TOM ROBINSON North By Northwest NM DISC PROMO 1982

Although his career had pretty much flamed out by the start of the '80s, there were few punk-era major-label performers as intensely controversial as Tom Robinson. Cutting his teeth with folk-rockers Café Society (who released a Ray Davies-produced record on the head Kinks' Konk label in 1975), Robinson roared into the spotlight in 1978 with a great single ("2-4-6-8 Motorway") and a much-ballyhooed contract with EMI. What was remarkable about this was that Robinson was the kind of politically conscious, confrontational performer that major labels generally ignored: he was openly gay and sang about it ("Glad to Be Gay"), vociferous in his hatred for then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, helped form Rock Against Racism, and generally spoke in favor of any leftist political tract that would embarrass the ruling ultraconservative Tory government. His debut album, 1978's Power in the Darkness, was an occasionally stunning piece of punk/hard rock agitprop that, along with being ferociously direct, was politicized rock that focused more on songs than slogans.

Tracks

Title Composer Time     1 Now Martin's Gone Robinson 3:10     2 Atomspherics Gabriel, Robinson 3:19     3 Can't Keep Away (Pt. 2) Blanchard, Robinson 4:40     4 Looking for a Bonfire Robinson 3:43     5 Merrily up on High Gabriel, Robinson 3:53     6 Those Days Robinson 4:23     7 In the Cold Blanchard, Robinson 3:48     8 The Night Tide Burt, Robinson 3:57     9 Duncannon Blanchard, Robinson 4:11     10 Love Comes Furey