Kelly assisted on engineering.

The Movies features cover photography by Clive Arrowsmith. It shows the band members posed in a single-file lineup against a black backdrop, each holding a stick-mounted mask of a famous film actor or actress. The masks include caricatures of Charlie Chaplin, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, and others, underscoring the group’s cinematic motif.

Between albums, Laverde and Small cleared for bassist Dave Quinn and keyboardist Mick Parker. Quinn hailed from The Diversions, a three-single funk act with singer Lene Lovich and drummer Judge Smith, a co-founder of Van der Graaf Generator.

Double A

The Movies released their second album, Double A, in August 1977 on GTO.

The album refines the band’s fusion of funk, Latin, and jazz-rock elements with tighter ensemble interplay and more varied pacing across Cole’s compositions. The band stretches out with layered rhythmic figures, contrapuntal harmonies, and shifting keyboard textures that contrast the prior album’s looser phrasing.

Jon Cole wrote nine songs, including “Heaven On the Street,” “Playground Hero,” “Big Boys Band,” and “Living the Life.” Julian Diggle sings his contribution, “True Love Trouble.” Mick Parker adds electric piano, Hammond organ, Moog synthesizer, clarinet, and backing vocals.

Alto saxophonist Ray Warleigh guests on “She’s a Be-Bopper,” about a virtuoso female jazz saxist. Julian Diggle sings his own contribution, “True Love Trouble,” which features guest soprano saxist Stan Sulzmann.

“Heaven On the Street” opens with a clipped electric piano line and transitions into layered phrases that shift between angular verses and smooth, chorus-driven resolution. “Playground Hero” develops gradually from a distant organ prelude into a samba-based rhythm section, expanding into chromatic vocal sequences and textural breakdowns. “Big Boys Band” layers interlocked rhythm parts around a funk pulse and drops into a midsection of pinched guitar tones and horn accents. “She’s a Be-Bopper” swings with tight phrasing around a finger-snapping bassline. “Living the Life” alternates between chorus-forward exclamations and segmented verse structures, culminating in an upward keyboard-led passage.

A1. “Heaven On the Street” (3:47) — Fender opening with staccato click/key pattern (in Am), layered and lyricized across angular bridges and a flowing, harmonized chorus about “god-made street signs” and “starlight” with a lady named Hosanna; slide licks along the airy “heaven” coda.
A2. “Yo-Yo” (5:55)
A3. “True Love Trouble” (2:51)
A4. “Rumour” (2:00)
A5. “Playground Hero” (6:59) — slow fade-in with distant organ and cocktail licks; Latin-samba pattern congeals with a thematic guitar figure (in Cm) across a Fender-laden rhythmic churn; harmonized vocal passages with Steely-esque chromatic shifts; quiet ‘watery’ keyboard break with glistening runs.

B1. “Big Boys Band” (5:02) — mid-tempo funkified pattern (ala Little Feat) with an interlocked bass/e-piano figure, coiled with measured guitar licks; plunge middle (in F) with pinched guitar tones and punchy horns.
B2. “Boogaloo” (3:51)
B3. “She’s a Be-Bopper” (2:58) — upbeat tale about a rising saxist “showstopper,” driven by a finger-snapping bass pattern.
B4. “Living the Life” (4:46) — opens on the chorus with a ringing riff (in F#) and high harmonies, intercut with episodic verses and a gradual, ascending break with e-piano runs.
B5. “Chasing Angels” (4:03)

Sessions occurred in mid-1977 at Advision Studios with producer Ray Singer. Paul Hardiman engineered at Utopia Studios. James Guthrie handled additional overdubs and mix engineering.

Double “A” features a stylized front cover illustration of a couple’s zoomed faces captured in the moment before a kiss, rendered in airbrushed, cinematic tones. A silhouetted couple watches from the bottom edge, as if viewing the scene from a movie theater, reinforcing the band’s name and concept.

The back cover displays member portraits and full credits, framed by the same silhouetted audience motif (now departing before the end of the credit role, as audiences largely do at movie theaters). Illustrator Michael Ross designed the imagery with photography by Martyn Goddard.

Bullets Through the Barrier

The Movies released their third album, Bullets Through the Barrier, in June 1978 on GTO.

