Fans thank Mott with expanded second edition!
An expanded paperback second edition of Mott the Hoople fan-written book You Are One of Us (ISBN 978-19191647-4-8) is to be published Friday 28 August by Hit the North.
The new edition has added words and images from MottFest held in Ross-in-Wye last October and more contributions from who missed out first time around.
Written by fans for the fans, You Are One of Us has been has been given a thumbs up from the surviving two members of the original band, Ian Hunter and Verden Allen, who founded the band in 1969 alongside the late Pete Watts, Dale Griffin and Mick Ralphs.
‘Trudi actually ordered the book and it’s lovely. Pete, Buff and Mick would be honoured,’ said Ian Hunter in his monthly Horse’s Mouth column.
‘A big thank you to all our loyal friends who contributed in making this book very special and uplifting,’ said organist Verden Allen.
Reviewers have been equally enamoured. Now Spinning’s Phil Aston said, ‘This book absolutely floored me. It’s beautifully produced, full of heartfelt stories, emotional memories, personal photographs and reflections from fans around the world. It captures the true spirit of what music means to us and why bands like Mott remain so important across generations.’
Few groups managed to connect with their followers in the way Mott the Hoople did when they first formed in 1969. Despite splitting up in 1974, the band’s fans have stayed loyal to the original group members and their subsequent music and creative careers, including acclaimed reunion tours in 2009, 2013 and 2019 and 2025 MottFest party weekend.
Music journalist and Mott’s former Sea Divers fan club president Kris Needs described Mott as the approachable face of rock, transforming it ‘into a thing we could reach out and touch’.
The book’s title was inspired by a Mott the Hoople song from the Mad Shadows album that encapsulated the self-reflecting bond between the group and their fans.
‘This is our chance to thank the entire extended Mott family for the music and the magic with our cherished memories,’ said Hit the North publisher Andrew Field, who compiled and edited the book alongside fellow Mott fans Andrew Whalley, Colin Powell, David Crisfield, Keith Hollinshed and Simon Rowberry.
‘This is the definitive fans perspective, written by the fans for all the other fans and the surviving band, the crew and their families. It is an emotional read from start to finish as fans explain why Mott the Hoople means so much to them.’
The expanded paperback second edition retails at £30 and features 300 colourful pages full of fan-packed personal stories and reflections from 140 contributors across the globe. It features over 270 rare and never-seen-before images and a superb introduction from Kris Needs, the foremost authority on Mott the Hoople who was there right at the beginning. A hardback second edition was published in April and retails at £40.
Mott the Hoople originated from Herefordshire and stayed loyal to their roots and their fans — even when they were playing Broadway in New York City, on Top of The Pops showcasing hit singles like All the Young Dudes, Roll Away the Stone and All The Way from Memphis, or socialising all over the world with pals like David Bowie, Queen, Bad Company, Led Zeppelin, Keith Moon, The Clash and Def Leppard. Hugely influential, the band has been name checked in songs by Queen, REM and the Mambo Sons.
