Cock Robin (band)

Last updated

Cock Robin
Cock Robin - Just around the corner (2009) 823.png
Cock Robin live (2009)
Background information
OriginSan Francisco, California, United States
Genres Pop rock, new wave [1]
Years active1982–1990
2006–present
Labels CBS, Muzivox Production
Members Peter Kingsbery
Coralie Vuillemin
Didier Strub
Past members Anna LaCazio
Clive Wright
Lou Molino III

Cock Robin is an American pop rock band, mostly popular in the 1980s, particularly in continental Europe, where it achieved major success, notably with the single "The Promise You Made". The band was founded by singer-songwriter Peter Kingsbery in 1982, disbanded in 1990, and reformed in 2006. Their most successful singles from the period also include "When Your Heart Is Weak", "Just Around the Corner", "Thought You Were on My Side", "Every Moment" and "El Norte".

Contents

History

1985–1990: European success

Named after a 17th-century story titled "The Marriage of Cock Robin and Jenny Wren", the band formed in San Francisco, California and was signed to CBS Records.

Cock Robin's eponymous debut album was produced by Steve Hillage. Released in 1985, it had a limited impact in their native country, as with the majority of their output, but was an overnight success in Europe, especially in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands, where the singles "When Your Heart Is Weak", "The Promise You Made" and "Thought You Were on My Side" became big hits (with for example the latter two singles peaking at number 1 and number 4 respectively in Flanders, Belgium), [2] and the album itself a chart-topper. "When Your Heart Is Weak" was the band's only chart single in the U.S., where it reached No. 35 in the late summer of 1985. It also became a radio favorite in South Africa in early 1986.

In mid-1987, the band, reduced from the original quartet to the duo of Peter Kingsbery and Anna LaCazio, released a second album, After Here Through Midland , produced by Don Gehman, who had previously worked with John Mellencamp, among others. As with their debut, Cock Robin's second album attracted much attention in continental Europe, where it reached the Top 5 and also scored hits with the singles "Just Around the Corner" (again a European Top 20 hit, from Scandinavia to Italy), "The Biggest Fool of All" and "El Norte".

Two years later, in 1989, the band released their third, and, to many critics, most accomplished album, First Love/Last Rites , with Roxy Music veteran Rhett Davies in the role of producer. As with their previous releases, the LP fared well in mainland Europe (especially in France), but, due to poor management and promotion, failed to make an impact in the USA.

On 30 April 1990 while on tour, the band recorded their only and rare live VHS video at the Grand Rex theatre in Paris, France, titled 'Cock Robin Live in Concert' also known as 'Live au Grand Rex'. The 14-track 66-minute video is intertwined between the tracks with a Kingsbery and LaCazio interview. Shortly after the European Tour Kingsbery and LaCazio split, with Kingsbery releasing a string of solo projects (three albums in English, one in French) in France, most notably a hit single "Only the Very Best" (English version of a Daniel Balavoine song and a Top 10 hit in France and Belgium in 1993) [3] recorded for the Michel Berger & Luc Plamondon concept musical album Starmania , with English lyrics by Tim Rice in 1992. Anna LaCazio recorded her own solo album (Eat Life) circa 1992–93, but it was only officially released in its entirety for download in 2009.

Recent years

On 20 June 2012, Peter Kingsbery announced in his blog on the official Cock Robin website Cockrobinmusic.com that "there will be a new tour next Summer 2013 with a new album". [4]

Another Cock Robin remix by Umpff, "Extraordinary Thing", appeared on Mixtape [5] from Mabel the Label in October 2012.

The November 2015 issue of the French magazine Topo [6] reported that Anna LaCazio had left Cock Robin in May 2015. Kingsbery had relocated to France and LaCazio preferred to remain in the United States and be close to her family.

Peter Kingsbery announced that Coralie Vuillemin had been chosen as the new female voice in the group. The band released their sixth studio album, Chinese Driver, on 11 March 2016.

A 5-track EP was released as download only in April 2017. The first track ("Roman Holiday [The Making Of]") is an original song, whereas the second one ("Just Before It Begins") is an original instrumental track. The last three tracks, however ("The Long Last Second", "Thought You Were on My Side" and "White Folks"), are reprises of Peter Kingsbery's solo albums or of Cock Robin songs, with new arrangements and vocals by Peter Kingsbery and Coralie Vuillemin. [7]

With the current line-up, Cock Robin has performed in France, Portugal, Iceland, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg and Denmark.

