Mother Records was a

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the pr ...

founded by the band U2 in 1983 and distributed by parent

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anothe ...

. As a supportive promotional platform, the label released several one-off single releases for The Hothouse Flowers, In Tua Nua and

Cactus World News Cactus World News are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in April 1984. Founded by Frank Kearns (guitar) and Eoin McEvoy (vocals), the first full stable lineup also included Wayne Sheehy (drums) and Fergal MacAndris (bass). They reformed in 2011 ...

among others.

History

The label was registered on 19 October 1983, and subsequently launched on 1 August 1984 by U2. Initially the label released only 'one-off' single's promoting Irish artists. The debut single was In Tua Nua's " Coming Thru", and Bono's first producer credit for

's " The Bridge". In 1990, the label was relaunched as an independent record company. The debut artists for the revamped label were The Golden Horde, Bumbl

and

Engine Alley Engine Alley are a rock band from Kilkenny, Ireland, active since the 1990s. Their biggest success came in the early 90s, with many television appearances and successful singles. They have toured the UK, United States and Europe and continue to ...

. The Golden Horde charted with the singles "Friends in Time" and "100 Boys", and their album release, produced by Daniel Rey & Andy Shernoff, (eponymously 'The Golden Horde'), was voted joint #1 record with U2's '' Achtung Baby'' in the prestigious Hot Press Music Awards of 1991. Bumble's genre-bending 'West in Motion' received a re-release in 2022. Engine Alley's debut album ''A Sonic Holiday'', produced by

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Bi ...

, was released in 1992. Also at this time,

The Sugarcubes The Sugarcubes ( Icelandic: Sykurmolarnir) were an Icelandic alternative rock band from Reykjavík formed in 1986 and disbanded in 1992. For most of their career, the band consisted of Björk Guðmundsdóttir (vocals, keyboards), Einar Örn Bene ...

joined the Mother label roster. After leaving The Sugarcubes,

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

stayed with Mother for her solo releases ''

Debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Deb ...

'', '' Post'', ''

Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

'', and ''

Homogenic ''Homogenic'' is the third studio album by Icelandic recording artist Björk. It was released on 20 September 1997 by One Little Indian Records. Produced by Björk, Mark Bell, Guy Sigsworth, Howie B, and Markus Dravs, the album marked a styli ...

''. Other artists to join the label's roster were

Longpigs Longpigs were an English indie rock band who rose to fame on the fringe of Britpop in the 1990s, comprising Crispin Hunt (vocals), Richard Hawley (guitar), Simon Stafford (bass guitar) and former Cabaret Voltaire member Dee Boyle (drums) who ...

Gil Scott-Heron Gilbert Scott-Heron (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011) was an American jazz poet, singer, musician, and author, known primarily for his work as a spoken-word performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician Brian Ja ...

, Alicia Bridges, Tanita Tikaram,

Lena Fiagbe Lena Fiagbe is a British pop-soul singer-songwriter, best known for her 1993 UK top 20 hit single, "Gotta Get It Right". She was signed to U2's record label, Mother Records. Chart career Fiagbe's debut single, "You Come from Earth", was relea ...

Audioweb Audioweb are an English indie rock band, formed in 1991 in Manchester. They were initially called The Sugar Merchants. Career Audioweb scored two Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart - "Policeman Skank...(The Story Of My Life)", and a cover ver ...

, and

Adam Clayton Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-born Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. C ...

's and Larry Mullen's "Theme From Mission: Impossible". In 1997, the U2

PopMart The PopMart Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of the group's 1997 album ''Pop'', the tour's concerts were performed in stadiums and parks in 1997 and 1998. Much like the band's previous Zoo TV Tour, PopMart wa ...

Mix of M's "

Pop Muzik "Pop Muzik" is a 1979 song by M, a project by English musician Robin Scott, from the debut album '' New York • London • Paris • Munich''. The single, first released in the UK in early 1979, was bolstered by a music video (directed by B ...

" was released for Mother Records and was under license to Island Records on U2 releases. The label ceased operations in 2000. Yet according to the Irish Companies Registration Office (CRO) it was dissolved only on 14 October 2011 and was registered at their former accountant's former office.

References

External links

Mother Records release discography #1

{{Authority control Record labels established in 1983 Record labels disestablished in 2011 Irish record labels U2 Alternative rock record labels Electronic music record labels Pop record labels Psychedelic rock record labels Reggae record labels Rock record labels Soul music record labels