Tom Robinson is an English singer whose adolescence was somewhat disturbed by his sexual orientation towards men, which he could not assume in broad daylight and which pushed him to attempt suicide at the age of 16.
Fortunately, this attempt failed but which ultimately led him to a therapeutic community for adolescents with emotional difficulties, a center in which he was to spend 6 years.
It was on leaving this center in 1973 that he decided to embark on an artistic career by joining the acoustic trio 'Café Society', a trio with which he would participate in the production of their first album.
An ephemeral adventure since he left the group right after and we found him in 1976 in a group he had just founded, namely the 'Tom Robinson Band'. A group that will openly campaign for the Gay cause, in particular through the titles they will produce, the best known of which will remain "2-4-6-8 Motorway" and "Glad to be gay".
We find him at the beginning of the 80s in a new group called 'Sector 27', an ephemeral group which will produce only one album with the most limited success.
Following this failure and in debt, he once again fell into depression and went into exile in Germany to recover his health. Exile which benefits him since we find him in 1982 this time solo on an album called "North by Northwest". The album will not be a great success but at least has the merit of bringing him back into the race...
And his stubbornness will eventually pay off the following year in 1983 with the title "War baby", a title which deals with the divisions between East and West Germany and which will above all bring him the biggest success of his solo career on the Singles side.
On the albums side, 1984 brought him his greatest success with "Hope and Glory", an album that will remain as the highest ranked of all.
Other albums and other singles will be released later but will only experience a limited level of success...
To discover or rediscover.
Discography (among others…) :
2-4-6-8 Motorway (Tom Robinson Band) 1977
I shall be released (Tom Robinson Band) 1977
Don’t take no for an answer (Tom Robinson Band) 1978
Glad to be gay (Tom Robinson Band) 1978
Up against the wall (Tom Robinson Band) 1978
Bully for you (Tom Robinson Band) 1979
Never gonna fall in love (Again) (Tom Robinson Band) 1979
Where can we go tonight ? (Sector 27) 1980
Not ready (Sector 27) 1980
Invitation (Sector 27) 1980
Total recall (Sector 27) 1981
Now Martin's gone 1982
War baby 1983
Listen to the radio : Atmospherics 1983
Back in the old country 1984
Rikki don't lose that number 1984
Prison 1985
Nothing like the real thing 1986
Still loving you 1986
Feel so good 1987
Spain 1987
Hard cases 1988
Blood brother 1990
Living in a blood time 1992
Hard 1994
Days 1994
The one 1996
Congo blue 1996
Castaway 1996
Merciful god 2015
The mighty sword of justice 2015
Don't jump, don't fall 2015
Clips :
1977...first title for the group and biggest success of all their discography. An ideal start that suggests that this group is set to accumulate successes...
1977... he will certainly accumulate successes but over a very short period. The adventure will only last 2 years, which leaves them little time to achieve great things...
1978...especially since the biggest success will have taken place in 1977. They will win others but unfortunately with less success...
1978...their start to their career, to say the least, smashing augured a long and fruitful career. Fruitful perhaps, but certainly not long...
1978...on the other hand, it's better to have a short career full of success than a long career with limited success, that's for sure...
1979...in 2 years they will have written their entire history. The group will not go further than this year 1979 but for some members the adventure is far, very far from being over...
1979...they can always boast of having enjoyed considerable success during these 2 years. Which will surely not be the case for most who will have lasted as little as them...
1980...change of decade and especially change of group. Here he is now within Sector 27, a group with a most ephemeral career too...
1980 ... they will still achieve a semblance of success with this title. Certainly in the independent charts but it's still better than nothing...
1980...a sequel that will unfortunately go much more unnoticed. We cannot say that the group is deserving but it is clear that the level of inspiration is not sufficient to fight on equal terms with the leaders of the moment...
1981...at least they tried. Some bands manage to overcome this kind of counter-performance and others don't. Which will be their case...
1982... suddenly he decide to take control of his career and continue the solo adventure. It starts from a good feeling but he will have to raise his level of play if he wants to stand out a little bit from the crowd...
1983 ... which will be the case on this title since he will obtain here the biggest success of his entire solo career. Like what it was enough to ask the right questions. HU-GE !
1983 ... a sequel that will not succeed in competing with the title that preceded it but which will make a most honorable run in the Charts. All is well in the best of all worlds for now...
1984... the deceleration in the Charts is certain in this year 1984 but nothing to worry about at this stage. Hope it lasts...
1984 ... he will revisit here the title of Steely Dan dating from 1974 and even if his version cannot equal the original it at least has the merit of offering a very different version ...
1985 ... we feared the unscrewing and here it is happening during this year 1985. Not only will he only release one title during this year but in addition he will not even be classified ...
1986 ... this one will not do much better despite a certain quality. The reversal of the situation is, to say the least, violent and above all, to say the least, incomprehensible...
1986... he will succeed in extremis in saving the furniture with this title but only just. It is clear that the best years are now behind him. And yes, already...
1987...the last hit. This absolutely does not mean the end of the adventure but what is certain is that he will irreversibly drop out of the leading pack...
1987...it must be said that the competition was so fierce in the middle of the decade that any decline - all in all slight - in inspiration was paid for in cash. Hard law of the trade...
1988... he's going to do more extras now than anything else. Admittedly, the basic fans continue to follow him faithfully, but the general public has gone elsewhere...
1990 ... it must be said that the style and sound of this title are not likely to attract the younger generations, that's clear. A musical reorientation that is surprising to say the least...
1992... after that, he leads his career as he sees fit. But the fact of refusing to reinvent himself in this new decade 90 marginalizes him de facto...
1994...it's a little better for this title, but the dropout with the competition is irreversible and he will never return to the race. Too bad he missed the turn of the 90s because he had everything he needed to pass it well...
1994... him in any case is not discouraged in anything and continues as if nothing had happened. After as long as he enjoys doing what he does why would he throw in the towel...
1996...it's the basic fans in any case who are delighted to see him come back each time. And as long as there is enough to support him, the adventure will continue even more...
1996... after when he looks back, he can still be proud of the work accomplished. Now what he continues to produce is more of a bonus than anything else...
1996...but it must be said that when you've always done that, it's impossible to bring yourself to give up. Who would blame him on principle...
2015...then nothing interesting to his name for almost 20 years. And here he is back with this new opus, who would have thought it possible...
2015...he proves here in a brilliant way that nothing is ever over in music. Even if he will not return to the front of the stage, he at least has the merit of trying and above all of believing in a return to grace...
2015...the only problem is that he couldn't reinvent himself again. It was a good feeling to want to come back, but this return will have gone unnoticed to say the least...
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