The Movies - The Movies (1976) [Hi-Res]

The Milwaukee trio The Movies — Michael Morgan, Peter Barnes, and Ted Medbury — released a single self-titled album in 1976 and then largely vanished from music history, leaving almost no trace online. Yet behind that modest record lies a string of unlikely facts: it came out on the then-fledgling Arista Records, future celebrated film composer James Newton Howard played as a session musician on it, production was handled by Vini Poncia (known for his work with Ringo Starr and KISS), and the band recorded the theme song for the 1977 film Fun With Dick And Jane. The album's opening track, "Dancin' On Ice," carries a Harry Nilsson-esque charm — stubbornly out of step with 1976, a year dominated by the Ramones' punk debut and disco hits. Before forming The Movies in Los Angeles, Morgan and Barnes had played together in the Milwaukee group The Messengers, whose tangled history includes a transformation from a Minnesota high-school band into an act signed to Motown, one of the label's first white signings. In early 1976, The Movies appeared on the final episode of the little-remembered ABC variety show Saturday Night Live With Howard Cosell, alongside Billy Crystal and The Bay City Rollers. The album cover was shot by Milwaukee photographer Bob Cavallo, himself a former member of The Messengers. According to Cavallo, the band's career was derailed by a mysterious onstage incident that led to them being blacklisted by Arista chief Clive Davis. Peter Barnes died in 2004; Morgan and Medbury are both still alive.

Tracklist:
1. The Movies - Dancing On Ice
2. The Movies - Rainy Weather
3. The Movies - American Beauty Rose
4. The Movies - Satellite Touchdown
5. The Movies - Better Wages, Better Days
6. The Movies - Empty Room
7. The Movies - If I Can Just Get Through Tonight
8. The Movies - You Think You're Too Good To Be True
9. The Movies - Sugarloo
10. The Movies - Would You Believe