- B. A. Robertson
Infobox musical artist |
Name = B. A. Robertson
Img_capt =
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Background = yellow
Birth_name = Brian Alexander Robertson
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1956|9|12Glasgow ,Scotland
Instrument = Vocals
Genre = Rock
Pop
New Wave
Occupation =Musician ,Singer-songwriter ,Actor
Years_active = 1973–Present
Label = Asylum, Epic, Swansong Records
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.barobertsongs.com Official website]
Notable_instruments =B. A. Robertson (born Brian Alexander Robertson,
12 September 1956 ,Glasgow [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0731731/bio IMDb database] ] ) is a Scottishmusician ,actor ,composer andsongwriter . He was educated at the formerAllan Glen's School , Glasgow and what is now theRoyal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama .Career
He released his debut
album in 1973, but it was to be a further six years until he found success in the UK charts.Robertson had hits between 1979 and 1981 in the
UK Singles Chart , the first of which - "Bang Bang" - reached number 2 in August 1979.cite book
first= David
last= Roberts
year= 2006
title= British Hit Singles & Albums
edition= 19th
publisher= Guinness World Records Limited
location= London
pages= p. 465
id= ISBN 1-904994-10-5] Following singles "Knocked It Off", "Kool In The Kaftan" and "To Be Or Not To Be" reached chart positions 8, 17 and 9 respectively. All the singles came from his third album "Initial Success", which reached number 32 in theUK Albums Chart . In 1981 he had his lastTop 40 hit performing a duet withMaggie Bell , of acover version of "Hold Me" which reached number 11.He wrote or co-wrote "
Carrie ", "Hot Shot" and "Wired for Sound" forCliff Richard and wrote "Language of Love" which Richard released as a B-side. Robertson also penned and sung thetheme tune to thetelevision series, "Maggie" and "Multi-Coloured Swap Shop " ("Hello, Hello"), and wrote and sang backing vocals for the Swap-Shop spin-off group, Brown Sauce's UK Top 20 hit, "I Wanna Be a Winner".In October 1980, Robertson appeared as a guest on the
BBC Television chat show, "Friday Night, Saturday Morning ". In the sixth and final series of the same show, Robertson appeared on one programme (January 1982) as the show's host. In February 1981 Robertson appeared playing live inconcert , on theBBC jointtelevision andradio programme, "Rock Goes To College ". He appeared at the then Preston Polytechnic,Lancashire .Robertson has regularly written
song s withMike Rutherford for Rutherford's bandMike + The Mechanics , including their hits "Silent Running" and "The Living Years". The latter was written after Robertson's father died twelve weeks before the birth of his Robertson's own son, and was nominated for aGrammy Award for Song of the Year in 1990.Robertson also wrote "We Have A Dream" for the
1982 FIFA World Cup Scotland national football team and played the lead in the movie "Living Apart Together", directed by Charlie Gormley.In 1983 Robertson, along with co-songwriters
Terry Britten and Sue Shifrin won a Razzie Award for the Worst 'Original' Song for "Pumpin' and Blowin'" as featured in the 1982film , "The Pirate Movie ". Robertson presented a two part documentary, "Jock 'n' Roll Parts I & II" charting the history of pop music in Scotland and also presented a short-lived TV programme "B. A. in Music" which featured contributions from musician guests. The show madeChannel 4 's 2000 list "100 Greatest TV Moments from Hell" after Robertson had a confrontation withBow Wow Wow singerAnnabella Lwin during which she called the programme a 'pretty shit show' and stormed off. [ [http://www.offthetelly.co.uk/reviews/2000/100tvhell.htm Offthetelly.co.uk - review] ]In 1991 Robertson was billed as the co-producer and executive musical producer for "" (ISBN 1-55890-217-1), a 1991 direct-to-video release featuring top contemporary singers performing "classic Disney songs". ["Simply Mad About the Mouse: A Musical Celebration of Imagination", videocasette.]
