supplied by Bertie Wiseman
The Mobiles featured David Blundell, Chris Downton, Russ Madge, Anna Maria, Eddie Smithson, John Smithson
Nick Prince… Who remembers The Mobiles, who were based in Eastbourne. The bands members came from Hastings, Eastbourne and Bexhill. I distinctly remember Anna Maria, the lead singer came from Ore. They had two hits, Drowning in Berlin, and Amour Amour, having been doing the local pub circuit for a while. Did anyone on here see them?
Mark Randall… Only on TOTP with a Bowie at Victoria Station stylee salute
Henry Mann… She used to live just round the corner from me. Big surprise to see her on TOTP.
Tony May… Anna Maria and Russ Madge came into Stylus Records in the mid 80’s to sign copies of their ‘Lost Without Your Love’ single. They had signed then to MCA Records following one single under the name ‘The Avengers’. From talking to them both that day I believe a number of tracks were recorded towards an album for MCA but the single did not chart and the band were dropped. I famously put my foot in it with Anna Maria when I asked her to sign my copy of their debut album on Rialto (very rare as the record company folded just after its first week of release). You perform some amazing vocals on that album I told Anna to which she was well chuffed. Really? She said – to which I replied – ‘Yes, my copy jumps!’ Not a good idea for a joke…
Terry Pack… Anna, whose surname I used to know, but now can’t recall, was at St Richards in Bexhill, a couple of years below me. I think she went out with Tim Phillips (the Bexhill one, not the Rye one) for a while, but I might have imagined that. They had a hit with “Drowning In Berlin’, didn’t they? I think it was recorded at Tony Bird’s studio in Ninfield (?)
Dennis Wootton… I stood in on drums once on an Eastbourne gig just before they recorded drowning
Phil Thornton… great band !! Expandis supported them a few times and I did a show case for a new project with them ! the backing track for Drowning in Berlin was indeed recorded at Tony’s studio not sure where it was finished but Red Bus rings a bell … it got to No9 and they did a mime on Top of the pops
Henry Mann… Her name was Anna Garrett. Not sure of the spelling. I may be wrong but I have a vague memory of her having blonde hair.
Tim Phillips… I’ve only just come across this. You’re right Terry, I did go out with Anna for a couple of years. I suggested her as a singer to Russ & Chris who were in a band prior to The Mobiles. The rest is history.
Kevin Burchett…. my ex wife used to go to st richards with anna and annas sister
Linda Day… I remember their name and the record
Mick O’Dowd… Chris Downton was a former member of Beez Neez.
Tim Phillips… I can remember watching Chris play in Beez Neez at some sort of club in Winchelsea. I still go out for a beer with him now & again. I used to go to St Richards school & that was how I met Anna. I remember her sisters & brothers well but haven’t seen them for many years.
Mick O’Dowd… That would have been Pebbles Night Club at Winchelsea Beach Tim.
Tim Phillips… That sounds familiar Mick. Didn’t Beez Neez play there on a regular basis?
Neil Steadman… Are The Mobiles still producing music?
Dave Valentine… Mobiles stickers proudly on display on the front of a box of my records.
Tim Phillips… Brings back a few memories.
Colin Fox… Neil, John Smithson, now known as John the Fiddler plays clubs around the area I live in Spain. He recently started work on a cruise liner.
Tim Moose Bruce… Before he went to spain he was in the Eastbourne band the Betties ( Betty Swallocks). In spain he was a member of Bonham, Jason Bonham’s band. One night about 10 years ago John turned up at a Betties gig in Mullens pub in Eastbourne with Jason Bonham! They got him up on the drums and did Fire by Hendrix.
Ian Thomas… I have just brought The Mobiles compilation cd, my favourite track is Drowning In Berlin. I have just started my own band at the age of thirty eight and I would be grateful if you know where I can get my cd signed by the female singer of 1980s band The Mobiles Anne Maria?
