ALBUM REVIEW: Tom Robinson Band – The Albums 1978-79 (Cherry Red Records)
Tom Robinson is something of a national treasure these days as a Radio 6 Music presenter, and live performer as a solo artist and with TRB.
Back in the late ’70s, with homophobia rife in the UK, he was a prominent gay rights activist at a time when that was a very dangerous thing to be.
He was the singer, songwriter and bass player for the four-piece band which bore his name, and they released two fine albums before self-imploding.
New wave
Formed in 1976, the Tom Robinson Band rose to prominence during the punk explosion, which was far more tolerant than mainstream society, and provided a soapbox from which to air unpopular views.
TRB weren’t a punk band – I’d call them new wave at best – but Robinson was a skilled songwriter, and these songs stand the test of time more than 40 years on.
Rising Free
When debut single 2-4-6-8 Motorway went to No 5 in the charts great things were expected of them, and the follow-up Rising Free EP, recorded live, caught them in fine form. Its focal point, which earned them an airplay ban from the BBC, was Glad To Be Gay – an anthem for the LGBTQ+ movement to this day.
Neither of the singles were included on the debut album, Power In The Darkness, but it was a success anyway, reaching No 4 in the UK. That was down to the strength of its 10 tracks, which were tuneful, heartfelt and unreservedly defiant.
This 2CD set includes both albums and those essential early singles in full, along with half a dozen tracks not included on EMI’s fairly exhaustive 2015 release Anthology.
Power… opens with the excellent single Up Against The Wall, a call to arms against the broken and corrupt system. Sadly, its lyrics still ring true today, which makes you wonder where all the angry songwriters have gone.
Grey Cortina is a scathing take on the type of person who drove the most popular car of the day (“Cortina owner – no one meaner/Wish that I could be like him“), while Too Good To Be True addresses the hopelessness of life in bedsit-land.
A refusal to be subdued by bigots fuels Ain’t Gonna Take It, while Long Hot Summer urges gay people to stand up for their rights. Gay rights are also the subject of Man You Never Saw and Better Decide Which Side You’re On.
But the standout song is perhaps The Winter of ’79, which shows that in a landscape of race problems, violence and rising inflation (sound familiar?) some things never change: “When the Tube’s gone up and the buses stopped/The top people still come out on top.”
After such a fine debut album TRB seemed to have the world at their feet, but all was not well in the camp, and keyboard player Mark Ambler quit, followed by drummer Dolphin Taylor as the sessions for a second album got underway.
Despite the problems, TRB Two still contained some worthwhile tracks, even if it failed to hit the heights of Power In The Darkness. It made No 18 in the UK charts.
More commercial sounding, it sees the band explores new musical directions, with a gospel choir featuring on anti-drugs anthem Black Angel, and some honky-tonk piano on redneck cop tale Law And Order.
The problems faced by the gay community continue to be a focus, on songs like Why Should I Mind, Days Of Rage, Crossing Over The Road and Sorry Mr Harris, while Let My People Be is about the plight of immigrants.
Perhaps the most powerful song is Blue Murder, about the death of amateur boxing coach Liddle Towers at the hands of Gateshead police. If the name seems familiar it’s because the Angelic Upstarts’ debut single was about the same case.
TRB might not convey their message in the same searingly-angry way, but there’s no doubting their conviction as they sing: “Said he screamed blue murder in the cell that night/But he must have been wrong ’cause they all deny it.” The album was dedicated to Towers’ mother Mary, who fought in vain for justice for her son.
The extras here include half a dozen songs not included on Anthology, including the B-side Our People and the original demo of 2-4-6-8 Motorway, which will probably be enough to attract TRB diehards on its own.
There’s also a rough mix of Bully For You, the single co-written with Peter Gabriel, and normal and extended versions of Never Gonna Fall In Love … (Again), a co-write with Elton John – the latter released on CD for the first time.
This 2CD set contains 38 songs, with very little duplication, so whether you’re looking for an introduction to TRB or want to replace your scratchy old vinyl, this is the perfect way to do it. 8/10.
