Robert Marlow

Robert Marlow
Origin Basildon, England
Genres Techno, electro, synthpop, electropop, new wave
Years active 1981–1984, 2012–present (solo)
1999–2012 (band)
Labels Reset Records
RCA Records
Energy Records
Electro-Shock-Records
Past members MARLOW (band)
Robert Marlow
Gary Durant

Robert Marlow (born Robert Allen, 21 October 1961) is a synthpop musician and songwriter.

Biography

Robert Marlow grew up in Basildon with future Depeche Mode members Vince Clarke, Martin Gore and Andy Fletcher. He is also tied to Alison Moyet, with whom he played in a band, The Vandals. He knew Andy and Vince from the Basildon chapter of the Boys' Brigade. He and Vince would occasionally get together to play music. Vince on guitar, and Robert on the church's piano. Like Vince, he played in many local bands, and ended up playing in a band, with Vince, called The Plan, and later French Look, with Martin Gore and Paul Redmond.

After the release of "Calling All Destroyers", Marlow shifted between acting and bands.

Music

Robert Marlow solo & Film Noir

He recorded the album The Peter Pan Effect with his best friend Vince Clarke in 1983, around the end of Yazoo. The project came around when Marlow was in a band called Film Noir, with now-former keyboardist and guitarist for The Cure, Perry Bamonte. This band supported Depeche Mode on one tour date in Basildon.

Some time after Vince left Depeche Mode, Marlow approached Vince and charmed him into some studio time at Blackwing Studios with him and Eric Radcliffe. He was offered only one day, and decided to record "The Face of Dorian Gray". This then led to more studio time, and then a complete single, with B-side and 12" mixes. It was then that Vince suggested that he try to get record company interest. He ended up getting interest from RCA, but was later decided to be released on Vince's short lived Reset Records label. The single, however, did not get much radio airplay.

After that, he released three more singles: "I Just Want to Dance", "Claudette" and "Calling All Destroyers". These singles suffered the same fate as "The Face of Dorian Gray", and the album was later shelved.

The Peter Pan Effect

The album was then released by Energy Records in 1999, when Sonet manager, Rod Buckle, showed a demo tape to Energy Records. Eric Radcliffe then went up into the bell tower of Blackwing Studios, formerly a church, and found the tapes. He then sent a CD to Energy Records, where it was remastered at Polar Studios. It was released as The Peter Pan Effect in Europe. In the US, it was released as Erasure's Vince Clarke along with a copy of a Family Fantastic record.

Marlow....Just Marlow

The one man project Robert Marlow then transformed into the duo MARLOW with the help of Gary Durant. Gary, who plays keyboards and provides backing vocals has been a friend of Robert Marlow for some time.

In early 2006, the guestbook on Marlow's "Energy Records" label, announced a new album, in the works. As of March 2008, they were finishing the album. The band has been active in live performances, though. They played at a Depeche Mode aftershow, in February 2006, and have been playing in gigs, around Europe; particularly London and Sweden. About that time, they recorded their first album "Inside Outside" with the title track arranged and produced by Vince Clarke (from Yazoo/Erasure fame), who had also remixed a track on the album called "Home". The album was released on 27 February 2009.

At the end of 2011 Marlow has a second album "The Future" ready to be released, at the latest in early 2012. In April 2012 the band's label placed an announcement that Marlow had decided to quit as a band. Robert Marlow & Gary Durant split up the band in good friendship. The release of the album "The Future" will be reviewed and might be available to the general public at a later date, maybe 2013.

Robert Marlow solo – once again

After the split of Marlow (the band) in Spring 2012, Robert Marlow once again performed as a solo artist. A new 7 track EP, The Blackwing Sessions on the German label *Electro-Shock-Records*, which contains tracks with other vocals and instrumentals from the 1982–1984 recordings in the Blackwing Studios, was released in a pre-sale session on 8 August 2012 exclusively via the German mailorder-shop POPoNAUT. The official release date of the limited edition (only 300 x CDs) was 19 September 2012.

After the split of the band, Robert Marlow reworked the album The Future, with on there 6 tracks and a classic unreleased Vince Clarke remix, will be released in 2013. The remixed album version, The Future Remixes was released half a year later.

Discography

Robert Marlow albums (solo)

Year Album UK US
1999 The Peter Pan Effect - -
2013 The Future - -

Robert Marlow remix albums (solo)

Year Album UK US
2013 The Future Remixes - -

Robert Marlow EP (solo)

Year Album UK US
2012 The Blackwing Sessions - -

Robert Marlow singles (solo)

Year Song UK US US dance Album
1983 "The Face of Dorian Gray" 83 - - The Peter Pan Effect
"I Just Want To Dance" - - -
1984 "Claudette" - - -
"Calling All Destroyers" - - -

MARLOW albums

Year Album UK US
2009 Inside Outside - -

MARLOW singles

Year Song UK US US dance Album
2002 "My Teenage Dream" 1 - - - Inside Outside
2009 "Inside Outside" 2 - - -

References

Print references

Online references

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