Robertson's
stage name was often mentioned in theBBC Two , satiricialsketch comedy programme, "The Fast Show ", during the recurring sketch "Chanel 9 ", a parody of Mediterranean TV channels. The joke was based on occasionally intelligible (to English speaking audiences) names appearing in foreign broadcast speech.Discography (incomplete)
Albums
"Wringing Applause", 1973, Ardent ADS2804. Released as by "Brian Alexander Robertson"
# "Moira's Hand" - 3:30
# "In the Limelight" - 3:59
# "These Fantasies" - 3:51
# "After the Theatre" - 4:57
# "Carnival" - 5:05
# "Cowboys" - 4:22
# "To My Star" - 5:29
# "Coatails" - 4:14
# "Baby Nuts" - 4:12
# "Myths and Illusions" - 4:23"Shadow of a Thin Man", 1976, Arista / Sparty 1000. Released as by "Alexander Robertson"
# "Entrance" - 1:50
# "No Strength in Numbers" - 2:40
# "Tricky and Tough" - 3:19
# "Sugar" - 2:55
# "Tap! Tap! Tap!" - 3:12
# "Trans Siberian Express" - 3:46
# "Mighty England" - 4:43
# "Hail Mary" - 3:34
# "All the Thin Men" - 3:56
# "Roxanna" - 3:04
# "School Report" - 3:57"Initial Success", 1980, Asylum K52216
# "Gonzo for my Girlfriend" - 2:34
# "Man or a Mouse" - 2:25
# "Goosebumps" - 2:26
# "Fallin in Luv" - 2:51
# "Kool in the Kaftan" - 3:52
# "Bang Bang" - 3:16
# "Eat Your Heart Out Sandy Nelson" - 1:57
# "The B Side" - 2:37
# "To Be or Not To Be" - 3:15
# "She's a Beezer" - 2:42
# "England's Green & Pheasant Land" - 3:07
# "Walking Rover" - 3:23
# "Knocked it Off" - 3:35
# "Here I Sit..." - 1:26"Bully for You", 1981, Asylum, K52275
# "Saint Saens" - 2:46 Audio|Example-of-B.A.Robertson's-music-Saint-Saens.ogg|listen
# "Bully for You" - 2:45
# "Maggie" - 2:33
# "Growing Old's Unhealthy" - 3:15
# "Please Miss" - 3:35
# "In the Bar at the Munich Hilton" - 3:39
# "Dart Vader" - 3:33
# "Hey Presto" - 3:12
# "Flight 19" - 3:33
# "Only One" - 3:41
# "Turn the Volume Down" - 2:49
# "Home Sweet Home" - 2:52"R&BA", Asylum, K52383
# "Dot Dot Dot"
# "Ready or Not"
# "Moscow Rules"
# "Nothing Like a Great Romance"
# "Four Minutes to Midnight"
# "Hold Me"
# "Legislate for Love"
# "Son of a Gunn"
# "One Plus One"
# "Asleep With a Stranger"
# "Just Like a Rash"ingles
"Moira's Hand", Ardent ADA 2907. Released as by "Brian Alexander Robertson"
# "Moira's Hand"
# "To My Star""All the Thin Men", 1976, Arista 64. Released as by "Alexander Robertson"
# "All the Thin Men"
# "School Report""Goosebumps", ASY 6443
# "Goosebumps"
# "The B-Side""Bang Bang", 1979, Asylum Records, K13152
# "Bang Bang"
# "2(b) B Side the C Side""Knocked it Off", 1979, Asylum Records, K12396
# "Knocked it Off"
# "Sci-Fi""Kool in the Kaftan", 1980, Asylum Records K12427. Released as an ordinary single and as a gatefold
# " Kool in the Kaftan"
# "Baby I'm a Bat""To Be or Not to Be", 1980, Asylum Records K12449
# "To Be or Not To Be"
# "Language of Love" (live)
# "Hot Shot" (live)"Flight 19", 1980, Asylum Records K12482
# "Flight 19"
# "Alright on the Night""Sucker for Your Love", 1981, Asylum Records SAM 131. Promotional release: "A Free B.A. from Middlesex Poly". Also with "Bully for You" (without picture sleeve).
# "Sucker for Your Love"
# "Man or a Mouse""Hold Me", 1981, Swan Song, BAM 1. Duet with Maggie Bell
# "Hold Me"
# "Spring Greens""We Have a Dream", 1982 Scotland World Cup Squad
# "We Have a Dream"
# "Wrap up the Cup""Ready or Not", 1983
# "Ready or Not"
# "Les Beans""Dot Dot Dot", 1983
# "Dot Dot Dot"
# "Keep off the Grass""Now & Then", from the movie "Living Apart Together"
# "Now & Then"
# "Scene 4""Time", 1984, RCA 104217. With Frida -
ABBA 'sinstrumental track "Arrival", with addedlyrics
# "Time"
# "(I Am) The Seeker " [ [http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/b_a__robertson Rateyourmusic.com - discography - accessed February 2008] ]Filmography
*"
The Monster Club " - 1980
*"Living Apart Together" - 1982Favourite music
Robertson's favourtite songs are "Diana" by
Paul Anka , "Ordinary People" byJohn Legend , "If You're Ready (Come Go With Me) " byThe Staple Singers , "Tempted " by Squeeze, "The Island" byPaul Brady , "A Man Alone" by John Barry, "The Letter" by theBox Tops , "What Kind Of Fool Am I" byAnthony Newley , "When You Wish upon a Star " byBilly Joel and "Trains and Boats and Planes" byBurt Bacharach . (Source:BBC Radio 2 "Tracks of My Years")ee also
*
Allan Glen's School
*List of songs that retell a work of literature
*List of performers on Top of the Pops
*List of performances on Top of the Pops References
External links
* [http://www.barobertsongs.com B. A. Robertson - official website]
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