Andy Robinson
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1968-70) - Andy Robinson -- vocals, guitar
supporting musicians (1968) - Dennis Budimir -- guitar - Samuel Boghossian -- viola - Artie Butler -- keyboards - Al Casey -- guitar - David Cohen -- guitar - Gary Coleman -- percussion - Gene Estes -- percussion - Jesse Ehrlich -- cello - Victor Feldman -- percussion - Jim Gordon -- drums - Carol Kaye -- bass - Lincoln Mayorga -- harpsichord, keyboards - Wilbert Nuttycombe -- violin - Earl Palmer -- drums - Sid Sharp -- violin - Ken Watson -- percussion
supporting musicians (1970) - Robert Culput -- percussion - Daryll Hall - backing vocals - Gerall Heiser -- cello - Jim Helmer -- drums, percussion - Tim Moore -- lead guitar - John Oates -- harmonica - Tom Sellers -- bass, keyboards, franco
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- The Happy Traum Band (Andy Robinson)
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Genre: folk Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Patterns of Reality Company: Philips Catalog: PHS
600 289 Country/State: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+; minor wear on top edge Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $25.00
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There's obscure and then there's obscure. The most detailed biographical info I could find on singer/guitarist Andy Robinson came from a 1968 newspaper article talking about an upcoming Adirondack Community College concert:
"Originally from Philadelphia, he began singing and composing while still a student at the University of Colorado in Boulder. It was in small clubs in and around Boulder that he first started singing professionally appearing with people like Judy Collins, Odettta, Eric Andersen and others. Their encouragement led Andy to New York City where he met Janis Ian, who was impressed enough to introdcte him to her manager. He was signed to a contract and Janis Ian produced his first album "Patterns of Reality" on the Philips label. A series of college tours in he East and Midwest followed appearences in clubs including the Main Point in Philadelphia, the Cellar Door in Washington, The Bijou Cafe in Philadelphia amd the Salt in Newport Rhode Island."
Produced by Janis Ian, 1968's "Patterns of Reality" was recorded at Tom Hidley and Amnon "Ami" Hadani's Hollywood T.T.G. Studios. Featuring ten Robinson originals, knowing nothing about the artist, my expectations for the album fell clearly in the whiney, hippy folk singer category. Yeah, those were pretty low expectations. While there was a certain amount of that musical niche to be found in these grooves ('Ballad Of A Summer Girl' and 'Time For Decision'), the album was actually quite a surprise. Robinson had a nice, energetic and crystal clear voice. Most of his material managed to avoid the patented woe-is-me subject matter mined by his folk singer contemporaries. Sure, 'The Exhibition' and the title track were thick with sentiment, but remember this was the last-'60s. Even better, in her role as producer, Ian brought in the cream of Hollywood's "Wrecking Crew" including guitarist Al Casey, bassist Carol Kaye, drummer Jim Gordon and percussionist Victor Feldman. Their work gave tracks like the opener 'Absolutely the End', 'The Provide' and particularly the should-have-been-a-single 'To Tell You the Truth' a surprisingly rock feel. I won't go as far as try to make the case this was a classic album, but when compared to most of his folk-singer competition, it was pretty impressive. Unfortunately for Robinson, Philips didn't do a great deal to promote the album, leaving him to return to the club and college circuit. He also made several appearances at the Philadelphia folk festival.
There's an equally obscure second album - 1970's "Break Out of the City" Janus catalog number JLS 3013) and a series of three singles.
By the way, several references indicate he went into films, including roles in the movies "Dirty Harry" and "Scorpio." I'm pretty sure that's a different Andy Robinson.