On 17 September 2021 the band released a seventh studio album, Homo Alien.

In September 2022 it was announced on their Facebook account "COCK ROBIN The Band" that they have had to withdraw from their planned 2023 tour but still hoped to release their new album of original material called Part of Your Tribe in conjunction with an autobiographical lyric book of the same name at some point during the year. [8]

Cock Robin have no current plans for future tour dates in 2024 or beyond.

Band members

Ex-members

Other members

Discography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japan (band)</span> English new wave band

Japan were an English new wave band formed in 1974 in Catford, South London by David Sylvian, Steve Jansen (drums) and Mick Karn, joined the following year by Richard Barbieri (keyboards) and Rob Dean. Initially a glam rock-inspired band, Japan developed their sound and androgynous look to incorporate art rock, electronic music and foreign influences.

Lords of Acid is a Belgian electronic music group, originally formed in 1988 by Praga Khan, Oliver Adams, and Jade 4U. The band is known for their provocative lyrics, blending techno, acid house, and industrial music with themes of sexuality, drug use, and hedonism. Their debut album, Lust (1991), became an underground hit, establishing their signature sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War (band)</span> American rhythm and blues band

War is an American R&B and progressive soul band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Level 42</span> English jazz-funk band

Level 42 are an English jazz-funk band formed on the Isle of Wight in 1979. They had a number of UK and worldwide hits during the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skunk Anansie</span> British rock band

Skunk Anansie are a British rock band whose members include Skin, Cass, Ace and Mark Richardson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shamen</span> Scottish electronic dance music band

The Shamen were a Scottish psychedelic band, formed in 1985 in Aberdeen, who became a chart-topping British electronic dance music act by the early 1990s. The founding members were Colin Angus, Derek McKenzie and Keith McKenzie. Peter Stephenson joined shortly after to take over on keyboards from Angus. Several other people were later in the band. Angus then teamed up with Will Sinnott, and together they found credibility as pioneers of rock/dance crossover. When rapper Mr. C joined, the band moved on to international commercial success with "Ebeneezer Goode" and their 1992 Boss Drum album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skids (band)</span> British punk rock band

Skids are a Scottish punk rock and new wave band, formed in Dunfermline in 1977 by Stuart Adamson, William Simpson, Thomas Kellichan (drums) and Richard Jobson. Their biggest successes were the 1979 single "Into the Valley" and the 1980 album The Absolute Game. In 2016, the band announced a 40th-anniversary tour of the UK with their original singer Richard Jobson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Grass Roots</span> American rock band

The Grass Roots are an American rock band that charted frequently between 1965 and 1975. The band was originally the creation of Lou Adler and songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri. In their career, they achieved two gold albums and two gold singles, and charted singles on the Billboard Hot 100 a total of 21 times. Among their charting singles, they achieved Top 10 three times, Top 20 six times and Top 40 14 times. They have sold over 20 million records worldwide.

Starclub was an early 1990s rock band from England, consisting of Owen Vyse, Steve French, Julian Taylor and Alan White.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Kingsbery</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1952)

Peter Kingsbery is an American singer-songwriter who co-founded the band Cock Robin in the 1980s. He grew up in Austin (Texas) where he studied classical music. He moved to Nashville (Tennessee) where he began his career as a musician and then to Los Angeles at the end of the '70s where he began a career as a singer-songwriter. He composed a few songs for Smokey Robinson, and one of his compositions, Pilot Error, sung by Stephanie Mills, had some success in the dance charts in 1983. At the beginning of the 80s, he founded the group Cock Robin with Anna LaCazio, Clive Wright and Lou Molino III which enjoyed great success in Western Europe mainly. Failing to break their native country with a first self-titled album in 1985, the quartet became a duo of Kingsbery and LaCazio when they released their second album in 1987. After the band split up in the early 1990s after their third album, Kingsbery enjoyed a fairly successful solo career, releasing four albums over a decade, and scoring a major hit in France with the song "Only the Very Best." With his fourth album he tried his luck singing in French, the language of his adopted country.

