Steve Robinson
Away For The Day
© 2004 Steve Robinson (620673239325)
CD OUT OF STOCK for re-production. Expect long delays.
If you want us to email you the minute this CD arrives, enter your name and email address here. We will not give or sell your info to anyone, and will not use it for any other reason than to tell you when it arrives.
Shadowy lyrics,sweet harmonies & keen counter melodies from transplanted Englishman, and former Roger McGuinn sideman; a little bit UK and a little bit USA. If REM hailed from Armthorpe rather than Athens, they might sound a little like this. Maybe not.
tracks
try this
albums you will love
genres you will love
galleries you will love
By Location
Recommended if you like ...
notes
On "Away For The Day", Robinson alternates between waxing nostalgic about the England of his youth,and celebrating his new life, wife and child in America.In between he sings of creative renewal and rejuvenation and ..well, getting off of your arse and singing your song.(Apparently he still misses his mother, though)
"If there is anything that connects England and America, it's music, and this purely wonderful album, a testament to the truth of craft and a singer/songwriter's ability to convey it to the hearts of listeners, no matter where they live, is proof."
Alan Haber, Pure Pop, WEBR, Fairfax, VA
"The entire album is robust, with thrilling harmonies and arrangements.A superb solo debut."
-Gina Vivinetto(St.Petersburg Times)
"It's rare that I'm sent anything at all that warrants a second listen, but his songs are more than worthy contenders. Great acoustic guitar and his singing voice is excellent. I imagine Roger McGuinn must have considered himself fortunate indeed to have found such a sympathetic guitar player and harmonist as a sidekick."
-Dave Gregory (XTC)
"I love Steve Robinson's new CD...great guitar, lyrics and vocals."-Roger McGuinn
"Wonderful songs,delightful surprises,and many brilliant flashes!"-Richard Barone
"Harmonies on tracks such as "All That Glitters..." are genuinely swoon-worthy. Fans of English pop need to track down this disc with all due haste." -Curtis Ross(Tampa Tribune)
"Every tune's a highlight"- Scott Harrell(The Weekly Planet)
"Robinson presents some lush and lovely air castles with these creations. I usually don't listen to anything new more than once; I'm in double figures on "Away For The Day."-John Lomax III
"Clearly, Robinson has an affinity for the sounds associated with The Byrds, but is also at ease in the worlds of Richard Thompson and Ray Davies. All of this is showcased on "Away For The Day", his wonderful debut."
-Charlie Backfish, WUSB-FM, Stony Brook, New York
"Each song is a jewel...I can't praise this enough" - Lord Litter(Cyberstorm Radio)
"My daddy records his music in the house and I have to turn down the TV. I wish he'd stop" -Emma Robinson (age 7)
Bio
Take someone with a penchant for 60's- influenced melodic pop, played with a 70's folk-rock sensibility; flavour it with a dash of good old 80's-tinged introspection and sense of melancholy. What would you have? Well, you'd probably have a pretentious, nostalgia-obsessed, whiny self-indulgent singer/ songwriter twerp who's at least twenty years out of date. So, moving along...
Originally from Northern England (admittedly a place where introspection and melancholia are quite rampant), Steve Robinson has been writing and performing in the U.S. for the past 20 years.
Although currently a solo artist, he spent the better part of the 80's & 90's performing with Florida-based folk-rockers, the Headlights. Lending a little Anglo flavour to a decidedly American band with an obvious affection for the Byrds, Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead made for a few interesting musical sparks, and the marriage lasted a dozen years or so.
Along the way the band shared the stage with the likes of The Band, The Grateful Dead, Steve Winwood, the Ramones, Joe Walsh, the Bodeans, the Smithereens, and the occasional drunken harmonica player asking if he could sit in; weathered the collapse of their Nashville-based label on the eve of the release of their aptly titled "Test the Spirit" album, and ultimately took their love of the Byrds to the next level by becoming the touring band of Byrds founder/ frontman Roger McGuinn.
Robinson's relationship with the Headlights proved to be a valuable one, and his exposure to the delights of The Byrds, Gram Parsons et al, coupled with his long-time love affair with The Everly Brothers, fostered a growing fondness for tight harmonies, acoustic guitars, mandolins, harmonicas and the like; sounds that continue to colour his solo folky-pop (or is it poppy-folk?) recordings today.
Comments from old friends back in England, concerned about the Americanisation of his sound ("You sound like a bloody Yank who's listened to a little too much REM"!)are tempered by the insistence of Stateside colleagues that his sound is distinctly English; more musically sympathetic to Morrissey than Stipe. Certainly, a quick listen to the shadowy, often nostalgic references to his homeland in his songs confirm that while his sound bears the musical imprint of living in the U.S. for so long, lyrically he's coming from a different place. Closer to Neil Finn than Neil Young; rootsy Americana it most definitely is not. Nor is this closet folkie overtly English in the Fairport Conventional sense. It's apparent that Robinson is straddling two cultures here; one foot in each camp, so to speak, and appears quite comfortable with the arrangement.
So, British or American; Union Jack or Stars and Stripes-it's red, white and blue either way isn't it? Call it folky-pop; call it poppy-folk; call it poppycock if you must. Just don't call him a pretentious, nostalgic-obsessed-whiny, self-indulgent singer/ songwriter twerp.
reviews
Please log in to review this album.
We love "Away For The Day"!
author: cloud nine and cloud sevenInternet Music Radio, "Gone Fishing for Blue Skies", loves the world of Steve Robinson.
Former Headlights fan .... LOVED IT
author: KarenAs a former Headlights fan from Tampa, this was just what I thought it would be ... AWESOME!!!!!! I've not changed the CD in my car for over a week now... LOVE IT LOVE IT!!!!!
One-man band Steve Robinson sounds like a modern-day Donovan backed by XTC.
author: Toby at Silver Moon MusicOne-man band Steve Robinson sounds like a modern-day Donovan backed by XTC. Delightful pop-folk that bounces along nicely especially on the effervescent "Bright Side Of The Moon" and "Lucky 7." Contrast those with the introspective solemnity of tracks like "The Golden Age Of Steam" and the Beatlesque "The Things We Do" and the listener is treated to a broad range of mood. A satisfying and memorable recording that I can't keep out of the CD player!
Beatlesque Harmonies and Melodies
author: Kevin JohnsonIf you love the harmonies of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Crowded House, The Pet Sounds era Beach Boys, CSNY and the Beatles you may want to give this CD a listen. Very meaningful lyrics about love of family and friends, homeland and chosen home and healing heartaches. Most of all just a very refreshingly upbeat and melodic album that leaves the listener uplifted and wanting to hear this album over and over. My personal favorite is gooseflesh (a Brits term for goosebumps). Sweet and lovely, all.
Refreshing and fun
author: Jim ChasteenI've given it a few listens so far and can tell already that I will not grow tired of it as I do with so much music of today. I find myself caught up in the story telling while simultaneously lost in the wonderfull melodies. A great work. Glad I stumbled onto it.
Alternatively, music.
author: Bruce Kula'In such an ugly time,' said Phil Ochs, 'the true protest is beauty.' Similarly, I wonder whether a work of craftsmanship like Steve Robinson's collection of lovingly arranged melodic songs isn't radical, alternative, and way the hell out there on the edge when compared to all those CDs listed in the back of the latest Rolling Stone.
A brilliant debut!
author: Mark CohenSteve Robinson's debut CD "Away For A Day" is a triumph. He has produced a wonderful album chock full of fantastic melodies. He mixes songs of Summery pop, akin to XTC and the Byrds, together with ballads which would not be out of place on a Neil Finn album. Fine praise indeed. The vocal harmonies and guitar playing are fantastic and the songs require repeat listens to appreciate the depth of detail. Add to that the wistful, storytelling nature of the lyrics and you have one fine album. Do yourself a favour and treat yourself to a copy!
Superb. A real story teller about real people. Great melodies
author: Dave AltoftFantastic lyrics and toe tapping melodies. I close my eyes and I can see the people in the songs. Steve is a real story teller - best thing is the songs are about real people - not fabricated tunes from his imagination. I was fortunate enough to know these people. Enjoy real music,buy Away for the Day,otherwise pop out and buy the latest fodder from the mainstream pop farm. Well done SGR!
Fantastic Debut Album-Buy it now!!!!
author: Billy EdwardsAway For The Day-Steve Robinson's Debut solo CD is a work of art-seriously!! From the first track this album catches you by the shoulder, and guides you though an emotional rollercoaster. Lyrically it reminded me of the cleverness of early Kinks and Squeeze tunes, but tender,clever vignettes, effortlessy interwoven with wonderful melody lines compete with a sense of fun seldom see these days. The strength of songwriting here is staggering-Where are the "filler" tunes that one hears on most CD's? Not a one! If you were to buy but one CD this year buy this one-you'll not be sorry.
Buying more for friends
author: Thomas DumkeI bought my first one week ago, I have just ordered three more. Everytime I give someone new a listen, they ask if I can get them a copy. A true masterpiece, placed now at the fore front of my CD collection. I suspect I will be buying more as I have lent it out again.