Frank Robson - Robson (1973) - Robson Tapes

A few weeks ago I hit Robson jackpot when I found the rest of his LPs that I missed.



"Robson", his first, has been requested several times on this blog. Compared to "Stay Awhile" (1976), which had a funky, full, meaty sound, this is more jazzy, closer to the Tasavallan Presidentti records in style. Seppo Paakkunainen adds nice sax throughout, top drummer Tapani "Nappi" Ikonen does complex, spot-on drumming and Esa Kotilainen is right on a par with those guys with his organ and moog. Markku Lievonen's bass is prominent and fills out the sound. As a matter of fact, I can't find anything to complain about.



The fun instrumental "Ticket Train" reminds me of Mosaic's "Crazy Train", so it's a good companion piece. The album finishes with the comic "After the Party", where a varispeed Frank says 'bye to all listeners, but is almost driven nuts when the band refuses to stop playing.



After a difficult decade plagued with poor record sales, and band projects sinking after one totally ignored single, Robson laid low for a few years, earning his money selling musical instruments and writing occasional songs for other artists. In 1985 he tried again with a radio-friendly pop/rock outfit called Robson Tapes. One album, "I Painted a Picture", followed, and obviously the record company had some trust in the project, as two singles were culled from the LP. I have no idea how well "Tomorrow / Indian Girl" and "I Painted a Picture / Yesterday News" fared, but the latter a-side won the first (and last) "Kevään Sävel" pop song contest held in 1986, so maybe the single sold rather well.



"I Painted a Picture" isn't bad, but I find it hard to get turned on by all this commercialism. I find myself wishing for some surprises somewhere, but no - this record stays in a rather safe path. "Paper Words" is nice, though.



BTW, who are those four guys posing with Frank on the back cover?



Something important is missing from the sleeve. Thankfully some googling can get you a long way:



- Jorma Leppänen

- Arno Söderberg (guitar?)

- Juha Tikka (bass, most likely)

- Pauli Ylhäinen





Robson (1973):



1. Sky Deep

2. What Did You Do About It

3. House Without a Name

4. Jenny

5. Fantasy Opens

6. I Bring You Spring

7. Ticket Train

8. After the Party



I Painted a Picture (1985):



1. Tomorrow

2. Mask of Eternity

3. Paper Words

4. Yesterday News

5. Club Midnight Rendez-Vous

6. I Painted a Picture

7. The Needle

8. Indian Girl

9. Just Like a Tiger

10. Under Pressure



http://finnishrock.blogspot.com/2009/02/frank-robson-robson-1973-i-painted.html