<i>Cock Robin</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Cock Robin

Cock Robin is the first album by American band Cock Robin and was released in 1985.

<i>After Here Through Midland</i> 1987 studio album by Cock Robin

After Here Through Midland is the second album by Cock Robin and was released in 1987.

<i>First Love / Last Rites</i> 1989 studio album by Cock Robin

First Love / Last Rites is the third album by Cock Robin and was released in 1989 in Europe and 1990 in the USA.

<i>I Dont Want to Save the World</i> 2006 studio album by Cock Robin

I Don't Want to Save the World is the fourth album by Cock Robin and was released in 2006. It sees the reformation of the band after a 16-year hiatus. It features a selection of their trademark harmonic pop. The lyrics seem to be greatly influenced by personal relations and experiences spent since the last time the duo of Kingsbery and LaCazio shared a pop group. An example of this is "Italian Soul", which may be a take upon the consequences of meeting and working together after a long time apart. Apart from a few TV appearances in 2006, mainly in France, the album was not widely promoted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna LaCazio</span> American vocalist (born 1962)

Anna LaCazio is an American vocalist, best known as a member of the American pop rock band Cock Robin. Her father was Italian and her mother Chinese.

<i>24 Carrots</i> 1980 studio album by Al Stewart

24 Carrots is the ninth studio album by Al Stewart, released in 1980. It was Stewart's first album with his new band Shot in the Dark. Tracks 1-4 are co-written with Peter White. The single "Midnight Rocks" reached #24 on the Billboard chart in 1980. Two other singles were released from the album: "Mondo Sinistro" and "Paint By Numbers". The album has been re-released in 2007 with bonus tracks and in 2020 for its 40th anniversary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Superbus (band)</span> French pop/rock band

Superbus is a five-piece French pop rock band formed in 1999 with Jenn Ayache on lead vocals. The band's name is from the Latin word superbus, meaning proud, which Ayache stumbled upon while browsing through a Latin dictionary. The band has released five studio albums to date and a compilation album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Promise You Made</span> 1985 single by Cock Robin

"The Promise You Made" is a song by Cock Robin. Written by Peter Kingsbery, the song was recorded in 1984 for the group's self-titled debut album. It was released as a single first in the US in November 1985, then in early 1986 in Europe where it became a big hit.

<i>Get Even</i> 1988 studio album by Brother Beyond

Get Even is the debut album by British boy band Brother Beyond, released on the EMI/Parlophone label in two different editions, both in 1988, generally referred to as Get Even I and Get Even II. The second edition of the album included two songs by Stock Aitken Waterman, "The Harder I Try" and "He Ain't No Competition", which replaced two songs written by the band.

<i>The Who Hits 50!</i> (album) 2014 compilation album by the Who

The Who Hits 50! is a compilation of singles by the English rock band the Who, released in 2014 by Polydor Records. The two-disc set contains every single released by the band in the United Kingdom, with the exceptions of: "A Legal Matter" and "La-La-La-Lies" from 1966; and "Long Live Rock" and the remake of "I'm One" from 1979. At the same time it also contains every single by the band released in the United States throughout their career, with the exceptions of: "The Real Me" from 1974; the reissue of "Substitute" from 1976; and "Long Live Rock" from 1979. A condensed single-disc standard edition appeared as well, both versions in conjunction with the band's 50th anniversary and associated tour of the same name. The album is notable for containing singles generally not included on other compilation albums, such as the band's Rolling Stones cover "The Last Time" done as an act of solidarity while Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were facing jail time, along with other lesser-known singles "Dogs" and "Call Me Lightning".

References

  1. "Cock Robin – Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. "Cock Robin". Ultratop.be. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  3. Steffen Hung. "Peter Kingsbery - Only The Very Best". lescharts.com. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  4. "Cock Robin Music – The Band". Cock Robin Music. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  5. "MIXTAPE 01". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  6. "Article Coralie Vuillemin, nouvelle voix de Cock Robin – TOPO". Topo-fc.info. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  7. "Lollobrigida – EP by Cock Robin on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. April 7, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  8. Cock Robin (September 19, 2022). "COCK ROBIN The Band | Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved January 15, 2024.