Tim Phillips… She lives in Seaford somewhere but I haven’t spoken to her for many years.
Garry King… (In reply to Tim Phillips). Great page! I played with Chris, Russ and Anna for a short while. They had an investor named John and a good opportunity to have another go at it, but it all fizzled out very fast, somewhere I still have the recordings we made at Pilot Sound studio in Hastings, a little more rock driven, Chris was a good guitar player. All seems such a long time ago now, but some of us kept and keep on going and its all good music history. I still keep in touch with Dave Blundell via Facebook.
Chris Coleman… The first time I saw these was when they rehearsed in Stonecross Village Hall.
Dave Blundell… Hi Tim, Phil, Garry – great to hear your comments on here about the Mobiles. Chris and I are still in regular touch and also occassionally with Anna and Russ. Think its about time for a Mobiles reunion . . . David ( bass player and co-writer of “Drowning In Berlin”
Tim Phillips… Hello Dave. Nice to hear from you. Some form of Mobiles reunion would be interesting. I do keep in contact with Chris but haven’t seen him in a while. I may well meet up with Helen next week.
Nick Falconer… I must admit the album has been a favourite of mine all these years. I still play it often, including today which prompted me to go hunting for info 🙂
I also have a cassette recording off the radio of a “In Concert” gig with Mobiles and The Fixx. Fabulous! That got transferred to Minsdisc in the 90s and now to MP3 so I don’t lose it!
Harry Randall… I remember them when they first started out we (Footloose) used to practise out at a pub in Crowhurst and often met them as they also practised out there
Tony Bird… hey recorded “Drowning in Berlin”in my studio in Ninfield in 1980, I engineered it Paul Linton produced it ,and they were managed by Tony Norman, reached number eight in the charts
Colin Fox… Last saw them at the Ship Inn in Meads, many years ago.
Gabs… Hi everyone! So some juicy news for all of you. Anna is my (unofficial) mother in law! I’m sure you can contact her for your signed cd if you want! Drowning in berlin is a great song!
Stephen Hathway… Hi Gabs, hope your ok. How is Anna these days?
Chris Johnson… Well, Well I’d totally forgotten them. I used to to go Hailsham Secondary school from 1968-73, I knew John and Eddie from my last year there, and I also played in a local band or two from 1975. Met up with them at a gig in the ICA in London in 1982 having moved up to town to live in 1981. That’s a memory jogger. Good blokes.
Steve Graham… (in reply to Nick Falconer) You should put up the concert on YouTube just so it is saved there. I’ve checked the BBC catalogue and there is no mention of The Mobiles set (and also the London band Furniture and a few others that have been ‘misplaced’.). The Fixx set is available on vinyl however from their BBC Transcription albums (which were meant to be returned by the radio stations after being played). Hopefully the BBC didn’t record over the Mobiles concert master tape but that did happen. Also can anyone confirm when their album got released, as it wasn’t listed in Music Week in 1982 or 1983 and was meant to come out in May 1982? I saw a comment here saying that Rialto Records went bust when it came out (not many copies around) but Rialto was wound up in April 1984 – the receivers were called in by Leosongs which jointly published The Mobiles – might be a story there also.
Karen Sweatman… I bought the Drowning in Berlin 7″ single when it came out. I was 12 and it was played non stop for weeks.
Tim Phillips… Steve, The album shows that it was in 1982 but I have no idea what month.
Nick Falconer… Hi Steve, thanks for the heads-up about The Fixx’s set. I found it via the PastDaily.com and WayBack machine and grabbed it. It’s a better balanced sound to my old cassette copy off the radio. Should I upload The Mobiles recording? Not sure what the copyright implications are if the existence of the original is unknown? I wonder if any of the band members have a copy?
