Customer Reviews

Trouble Or Nothing

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I grew up in Germany and remember when `First Time' was released along with the famous Coke commercial. At first I only bough the single but promptly bought the album. I think this was all back in 1989. I bought every single from the album as well. When `First Time' came out it was a HUGE hit all over Europe. The video was played all the time in several countries. The Coke commercial that used the song, you could not change the channel without finding it again. I believe she also released `Tears is the Rain' and `Save up all your Tears' as music videos. To this day I still watch the `First Time' video. I can not find the other two but remember viewing them. This CD and the singer are incredible! I thought it was going to be the launch of Robin's career. I don't know if the record company did not support her or her management company did not publicize her well but she did not get the credit she deserved. Every track of this CD is GREAT! I am a metal head and am stuck in the 80's era. I would place this CD under pop metal, if that even exists. Still 16 years later the CD I listen to as if it was yesterday. Being the metal head I am I recently researched her and found out she married James Christian, the singer of House of Lords, also one of my favorite bands. I think people thought Robin was no longer in the music industry but she released an album last year called "Wonderland". It is not as heavy as this CD but still brilliant. I would not relate her to Vixen at all as a previous reviewer did. I love Vixen but Robin is by far more talented and has much more range in her voice and presence about her. She is a beautiful person all around and her singing is incredible! She is not one you can really relate to another, she is in her own league and her voice is not like anyone's out there. Star indeed! I hope she receives more exposure with her recent album; it is time for her to take the spotlight again. In my book though for 16 years she has already been there. Don't hesitate on buying this album, it is superb!

This singer sounds A LOT like Vixen. She should have been a star!

Tracks...

1) Hide Your Heart
2) Don't Lose Any Sleep
3) If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man)
4) Hold Back The Night
5) Save Up All Your Tears
6) In A Crazy World Like This
7) Tears In The Rain
8) A Heart For You
9) Sleeping With The Enemy
10) First Time

Robin Beck should have been huge. She had the perfect sound, songs & musicians. She could be compared to Heart, Chrissy Steele, Vixen, Precious Metal, Saraya and Cher (1987-1991). She even has the Save All Your Tears which Cher did on her cd. Also we get Don't Hide Your Heart off the Kiss - Hot In The Shade cd. But believe me there is not a filler on this cd. It is pure AOR/Melodic Rock heaven. Don't miss out on this classic if you can find it.

If you're wondering how some rocker chick album deserves a 5-star rating, I'll clarify this by saying that Robin Beck's 1989 debut Trouble or Nothin' is not a 5-star album like The Joshua Tree, American Idiot, or Images and Words. It is, however, a 5-star album in the limited context of late 80's rocker chick albums. Seriously, this is probably the best of that whole brief genre.

Trouble or Nothin' is one of those rare albums that have almost no filler tracks. This is as much a credit to Beck's powerful and clear voice as it is to the array of talent enlisted to help with this album, including Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, KISS's Paul Stanley (who provides backup vocals on the cover of KISS's Hide Your Heart), and hitmaking songwriters Desmond Child and Diane Warren. The result of this collaboration was an album that was as good, if not better, than anything Vixen, Heart, Saraya, Cher, or Lita Ford was releasing at the time.

This incredibly melodic, incredibly radio-friendly album should have been Robin Beck's Slippery When Wet, but for whatever reason failed to bring her much notice (though apparently the closing track First Time was a big hit in Europe after it was featured in a Coca-Cola commercial). For those of us who aren't ashamed to admit we still enjoy this type of music though, Trouble or Nothin' remains a must-have album.

This is a great album! If you are a fan of Cher's "metal babe" era from 1987-1991, 80's Heart, and 80's melodic rock/AOR in general, you should definitely check this album out. Robin has an awesome voice, and this album is produced by the great Desmond Child, who also had a major hand in Cher's late 80's resurgence, among many other great artists. Also, you gotta love the gratuitous use of key changes throughout most of the album! The only reasons I didn't give this album 5 stars are because I didn't feel that "Hide Your Heart" and "Tears in the Rain" were very strong, and I thought her version of "Save Up All Your Tears," while very melodic, was rather weakly produced, despite Mr. Child's efforts. Here's my opinion of the songs:

1. "Hide Your Heart" (3/5) - This song is a cover of a KISS song, with Child and Paul Stanley included in the writing credits. Well, I never liked KISS, and while Robin and Desmond make a valiant effort, this song just didn't do it for me. The verse is decent, but the chorus was just lacking something. But, to be fair, it is a nice, upbeat number to get the album going.

