Cock Robin - Cock Robin

I'm not sure why I filed Cock Robin away as rubbish. There was a bit of buzz when this was released in '85 and I'm sure I saw a video on MuchMusic but honestly have no memory at all. I do though remember watching The Tonight Show that year when they were the musical guest and wasn't impressed, but somehow I can remember they were on the show.

The other day I figured it was a good day to go visit Krazy Bob and see what treasures he'd seeded his discount bin with. Sometimes it's a cornucopia of sonic goodies, and other times it's like he decided it was time to dump all of his Hammond organ dance records. It was a banner day and I picked up a dozen records that were all in amazing shape. You guessed it among them was the debut release by Cock Robin.

The band was centred on vocalists Peter Kingsbery and Anna LaCazio and they were supported by Clive Wright on guitar and Louis Molino III on drums, both of whom would be gone by the band's second album. This isn't to take a steamin' dump on their contributions. I really liked the guitar work on the album Clive's textures were a big part of what I really liked here, and the drums were solid. Anyway if I was to boil it down it was probably Peter's band as he was principal songwriter and vocalist.

Probably not the way I intended to start this one but I'm sort of committed now. This was the first record I played of the dirty dozen I'd picked up and cleaned. I was actually really curious to see what this was like, and my first impression was really positive. So much so that I started to question myself and wonder if it was Cock Robin at all - maybe it was Lone Justice ... but no, they weren't on The Tonight Show and Cock and Lone only share an "O" and don't sound alike.

This was curious, as frankly Cock Robin was exactly the kind of '80s pop I liked. While "When Your Heart Is Weak" charted in the States, I don't remember the song at all from the radio or T.V. which is surprising as it's pretty good. The album did crack the top 75 but didn't have legs. While the band was mostly overlooked in North America, they found significant success in parts of Europe, scoring a number one hit with "The Promise You Made"—probably my favourite song on the album—and a top-five single with "Thought You Were On My Side," the album’s opening track.

Having two complimentary vocalists allowed the band to play a little with convention and avoid the curse of the duet. They would sometimes sing in a call and response manner, and other times contribute  harmonies, or they'd just stand out front and be a lead vocalist. Peter had that great '80s tone, and Anna's voice was a little harder to pin down. She sort of reminded me of Cindy Lauper mixed with Aimee Mann. Trust me, that's a good thing. 

I was also pleasantly surprised at how good the album sounds. I love records where the bass is forward in the mix, especially when it helps drive the songs forward. I'm really glad I managed to find this one as it finally corrected a long held opinion about a band who deserved a better fate.

This was really good, and if you like mid tempo '80s pop music with a bit of a twist you need to give this one a spin or two.