Love over Rage

1994 studio album by Tom Robinson
Love over Rage
Studio album by
Tom Robinson
Released1994
LabelCooking Vinyl
ProducerAl Scott
Tom Robinson chronology
Living in a Boom Time
(1992) 		Love over Rage
(1994) 		Having It Both Ways
(1996)

Love over Rage is an album by the English musician Tom Robinson, released in 1994.[1][2] It is dedicated to Dez Tozer, a former lover.[3] Robinson promoted the album by playing the 1994 Glastonbury Festival and embarking on a North American tour that included shows with Barenaked Ladies.[4][5] The first single was "Hard".[6]

Production

Robinson used studio musicians as a backing band.[7] Chris Rea contributed to the album.[8] "Green" criticizes corporations that use environmental oratory to draw attention from the polluting effects of business.[9] "DDR" describes life in the former East Germany.[10] "Days" looks back on the music of Robinson's young manhood.[11] "Chance" and "Silence" examine the AIDS epidemic.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Robert Christgau(choice cut)[13]
Derby Evening Telegraph7/10[14]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[15]
MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide[16]

Trouser Press wrote that "Robinson can still sound preachy, but overall this is a stunningly mature work."[9] The Philadelphia Daily News deemed the album "a punchy, provocative grouping of rock anthems, the sort only Brits seem capable of writing."[10] The Boston Globe called it "catchy, soulful and still politically charged."[11] The Age noted that Robinson shows "enough self-deprecating humor, wry observation and the ability to pen the occasional catchy melody."[7]

Robert Christgau praised "Fifty" and "Green".[13] The New York Times concluded that "the songs on Love over Rage may be more complex and personal than the moralizing of Mr. Robinson's early recordings, but they are no less passionate in their search for truth."[3] The Washington Post opined that "the liveliest track is the lite-reggae "Loved", a bouncy pitch for no-strings lust."[5]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Roaring" 
2."Hard" 
3."Loved" 
4."Days" 
5."Driving" 
6."Green" 
7."DDR" 
8."Fifty" 
9."Silence" 
10."Chance" 

References

  1. ^ Wapshott, Tim (23 Apr 1994). "Look Who's Talking: Music comes first, sex a close second". Weekend Style & Spending Page. The Independent.
  2. ^ Fanshawe, Simon (27 May 1994). "The war baby at peace". The Guardian.
  3. ^ a b c Holden, Stephen (4 Sep 1994). "The Mellowing of a Gay Punk Rebel". The New York Times. p. A30.
  4. ^ "Tom Robinson Biography by John Dougan". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b Jenkins, Mark (7 Oct 1994). "Ladies Grow Dull; Robinson Goes Pop". The Washington Post. p. N17.
  6. ^ Crozier, David (1 Jun 1994). "All the Fun at the Fair". Cambridge Weekly News. p. 35.
  7. ^ a b Wise, Brian (August 21, 1994). "CD of the Week". Agenda. The Age. p. 6.
  8. ^ Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 598.
  9. ^ a b "Tom Robinson". Trouser Press. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  10. ^ a b Takiff, Jonathan (29 July 1994). "New Rock Anthems with a Hard Bite". Features Yo!. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 42.
  11. ^ a b Sullivan, Jim (12 Aug 1994). "Robinson Returns: After 15 years, the angry young revolutionary has a new record deal and the same high ideals". Arts. The Boston Globe. p. 61.
  12. ^ "Love over Rage Tom Robinson". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Tom Robinson". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
  14. ^ Bravo, Russ (14 May 1994). "CD Eye". Derby Evening Telegraph. p. 8.
  15. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press.
  16. ^ MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 676.