They are often considered as one of the many punk rock bands that sprang from that city in the mid-Seventies, but in fact saw themselves as more influenced by groups like The Who and The Kinks, and other pub rock acts such as Dr Feelgood or Graham Parker & the Rumour. Their brand of energetic R&B was over-trumped massively by the punk explosion, and they withered away. The repertoire consisted of Chicago Blues or Soul covers, plus tunes in a similar vein written by the band's guitarist Dave Higgs.
Before rising to semi-stardom in 1977, the Hot Rods underwent several changes in personnel: One of the first members to leave the band was Eddie himself, a dummy that featured prominently in the Hot Rods' early gigs and was discarded as the joke had worn thin. Otherwise, the band consisted of Barrie Masters on vocals, Pete Wall and Dave Higgs on guitar, Rob Steel on bass and Steve Nicol on drums. Ed Hollis, brother of Talk Talk's Mark Hollis became their manager, and the band were signed to Island Records.
By 1976, Lew Lewis (harmonica) and Paul Gray had replaced Wall and Steel. Lewis's tenure in the group lasted for the release of their first two singles before he too left. With this new line-up, the Hot Rods played a set at London's famous Marquee club - their opening act was a young band named Sex Pistols. They first appeared in the UK singles chart the end of that year with the "Live at the Marquee" EP and the single "Teenage Depression", an energetic rock'n'roll song.
After the release of the Teenage Depression LP, which gave them their first appearance in the UK albums chart, they recorded another EP called "Live - At the Sound Of Speed". During the gig from which this EP was recorded, Graeme Douglas (formerly of the Kursaal Flyers) joined the band onstage and jammed along adding extra lead lines. Afterwards his membership of the band was made permanent, and they set about writing and recording for their second album. The live recording of the "Sound of Speed" EP featured Douglas on only one track, he therefore set about recording additional lead guitar overdubs in the studio, though to keep in with the essence of a live release, he was only given one attempt at recording each song.
With the addition of Douglas, the band was moved in a more radio-friendly direction. Their biggest hit came with the Douglas/Hollis collaboration "Do Anything You Wanna Do" in the summer of 1977, under their shorter, snappier name 'The Rods'. This single made the British Top 10 (number 9 in August 1977) and also proved popular with the then predominant punk audience, as did that year's album Life on the Line. Still in 1977, the Hot Rods toured the Americas. When it came to recording a follow-up album, Thriller, the band tried hard to recapture the success of "Do Anything You Wanna Do", but to no avail. They found themselves sacked by their record company in 1979, and after Fish'n'Chips, another misguided effort for EMI, the Hot Rods disbanded in 1981.
At this point, Gray and Douglas had already left the band, the former joining The Damned. Masters teamed up with The Inmates. Ed Hollis went on to work with some of the best known acts of the punk era including The Damned, Elvis Costello, and Stiff Little Fingers.
In 1985 the band reform with Masters and Nichol joined by Warren Kennedy (guitar) and Russ Strutter (bass)and release a single and live mini-album, but after a couple of years this version of the band fizzles out.
In early 1991 the 'classic' line-up (Masters, Nichol, Higgs, Douglas, and Gray) regrouped to play some live dates, by the mid 90s Masters, Gray and Nichol are joined by Manfred Mann guitarist Mick Rodgers to record the album Gasoline Days; plus in 2005 a Masters-led outfit recorded Better Late than Never in preparation for a 30th anniversary tour. The band is currently enjoying renewed popularity throughout Europe with regular tour dates, and is also performing in the U.S. after a 25 year sabbatical.
Quit This Town
Eddie & The Hot Rods Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sure ain't no reason for me to stay,
I'm tired of wasting precious time,
I'm waking up to leave this time
I'm gonna quit this town,
Stop hanging around,
I'm gonna quit this town,
I'm gonna quit this town tonight
I ain't no fool but I ain't proud,
And I'm going where the music's loud,
And I'm tired of waiting, keeping in,
And going home for half past ten
I'm gonna quit this town,
Stop hanging around,
I'm gonna quit this town,
Got my feet on the ground,
I'm gonna quit this town tonight
The work I do just bores me sick,
And how I live I just can't pick,
The place I live sure feels like jail,
I got no-one to post my bail
I'm gonna quit this town,
Stop hanging around,
I'm gonna quit this town,
Got my feet on the ground,
I'm gonna quit this town tonight
In Eddie & The Hot Rods's song Quit This Town, the singer expresses his dissatisfaction with his current situation and the place he calls home. The lyrics show his frustration with the monotony of his life and his desire to break free from it. He feels that there is no reason for him to stay where he is, as it only results in wasting his time.
The singer wants to leave the town and start anew. He is determined to put his feet on the ground and quit this town tonight. He describes himself as not being a fool but also not proud, suggesting that he is aware of his limitations but not content with his current lifestyle. He wants to go where the music is loud, implying a desire for energy and excitement in his life. The singer is tired of waiting and keeping in, indicating that he has been suppressing his true desires.
The work that the singer does bores him sick, and he cannot seem to find a way out of the situation he is in. He describes the place he lives in as feeling like a jail, and he has no one to post his bail, suggesting that he is trapped in his current condition without the resources or support to escape.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't no place for me today,
I don't belong here anymore
Sure ain't no reason for me to stay,
There's nothing keeping me here
I'm tired of wasting precious time,
I don't want to spend my life doing things I don't care about
I'm waking up to leave this time
I'm finally taking action and leaving
I'm gonna quit this town,
I'm leaving this place behind for good
Stop hanging around,
I won't waste any more time here
Got my feet on the ground,
I'm ready to take a step forward in life
I'm gonna quit this town tonight
I'm leaving as soon as possible
I ain't no fool but I ain't proud,
I'm not stupid, but I'm not content with my current situation either
And I'm going where the music's loud,
I'm seeking a more lively and exciting environment
And I'm tired of waiting, keeping in,
I'm done waiting for things to change and keeping my feelings to myself
And going home for half past ten
I'm done with having a curfew and being restricted
The work I do just bores me sick,
I hate my job and it drains me
And how I live I just can’t pick,
I don't know how to escape my current lifestyle
The place I live sure feels like jail,
I feel trapped in this town
I got no-one to post my bail
I have no one to help me if I get in trouble
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EDDIE LEE HOLLIS, EDWIN JAMES HOLLIS, GRAEME JOHN DOUGLAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind