Chris Spedding – Motor Bikin’

Moving on the queen’s highway lookin’ like a streak of lightnin’

It was hard to just pick one song out of his catalog because he had so many good songs, and I love his guitar riffs. 

You could call Chris Spedding a session guy, but that’d be underselling him. He’s the kind of musician who can jump into just about any scene and make it better, without ever stealing the spotlight. A chameleon with a Gretsch. While he never quite became a household name, Spedding is one of those players whose fingerprints are all over the jukebox of the ‘70s and beyond if you know where to listen.

Chris was raised in Sheffield, England. He had classical training and great instincts. By the time the late 1960s, he was already slipping into studios and turning heads. You’ll find him in the credits of records by Jack Bruce, Bryan Ferry, John Cale, Paul McCartney, Bryan Ferry, Brian Eno, Tom Waits, Roger Daltrey, Robert Gordon, and Harry Nilsson, just to name a few.

In 1975, Spedding gave the spotlight a try himself with the single Motor Bikin’, peaking at #14 on the UK Charts, and it’s a gem. A three-minute, leather-jacket anthem with a riff that sounds like it could’ve rolled straight out of a jukebox in a biker bar run by T. Rex. He also produced demos for the Sex Pistols, and some thought he would join them, but he didn’t. 

His look? Always sharp, slicked-back hair, leather jacket, just the right amount of attitude in the mid-seventies. He looked like a cool rock ‘n’ roll guitar slinger in the best way possible. Cool without trying too hard.

As I’ve said, he has worked with everyone, including a stint with Robert Gordon. He also worked with Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders in 1980. I’ll add a couple of more songs that give you a flavor of him. The guitar riff in Jump In My Car (studio version) is really cool. It was originally done by The Ted Mulry Gang. Him and Gordon did a super job of Summertime Blues. 

Motor Bikin’

Motor bikin’
Motor bikin’
Motor bikin’
Motor cyclin’

Moving on the queen’s highway lookin’ like a streak of lightnin’
If you gotta go, go, gotta go motor bike ridin’

Listen to me and I’ll tell you no lie
Too fast to live, too young to die
I bought a new machine today and say
It take your breath away

Motor bikin’
Motor bikin’
Motor bikin’
Motor cyclin’

Moving on the queen’s highway lookin’ like a streak of lightnin’

Baby, won’t you come with me?
I’ll take you where you want to be

Well, here I am again and I’m dressed in black
I got my baby, she’s right in the back
We’re doin’ ’bout 95
Whew, so good to be alive
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Chris Spedding
Jump in My Car
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Chris Spedding

Motor bikin’
Motor bikin’
Motor bikin’
Motor cyclin’

Moving on the queen’s highway lookin’ like a streak of lightnin’
If you gotta go, go, gotta go motor bike ridin’

Motor bikin’
We go motor bikin’
Motor bikin’
Whew, we’re motor cyclin’

Moving on the queen’s highway lookin’ like a streak of lightnin’
If you gotta go, go, gotta go motor bike ridin’

Motor bikin’
We go motor bikin’
Motor bikin’

…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

34 thoughts on “Chris Spedding – Motor Bikin’”

  1. Chris Spedding, the late Teddy with the greasy duck tail hairstyle and the nasty look – back into the 1950s – invites you on 250 cc motorcycle-ride. I don’t mean that deprecatory, Max, but instead of this teeny pop-music I would recommend his later album “Pearls”; relaxed work, slow, quiet, shy and yet rock’n’roll.

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    1. I hear you…I heard many his songs that I liked better but usually with a more unknown artist I get the most well known and next time I start the others. I’ll check that album out! Thanks….I like his Robert Gordon work as well.

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    1. I’ve always liked The Who’s version of Road Runner but I like this one just as much if not more. I didn’t think I’d ever say that lol. Great guitar player.

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  4. I hope Chris didn’t speed while motorbikin’!🤣 BTW, I know that melody from somewhere else – of course, I’m completely blanking on the name of the song!

    I enjoyed the two other songs as well. I sense Chris had a bit of an obsession with speed – beep beep!

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  5. ‘Roadrunner’ is a song I knew but I don’t think I’d heard his version. Actually I had no idea he recorded anything himself, though I remember his name from Ferry solo albums I had and seeing it in other credits of albums I looked up. He had a pretty decent career it seems. I like those big Gretsch guitars

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    1. I really like his music….and yea he can play anything as you saw a partial of his credits. Working with Ferry and The Sex Pistols…you have range!

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  7. After hearing is work with Bruce and others, I was surprised at his rockabilly leanings. Like Fox said he has some other terrific work as you’re finding out. The Roadrunner cut and Hurt By Love sealed the deal for me.

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    1. The one that really caught my ear was Jump In My Car…I loved that intro CB. Oh yea…I like Hurt By Love as well…that was the first one I heard. That will be a post as well.
      Like with many it was hard to pick one… I like that 1976-1990 collection….I wore it out this week.

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      2. I’ll shut up after this…but what he does…to me is he gives you a guitarist’s guitar riff…and then a cool song with it. If that makes sense.

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  9. Long time no see. 🙂 I only know ‘Motor Bikin’ from Chris Spedding, but the other two songs are very likeable too. I’ve heard his name through the years, as you said, working with other artists.

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  10. Again, I know the name from credits and his name turning up in passing in interviews with other musicians. He’s got that Chuck Berry motorvatin’ obsession going on in these three cuts. I just read the full lyrics of ‘Jump Into My Car.’ Waddya mean, misogynistic!? Ah well, it was the 70s…

    On that note Max (it might be before your time and it was a pre Brit invasion song) but howsabout Mike Sarne, ‘Come Outside.’ And ‘Just For Kicks.’ Novelty songs, but fine for a spin or two.

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    1. I like Chris’s music…a guitar players guitar player. Plus yes…I like the straight ahead rock. I did like the other version as well of Jump In My Car. Heck…you know that the most of the stuff I like was before my time…that was the best! Oh yea…it was a different world!
      I just listened to the first one…Come Outside…That is funny! oh I had a crush on Wendy Richard since the first time I saw Are You Being Served. I can’t believe they got away with Slap and Tickle…even then LOL.

      I just listened to the second one….LOVE IT…. thank you man…I love stuff like this.

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      1. No worries. I was just old enough to remember this stuff. The problem is when you’re a fan of the stuff that is before your time (as you are Max) is that songs, movies and TV shows that are slightly off your radar now can get by-passed. I like a lot of humour but I didn’t live through the Bob Hope/Tony Hancock/Goons days and if you didn’t hear them at the time (impossible, obviously in my case) then you relied on learning, hearing and seeing them later. And pre-internet, and YouToob, good luck on that!

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      2. I totally agree. That is why I’m always on the search for new movies and songs…uh scratch that…new/old movies and songs. Oh if it wasn’t for the internet…I would not know half of the music I know…or movies. I remember having to order Van’s band “Them” from England in Tower Records JUST to hear them in 1985! I’ve always been like this for some reason obbverse…don’t know why. Hell The Beatles is an example but…they were a bit more easy to find out about lol.

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  11. Chris Spedding is one of those names I knew but I never really listened to him – or maybe I should say I didn’t know it was him I was hearing on other people’s recordings. After my crash last fall, the Motor Bikin’ video was painful to watch – but I’m guessing that would be true for anybody, even without crashing.

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    2. Oh. Yeah. When you go out cruising you don’t expect a bruising. After a few scrapes it was safer (for me, at least) to wind the throttle back and smell the roses rather than risking kissing the road. I feel considerably blessed to have old bones that don’t remind me of how lucky this idiot was to bounce back in one piece. For most old wanted-to-be ton-up boys still just being here is literally down to dumb luck.

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  12. Pingback: Chris Spedding – Motor Bikin’ – MobsterTiger

  15. this is a great record, largely forgotten these days, sadly, but played more often than the record it was competing with in the charts – comedian Jasper Carrot’s Funky Moped, not quite so cool as a motorbike 🙂 Chris would often pop up on Top Of The Pops in the background of whoever’s record he had helped on!

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