Mothers, Erdington, The Home Of Good Sounds

Has anyone any memories of MOTHERS The Home of good sounds.
I will be adding mine, Watch this space.

I remember a geezer I used to go drinking with in the 70s was always going on about Mothers in Erdington.
He saw loads of yet to be really really famous bands play there and drank loads of cider.
Mind you he was quite old so he'd been around long enough to have seen most things.

SB

As I have said my only memory of Mothers was ripping up the dance floor & stage. Want to buy a plank of Canadian Maple.

Phil

I believe I have said before. Phil is short for Philistine.

I'm Shocked.... Dismayed.....Almost moved to caring.....
So how much a foot is this Maple then?

You may Mock both of you. But Mothers was an important stage of the development of bands and music in this country and in some cases the world. Mothers Erdington and John peel gave bands and musicians to show what they could do and unless you experienced the atmoshpere of the place, the people that went there the Bands, the Music and the history most people will never understand why it was so important.
The quality of the artists was phenomenal, this is is reflected in the fact that many are still performing today, as old as they are. Bearing in mind Mothers is still remembered and talked about 40 years later.
It was the friendliest place. you could talk to anyone including the bands, try doing that these days. I met so many people that went on to be world stars.
Mothers in it's short life achieved world fame, the kind that many club owners have only dreamed about. Bands used to come from America and play at Mothers for free.
This from an upstairs room over a furniture shop in Erdington (where ?) that was awkward to get to, on a rubbish bus route and a lot of people had to walk home. But my god they queued to get in.
Mothers Erdington earned it's place in history, only someone who never experienced the atmoshere of this place would doubt it's worth in Birminghams Hall of Fame.

SB, you sound just like that bloke from the 70s.
I may mock in jest but be assured, the thought of the place still sends a tingle through me.

Voltman

SB

After your description it leads me to ask the question. So why did it only last for so short a time if it was so good?

As I say I never went to Mothers while it was open, my only experience of the place was after it closed. But I have to tell you that I visited a lot of clubs all over this country (including the original cavern) that were raved about by the locals and none of them lived up to what was said about them.

Phil

Believe me Phil Mothers was very good.
The reason it closed : The lease expired and the furniture shop below wanted the room back and wouldn't renew. Mothers wasn't just raved about by the locals some people came from miles away to see the place and it's bands. I was chatting to Marc Bolan one night he drove up from London just for the evening. Many others came fro Manchester and other spots around the country. Mothers was mentioned in the New musical Express and The disc and Music Echo on many occasions. Pink Floyd recorded part of their album Unmmagumma there,John Peel when he had his radio show on Radio One mentioned Mothers on many occasions he also appeared at Mothers very frequently. So Phil you can try but if you new Mothers as I and many others did you would never put the place down. SB

SB

Believe me I am not trying to put the place down, never having visited the place I am not in a position to do so am I. But if the place was so popular (popular places make money) If I had owned the club I would have tried to buy Dale Forty out and establish a bigger club. They were obviously ripe for an offer because they sold out a couple of years after Mothers closed.

Phil

SB, moving away from Mothers for a moment, do you remember the bands we used to see at the Railway, Curzon Street?

Spitfire and Magnum as I recall, well I am pretty sure that the same Magnum are still going but I can find no references to Spitfire.
Magnum CDs and MP3s are available at Amazon and they have their own website.

Perhaps if you get time you could have a look and see if you think they are the same band.

Voltman

Spitfire's lead guitarist was a guy called Roger Hill, he was an excellent Guitarist. Magnum i think are the same band I don't think I ever saw them but I heard good reports.
Vm didn't you come with me on a Sunday lunch time to the live Jazz session, We had a few beers with steve Gibbons I think. Roger Hill used to jam with the Jazz people too. SB

Yes I was there.

I am quite sure Spitfire and Magnum were different bands, they appeared on alternate Fridays, didn't they?

No when I said the same bands, I meant that the Magnum that played at the Railway was the same band that's playing now. Spitfire was a different band altogether.

SB, I Googled "Spitfire" with "Roger Hill" and got some interesting stuff. I never got anywhere when I previously serached for Spitfire.

This is a link to a page with some good info, it's in another forum but of different subject matter to this one.
[URL]
http://www.mikedolbear.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=83589[/URL]

Volty