| Robin Zander | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 6 July 1993 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 51:13 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Producer | Jimmy Iovine, Robin Zander, James "Jae-E" Earley, Matt Dike, Mike Campbell | |||
| Robin Zander chronology | ||||
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Robin Zander is the debut solo album from American singer Robin Zander of Cheap Trick, released in 1993 by Interscope.
When Cheap Trick parted from their label, Epic, in 1991, Zander felt he had the opportunity to record a solo album while the band secured a new record deal. Zander told Billboard in 1993: "It just seemed like the right time. There's absolutely no dissatisfaction within the Cheap Trick realm. It's sort of like when you have this career, you need a hobby on the side. That's how I think of it." Speaking of the album itself, Zander commented: "It's not a half-baked Cheap Trick album. A lot of the solo albums I've heard over the years sound just like the band the person used to be in, or is in, and I didn't want to do that." [1]
"I've Always Got You" was released as a single and peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. [2] "Show Me Heaven" was released as the second and final single from the album. [3]
"Emily" was written with David A. Stewart (of the Eurythmics) and features Cheap Trick bassist Tom Petersson on bass guitar. "Secret" was written with the songwriting team Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly along with Rick Nielsen, lead guitarist of Cheap Trick. Cheap Trick later performed "Time Will Let You Know" live in 2000, which was released the following year on their live release Silver . Holland Zander, Robin Zander's daughter and former lead singer of The Snaggs, made a guest appearance to sing a duet version of the track. [4] The song "Walkin' Shoes" was re-recorded for Zander's intended 2010 solo follow-up Countryside Blvd..
For the German version of the "I've Always Got You" single, an extra non-album track was added, "Stone Cold Rhythm Shake", [5] written and originally performed by singer/songwriter Robert Vaughan on his 1991 album Songs from the Riverhouse. [6] The track was added as a bonus track to the Japanese version of the Robin Zander album. [7]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Billboard | mixed [9] |
| Music & Media | positive [10] |
| Spin | positive [11] |
Upon release, Mark Blackwell of Spin commented: "...yawn as you mist as the prospect, Zander has "surrendered" his debut, and has actually done a damn fine job of it. From the opening Mellencamp-Petty-esque riffs of the drivin'-down-the-highway-with-the-top-down pop of "Reactionary Girl" to the Queen-10cc-esque layered balladry of "Time Will Let You Know," Zander digs through his classic rock collection to appropriate a wide variety of styles - almost every track has a different, recognizable feel, the least "in-effect" of which is standard Cheap Trick power pop." [12]
Pan-European magazine Music & Media considered the album to "boast a bewildering array of different styles, although the respect for "the song" always remains the focal point." They added: "Zander not only proves to be a very able songwriter himself, he also knows how to pick songs by others and turn them into something of his own." [10] Billboard described the album as "well-sung", but one that "unfortunately suffers from underambitious writing and song selection". They added: "The best tracks here have the snap of Zander's finest work with [Cheap Trick], but much of the remainder just doesn't match the quality of the singing." [9]
Tom Demalon of AllMusic retrospectively said: "It's a balanced mix of taut, power pop, heartfelt ballads, and tasty covers. Zander's not redefining pi here. Instead, it's fifty minutes of well-crafted rock delivered by one of the most-gifted vocalists and frontmen in rock history." [8]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Reactionary Girl" |
| 3:19 |
| 2. | "I've Always Got You" |
| 3:40 |
| 3. | "Show Me Heaven" |
| 4:03 |
| 4. | "Jump into the Fire" | 3:12 | |
| 5. | "Time Will Let You Know" |
| 5:32 |
| 6. | "Boy (I'm So in Love With You)" |
| 4:55 |
| 7. | "Tell It to the World" |
| 3:30 |
| 8. | "Emily" |
| 6:09 |
| 9. | "I Believe in You" | 4:03 | |
| 10. | "Secret" |
| 4:30 |
| 11. | "Everlasting Love" |
| 4:32 |
| 12. | "Walkin' Shoes" |
| 3:59 |
Additional Musicians
| Production
|
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Swedish Albums Chart [13] | 38 |
Robin Wayne Zander is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick, but is also a solo artist. Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 as a member of Cheap Trick.
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"Woke Up with a Monster" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, released in 1994 as the lead single from their twelfth studio album Woke Up with a Monster. It was written by Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander and Tom Petersson, and produced by Ted Templeman. The song was released by Warner Bros. Records as a promotional-only single in the United States, aimed at generating radio play. It reached No. 16 on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks and remained on the chart for six weeks.
"Never Had a Lot to Lose" is a song by the American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1989 as the fifth and final single from their tenth studio album Lap of Luxury (1988). It was written by lead vocalist Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson, and produced by Richie Zito. The song reached No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Wherever Would I Be" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, released in 1990 as the second single from their eleventh studio album, Busted (1990). It was written by American songwriter Diane Warren and produced by Richie Zito. "Wherever Would I Be" peaked at number 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Way of the World" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1980 as a single from their fourth studio album Dream Police (1979). The song was written by Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander and produced by Tom Werman. In February 1980 it was released as a 7" vinyl single in the UK only, backed by "Oh, Candy," from the first Cheap Trick album, and peaked at #73. It attempted to capitalize on the success of the mid-1979 single "I Want You to Want Me" and the live album Cheap Trick at Budokan which both entered the top 30.
"Back 'n Blue" is a song by the American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 1990 as the opening track on their eleventh studio album Busted. It was written by Taylor Rhodes, Robert A. Johnson, Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander, and produced by Richie Zito.
"Everything Works if You Let It" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, released in 1980 as a single from the soundtrack of the film Roadie. It was written by Rick Nielsen and produced by George Martin. "Everything Works If You Let It" reached No. 44 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 40 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles.
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"I've Always Got You" is a song by the American singer Robin Zander, released in 1993 as the lead single from his debut solo album Robin Zander. It was written by Mike Campbell, Zander and J.D. Souther, and produced by Jimmy Iovine and Campbell.
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"When I Wake Up Tomorrow" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, which was released in 2016 as the second and final single from their seventeenth studio album Bang, Zoom, Crazy... Hello. It was written by Julian Raymond, Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson, and produced by Raymond and Cheap Trick. Released as a promotional single in the United States, "When I Wake Up Tomorrow" reached No. 24 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.
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