The album pivots toward tighter arrangements and darker lyrical themes with more overt stylistic nods to contemporary new wave and satirical art-pop. Compact narratives unfold across layered textures and clipped instrumental phrasing, with rhythmic surges offset by eerie lulls and electronic accents.

Jon Cole lone-wrote three songs (“No Class,” “Nobody Loves an Iceberg,” “Blow It All Up and Start All Over Again”) and co-wrote the rest with drummer Jamie Lane (“Merci and Bye, Bye”), guitarist Greg Knowles (“Love On the Run”), and keyboardist Mick Parker (“The Last Train,” “Horror Story,” “Berlin”). One track (“Vacant Possession”) features writing input by bassist Dave Quinn and percussionist Julian Diggle.

“The Last Train” opens with a driving pulse and fast vocal phrasing that escalates into sharp modulations and an aggressive refrain. “Horror Story” alternates tight rhythmic interplay with a harmonic pivot into a rapid organ break. “Berlin” plays out like a disoriented journey through atmospheric production and spectral vocal layering, culminating in a spoken cameo. “Nobody Loves an Iceberg” flips between staggered verses and syncopated sections that veer toward comedy. “Vacant Possession” deploys submerged effects and phased instrumentation over a shifting harmonic foundation, creating a suspended feel that anchors the album’s final quarter.

A1. “The Last Train” (5:41) — brisk uptempo bassline (in Am) with e-piano accents; choppy, frenetic verses with staccato Fender; aggressive unison chorus with modulated turns and tight guitar refrains; storming outro. Mirrors similar adult-oriented new wave songs by Cafe Jacques (“International”) and Bliss Band (“Stagefright”).
A2. “No Class” (4:00)
A3. “Horror Story” (4:16) — perky four-down rhythm (in E) with measured guitar/vocal trade-offs; brisk chorus (in G); blazing organ middle with chromatic shifts.
A4. “Berlin” (6:49) — faint, ominous ‘alleyway’ intro of clipped bass and distant keyboard; remote yet emotive vocals in foggy surroundings; the narrator seeks out his love between the East/West divide. Jeannie Simmons credited as the ‘Voice of Berlin’.

B1. “Blow It All Up and Start All Over Again” (2:14) — galloping caper with rapid-fire vocal delivery about a controlled demolition.
B2. “Love On the Run” (6:36)
B3. “Nobody Loves an Iceberg” (3:49) — winding ascent with lurching verses and reggaefied bridges, 10cc-esque vocal trade-offs, and comedic lyrics about icebergs as conceal/carry dangers.
B4. “Vacant Possession” (4:59) — diminished-scale chordal intro, sliding syncopated verses with remote vocals amid watery wah-wah licks and Fender Rhodes backdrops.
B5. “Merci and Bye, Bye” (4:39)

Sessions occurred in early 1978 at Utopia Studios with producer/engineer James Guthrie, a soundman on 1977/78 albums by Judas Priest, Marshall Hain, Moon, and Strawbs.

Bullets Through the Barrier appeared on first-press UK vinyl in a transparent white edition. The front cover shows a bright green light beam piercing a thick pane of glass, frozen mid-shatter to emphasize impact, motion, and rupture.

Between albums, Quinn cleared out for bassist Colin Gibson, a onetime member of Skip Bifferty with Seventies tenures in Mark-Almond and Snafu and recent credits behind Alan Hull and Graham Bonnet.

India

The Movies released their fourth album, India, in February 1980 on RCA.

The album adopts a streamlined, harder-edged sound with leaner arrangements and sharper tonal contrast. Songs unfold in clipped, rhythmic forms with layered guitars, vocal interplay, and tightly sequenced dynamic shifts that contrast the prior album’s moodier textures and modal depth.

Jon Cole wrote everything apart from the Greg Knowles co-write “Must Be the Angel” and the group-composed “8 A.M.”

“Rocket” races along a two-note ascent moves with enmeshed guitar/vocal layers. “Love Is a Sacrifice” centers on tense shifts between minor-key verses and an assertive chorus. “Have Another Body” unfolds in overlapping layers of funk accents, faint harmonies, and surging bridge passages, framed by its lyrical detachment. “India” sustains a bold, riff-based propulsion with ornamental keyboard and guitar lines that spiral outward through the extended close.

