Trixie's Big Red Motorbike

TBRM by Michael Sparrow (michaelsparrow@live.com)

Part 1:

Trixies Big Red Motorbike - The most obscure band in the world.

The recent interest in 80s indie band Trixies Big Red Motorbike, and the complete lack of information available about them have prompted me to write this article. I knew the band well, and recorded some of their music at Trixieland. This article should interest anyone who has downloaded the songs and wants to know who these people were.

Trixies Big Red Motorbike were a brother and sister duo who wrote and recorded unusual pop, mainly in the Isle of Wight, U.K. Mark Litten, shy and introverted, played guitars, bass and drums. Melanie, shy but slightly extroverted, sang and added occasional percusion, recorder etc. I helped them when they wanted to get their creations down on tape. There are three kinds of Trixie material available - Songs done for two John Peel sessions around 1983, songs recorded (very well) at Rod Gammons studio on the Isle of Wight, and about twenty tracks done at Trixieland, which I am responsible for recording.

Trixieland was actually Mark’s bedroom, and recording facilities were very basic. Their instruments were unbelievable - cheap mail order guitars, drums made of cardboard boxes (the bass drum was the bed, hit very hard with a piece of wood) percusion from the toy shop, and a simple drum machine. Somehow we managed to produce music that shows the bands talent and uniqueness, and still brings a tear to my eye today.

I believe one reason the bands music was so unusual was the strange mix of influences the pair had. The main ones being The Undertones, Elvis Presley, 50s Hollywood musicals, Power Pop chart music and TV jingles. Simon and Garfunkel too!

Marks approach to songwriting changed gradually over the couple of years we worked together. Early songs were done quickly, with throw away lyrics, just for the excitement of creating something new. One or two of these, like One Nation Under a Brolley, are among their most popular songs, however. Later he started taking more care with every aspect of the music, saying he wanted to make decent songs that people whistle in the bath, and other bands want to cover. Probably the best from this period are Thats the End of That or Thats Quite a Lot.

To be continued.

Further information:

michaelsparrow@live.com