Tom Robinson
Tom Robinson's 1st release was in 1975 with Café Society: an acoustic harmony trio produced by Ray Davies. The album sold 500 copies.
After seeing a Sex Pistols gig Tom formed the Tom Robinson Band with guitarist Danny Kustow. TRB were early supporters of Rock Against Racism and enjoyed Top 5 success with their debut single 2-4-6-8 Motorway. Brief notoriety followed with the LGBT anthem Glad To Be Gay, and in 1978 their LP Power In The Darkness reached No.4 in the UK.
Over the last 50 years Tom's been mentored by Alexis Korner and Martin Carthy, written songs with Elton John and Peter Gabriel, toured with The Police, Red Wedge and The Undertones, and Rocked Against Racism alongside The Clash, Steel Pulse and X-Ray Spex.
More recently he gave over 10,000 artists their first airplay on his BBC Introducing shows & served for ten years on the Ivor Novello Awards committee. At age 75 Tom still enjoys a reputation as a tireless champion of grassroots music and as a veteran songsmith.
Tom Robinson
Brian Eno on why he wants to pay more tax, courtesy of @PeepsOnline: "There's a feedback loop with wealth: if you get a little bit rich you are very likely to get richer. If you become poor, you're very likely to get poorer. In the 70s and 80s people used to believe the trickle-down theory: when people get rich that money gradually gets dispersed among poorer people. But what happens is that the rich accumulate more and more wealth which doesn't trickle down to anybody - actually, it trickles up..."
2 months ago | [YT] | 10
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Tom Robinson
Just stumbled across my 2003 collaboration with JAMES HARDWAY "Worms And Weasels" on YouTube.
LYRICS:
They're worms... and they're weasels
Cronies & chums
Worms and weasels - they think we're so dumb
Worms and weasels - think we're so dumb
Evading all our questions and... feeding us crumbs
Evading all our questions Feeding us crumbs...
While the spinners and the fixers
The bullies and tricksters
Deceive and mislead us, betray us as they bleed us
They're worms and filthy weasels
Every last one - every last one
They're worms... and they're weasels
Worms and weasels - cronies and chums
Toe the line, stay on message
Your reward will surely come
Read your pager like it's scripture
A smile in every picture...
Cos life can be much sweeter for hypocrites and preachers
Playing follow my leader - every last one
Every last one - every last one
Worms and weasels - every last one
Toe the line, stay on message
Your reward will surely come....
Cos life is always sweeter
For the hypocrites and the preachers
Playing follow my leader
Every last one - every last one
Worms and weasels - every last one
All those high and mighty leaders
We see lying in The Sun...
Out of all God's creatures
They're the polecats and the leeches...
The toadies and the bleaters
The worms and the weasels
The snipers and the squealers
Every last one - every last one
Worms and weasels - every last one
All those high and mighty leaders
We see lying in The Sun...
Out of all of God's creatures
They're the polecats and the leeches...
The toadies and the bleaters
The snipers - oh - and the squealers
The worms and filthy weasels
Every last one
------------------------------------------------------------
Taken from the JAMES HARDWAY album BIG CASINO (2003)
1 year ago (edited) | [YT] | 2
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Tom Robinson
Fantastic new song and vid from my mate the mighty TV Smith... Please share x
1 year ago | [YT] | 2
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Tom Robinson
BBC Introducing's network of 36 local and regional radio shows - along with many of its freelance music loving staff and presenters - is under serious threat...
2 years ago | [YT] | 1
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Tom Robinson
Brilliant new song and video from TV Smith, Great performance from Tim, great production from Gerry Diver
2 years ago | [YT] | 0
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Tom Robinson
In November 1983 my new record company RCA released "Atmospherics: Listen To The Radio" and told the band and me they'd got us a prime slot to play it live on Tyne Tees TV. We all hoped that meant a slot on The Tube - the UK's most prestigious music show of the time. In fact it turned out we would be playing on the afternoon children's programme Razzmatazz. As an added indignity the producer wouldn't allow me to sing "have another cigarette". In the end my musical partner and drummer Steve Laurie suggested the alternative line "Avocado Vingaigrette" - as you can hear.
3 years ago | [YT] | 0
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Tom Robinson
Warning: this is hard to watch. But if you enjoy eating eggs like me then I reckon we at least owe it to these poor little fuckers to sit through the full 104 seconds. Sorry for swearing on social media, but this is totally fucking shocking.
3 years ago | [YT] | 1
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Tom Robinson
Can't possibly play this on the radio, but I think it's extraordinary. If you live in England or Scotland, Kingsley and crew are playing their first headline tour from next week. Some of the shows have already sold out on word of mouth alone - get a ticket quick if you can. See www.benefitstheband.com/
3 years ago | [YT] | 0
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Tom Robinson
A song for our times from the normally peace-loving poet & rapper Swami Baracus. This video for his new single "Native Immigrants" (November 2021) finds him practically spitting with rage. For me it's his finest work to date - as a UK Asian reflection on the state of today's society it's right up there alongside the likes of Riz Ahmed and Nadine Shah.
3 years ago | [YT] | 2
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Tom Robinson
Thought this was really interesting - genuinely independent musicians doing something genuinely innovative during lockdown to promote both their own work - and that of fellow artists. Gotta love Ason & JFlames, still the best dressed brothers in da club :-)
4 years ago | [YT] | 2
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