Mobiles were an English new wave and

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

band, formed in 1981 in

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...

, East Sussex. They enjoyed a short period of chart success during the peak of the new wave and synth-pop movement in the early 1980s, most notably when their 1981 song "Drowning in Berlin" reached the top 10 of the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in early 1982.

Career

Mobiles were based in

, with band members hailing from

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

Bexhill-on-Sea Bexhill-on-Sea (often shortened to Bexhill) is a seaside town and civil parish situated in the county of East Sussex in South East England. An ancient town and part of the local government district of Rother, Bexhill is home to a number of arc ...

and Eastbourne, and were led by vocalist Anna Maria. Other members included Russ Madge (lead guitars), David Blundell (bass), Chris Downton (guitars) and brothers John Smithson (keyboards / synthesizers) and Eddie Smithson (drums). 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 Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...

. Their best-known release was their debut single, the minimalist electronic / synth-pop-inspired New Wave song "Drowning In Berlin". Initially issued around Christmas 1981, with lyrics concerning then then-ongoing

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

and also the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

, the single - which also featured a sample from the popular 1950

Irving Aaronson Irving A. Aaronson (February 7, 1895 – March 10, 1963) was an American jazz pianist and big band leader. Aaronson's most popular song, "The Loveliest Night of the Year", was not recorded with his band but was adapted by Aaronson in 1950 for ...

song "

The Loveliest Night of the Year "The Loveliest Night of the Year" is a popular song. The music was first published as a waltz called " Sobre las olas" ("Over the Waves") in 1888, written by Juventino P. Rosas. In 1950, the music was adapted by Irving Aaronson with lyrics by P ...

", itself adapted from the 1888 waltz " Sobre las olas" by

Juventino Rosas José Juventino Policarpo Rosas Cadenas (25 January 18689 July 1894) was a Mexican composer and violinist. Life and career Rosas was born in Santa Cruz, Guanajuato, later renamed Santa Cruz de Galeana, Guanajuato, and still later into Santa Cru ...

- enjoyed heavy radio airplay and spent two months in the UK top 40, peaking at No. 9 in early February 1982. Following the success of "Drowning in Berlin" , Mobiles were never able to reach the top 40 again, although the follow-up single, "Amour, Amour", featuring similar European themes to its predecessor, narrowly missed out on giving them a second top 40 placing, reaching No. 45 in early April 1982; however, despite critical acclaim, their eponymously-titled debut album, ''Mobiles'', did not chart. With all of their subsequent singles (including a cover version of

the Foundations The Foundations were a British soul band (m. 1967–1970). The group's background was: West Indian, White British, and Sri Lankan. Their 1967 debut single "Baby Now That I've Found You" reached number one in the UK and Canada, and number ele ...

' 1969 hit "

Build Me Up Buttercup "Build Me Up Buttercup" is a song written by Mike d'Abo and Tony Macaulay, and released by the Foundations in 1968 with Colin Young singing lead vocals. Young had replaced Clem Curtis during 1968, and this was the first Foundations hit on which ...

" in early 1983) similarly also failing to chart, they were soon dropped by Rialto; consequently, a proposed second album was discontinued, and the group subsequently disbanded in 1984. Following the band's dissolution, Anna Maria and Russ Madge continued to worked together in another short-lived band called the Avengers in the mid-1980s, releasing several singles for

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. John and Eddie Smithson later worked with

Jason Bonham Jason John Bonham (born 15 July 1966) is an English drummer. He is the son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. Since his father's death in September 1980, he has performed with the surviving three members of Led Zeppelin on several occasi ...

, son of former

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

drummer the late

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove,J ...

, in the 1990s. In 2006, a "best of" compilation album entitled ''Drowning in Berlin - The Best of Mobiles'' was issued on the

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything But the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as well ...

label, featuring all seven singles and all album tracks featured in their eponymous debut album from 1982, as well as several B-sides, remixes and extended versions as bonus tracks.

Band members

* David Blundell – electric bass guitar * Chris Downton – electric guitar * Russ Madge – electric guitar * Anna Maria – lead vocals * Eddie Smithson – drum kit * John Smithson – electronic keyboards

Additional personnel

* Paul Lynton – producer * Tony Norman – manager

Discography

Albums

*''Mobiles'' (1982) *''Drowning in Berlin: The Best Of'' – (2006, Cherry Red label – CDM RED 309)

Singles

References

External links

*
Mobiles' manager's websiteMobiles performing "Drowning in Berlin" on ''TopPop''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mobiles, The English new wave musical groups English pop music groups British synth-pop new wave groups Female-fronted musical groups 1981 establishments in the United Kingdom 1984 disestablishments in the United Kingdom