Brian Alexander Robertson is a Scottish musician, composer and songwriter. He had a string of hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including "Kool in the Kaftan", "Knocked It Off", "To Be or Not to Be" and "Bang Bang". With Mike Rutherford of Genesis, he wrote the Grammy-nominated and Ivor Novello Award-winning song "The Living Years",(18 March 2000) with Mike Rutherford. "newsline...". Billboard (New York). which was a number one hit in the US, Canada, Australia and Ireland, and reached number two in his native UK. He has also written music for films.
Early life Born in Glasgow, Robertson was educated at the former Allan Glen's School, Glasgow, and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama.
Career He released his debut album Wringing Applause, recorded with Terry Manning, on the Ardent Records label (also home of Big Star) in 1973, but it was to be a further six years until he found success in the United Kingdom chart.
Robertson had hits from 1979 to 1981 in the UK Singles Chart, the first of which – "Bang Bang" – reached number 2 in September 1979. Follow-up 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 the UK Albums Chart. In 1981 he had his last top 40 hit under his own name (to date) performing a duet with Maggie Bell, a cover version of "Hold Me" which reached number 11.
He co-wrote the hit songs "Carrie" and "Wired for Sound" for Cliff Richard and seven of the 12 songs on Richard's Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile (1979) album. Robertson wrote and sang the theme music to the television 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 No 15 hit, "I Wanna Be a Winner". In 1982, Robertson composed "Down at the Superstore", the theme to the BBC1 children's television series Saturday Superstore. It was released as a single by The Assistants, a supergroup featuring Robertson, Dave Edmunds, Cheryl Baker, Junior and Suzi Quatro.
Robertson was a guest presenter on Top of the Pops on 28 August 1980, alongside then-BBC Radio 1 DJ Peter Powell. 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 in concert on the BBC joint television and radio programme Rock Goes to College. He appeared at the then Preston Polytechnic, Lancashire.
Robertson presented a two-part documentary, Jock 'n' Roll Parts I & II, charting the history of pop music in Scotland, and presented a short-lived television programme, B. A. in Music, which featured contributions from musician guests.
Robertson wrote "We Have a Dream" for the 1982 World Cup Scotland squad, and played the lead in the film Living Apart Together, directed by Charlie Gormley.
Beginning in 1985, Robertson regularly wrote songs with Mike Rutherford for Rutherford's band Mike + The Mechanics. He contributed to all the albums released by the original configuration of the band, from Mike + The Mechanics to Rewired. Among the songs Robertson and Rutherford wrote together are the hits "Silent Running" and "The Living Years". The latter was written after Robertson's father died twelve weeks before the birth of his own son, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1990.
In 1987, Robertson co-wrote several and produced two tracks on the Eddie and the Tide album Looking for Adventure. In 1991, Robertson was billed as the co-producer and executive musical producer for Simply Mad About the Mouse: A Musical Celebration of Imagination (), a 1991 direct-to-video release featuring top contemporary singers performing "classic Disney songs".
Robertson appeared on the Scottish segment of BBC's Children in Need telethon on 14 November 2008, performing a re-worked version of "We Have a Dream" alongside Edwyn Collins, The Gospel Truth Choir, the Tartan Army, and various Scottish celebrities. On 16 January 2010, he performed with a live band in Glasgow as part of the Celtic Connections Festival. "A Scottish Songbook" featured a number of diverse artists performing songs written by Scots, and Robertson performed "Twisted" (written by Annie Ross and Wardell Gray) and his own "The Living Years" – backed by house band Session A9 and The Gospel Truth Choir. The event was filmed for subsequent broadcast by BBC Scotland.
A new version of "The Living Years" was released as a single in July 2020, under his own name. A newly released version of "Silent Running" by Robertson was issued on 22 July 2022, with all proceeds from the recording for the Mail Force-Ukraine Appeal.
On New Year's Day 2024, BBC Radio Scotland broadcast Tartan Top Of The Pops celebrating the Scots who had performed over the 60 years of the programme. In an interview with Grant Stott it was revealed that Robertson's first of 18 appearances was playing keyboard with Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel.
Discography Albums Year Album LabelUK 1973 Wringing Applause (released as Brian Alexander Robertson) Ardent — 1976 Shadow of a Thin Man (released as Alexander Robertson) Arista — 1980 Initial Success Asylum 32 1981 Bully for You 61 1982 R&BA — 2005 The Platinum Collection Warner — "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Singles YearSingleChart PositionsCertificationsAlbumAUSAUTBELGERICEIRENEDUK1973"Moira's Hand" (released as Brian Alexander Robertson)————x———Wringing Applause1976"All the Thin Men" (released as Alexander Robertson)————x———Shadow of a Thin Man1979"Goosebumps"————x———Initial Success"Bang Bang"5313156x5422 BPI: Silver"Knocked It Off"————x8—8 BPI: Silver1980"Kool in the Kaftan"————x20—17"To Be or Not to Be"82——34x7299"Flight 19"————126——Bully for You1981"Sucker for Your Love" (7-inch promo)———————— "Saint Saens" ————————Bully for You"Hold Me" (with Maggie Bell)31————11—11R&BA1982"Ready or Not" (with The Memphis Horns)————————"Dot Dot Dot"————————1983"Now and Then"———————82"Time" (with Frida) (ABBA's instrumental track "Arrival", with added lyrics)———————45ABBAcadabra1986"Ceud Mìle Failte" ("A Hundred Thousand Welcomes") (BBC Commonwealth Games Theme)———————— "—" denotes releases that did not chart. "x" denotes that chart did not exist at the time.