"Patterns
of Reality" track listing: 1.) Absolutely The End (Andy Robinson) - 3:44 rating: **** stars I didn't feel the need to put 'Absolutely the End' on repeat, but the combination of Robinson's crystal clear voice, a nice melody and the full band backing arrangement gave the opener a much tougher rock feel than I would have expected. Love Carol Kaye's bass on this one. Quite a nice surprise. 2.) Ballad Of A Summer Girl (Andy Robinson) - 3:37 rating: *** stars 'Ballad Of A Summer Girl' was a more conventional singer/songwriter performance, but showcasing Robinson's nice acoustic guitar coupled with a pretty melody and backing from the "Wrecking Crew" kicked the performance up a notch. 3.) The Exhibition (Andy Robinson) - 2:34 rating: *** stars 'The Exhibition ' was another good example of how producer Janis Ian and the "Wrecking Crew" "powered up" a singer/songwriter track into a surprisingly energetic rocker. 4.) Time For Decision (Andy Robinson) - 3:37 rating: ** stars Complete with strings, the folky ballad 'Time For Decision' was a more along the lines of what I was initially expecting from Robinson. Admittedly pretty, but cloying to my ears. 5.) Provider (Andy Robinson) - 3:30 rating: **** stars To my ears 'Provider' was the album's most upbeat and conventional rock song. No idea how they came across the song (although Philadelphia was their home base), but Hall & Oates covered the tune on their 1976 album "Past Times Behind."
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2) Spotlighting Kaye's pounding bass and Al Casey's skitterish guitar, 'To Tell You The Truth' was my favorite performance. A straight-ahead rocker, it is hard to imagine Philips didn't release this one as a single. 2.) Are You Sleeping? (Andy Robinson) - 4:26 rating: *** stars Darn, wish I could play bass like Carol Kaye ... 'Are You Sleeping?' added a jazz vibe to the mix. Love the electric guitar on this one, but I'm not sure if it's Dennis Budimir, All Casey, or David Cohen. Docked a star for the scat singing section. 3.) Nothing Could Be Better (Andy Robinson) - 2:20 rating: *** stars Pretty, but forgettable folk ballad that reminds me a bit of Al Stewart. 4.) Maiden Voyage (Andy Robinson) - 4:19 rating: **** stars 'Maiden Voyage' was another upbeat tune where Robinson abandoned any effort to sound like a folk singer. The song displayed what a nice voice Robinson had, though the keyboard solos stole this one. Not sure if it was Artie Butler, or Lincoln Mayorga ... Extra star for the keyboards. 5.) Patterns Of Reality (Andy Robinson) - 5:15 rating: ** stars The heavily orchestrated title track offered up a piece of hyper sensitive singer/songwriter material. It'll certainly appeal to fans of the genre, but it was a miss for me.
© Scott R. Blackerby April, 2023
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Genre: folk Rating: 3 stars *** Title: Break Out of the City Company: Janus Catalog: JLS
3013 Country/State: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+ Comments: 4" top seam split Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $15.00
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Two years after the release of his debut album "Patterns of Reality" on Philips, Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter Andy Robertson reappeared with his follow-on album. Produced by former Gulliver keyboardist Tom Sellers, "Break Out of the City" could well have served as a second Gulliver album. While Robinson had not been a member of Gulliver, in addition to Sellers, the recording sessions featured support from former Gulliver members Daryl Hall (backing vocals), Jim Helmer (drums) and Tim Moore (guitar). As on the debut, the collection underscored Robinson's folk roots. Tracks like the opener 'Forever', 'The Right Way' and 'Party Ball' ably showcased his singer-songwriter credentials. Like Dan Fogelberg's forthcoming catalog, Robinson had a nice voice that ably captured the genre's three main requirements - sweet, sensitive and sincere. On the other hand, the performances occasionally came close to saccharine - check out his cover of Joni Mitchell's 'For Free'. While the acoustic ballads were attractive, I found the more atypical rockers far more impressive. On the title track, 'Uptight Saturday Night' and 'Need Somebody On Your Bond' Robinson's voice proved up to the challenges of taming a rock arrangement. A minor complaint, but on songs like 'The Right Way' and 'Every Mother, Father, Brother, Sister' Robinson repeatedly demonstrated a penchant for scatting. Stop it!
Not a knockout collection, but the set had enough to charm to warrant investigating. It also marked Robinson's final solo release.