Steve Graham… Nick, I guess nobody from the BBC cared when it was up on the internet before, but its not seemingly there now – although a whole bunch of other BBC Sight & Sound etc are still up there. Given the entire Mobiles album is on YouTube for anybody to download and covert nobody including Cherry Red/Pop is making any money out of that one but I think it sold out as it was a limited edition. It would be good to hear the live tracks again after 40 years, i guess it was recorded at The Paris Theatre in London.
Steve Graham… Tim, Yes I think that comment about going bust when it was released is incorrect, that happened to Grey Parade’s LP in early 1984.
I’ve only just come across this. You’re right Terry, I did go out with Anna for a couple of years. I suggested her as a singer to Russ & Chris who were in a band prior to The Mobiles. The rest is history.
Chris Downton was a former member of Beez Neez.
I can remember watching Chris play in Beez Neez at some sort of club in Winchelsea. I still go out for a beer with him now & again.
I used to go to St Richards school & that was how I met Anna. I remember her sisters & brothers well but haven’t seen them for many years.
Great page! I played with Chris, Russ and Anna for a short while. They had an investor named John and a good opportunity to have another go at it, but it all fizzled out very fast, somewhere I still have the recordings we made at Pilot Sound studio in Hastings, a little more rock driven, Chris was a good guitar player. All seems such a long time ago now, but some of us kept and keep on going and its all good music history. I still keep in touch with Dave Blundell via Facebook
Hi Tim, Phil, Garry – great to hear your comments on here about the Mobiles. Chris and I are still in regular touch and also occassionally with Anna and Russ. Think its about time for a Mobiles reunion . . . David ( bass player and co-writer of “Drowning In Berlin”
I must admit the album has been a favourite of mine all these years. I still play it often, including today which prompted me to go hunting for info 🙂
I also have a cassette recording off the radio of a “In Concert” gig with Mobiles and The Fixx. Fabulous! That got transferred to Minsdisc in the 90s and now to MP3 so I don’t lose it!
You should put up the concert on YouTube just so it is saved there. I’ve checked the BBC catalogue and there is no mention of The Mobiles set (and also the London band Furniture and a few others that have been ‘misplaced’.). The Fixx set is available on vinyl however from their BBC Transcription albums (which were meant to be returned by the radio stations after being played). Hopefully the BBC didn’t record over the Mobiles concert master tape but that did happen.
Hi Steve thanks for the heads-up about The Fixx’s set. I found it via the PastDaily.com and WayBack machine and grabbed it. It’s a better balanced sound to my old cassette copy off the radio.
Should I upload The Mobiles recording? Not sure what the copyright implications are if the existence of the original is unknown? I wonder if any of the band members have a copy?
I guess nobody from the BBC cared when it was up on the internet before, but its not seemingly there now – although a whole bunch of other BBC Sight & Sound etc are still up there. Given the entire Mobiles album is on YouTube for anybody to download and covert nobody including Cherry Red/Pop is making any money out of that one but I think it sold out as it was a limited edition. It would be good to hear the live tracks again after 40 years, i guess it was recorded at The Paris Theatre in London.
Hi everyone! So some juicy news for all of you Anna is my (unofficial) mother in law! I’m sure you can contact her for your signed cd if you want! Drowning in berlin is a great song!
Hi Gabs, hope your ok. How is Anna these days?
Well, Well I’d totally forgotten them. I used to to go Hailsham Secondary school from 1968-73, I knew John and Eddie from my last year there, and I also played in a local band or two from 1975. Met up with them at a gig in the ICA in London in 1982 having moved up to town to live in 1981. That’s a memory jogger. Good blokes.
Can anyone confirm when their album got released, as it wasn’t listed in Music Week in 1982 or 1983 and was meant to come out in May 1982? I saw a comment here saying that Rialto Records went bust when it came out (not many copies around) but Rialto was wound up in April 1984 – the receivers were called in by Leosongs which jointly published The Mobiles – might be a story there also.
The album shows that it was in 1982 but I have no idea what month.
Yes I think that comment about going bust when it was released is incorrect, that happened to Grey Parade’s LP in early 1984.