2. "Don't Lose Any Sleep" (4/5) - Written by the legendary Diane Warren, I would place this song in the mid-tempo rock ballad category. It has a much stronger, more melodic chorus than the opener, and it's a solid choice to hit in the 2 spot. A really good song with solid replay value.

3. "If You Were A Woman and I Was A Man" (4/5) - So I guess this song, written by Child, was either a reworking of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name," or vice-versa. I never would've guessed, but after having that fact pointed out to me, I can hear some similarities. Anyways, this song does rock, with some great hooks, but it's definitely got a healthy dose of cheese like that Bon Jovi hit. By the way, I don't think I'd want some woman bringing up a scenario like this to me . . . awkward! :-)

4. "Hold Back the Night" (5/5) - Yeah, that's right, Child and Alice freakin' Cooper co-wrote this song, and it's one of the better 80's power ballads that I've ever heard! Killer hooks, an awesome production, and a powerful key change near the end make this song one of my favorites!

5. "Save Up All Your Tears" (3/5) - This song is frustrating for me, because although it is very melodic and it is a well written song by Child and Warren, for whatever reason it was really under produced, especially early on. You'll easily notice that the version that appears on Cher's 1991 "Love Hurts" album has a far more dynamic and powerful production. To be fair, I'm sure Cher's album had a larger budget than this debut album for a relatively unknown singer. Also, the song does pick up quite a bit towards the end, especially during the dual-key changes. But even though it finishes strong and I still like it, I think it's somewhat of a disappointment, production wise. Beck sings her tail off, though!

6. "In A Crazy World Like This" (4/5) - A song that is continuing to grow on me. This one was written by three guys I've never heard of (Billy Steinberg, Tom Kelly, and Neil Geraldo), but it's a well-written song that works great with Child's production. The chorus is solid at first, but really takes off when the double key changes kick in towards the end. I've never in my life listened to an album that had two songs back-to-back with double key changes near the end, but it definitely works when you have a singer like Robin!

7. "Tears in the Rain" (2.5/5) - Anytime Child and Warren get together to write a song, I usually expect something pretty amazing. So, maybe my expectations were a little too high for this ballad, but it didn't work that well for me. Not a bad song, but the chorus doesn't hook me in as well as I was hoping. It also has a little bit of the Warren schmaltziness that I find kinda annoying. I skip over this song quite often, but you may love it.

8. "A Heart for You" (5/5) - What a sweet song! Just a cool, consistent AOR mid-tempo ballad, with a really solid hook and great production! A very well written song by two other guys I've never heard of, Jeff Kent and Terry Cox, and also co-written by the one and only Miss Beck herself! Child does a great production job on this one.

9. "Sleeping with the Enemy" (5/5) - I can't think of too many 80's AOR anthems that rival this absolute beast! What a killer melodic rock song, and an instant favorite! Awesome hooks all the way through, and great vocals by Beck. The only very minor gripe I have with this song is that I don't really understand the lyrics; but, like I said, a very minor negative to the song and still a strong 5 out of 5. Musically speaking, I was really surprised that neither Child nor Warren had any hand in the writing of this song, but Child's production genius is all over this one.

10. "First Time" (3.5/5) - This is a solid closer to the album. I guess this song was used by Coca-Cola in a commercial around 1987-1988, and it became a big international hit. It's got a unique, less obvious transition from the verse to the chorus then you'd hear in most other songs. Kinda awkward, but it works. It's a pretty sappy song too. But once again, Beck does a great job.

Although the CD was marketed as "used", when the CD arrived it was in mint condition and looked perfectly new. The shipping time-line was fair; not super fast but not too long. The shipping cost I was charged seemed a little exorbitant, especially given the amount the postage on the package showed. But, all in all, I was pretty satisfied with this dealer and definitely impressed by the quality of their product.