Tom Robinson
Only The Now
2015 / Album
CNRCD1 Castaway Northwest
Tom Robinson returns with Only The Now - his first new album in nearly 20 years - made with award winning producer Gerry Diver. Released on 16 October 2105 on Castaway Northwest Recordings, the record was made possible by all the friends, fans and supporters who joined our PledgeMusic campaign in the course of 2015.
Guests appearing on the record include John Grant, Martin Carthy, Colin Firth, Nadine Shah, Lee Forsyth Griffiths, Sir Ian McKellen, TV Smith and Nitin Sawhney plus Billy Bragg and Lisa Knapp who appear in Tom's video for The Mighty Sword Of Justice. Only The Now has just been a BBC Radio 6 Music Album Of The Day - you can listen those four featured tracks on Tom's Soundcloud page or hear the entire album on Spotify.
- Home In The Morning
- Merciful God
- The Mighty Sword Of Justice
- Don't Jump, Don't Fall
- Holy Smoke
- Cry Out
- Never Get Old
- In My Life
- One Way Street
- Risky Business
- Only The Now
A collection of poems, letters, rants, advice and incidental music. All thracks written by Tom Robinson; recorded, mixed and mastered by Paul Phippin at Whistlewood Audio; and published 2000 by Notting Hill Music except:
*My Beer, Work Pie and The Thought Of Fish written 1985 by a mainframe computer at Birkbeck College, London programmed and edited by Greg Ward, copyright contol.
*Themes 1-5 written by TR and Al Scott
Recorded and mixed by Al Scott in Brighton
Released on Castaway Northwest January 2001
Published 2000 by Notting Hill Music/copyright control
- Werner's Weekend In London
- The Joys Of Christmas
- Gilbert Hawker - Letter From The Front
- Theme 1 (instrumental)
- The Cat From Hell
- Smelling Dogs
- Theme 2 (instrumental)
- My Beer
- Work Pie
- The Thought Of Fish
- Theme 3 (instrumental)
- All Tomorrow's Parties
- Gay Parenting
- Theme 4 (instrumental)
- Punk Rock
- The Cynic's Handbook
- Theme 5 (instrumental)
- In Any Case
- Ambient B (instrumental)
- Taking The Plunge
- Forgiving The Unforgiveable
Lead vocals, backing instruments and songwriting duties are shared equally between all members of the group. The stage show and album are both acoustic (without drums, keyboards or sequencer) and feature a variety of instruments played by Steve, Tom & Martyn: acoustic guitars and bass, cello mandolin, accordion and cuatro - a small South American instrument that resembles a ukelele.
- Thin Green line
- I’ve got faith in you
- Wake me up
- Killing fields
- You tattoed me
- Strange way
- Cold heart of England
- I will follow
- The flood
- Please Sir
- Are we alright
- War Baby
Tom Robinson
Having It Both Ways
1996 / Album
--
Released February 2, 2013
TOM ROBINSON - piano, acoustic guitar, programming
ADAM PHILLIPS - guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
JO BURT - bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
TOM FENNER - drums, percussion, backing vocals
T.V. SMITH - acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Disrespect
- The One
- Rum Thunderbird
- Cold Cold Ground
- Fool To Myself
- Hot Dog
- Sorry
- Connecticut
- Congo Blue
- Castaway
- The Last Word
TV Smith & Tom Robinson
Thin Green Line EP
1995 / EP
--
Four track 1995 CD single on Humbug Records (HUM 8) by TV SMITH and TOM ROBINSON. This single/EP is long deleted and currently unavailable. You can download these rare tracks in lossless quality for any price you choose, including free. But whatever you do pay will be passed on directly to TV Smith, who owns the copyright.
- Thin Green Line (Single)
- Lion & The Lamb (live)
- Runaway Train Driver (live)
- Gary Gilmore's Eyes (1995 version)
Tom Robinson
Love Over Rage
1994 / Album
--
1994 saw a strong return to form with this classic album featuring Chris Rea on slide guitar, punk veteran T.V. Smith on backing vocals, and TRB keyboard player Mark Ambler. Ten great songs, including "Hard" and "Days (that changed the world"). Produced by Al Scott.
- Roaring Days
- Hard
- Loved
- Days (That Changed The World)
- Driving Seat
- Green Green Green
- Living In The DDR
- Fifty
- Can't Stand The Silence
- If I Had My Chance
Across eleven tracks, recorded live on tour in Ireland earlier this year, Tom Robinson reinvents himself as a solo folk singer. But where some faded rock stars may clutch desperately at the acoustic guitar, as a straw to save them from the harsh realities of life without chart positions, our Tom would appear to have made a sound and successful career move.
- Intro
- Living In A Boom Time
- Blood Brother
- More Lives Than One
- Yuppy Scum
- My Own Sweet Way
- Castle Island
- Rigging It Up, Duncannon
- The Brits Come Rolling Back
- War Baby (Acoustic)
- Back In The Ould Country
Critically-acclaimed collaboration with Dizrhthmia's Jakko Jakszyk featuring his virtuoso guitar work plus drum guru Gavin Harrison behind the kit. On the strength of this album Jakko went on to play guitar for Level 42. This 1997 reissue includes 'Rigging It Up Duncannon' - an outtake from the original album - plus brand new versions of 'Jonestown' and 'The War Is Over', first featured on Castway Club CD Vol 2.
- We Never Had It So Good
- Driving Through The Desert
- Blood Brother
- What Have I Ever Done To You?
