Robert "Robin" Simon (born 12 July 1956) is a British guitarist who was a member of

Ultravox Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which wa ...

Magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

and Visage.

Biography

Early career

Simon began playing guitar in a Halifax-based band, Kandahar, in the early to mid-1970s. He also met and played with future Ultravox member Billy Currie at that time.
He moved to London in 1975 and later joined the punk pop band Ians Radio (later called Neo) in 1976. Neo were one of the bands on the early London punk live scene. They featured on the ''Live at the Vortex'' album and supported Ultravox several times at the Marquee club in London, before Simon was offered the guitarist position in Ultravox.Neo
", punkmodpop

Ultravox

Adopting the stage name Robin Simon, he joined Ultravox as a replacement for

Stevie Shears Stevie Shears (born 1954/1955) is an English musician known for playing in the rock bands Tiger Lily and Ultravox! (later Ultravox), as well as being part of the bands Faith Global and Cowboys International. Biography Tiger Lily and Ultravox ...

in 1977. Simon brought a more complex sound to the band with his use of guitar pedal effects. ''" 8Robin Simon – guitar (ex-NEO) repl. Shears ... pr 79Robin ... departed to Magazine."''Welbourn Tekh,
Ultravox – ''Systems of Romance''
(review)", Head Heritage Simon played all guitars on the Ultravox album '' Systems of Romance'', produced by

Conny Plank Konrad "Conny" Plank (3 May 1940 – 5 December 1987) was a German record producer and musician. He is known for his innovative work as a sound engineer and producer in Germany's krautrock and kosmische music scene in the 1970s. Plank was involv ...

(of

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, ) is a Germany, German Electronic music, electronic band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk was among the first successful a ...

fame) and Dave Hutchins. Simon pioneered the use of synthesizers that were put through guitar effects pedals, notably on the track "Quiet Men". In early 1979, after the US tour with the band and no longer on Island Records, having been dropped by the label, John Foxx left Ultravox. Simon left some months later.

Magazine

After returning to the United Kingdom, Simon joined Magazine in 1980, replacing John McGeoch. He appears on Magazine's live album ''Play''.New Musical Express, 26 July 1980 "Magazine have already recruited a replacement for John. He is former Ultravox guitarist Robin Simon who has been rehearsing with the band for the past three weeks and has already been writing material with them." After Magazine's tour of the United States and Australia/New Zealand plus a later live appearance with them in the movie ''

Urgh! A Music War ''Urgh! A Music War'' is a 1982 British concert film featuring performances by punk rock, new wave, and post-punk bands and artists. Filmed in August to September 1980 it was directed by Derek Burbidge and produced by Michael White and Lynda ...

'' and on the German TV show ''Rockpalast'', he left Magazine to record with John Foxx again, on the ''Garden'' album. He played on the song "Saddest Quay", from Magazine keyboard player Dave Formula's solo album, ''Satellite Sweetheart'', in 2009.Larkin, Colin (1992) "The Guinness Who's Who of Indie and new wave Music", Guinness Publishing,

John Foxx

Simon contributed to Foxx's solo albums ''The Garden'' (1981), ''The Golden Section'' (1983), and ''In Mysterious Ways'' (1985). He also performed on stage during his 1983 world tour and at a special John Foxx & the Maths show at London's Roundhouse in 2010. He later became a member of John Foxx and the Maths with his contribution to the album ''Howl'', released in 2020.

Humania

Ultravox had gone on to greater success with Midge Ure fronting the band, but when Ure left the band in 1988, Billy Currie began a short-lived project called Humania that included Simon on guitar. One song from this period was included on a compilation album, a live performance of "I Can’t Stay Long" from the Ultravox album ''Systems of Romance''.Grant, Steven, Robbins, Ira, & Reno, Brad
Ultravox
,

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

Discography

;Neo * ''Live at the Vortex'' (1977) (compilation of various artists) ;Ultravox * '' Systems of Romance'' (1978) ;Magazine * ''

Play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

'' (1980) ;John Foxx * '' The Garden'' (1981) * '' The Golden Section'' (1983) * '' In Mysterious Ways'' (1985) * ''The Golden Section Tour + Omnidelic Exotour'' (2001) (only the first CD) ;John Foxx and the Maths * ''Howl'' (2020) ;Humania * ''Sinews of the Soul'' (2006) ;Ajanta Music: * ''And Now We Dream'' (2006) ;Visage * '' Hearts and Knives'' (2013) * '' Demons to Diamonds'' (2015)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Robin English rock guitarists Living people Magazine (band) members Ultravox members Musicians from Halifax, West Yorkshire 1956 births English new wave musicians John Foxx and the Maths members Visage (band) members