Artist · chart history
Tom Robinson
Band Cambridge United Kingdom Active 1976–1979
Tom Robinson formed in 1976 in Cambridge, United Kingdom and was active until 1979. Tom Robinson has 5 chart appearances on 4 radio countdowns from 4 stations on RockLists, spanning 1983–2010. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “2-4-6-8 Motorway”, which appears on 2 lists with a best position of #292. The station that charted Tom Robinson most often is CFNY 102.1 The Edge (Toronto, ON), with 2 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1983.
The Tom Robinson Band came roaring out of 1976 with singer, songwriter and bassist Tom Robinson at the wheel, and "2-4-6-8 Motorway", their debut single, went top five in the UK in 1977: a driving, singalong road song with a punk band's energy and a pop band's grin. Danny Kustow's guitar gave it bite, and the keyboard seat was filled over time by Mark Ambler, Nick Plytas and Ian Parker, with Dolphin Taylor and Charlie Morgan among the drummers.
Signed to EMI, TRB made records that had punk's urgency without its sneer. Their third single, "Up Against the Wall", is held up by some as a classic of the form, and their debut album, Power in the Darkness, from 1978, is often ranked with the defining punk records of its era. Then there's "Glad to Be Gay", a song that has become something like a national anthem for gay Britain, and proof that this band meant every word.
It all burned fast: by 1979 the band was finished, leaving TRB Two and those singles behind.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by Tom Robinson on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2-4-6-8 Motorway | 2 | #292 | – | – | |
| 2 | War Baby | 2 | #50 | – | 1983 | |
| 3 | You Tattooed Me | 1 | #886 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 689 | 2-4-6-8 Motorway | WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) |
| 2004 | 292 | 2-4-6-8 Motorway | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) |
| 1991 | 794 | War Baby | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) |
| 1991 | 886 | You Tattooed Me | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) |
| 1983 | 50 | War Baby | John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1983 |
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