Moti Special

Moti Special
Origin	Hamburg,Germany
Genres	New wave
Years active	1981–1990
Labels	TELDEC,Polydor
Past members	Michael Cretu Reinhard Tarrach Manfred Thiers Nils Tuxen Frank Adahl Anders Mossberg

Moti Specialwas a Germannew waveband, formed in 1981 inHamburg,by Danishguitarplayer Nils Tuxen, RomaniankeyboardplayerMichael Cretu,bassist/vocalist Manfred "Thissy" Thiers anddrummerReinhard "Dickie" Tarrach. All of the members had previous experience assession musicians.Thiers decided on the name of the band after visiting an Indian restaurant inLondontogether with German-Israeli artist Moti Argaman, where they had the "special" (extra spicy) dish of the house.

History

Formed in 1981, it was not until 1985 that the band became successful. Although their first single, "Stop! Girls Go Crazy", did not chart, the follow-up, "Cold Days, Hot Nights",was a major hit in Europe, reaching number 3 in Germany. The third single" Don't Be So Shy "made it to number 9. The band's first album,Motivation,reached number 20 on the charts in that same year.

Michael Cretu left the band to pursue his solo career, and production work with various artists, including his wife, '80s singerSandra.

Nothing was heard of from the band again until 1989, when a new single, In Love We Stand, was released. The album, along with its title-track,Dancing for Victorywere not that well-received as the first album was. Two new members had also been added: Frank Adahl – vocals/keyboards and Anders Mossberg – basses. They were both session-musicians from Sweden. By then, Tuxen and Tarrach were the only original members still in the band.

Michael Cretu has since had a successful career, as a solo artist, collaborator, writer, producer, and most notably, as the creator ofEnigma.He also recorded an album with Manfred Thiers as Cretu & Thiers. Their albumBelle Epoquewas released in 1988.

Manfred Thiers is still working as a session bass player, and in 2005 performed on the albumThe Voice of Leonard Bernstein,alongsideLeonard Bernstein,José Carreras,andDame Kiri Te Kanawa,as well as many other great performers. More importantly, he is also a member ofSchiller-live Band (Weltreise/Voyage, Leben/Life and Tag und Nacht/Night and Day live tour).

In 2006, official remixes of "Cold Days, Hot Nights" (by DJ/producer Arnold Palmer) took the track, now re-titled simply as "Cold Days", into the top 5 of the official German Dance chart. A subsequent full release has yet to materialise despite the track's considerable success in German clubs.

Discography

Albums

• Motivation(1985)
• Dancing for Victory(1990)

Singles

• "Stop! Girls Go Crazy" (1984)
• "Cold Days, Hot Nights"(1984) West Germany No. 3, Switzerland No. 4
• "Don't Be So Shy" (1985) West Germany No. 9, Switzerland No. 10
• "Stop! Girls Go Crazy (Remix)" (1985) West Germany No. 53
• "In Love We Stand" (1989)
• "Behind Closed Doors" (1990)
• "Dancing for Victory" (1990)
• "Megamix '98" (1998) Germany No. 66
• "Cold Days" (2006), promo-only release credited as Arnold Palmer vs. Moti Special

External links

• Moti Special at Sandranet