A1. “Must Be the Angel” (3:17)
A2. “Bardot” (3:02)
A3. “See Through Me” (4:51)
A4. “Rocket” (3:09) — galloping Ants-like rocker with luminous double-tracked leads and harmonica breaks across a churning rhythmic pattern; harmonic vocal nuances against a two-chord progression (A→B).
A5. “Love Is a Sacrifice” (4:15) — tight chordal track with urban modern-rock vibes; minor-key intro-bridge (Bflat→Gm) and slick, turgid verse/chorus pattern (F→C), sung with restrained masculine authority.

B1. “From Casablanca” (4:45)
B2. “Have Another Body” (4:37) — echoing chordal opener, slick funk-rock verses (Em→F#) with harmonic pings and ‘ghostly’ harmonies; taut aggressive bridges; chorused guitar layers engulf the outro. Lyrics about roaming sexual pursuits from an estranged party’s perspective.
B3. “India” (5:57) — choppy bar-chord riff (in A) with percussive uptempo drive and assured vocal swagger; lyrical guitar runs and icy organ streaks across the middle and lengthy outro.
B4. “8 A.M.” (3:18)

The Movies self-produced the album in late 1979 at Sawmills Studio. Simon Frazer engineered and assisted in mastering alongside Gordon Vicary.

India features an illustrated front cover by Rocking Russian that depicts two stylized dancers in theatrical costume: a woman in sari-like dress and a man in horned purple armor posed mid-gesture. The imagery evokes pantomime and cross-cultural performance. A red vertical sidebar bears the band name in angular Art Deco–inspired lettering, along with a cartoonish screaming soldier motif.

Motor Motor Motor

The Movies released their fifth and final album, Motor Motor Motor, in 1981 on RCA. It features a trimmed lineup with three original members — keyboardist/percussionist Julian Diggle and guitarists Greg Knowles and Jon Cole — plus recent bassist Colin Gibson and studio drummer Terry Popple.

The album emphasizes clipped phrasing, lean arrangements, and taut rhythmic framing across concise, danceable tracks. While retaining lyrical irony and angular structures from earlier work, the band leans further into syncopation, sharp contrast, and tonal compression with minimal soloing and brief harmonic detours. Cole wrote all ten songs.

“Hard Heart” develops through a descending acoustic pattern with voice–instrument interplay across a sparse beat. “Clockwise Into the Sun” alternates between compact riff bursts and modulated turns, breaking down in feedback at close. “The Kind of Love That Shows” sprinkles mallets over a staggered descending line. “Straight No More” builds on a sliding bass–guitar cycle with layered vocables. “Dancing In Space” closes the set with spatial phrasing over a steady rhythmic ascent.

A1. “Hello From Outer Space” (3:25)
A2. “Hard Heart” (3:37) — sharp acoustic riff with drop semi-tones (in Am and F), call-and-response verses across a sparse mid-tempo bass beat.
A3. “Dance Some More” (3:35)
A4. “Slavery Time” (3:59)
A5. “Clockwise Into the Sun” (3:47) — perky uptempo number (in E) with interlocked riffs amid angular chordal shifts; ominous feedback-laden outro.
B1. “Motor Motor Motor” (3:24)
B2. “The Kind of Love That Shows” (2:50) — xylophone theme on percussive ska descent (from Am).
B3. “(No Tears for This) Tearaway” (3:27)
B4. “Straight No More” (4:26) — tight bass ostinato (Am→F) with clipped guitars and harmonized vocables across sliding beat.
B5. “Dancing In Space” (4:18)

Sessions occurred in late 1980 at RCA Studios, New York, with The Movies self-producing. Mike Getlin engineered the recordings with assistance from Ronnie Olson. Ed DeJoy served as executive producer.

Motor Motor Motor features a photograph of the four band members wearing motorcycle helmets with black visors, lit with pink neon reflections against a dark studio background. Jon Cole holds a yellow rubber duck at chest height, introducing a surreal and humorous contrast to the mechanized setting. Their logo appears in metallic lettering with blue and red trim.

Discography: