Irish Rock Discography: Rob Strong & The Rockets

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Rob Strong (& The Rockets)

From: Dublin

Active: 1960s onwards

Style: Soulrock

Lineup:

Rob Strong - bass/vocals
others...

Bio:

R&B flavoured pubrock or Soulrock. Rob Strong (born Robert Armstrong in Derry) is a well-known Irish blues/R&B singer and bassist. He recorded an LP with The Plattermen (Dolphin Records) in 1972 and a single on Vertigo under the name Hammer ("Rock Off") in 1973 which sounds a lot like Deep Purple during their funkier, Glenn Hughes period. He formed The Rob Strong Band in 1974 and pursued a soul rock cause for most of the decade. In the late 1970s, his band was called The Rockets.

The Rocketrs appearing at Moran's Hotel, Dublin, August 1978.

Rob Strong contined to record for various labels in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1986 he recorded an LP called "Hollywood Nights", named after the club at which he performed, for the Bray based Owl Records. This LP was housed in a multi-foldout sleeve which contained the signatures of the 4500 people who pre-paid for a copy of the LP before it was released. As far as I recall there was some sort of Guinness Book of Records attempt tie-in which failed as the collected signatures were printed on the final product.

Discography

• Rob Strong & Las Vegas - More like the Movies / My Name is Joe [1976]
7" - Release Records - RL 841 - IRL - 1976

• Rob Strong & The Rockets - Nutbush City Limits / Ain't No Sunshine
7" - Spider Records - WEB002 - 1979 - unreleased
Recorded circa February 1979 but unreleased, with no known test pressings.

• Rob Strong & The Rockets - Farewell To Harlem / We Got Tonight
7" - Strong/Good Vibrations Records - WR2 - 1981 - PS

• Love Is Cruel / Hey Little Girl
7" - Vixen Records - FM009 - June 1983

• various artists - Stock 'N Trade
LP - Scoff Records - DTLP30 - 1983
See Compilations section for full track listing.

• That's It / I Won't Open My Eyes
7" - Scoff Records - DT034 - 1984
A-side by Tim McStay & Paul O'Reilly, AKA The Resistors.

• So Much Emotion / Right Back To You
7" - Scoff Records - DT037 - 198?
Produced by Deke O'Brien.

• Forbidden Love / Children of Saigon
7" - Scoff Records - DT042 - 198?

• The Distance
7" - Vixen Records - FM??? - 1986
Written by Pat Buckley (of The Media)

• You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' / Turn It Up
7" - Owl Records - 76805 - IRL - 1986 - no PS

• Hollywood Nights
LP - Owl Records - 96815 - IRL - November 1986 - multi-foldout cover, 4500 copies
Recorded live at Filles and The Coconut Grove in Dublin

The LP was housed in a multi-foldout sleeve which contained the signatures of the people who pre-paid for a copy of the LP before it was released. It's a live album of (mostly) soul/rock covers recorded at two night clubs in Dublin (Filles and the Coconut Grove). The lineup is Rob Strong (vocals, bass), Kevin Flynn (lead guitar), Eamonn Flynn (keyboards) and Barry Schweppe (drums).

• Rob Strong - Hollywood Nights / Secret Lives - Instant Concept
7" - Owl Records - 78625 - IRL - 1987 - no PS
Split single with Secret Lives, whose track is (p) 1985.

• Tell Me You Love Me / I Found The Key To Your Heart
7" - Scoff Records - DT 045 - 1989 - PS

• Everything A Man Could Want / The Show Is Over
7" - Polydor Records - 863188-7 - UK - 1992 - PS
CDS - Polydor Records - 863189-2 - UK - 1992 - PS - 3 tracks

• Hurricane Room
CD - Polydor Records - 513826-2 - UK - 1992

• various artists - Breaking Sound Barriers Vol.7
CD - PPI Records - BSBCD-7 - IRL - 199? - promo
track: Rob Strong & Dave McNemara - The Way You Touch My Hand

• Play That Funky Music
CD - Strong Records - ??? - 2001

• various artists - Sunflower Nights
2xCD - Hospice Foundation - HFCD001 - 2 May 2008
See Compilations section for full track listing.

Help!

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