Robert Robinson from Mysterious Footsteps

Dear John,

I was really pleased to find that there is a tribute page to Cargo Studios and as stated it was definitely the hottest independent studio in the North of England and the place to go.

I had originally played in a punk band called The Negatives (Bradford) between 1978 and 1980. We were quite big on our own patch and attracted 1000 people to our headline gig at Bradford university in Jan 1980 which rarely happens to an unsigned band. Little was I to know then that it would be our last gig as the singer David Wilcox (RIP) quit that night after a trivial argument with our guitarist Pete. Our legacy was a vinyl single called Stakeout/Love is Not Real which ended up in John Peel’s special box of 140 records and has sold for up to £350 a copy. We have also had 8 tracks released on the compilation series ‘Bored Tenagers’.

Down to a three piece called the Mysterious Footsteps, we had spent weeks rehearsing singers when I stepped up to the plate to take the job on. We still did pretty well around York/Lancs which did involve signing autographs and interest from girls (mainly in Halifax for some reason)!! Ultimately we decided it was time to record again which brought us to our day at Cargo. I remember you as being very supportive, relaxed and helpful. Before we even started you played us ‘Love will tear us apart’ by Joy Division which you had recorded the previous day. I thought it was a good sound but kind of OK as a song but Tino our drummer was quick to see that the songwas special. To look back and see what that song has become (and I did grow to love it), it was a real privilege to be one of the first to hear it. {Song of the millenium in the Channel 4 chart}

As we entered the studios there was a young Michael Jackson ‘soundalike’ cutting a song called ‘Diane’ which sounded pretty good to me!! “Diane, I’m gonna get your love, gonna get your love Diane”. Amazing that I have never heard the song since but it did stick in my mind! I was a little bit like a kid in a toy shop – I remember the rows of master tapes ‘Echo and the Buneymen’ etc and I said they will never make it with a name like that. We cut three tracks, Like they do in the movies, White dread and Tomorrow’s world, before heading to the Last Orders pub. There was only Me, Pete (guitar) and Tino (Drums) together with our manager (George) and Bill Oddie’s mum in the pub. We had a nice conversation with her and she was clearly very proud of her son. Then we headed back post lunch to record ‘World war 3’ and ‘Requiem for Youth’.

The tracks Like they do in the movies/White dread were subsequently released as a single with 2000 copies being pressed. It did OK but not as well as we hoped so there was no repress but even this single has since sold for £25 a copy. We only missed out by a week or so to being included on the compilation album ‘Hicks from the sticks’ which was a shame but White dread was released with the a book about Bradford Music ‘Noise from the Valleys’ published in 2009.

Another 12 months went by and despite some interest from Pete Townshends eel-pie after recording a 5 song video for them, we eventually disbanded. Another 30 years was to pass before Pete, Tino and myself did a comeback gig in London in Oct 2009 (after 1 afternoons rehearsal) followed by a hometown gig in May 2010. Both gigs went down really really well and it was definitely a buzz to play again and be appreciated by an audience. Sadly we are geographically cast to the winds, I live in Fulham, London, Pete in the Norfolk/Suffolk borders and Tino sticking loyally to Bradford.

One last piece of info, several years back, I was asked by a football club in which I was a shareholder to accompany Mr & Mrs John Peel to a football match in Bradford. As such I got to spend a lovely day with both. I hadn’t briefed my Czech wife and there was a nice moment when she asked John “What do you do for a living”. Unfazed he said “I am a DJ” and then proceeded to explain his job. We talked about Dandelion, Cargo, John Brierley and Bill Oddie, The Fall, Stiff Little Fingers, The Undertones not to mention Marc Bolan, Medicine Head and many others. Apart from playing live in concerts, that is probably my two music highlights in a nutshell – our day at Cargo studios and a day with John Peel – both very precious memories.

Thank you for being there!!!!!

Kind Regards

Bob Robinson – Mysterious Footsteps/Negatives