Mobiles | |
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Origin | Eastbourne, East Sussex |
Genres | |
Years active | 1981–1984 |
Labels |
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Past members | David Blundell Chris Downton Russ Madge Anna Maria Eddie Smithson John Smithson |
Mobiles were an English new wave and synth-pop band, formed in 1981 in Eastbourne, East Sussex. They enjoyed a brief period of chart success when their song "Drowning in Berlin" reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart in early 1982. [2]
Formed in 1981, Mobiles were based in Eastbourne, [3] though some band members hailed from nearby Bexhill-on-Sea and Hastings. Fronted by vocalist Anna Maria, other members included David Blundell ( bass), Chris Downton ( guitars), Russ Madge ( lead guitars), and brothers Eddie Smithson ( drums) and John Smithson ( keyboards/ synthesizers). Shortly after their formation, they were signed by the Rialto Records label, owned by Nick Heath and Tim Heath, sons of British bandleader Ted Heath.
Their best-known release is their debut single, "Drowning in Berlin", which was initially issued in December 1981. With lyrics concerning contemporary topics like the then-ongoing Cold War and the Berlin Wall set against a dark electronic synth-pop backing, the song also contains a section which features an interpolation of " The Loveliest Night of the Year", the popular 1950 Irving Aaronson song adapted from the 1888 waltz " Sobre las olas" by Juventino Rosas. The song received radio airplay in the UK, eventually spending two months in the UK top 40, peaking at number 9 in early February 1982. [2]
The band were never able to reach the top 40 again, although the follow-up single, "Amour, Amour", came close when it stalled at number 45 in early April 1982. Despite critical acclaim, their debut album, Mobiles, did not chart, [2] nor did any of their four subsequent singles (including a 1983 cover version of the Foundations' " Build Me Up Buttercup"), after which the Heath brothers shut down the Rialto label.
After a brief hiatus, Mobiles returned in 1984, now a duo, comprising just Russ Madge and Anna Maria, and backed by members of Sad Café, Bucks Fizz, and Swans Way. [4] MCA Records released the single "Lost Without Your Love" on its Panther Records sublabel, but it also failed to chart, and plans for a proposed second album were discontinued.
Mobiles finally disbanded in 1984. Madge and Maria continued to work together in another short-lived band called the Avengers, releasing one more single on the Panther label in late 1984. [5] The Smithson brothers later worked with Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, in the 1990s.
In 2006, a compilation album entitled The Best of Mobiles: Drowning in Berlin was issued by Cherry Red Records, featuring all seven singles and all tracks from their eponymous debut album, as well as several B-sides, remixes and extended versions as bonus tracks. [1]
Year | Song |
UK [2] [7] | ||||
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1981 | "Drowning in Berlin" ( b/w "Tiptoe in Paradise") | 9 | ||||
1982 | "Amour Amour" (b/w "Skeleton Dance") | 45 | ||||
"Partners in Fiction" (b/w "Snow Man") | — | |||||
"You're Not Alone" (b/w "Struth") | — | |||||
1983 | " Build Me Up Buttercup" (b/w "Don't Pay the Axeman") | — | ||||
"Fear" (b/w "Longtime") | — | |||||
1984 | "Lost Without Your Love" (b/w "Remember") | — | ||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |