Author Topic: Mothers ---High Street Erdington. Late 1960s  (Read 91770 times)

frederick

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 22923
Re: Mothers ---High Street Erdington. Late 1960s
« Reply #11 on: June 19, 2009, 10:24:38 PM »
my time at the Carlton club with it's ultra violet ceiling lights showing up everything white like underware glowing through dreses i used to ware a suit then and i remember it being hot and also seeing Dave Berry Screeming Lord Such and their were one or two more but i didn't get to going to Mothers i started going to another club.
Failure to Prepare is to Prepare to Fail

sheldonboy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2521
Re: Mothers ---High Street Erdington. Late 1960s
« Reply #12 on: June 19, 2009, 10:27:34 PM »
Fred
Screaming Lord such appeared at Mothers, I well remember him doin Jack the Ripper  Boy of the parish of Sheldon
Strangers are just friends you havn't met yet

frederick

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 22923
Re: Mothers ---High Street Erdington. Late 1960s
« Reply #13 on: June 19, 2009, 10:45:56 PM »
was he swinging his hair through a fire on stage.
Failure to Prepare is to Prepare to Fail

sheldonboy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2521
Re: Mothers ---High Street Erdington. Late 1960s
« Reply #14 on: June 20, 2009, 05:27:22 AM »
No just being a lunatic running through the audience scaring the living---- out of any of the girls he could get near.   SB
Strangers are just friends you havn't met yet

Fatangel

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 13
Re: Mothers ---High Street Erdington. Late 1960s
« Reply #15 on: June 20, 2009, 08:11:56 AM »
The Carlton above the shops. Entry was down the side. The church is opposite

Phil

  • Account Closed
  • *
  • Posts: 32653
Re: Mothers ---High Street Erdington. Late 1960s
« Reply #16 on: June 20, 2009, 12:32:58 PM »
I never used the Carlton Club. Too far off the beaten track for me. By the time it changed over to Mothers in about 1968 I was a married man so my nightclubbing days were finished. At least at the sort of clubs that were frequented by loads of unaccompanied women.

I remember mothers like this photo, just before the fire that nearly gutted it and we had the contract to strip it out around 8 or 9 years ago. As I said before if I'd have known at the time so many famous bands had used the stage I would have saved it and sold it off on ebay piece by piece.

I also saw Screaming Lord Such on stage; I think it was Birmingham Town Hall. They carried him on in a coffin, during the act be built a little fire on stage turned his back to the audience and peed on it to put it out.

Phil


Phil died in 2020. RIP.

younglight

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 2
Re: Mothers ---High Street Erdington. Late 1960s
« Reply #17 on: June 20, 2009, 05:17:11 PM »
OH YES  welcome to the forum and the best family around.

 The Pink Floyd gig you mentioned was when the album Ummagumma was part recorded there it was a hot night at Mothers, they all were. Originally it was The Carlton Club in Erdington High Street. The only seating was bench seating around the outside walls. The stage was at the far end. The ceiling over the stage was very low, most of the bands said it was the hottest club in the country. The first band I saw there was Deep purple the second was Pink Floyd this was in the days when their equiptment fitted into two transit vans, instead of six artics.
 The album Ummagumma was a double album One disc was a studio job and the other was recorded partly at Mothers and partly at Manchester Polytechnic I think. The evening was absolutely brilliant as many nights at Mothers were. It was a special place as nowhere else in the country existed like it. It was also very important for the "Rock/Blues" scene at the time. John Peel appearing there on a regular basis helped. Many many bands progressed thanks to Mothers and John Peel.
         Back to the Floyd they were unbelievable live, VERY LOUD, and staggering musicians.  Put a pair of headphones on, turn the volume up shut your eyes, when the atmosphere is perfect. Just remember Mothers was a hundred times better, and we had scrumpy cider at 1/6d  (7.5p) per pint.  You could always get to talk to the bands, try doing that at the NEC. The testimony of the quality of what we saw and heard is proved by the fact that many of the are around today 40 years on.
I was incredibly proud to have been a Mothers member and people used to come from afar there has never been another place like it, It was probably the best time of my younger life.   Very nice to know you are interested younglight how did you hear of it.    SB


Thank you SB! I live in Brazil and I was just being born when all those amazing things were happening... so sad... I just love everything related to late 60's... I'm a member of a Pink Floyd Discussion Forum and all guys there are sort of "professional" fans, they have tons of recordings and footages from almost all Floyd gigs, but this one at Mothers is missing. I was wondering if any of you could have something to share, a photo, recording or just memories...
Thank you for sharing yours! I wish I was there!

frederick

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 22923
Re: Mothers ---High Street Erdington. Late 1960s
« Reply #18 on: June 20, 2009, 05:56:10 PM »
was there another Carlton Club on that side of town it doesn't look like the one i went to.
Failure to Prepare is to Prepare to Fail

Phil

  • Account Closed
  • *
  • Posts: 32653
Re: Mothers ---High Street Erdington. Late 1960s
« Reply #19 on: June 20, 2009, 06:23:03 PM »
I understand that you can purchase a book by Kevin Duffy entitled Mothers 1968 to 1971 whack I think covers the whole time Mothers was open. This book can be purchased for £7.95 from Birmingham Central Library including postage.

I might buy a copy myself as I have never seen it. I do have a copy of the ultimate book for the Birmingham Rock scenes " Brum Rocked On" by Laurie Hornsby. This book covers the scene in Birmingham from the 50's until the 70's. It is well worth a look if you can get hold of a copy, I have heard that the original copies are now changing hands at around £100. Don't worry though because I think they have just done a reprint which is much cheaper.

If you want to know about the Birmingham rock scene or groups then it’s a must have.

Phil
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

sheldonboy

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2521
Re: Mothers ---High Street Erdington. Late 1960s
« Reply #20 on: June 21, 2009, 07:16:12 AM »
Hi Phil
Thanks for references to the two books. I have both of them. There are three paragraphs in the Kevin Duffy book with quotations from me. There was a re-union at Erdington library several years ago where a few of us recounted our memories.
                                 Many Thanks SB
Strangers are just friends you havn't met yet

Phil

  • Account Closed
  • *
  • Posts: 32653
Re: Mothers ---High Street Erdington. Late 1960s
« Reply #21 on: June 21, 2009, 11:50:42 AM »
SB

As I am thinking of getting a copy of Mothers 1968-1971, do you think it is worth getting one? I usually like to thumb through a book before I buy it. Is it mainly text or is it text and photos?

Is there much information in it or is it mostly personal reminisces. As you know while I have a healthy interest in pop music from the 60's. My interest is more in the local history of Birmingham line.

Phil
Phil died in 2020. RIP.


 

Terms of Use     Privacy Policy