TRB Two

TRB Two
Studio album by
Tom Robinson Band
ReleasedMarch 1979
Recorded13–19 December 1978
StudioPye Studios, London
Genre
Length39:41
LabelRazor & Tie
EMI
ProducerTodd Rundgren
Tom Robinson Band chronology
Power in the Darkness
(1978) 		TRB Two
(1979) 		Tom Robinson Band
(1981)

TRB Two – also known as TRB2 – is the second studio album by Tom Robinson Band. It was recorded days after the original drummer, Dolphin Taylor, left the band. The TRB disbanded four months after its release. Steve Ridgeway designed the cover.

Songs

The album was dedicated to Mrs. Mary Towers, the mother of Liddle Towers. Liddle Towers was an amateur boxer who had died in police custody in 1976 - his case was the subject of "Blue Murder".[citation needed]

"Black Angel" was originally recorded as "Sweet Black Angel" by Robinson's first band, Café Society, on their self-titled debut album in 1975.[3] "Law and Order" was co-written by Nick Plytas who joined the TRB as a temporary keyboard player from April to July 1978.[citation needed]

Robinson and Danny Kustow believe "Bully for You" inspired " Another Brick in the Wall Part 2" by Pink Floyd, with whom the band shared a manager[4] and label. "There's no question [the song's repeated] 'We don't need no aggravation' was in the air around [Floyd lyricist] Roger Waters", said the former. "The truth of it is that I had a really good idea for a chorus and we didn't make the most of it. If 'Bully for You' had started with, 'We don't need no aggravation,' how much better would it have been? Roger's skills as a writer were far more developed than my own. He put a great idea to better use, so fair play to him."[5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Christgau's Record GuideA−[7]
Smash Hits8/10[8]

Smash Hits said, "This is far superior to the last album and the TRB are developing into a very fine rock band. This album captures more of their live power, but the increasing sophistication of the songs means less immediate impact."[8] The Globe and Mail determined that "Robinson succeeds in sounding like a parody of himself as he sings in a Monty Python-esque voice and clutters the album with Gospel singers and synthesizers."[9]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Tom Robinson; except where indicated

  1. "All Right All Night" (Robinson, Danny Kustow, Dolphin Taylor, Ian Parker) – 2:59
  2. "Why Should I Mind" (Robinson, Danny Kustow) – 3:01
  3. "Black Angel" – 4:02
  4. "Let My People Be" – 4:07
  5. "Blue Murder" – 5:02
  6. "Bully for You" (music: Peter Gabriel; lyrics: Robinson) – 3:20
  7. "Crossing over the Road" (Robinson, Danny Kustow, Ian Parker) – 3:39
  8. "Sorry Mr. Harris" – 2:43
  9. "Law and Order" (music: Robinson, Nick Plytas, Taylor; lyrics: Robinson, Dolphin Taylor) – 2:35
  10. "Days of Rage" (Robinson, Dolphin Taylor) – 3:33
  11. "Hold Out" – 4:10

Charts

Chart (1979) Peak
position
United Kingdom (Official Charts Company)[10] 18
United States (Billboard 200) 163

Personnel

Tom Robinson Band

with:

Technical
  • Bill Price – preparation
  • Paul Libsom, Tom Edmonds – engineer
  • Julie Harris, Steve Ridgeway – cover design

References

  1. ^ "TRB 2". allmusic. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  2. ^ "Tom Robinson". allmusic. Retrieved 7 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "Only The Now: Tom Robinson Discusses His New Album, Pt. 2". PledgeMusic. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  5. ^ Ling, Dave: "Pride & Prejudice"; Classic Rock #216, November 2015, p76
  6. ^ "Tom Robinson Band - TRB 2 (1979) album review by Ralph Heibutzki, credits & releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  7. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: R". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 12 March 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  8. ^ a b Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits. No. 5–18 April, 1979. p. 25.
  9. ^ Davidson, Neil-Michael (9 June 1979). "TRB Two The Tom Robinson Band". The Globe and Mail. p. F4.
  10. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.