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".
"Black Angel" was originally recorded as "Sweet Black Angel" by Robinson's first band, Café Society, on their self-titled debut album in 1975.1 "Law and Order" was co-written by Nick Plytas who joined the TRB as a temporary keyboard player from April to July 1978.
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 manager2 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."3
Reception
Professional ratings| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | 4 |
| Christgau's Record Guide | A−5 |
| Music Week | 6 |
| Smash Hits | 8/107 |
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
- "All Right All Night" (Robinson, Danny Kustow, Dolphin Taylor, Ian Parker) – 2:59
- "Why Should I Mind" (Robinson, Danny Kustow) – 3:01
- "Black Angel" – 4:02
- "Let My People Be" – 4:07
- "Blue Murder" – 5:02
- "Bully for You" (music: Peter Gabriel; lyrics: Robinson) – 3:20
- "Crossing over the Road" (Robinson, Danny Kustow, Ian Parker) – 3:39
- "Sorry Mr. Harris" – 2:43
- "Law and Order" (music: Robinson, Nick Plytas, Taylor; lyrics: Robinson, Dolphin Taylor) – 2:35
- "Days of Rage" (Robinson, Dolphin Taylor) – 3:33
- "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- Tom Robinson – vocals, bass
- Danny Kustow – guitar, backing vocals
- Ian "Quince" Parker – keyboards; vocals on "Law & Order"
- Preston Heyman – drums, triangle, backing vocals
with:
- Carol Grimes, Kasim Sulton, Niamh Chambers, Barry St. John – backing "high" vocals
- Bill Price – preparation
- Paul Libsom, Tom Edmonds – engineer
- Julie Harris, Steve Ridgeway – cover design
References
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) https://web.archive.org/web/20160215052628/https://herewardkaye.bandcamp.com/album/secret-society-the-cafe-society-archives ↩
"Only The Now: Tom Robinson Discusses His New Album, Pt. 2". PledgeMusic. Retrieved 18 November 2017. http://www.pledgemusic.com/blog/tom-robinson-only-the-now-interview-part-two ↩
Ling, Dave: "Pride & Prejudice"; Classic Rock #216, November 2015, p76 /wiki/Classic_Rock_(magazine) ↩
"Tom Robinson Band - TRB 2 (1979) album review by Ralph Heibutzki, credits & releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 November 2017. https://www.allmusic.com/album/trb-2-mw0000113935 ↩
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. 089919026X ↩
"Album Reviews: Tom Robinson Band — "TRB Two"" (PDF). Music Week. Gwent: Pensord Press Ltd. 24 March 1979. p. 34. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2025 – via WorldRadioHistory.com. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1979/Music-Week-1979-03-24.pdf#page=28 ↩
Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits. No. 5–18 April, 1979. p. 25. /wiki/Smash_Hits ↩
Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits. No. 5–18 April, 1979. p. 25. /wiki/Smash_Hits ↩
Davidson, Neil-Michael (9 June 1979). "TRB Two The Tom Robinson Band". The Globe and Mail. p. F4. ↩
Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 1-904994-10-5 ↩