Songs written for others Excludes covers of songs originally sung by Robertson YearTitleArtistCo-writer(s)Notes1974"To Get a Laugh"Ronnie Corbett—1976"Dancing at Danny's"Herbie FlowersHerbie Flowers1977"News"—1978"Don't Take My Bass Away"Herbie Flowers"Circus Clown"Patti BoulayeMike McNaught"Start All Over Again"Cliff RichardTerry Britten1979"Here in L.A."FilmstarsPhil Wainman"Under Fire"CloutTerry Britten"Magic Rhythm"Christie Allen"All Australian Female""Only Yes Will Do""He's My Number One""Carrie"Cliff Richard"Hot Shot"Richard released the original version, with Robertson releasing a live version in medley with "Language of Love" on the B-side to "To Be or Not to Be" in 1980"My Luck Won't Change""Cities May Fall""Sci-Fi""Falling in Luv""Language of Love"Richard released the original version, with Robertson releasing a live version in medley with "Hot Shot" on the B-side to "To Be or Not to Be" in 19801980"Switchboard"Christie AllenGeorg Kajanus"Only Yes Will Do"Mary StävinTerry Britten"Teacher"1981"Wired for Sound"Cliff RichardAlan Tarney"I Wanna Be a Winner"Brown SauceNoel Edmonds"Hello Hello"—1982"Croque Monsieur"N.E.R.O. (Noel Edmonds Radio Orchestra)"Slice 2"Terry Britten"Spring Has Sprung"The Saucers (Keith Chegwin and Maggie Philbin)Billy LivseyPerformed in last ever episode of Swap Shop"Major Breakthrough"—"We Have a Dream"The Scottish World Cup Squad—"Wrap Up the Cup""Pumpin' & Blowin'"Kristy McNicholTerry Britten and Sue ShifrinFrom the soundtrack to the film The Pirate Movie"Happy Ending"The Peter Cupples Band"Down at the Superstore" (Theme from Saturday Superstore)The AssistantsAlec and PearlRobertson was part of 'The Assistants'"Half Day Closing (Down at the Superstore)"1984"Little Angel"Dolly DotsPete Bellotte1985"Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)"Mike + the MechanicsMike Rutherford"Hanging By a Thread"Mike Rutherford and Christopher Neil"Take the Reins""A Call to Arms"Mike Rutherford, Christopher Neil, Phil Collins and Tony Banks"The Other Side of the World"Chaka KhanMike RutherfordFrom the soundtrack to the film White Nights1986"Silhouette"Albert Hammond and Albert WestAlbert Hammond1987"Power Play"Eddie & the TidePhil PickettFrom the soundtrack to the film The Lost Boys"Waiting for the One"Steve "Eddie" Rice"Stand a Little Rain""Making History""Bitter Harvest""Let It Be Love"1988"Nobody's Perfect"Mike + the MechanicsMike Rutherford"The Living Years""Seeing Is Believing""Why Me?""Black & Blue"Mike Rutherford and Paul Young1989"People All over the World"Pete FramptonPete FramptonAlso performed some backing vocals and synthesisers"Now and Again"Pete Frampton and John ReganAlso performed some guitar1990"Barrière des générations"Richard AnthonyMike Rutherford and Jean-Pierre Lang1991"A Time and Place"Mike + the MechanicsMike Rutherford"Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow""Everybody Gets a Second Chance""Let's Pretend It Didn't Happen""I Think I've Got the Message"1993"With Your Hand on My Heart"Michael Crawford and Patti LaBelleJeremy Lubbock and Melissa Vardey1994"I Believe"David Hasselhoff and Laura BraniganJohn Lewis ParkerTheme song for season 5 of Baywatch1995"Somewhere in Time"Michael CrawfordJohn Barry"Open Your Eyes"Michael Crawford and Don Grady"A Beggar on a Beach of Gold"Mike + the MechanicsMike Rutherford"The Ghost of Sex and You""Plain and Simple""A House of Many Rooms"1999"Across the Bridge of Hope"Omagh Community Youth Choir—Also performed piano and was the producer"All The Light I Need"Mike + the MechanicsMike Rutherford"What Will You Do""My Little Island""Look Across at Dreamland"2003"One Small StepPaul CarrackPaul Carrack2004"If I Were You"Mike + the MechanicsMike Rutherford and Paul Carrack"Perfect Child""Somewhere Along the Line
Filmography Film YearTitleRoleNotes1981The Monster ClubEntertainers1982Living Apart TogetherRitchie Hannah1986Heavenly PursuitsWrote filmscore
Television YearTitleRoleNotes1979–1981Top of the PopsHimself1980Ask Aspel1 episodeJim'll Fix It1980–1981Cheggers Plays Pop2 episodes1980, 1982Friday Night, Saturday Morning2 episodes1981Rock Goes to College1 episodeThe Kenny Everett Video CassetteSaturday Night at the MillSix Fifty-Five SpecialJock and RollTelevision film1981–1982Multi-Coloured Swap Shop2 episodes1981–1983Pop Quiz3 episodes1982Dear Heart6 episodesThe Kenny Everett Television ShowHimself1 episodeB.A. in Music7 episodes1982–1983Saturday Superstore3 episodes1983Diane Solomon EntertainsTelevision film1985Kenny Everett's Christmas CarolBob Cratchit2000100 Greatest TV Moments from HellHimselfArchive footage
See also 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