You Are One Of Us

Review

Published by Hit The North; ISBN 978-1-0685747-8-8 (hardback); ISBN 978-1-0685747-9-5 (paperback)

Here's something a bit different: a book written by the fans for the fans. Why are Mott The Hoople so loved over half a century (goodness - where did that time go?) after they broke up? I guess you just had to be there. Well, here's a bunch of fans who were there. And boy, have they got stories to tell!

Word went out on social media in early summer 2025 asking for contributions, and fans responded in droves (myself included). What has Mott meant to them, favourite Mott memories... The results have been lovingly compiled into a high-quality book by long-time fan Andrew Field. Contributions are in alphabetical order - some long, some short, but no matter. Mott has meant so much to so many people. In The Ballad Of Mott The Hoople Ian Hunter sang "You know all the tales we tell, you know the band so well...". Well, these are the fan's tales, I can't help feeling the band will now know us fans so well too.

At the start of the book is a short essay by Kris Needs. He was there pretty much at the start and was there at the end, and witnessed all the ups and downs along the way. The text is complemented by numerous photos, many of them fan-supplied and again showing the bond between Mott and the fans.

And so it seems that everything is coming full circle. MottFest may well be the last time us fans will get together and Mott having played their last-ever gigs things are drawing to a close. But in the words of the song... "thanks for a great trip"

Highly recommended, whether you were there or not.