"Break Out
of the City" track listing: 1.) Forever (Andy Robinson) - 3:24 rating: *** stars With a nice refrain the charming 'Forever' was an earnest ballad that was firmly in the late Dan Fogelberg school of singer-songwriter material. Actually, I should have said Fogelberg was firmly in the Andy Robinson school of singer-songwriter material since this album appeared two years before Fogelberg's debut. The one complaint was the song also demonstrated Robinson's habit of scatting. 2.) Break Out of the City (Andy Robinson) - 2:45 rating: **** stars Kicked along by nice strumming acoustic guitars and seller's piano, the title track was a bouncy pop number with considerable commercial potential. Showcasing his bright and highly commercial voice, this one could have been a single. In fact it was released as a single, but in Portugal of all places: - 1970's 'Break Out of the City' b/w 'Uptight Saturday Night' (Janus catalog number TE 20031) 3.) Where Do We Belong / Need Somebody On Your Bond (Andy Robinson / traditional arranged by Andy Robinson) - 4:21 rating: *** stars / **** stars 'Where Do We Belong' started out as a standard singer-songwriter ballad. Pretty, but nothing you hadn't encountered before. The addition of Seller's keyboards marked the transition to 'Need Somebody On Your Bond' which then exploded into a full-tilt rocker. All I can say is Robinson sounded right at home surrounded by Tim Moore's enthusiastic fuzz guitar moves. 4.) The Right Way (Andy Robinson) - 3:48 rating: *** stars Starting out just Robinson and strumming acoustic guitar, the plaintive ballad 'The Right Way' was another track that benefited when the full band arrangement kicked in. Seller's bass lines were quite melodic. Docked a star for the scatting vocals which gave the tune an incomplete feeling. . 5.) I'll Be Bye (John Oates) - 2:48 rating: *** stars Written by former Gulliver band mate John Oates, the mid-tempo 'I'll Be Bye' was the album's most commercial number. Unlike partner Daryl Oates, I never thought of Oates as being a big writer. My oversight since the tune was quite sweet. Again, docked a start for his penchant to start scatting.
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2) Opening up with some nice acoustic guitar moves, 'Party Ball' moved back into singer-songwriter territory. Sweet, sensitive and sincere the harmony vocals provided the highlights. There was something about the song's earnest edge and his acoustic guitar playing that's always reminded me of Stephen Stills solo effort. Janus released the track as a US promotional 45:
- 1970's 'Party Ball' b/w 'Every Mother, Father, Brother, Sister' (Janus catalog number J-143)
2.) Uptight Saturday Nite - 3:00 rating: **** stars Featuring John Oates on harmonica 'Uptight Saturday Nite' featured a blues-rock arrangement. Once again, Robinson sounded great surrounded by a full rock arrangement. The tune would have been a nice 45, but was relegated to serving as the "B" side on his 'Sally She Weep' single. 3.) Sally She Weep (Andy Robinson) - 2:56 rating: **** stars Bright acoustic guitars and Robinson's energetic vocals gave the country-tinged 'Sally She Weep' a surprisingly commercial sheen. Having Daryll Hall on backing vocals didn't hurt the cause. Guess that's why Janus tapped in as the debut single.
- 1970's 'Sally She Weep' b/w ' Uptight Saturday Night' (Janus catalog number J-116)
4.) Every Mother, Father, Brother, Sister (Andy Robinson) - 3:46 rating: *** stars Geez, what's with the scatting? Did Robinson simply run out of time to complete his lyrics? Overlooking that personal source of irritation, 'Every Mother, Father, Brother, Sister' was a slinky, percussion-heavy mid-tempo track that abruptly shifted into a bluesy mid-section and then back to the bouncy main melody. 5.) For Free (Joni Mitchell) - 3:29 rating: *** stars Deciding to do a Joni Mitchell cover is always a risky proposition, but to his credit Robinson did a nice version of 'For Free' (found on her 1970 "Ladies of the Canyon" album). Nowhere near as fragile as Mitchell's original, it was a little odd to hear a struggling musician like Robinson singing Mitchell's paean to the high costs of success. A little to close to precious for my tastes, but pretty.
© Scott R. Blackerby December, 2024
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