- The Baby Rages On
- Tomboy
- Kiss And Roll Over
- Hard Cases
- Can't Stop: Peter's Theme
- My Own Sweet Way
- Rigging It Up, Duncannon (bonus track)
- For You The War Is Over (bonus track)
- Jonestown (bonus track)
- Happy In The Homelands (bonus track)
Deleted for many years and a sought-after collector's item, Still Loving You is regarded by some as the definitive TR solo album. This 1997 re-release featured 5 extra tracks, including alternative versions of 'Nothing Like The Real Thing' and 'Feel So Good/Hurt So Bad'.
- Feel So Good, Hurt So Bad
- Nothing Like The Real Thing
- Still Loving You
- Take Me Home Again
- You Tattooed Me
- Drive All Night
- Living In A Love Town
- Spain
- This Little Romance
- The Wedding
- A Song For You
- Nothing Like The Real Thing (Jazz Version)
- Northern Rain
- The Saturday Disco
- Change (Feel So Good)
All tracks written by Tom Robinson and published by Notting Hill Music Ltd except:
3) written by Walter Becker / Donald Fagen, published MCA Music
6), 18) written by Tom Robinson / Mark Ramsden, published by Notting Hill Music Ltd
7) written by Peter Gabriel/Tom Robinson, published by Real World Music and Notting Hill Music Ltd
- Murder at the End of the Day
- Prison
- Ricky Don't Lose That Number
- Looking For A Bonfire
- Old Friend
- War Baby
- Atmospherics: Listen to the Radio
- Cabin Boy
- Blond and Blue
- Hope and Glory
- Back in the Old Country
- Hell Yes
- Begging You Baby
- More Lives Than One
- Blond & Blue (alternate recording)
- Prison (7" single version, 1985)
- Bonfire (unreleased alternate recording, 1984)
- War Baby (12" single version, 1983)
Taxi Zum Klo and Nighthawks, two recent films from Europe about gay male life, both concern schoolteachers who spend a lot of their time in the car, driving to work, going to movies or meetings, looking for love. Tom Robinson's new album North by Northwest could have been the soundtrack for either film: it's first-rate cruising music. Robinson has put in his own time as a teacher of sorts; after establishing himself as rock's gay spokesman with the bitterly ironic "Glad To Be Gay" he spent two years and two albums securing impeccable political credentials. Admirable in theory, his message rocked, too. On tour Robinson proved to be a gay Bob Marley, inspiring people to get-up-stand-up and get down at the same time.
- Now Martin's Gone
- Atmospherics
- Can't Keep Away (Part 2)
- Looking For A Bonfire
- Merrily Up On High
- Those Days
- In The Cold
- The Night Tide
- Duncannon
- Love Comes
- Tango An der Wand
- Now Richard's Gone
- Alptraum Tango Dub
- Any Favours
- Out To Lunch
1967 seems so long ago...
And in 1979 it did; an achingly nostalgic East End world of bombsites and day trips to Southend which had already disappeared. Now, another 20 years along the line, 1967 is in exactly the same place, but 1979 has joined it on the sepia shelf. It's one of those trick tracking shots from a camera which remind us, as we get older, that what we thought were our personal memories are in fact history.
- Pub Hassle
- Coldharbour Lane
- Baby You're An Angel
- Glad To Be Gay (1979)
- Stand Together
- Truce
- Closing A Door
- 1967 (So Long Ago)
- Even Steven
- Sartorial Eloquence
- Mad About The Boy
- Easy Street
- Good To Be Gay
- Glad To Be Gay (1997)
- Last Rites
- Gay Switchboard Jingle
By Sector 27 featuring Tom Robinson. Produced by Steve Lillywhite. Tom Robinson (vocals), Stevie Blanchard (guitar), Jo Burt (bass), Derek Quinton (drums).
Reissued 1996 with these bonus tracks.
- Can’t Keep Away
- Invitation: What Have We Got to Lose?
- Not Ready
- Mary Lynne
- Looking At You
- Five 2 Five
- Totall Recall
- Where Can We Go Tonight?
- Take It Or Leave It
- Bitterly Disappointed
- One Fine Day
- Stornoway
- Dungannon
- Day After Day
- Won’t You Tell Me How I Feel
- Martin’s Gone
- Shutdown
- Out In the Cold Again
Produced by Todd Rundgren. Tom Robinson (bass), Danny Kustow (guitar), Ian Parker (keyboards), Preston Heyman (drums).
Reissued 2004 with bonus tracks EMI B001INFMB0
- All Right All Night
- Why Should I Mind
- Black Angel
- Let My People Be
- Blue Murder
- Bully For You
- Crossing Over the Road
- Sorry Mr. Harris
- Days of Rage
- Hold Out
- Never Going to Fall in Love (Again)
- Getting Tighter
- 2-4-6-8 Motorway (demo)
- Elgin Avenue (live)
- Number One: Protection
- We Didn’t Know What Was Going On
- Suits Me, Suits You
Produced by Chris Thomas. Tom Robinson (bass), Danny Kustow (guitar), Mark Ambler (keyboards), Dolphin Taylor (drums).
Reissued 2004 with bonus tracks EMI B0002WTJYE.
- Up Against the Wall
- Grey Cortina
- Too Good to be True
- Ain’t Gonna Take It
- Long Hot Summer
- The Winter of ’79
- Man You Never Saw
- Better Decide Which Side You’re On
- You Gotta Survive
- Don’t Take No For An Answer
- Martin
- Glad to be Gay
- Right On Sister
- 2-4-6-8 Motorway
- I Shall be Released
- (I’m) All Right Jack
- Waiting For My Man (Live 1977)
- Power in the Darkness (2004 remix)