Cock Robin (band)
| Cock Robin | |
|---|---|
_823.png) Peter Kingsbery and Anna LaCazio during a Cock Robin concert (2009) | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Genres | Pop rock, new wave |
| Years active |
1982–1990 2006–present |
| Website |
www |
| Members | Peter Kingsbery |
| 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.
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. It was largely ignored in their native country, as with the majority of their output, but it was an overnight success in Europe, especially in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Portugal 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 the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium[1]), 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" (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, but, due to poor management and promotion, failed to make an impact in the USA. The duo went their separate ways shortly after the release of the album and a European Tour, with Kingsbery releasing a string of solo projects (3 albums in English, 1 in French) in France, most notably a hit single "Only the Very Best", recorded for the Michel Berger & Luc Plamondon concept musical album "Tycoon", 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.
Reformation
In 2006, after a 15-year hiatus, Cock Robin reformed, releasing their fourth album, I Don't Want to Save the World with the help of former band member Clive Wright and all 13 new songs recorded in Los Angeles. They also performed a number of sold-out concerts in France.
They did a few more concerts in 2009 in Europe and released a Live album of songs recorded during their 2009 concerts.
Their fifth studio album Songs from a Bell Tower was released on 11 October 2010 on several legal download platforms and in CD format with 2 versions (the stand-alone album with 11 songs and a 2-CD Limited Collector edition including the album on the first CD accompanied with an extensive booklet and the Live album released in 2009 on the second CD), only available so far from the French music store FNAC. The album was recorded in Los Angeles with the help of drummer Pat Mastelotto. Again, the duo have made a few appearances on French television and radio and on the Internet in October and November. 2011 saw the band heavily touring in France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany. May 2011 saw the re-release of Songs from a Bell Tower on German label Blackbird Music, including their 2008 live-album as a bonus CD. In June 2011, "Now and Then (Umpff Remix)", a reworking of the Songs from a Bell Tower track by Danish producer/remixer Umpff was released. In October 2011, Cock Robin started touring again in France and in Spain; the mini tour lasted until August 2012.
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".[2]
Another Cock Robin remix by Umpff, "Extraordinary Thing", appeared on Mixtape from Mabel the Label in October 2012.
The November 2015 issue of the French magazine Topo 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.
On Cock Robin's French website, Kingsbery announced that Coralie Vuillemin had been chosen as the new female voice in the group. The band's latest album, "Chinese Driver" was released on March 11, 2016.
Band members
Core members
- Peter Kingsbery: lead vocals, keyboards, bass, guitar
- Anna LaCazio: lead vocals, keyboards (left band 2015)
- Clive Wright: guitars (on/off member)
- Lou Molino III: drums, percussion, backing vocals (left band 1987)
Other members
- Pat Mastelotto: drums, percussions
- Tris Imboden: drums
- Corky James: guitars
- John Pierce: bass
- Lise Anderson: keyboards, backing vocals
Discography
Studio albums
- Cock Robin (1985)
- After Here Through Midland (1987)
- First Love Last Rites (1989)
- I Don't Want to Save the World (2006)
- Songs from a Bell Tower (2010)
- Chinese Driver (2016)
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [3] |
US Main [4] |
FRA | ITA | NED | BEL (FLA) |
GER [5] |
AUT | SWI | SWE | IRE | UK [6] | |||
| 1985 | "When Your Heart Is Weak" | 35 | 28 | 9 | 26 | — | — | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | Cock Robin |
| 1986 | "The Promise You Made" | — | — | 4 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 6 | — | 7 | — | 11 | 28 | |
| "Thought You Were On My Side" | — | — | 39 | — | 4 | 4 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "When Your Heart Is Weak" (NED/BEL/UK) | — | — | — | — | 19 | 30 | — | — | — | — | 25 | — | ||
| "Once We Might Have Known" (US only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987 | "Just Around The Corner" | — | — | 18 | 17 | 14 | 11 | 16 | 28 | 6 | 12 | — | — | After Here Through Midland |
| "The Biggest Fool Of All" | — | — | 47 | — | 80 | 23 | 50 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "El Norte" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990 | "Worlds Apart" | — | — | 22 | — | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | First Love / Last Rites |
| "Manzanar" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Straighter Line" | — | — | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||||||||||||
Live recordings
- Live au Grand Rex (1990) (video recording)
- Live (2009) (recorded live in France 2006)
Compilations
- Collection Gold (1990)
- The Best of Cock Robin (1991)
- Best Ballads (2000)
- Simply the Best (2001)
- Open Book — The Best Of... (2011)
References
- ↑ Cock Robin in Ultratop Vlaanderen (Dutch)
- ↑
- ↑ "Cock Robin - US Hot 100 Chart". billboard.com. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
- ↑ "Cock Robin - US Mainstream". billboard.com. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
- ↑ "Cock Robin - German Chart". charts.de. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
- ↑ "Official Charts Company: Cock Robin". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
External links
- Official website
- International forum dedicated to Cock Robin
- Website on the last album "I Don't Want to Save the World"
- Peter Kingsbery Official Website
- (French) Cock Robin Online