Today we move onto our first sortie into the world of motorised transport with the Motorcycle. The Motorcycle, often called a motorbike, bike, or cycle, is a two- or three-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long distance travel, commuting, sport (including racing), and off road riding. Motorcycling is riding a motorcycle and being involved in other related social activity such as joining a motorcycle club and attending motorcycle rallies.The 1885 Daimler Reitwagen made by Daimler and Maybach in Germany was the first internal combustion, petroleum-fueled motorcycle. In 1894, Hildebrand and Wolfmuller became the first series production motorcycle.
“Little Honda” is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the Beach Boys. It was released on their 1964 album All Summer Long. The song pays tribute to the small Honda Motorcycle and its ease of operation, specifically the Honda 50. Immediately following its appearance on All Summer Long, the song was covered by The Hondells, whose recording produced by Gary Usher peaked at #9 on the Billboard. Capital Records then later released it as a single for the Beach Boys, and their version peaked at #65 on the Billboard.
The Motorcycle Song is a song taken from the Alice’s Restaurant album by Arlo Guthrie released in September 1967 by Reprise Records. A steady seller, the album peaked at #17 on the Billlboard album chart in March 1968. The album re-entered the chart in October 1969 and reached #63 in November of that year. Alice’s Restaurant went gold (500,000 units sold) in September 1969 and Platinum (1,000,000 sold) in October 1986. The song is the vehicle for a one of Guthrie’s long fantastical stories.
Chris Spedding is an English musician, singer, guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his studio session work. By the early 1970s, he had become one of the most sought-after session guitarists in England. Spedding has played on and produced many albums and singles. In 1975, Spedding had a Top 20 solo hit in the UK with “Motor Bikin'”, which he promoted with popular television appearances on TOTP and Supersonic, dressed in leather motorcycling gear, with greased hair.
Motorcycle Mama is a track from Comes a Time the ninth studio album by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Neil Young, which was released in October 1978. Its songs are written as moralizing discourses on love’s failures and recovering from worldly troubles. They are largely performed in a quiet folk and country mode, featuring backing harmonies sung by Nicolette Larson (as on this track) and additional accompaniment on some songs by Crazy Horse.
“1952 Vincent Black Lightning” is a song by guitarist Richard Thompson from his 1991 album Rumour and Sigh. It tells the story of a thief named James and the girl Red Molly whom he charms with a ride on his 1952 Vincent Black Lightning motorcycle. In 2011 Time magazine listed the song in its “All TIME 100 Songs”, a list of “the most extraordinary English-language popular recordings since the beginning of TIME magazine in 1923,” praising it as “a glorious example of what one guy can accomplish with just a guitar, a voice, an imagination and a set of astonishingly nimble fingers.”
“Motorcycle” is the first single from Diane and the Gentle Men’s new upcoming album ‘The White Sea’. The single was produced by Steve Wynn of The Dream Syndicate. “Motorcycle” is a summer anthem that inspires people to live in the moment. It is drenched with that feeling of hopeful abandon “.. the song is catchy and the video is deliciously old-school. Starting with a hammering drum and bass-line, “Motorcycle” rips right into the meat of the song and doesn’t let up throughout its three and a half minutes of throwback cool.
