Robyn Hitchcock | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Robyn Hitchcock is one of Englands most enduring contemporary singer/songwriters and live performers. Despite having been persistently branded as eccentric or quirky for much of his career, Hitchcock has continued to develop his whimsical repertoire, deepen his surreal catalog, and expand his devoted audience beyond the boundaries of cult stature. He is among alternative rocks father figures and is the closest thing the genre has to a Bob Dylan (not coincidentally his biggest inspiration). Starting his career as a folkie in Cambridge, England, Hitchcock has been compared to such British folk-rock figures as Roy Harper and the Incredible String Band, specifically because of his acoustic guitar and loopy vocal style, though his rock voice bears shades of John Lennon and Syd Barrett. Switching gears early to front the Soft Boys, a punk-era band specializing in melodic, chiming jangle pop and clever lyrics (Underwater Moonlight remains a classic of the genre), it wasnt long before he quit the band and made his solo debut. Black Snake Diamond Role (1981) confirmed his reputation as an oddball thanks to his titles "Brendas Iron Sledge" and "Acid Bird," among others. The psychedelia of Groovy Decay (1982) followed, as did the all-acoustic I Often Dream of Trains (1984). By 1985, Hitchcocks unpredictable songsmithing coalesced on Fegmania! Later that year, the live document Gotta Let This Hen Out! demonstrated his command of the stage. In 1988, he landed his first major U.S. label contract with A&M; Records and followed the signing by releasing the ambitious Globe of Frogs (1988) and Queen Elvis (1989). He continued to record (Perspex Island, 1991; Respect, 1993) and receive college radio airplay, though once the momentum of the A&M; years began to lag, Hitchcock bounced back in 1996 with the return-to-form Moss Elixir (Warner Bros.), which embraced his folk roots. Storefront Hitchcock, the soundtrack to the Jonathan Demme-directed concert film, followed in 1998. Upon release from his contract with Warner Bros., Hitchcock self-released A Star for Bram (Editions PAF!, 2000), a collection of outtakes and leftover recordings from the Jewels for Sophia (1999) sessions. In 2002 he released Robyn Sings, a double-disc collection of Bob Dylan songs culled from various live appearances in America and abroad between 1999-2000. The stripped-down Luxor followed in 2003, released in conjunction with his 50th birthday. In 2004, he took not only a bit role in Jonathan Demmes remake of The Manchurian Candidate, but released Spooked (Yep Roc Records) a one-off collaboration with alternative country artists Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, recorded over a period of six days in Nashville. A Japanese-only compilation of his work was released in 2005, while 2006 offered This Is the BBC, a collection of his BBC sessions from the 90s, as well as Olé! Tarantula, a new batch of surreal pop tunes recorded with members of the Minus 5. In 2007, Hitchcock became the subject of a documentary by director John Edginton (Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death... and Insects) -- a behind-the-scenes look at Hitchcocks work with Nick Lowe, John Paul Jones, Peter Buck, Bill Rieflin, Gillian Welch, and other collaborators in the Venus 3 project. A companion live EP of the Venus 3s subsequent American tour was released at the same time. In late 2007, Yep Roc began reissuing all of Hitchcocks earlier work, culminating in the boxed collection I Wanna Go Backwards. Hitchcock delved back into the archives for 2008s Shadow Cat, a collection of unreleased material from the latter half of the 90s, and also for Luminous Groove, a box set of early Egyptians releases and rarities. Goodnight Oslo, his second release with the Venus 3, and the live CD/DVD set I Often Dream of Trains in New York arrived in 2009. The following year, Hitchcock dropped Propellor Time, a collaboration with the Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Nick Lowe, and John Paul Jones (as well as the Venus 3) that was three years in the making. An all-new solo outing, Love from London, arrived on March 4, 2013, a day after his 60th birthday. The Man Upstairs, a self-described collection of "new originals, classic covers, and little-known gems" produced by legendary folk producer Joe Boyd, was released in 2014. 2017s eponymous Robyn Hitchcock marked a return to the more rock-oriented sound of his earlier works, splitting the difference between the blazing psych-rock of the Soft Boys and artful jangle pop of his output with the Venus 3. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 26 Title: Black Snake Dîamonḑ Röle Released: 1981 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:09:55 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Man Who Invented Himself (02:58) 2 Brenda’s Iron Sledge (02:56) 3 Do Policemen Sing? (03:39) 4 The Lizard (05:05) 5 Meat (03:04) 6 Acid Bird (04:41) 7 I Watch the Cars (02:23) 8 Out of the Picture (03:40) 9 City of Shame (03:22) 10 Love (04:45) 11 All I Wanna Do Is Fall in Love (03:48) 12 A Skull, a Suitcase, and a Long Red Bottle of Wine (04:59) 13 It Was the Night (03:36) 14 I Watch the Cars No. 2 (04:26) 15 Give Me a Spanner Ralph (02:38) 16 It’s a Mystic Trip (02:57) 17 Grooving on a Inner Plane (04:12) 18 Happy the Golden Prince (06:40) |
| Black Snake Dîamonḑ Röle : Allmusic album Review : The Soft Boys fusion of the energy of punk and the baroque textures and melodic twists of psychedelia was ahead of its time, but for the groups leader, Robyn Hitchcock, that had become a problem. Brilliant as their music was, hardly anyone was listening when the Soft Boys released their masterpiece, Underwater Moonlight, in 1980 -- so a year later the band was history and Hitchcock released his first solo album, Black Snake Diamond Role. While the other three members of the Soft Boys appeared on the album (guitarist Kimberley Rew, bassist Matthew Seligman, and drummer Morris Windsor) along with Vince Ely of the Psychedelic Furs, Knox from the Vibrators, and a then-unknown Thomas Dolby, Black Snake Diamond Role represented a subtle but clear shift away from the more aggressive tone of the Soft Boys toward a more pop-oriented sound. "The Man Who Invented Himself" is user-friendly in a way the Soft Boys had never been, and the production, while mostly straightforward, is more polished and professional. Even though the surfaces of this album are more welcoming than the Soft Boys, the surrealism of the lyrics and the trippy undertow of the melodies are in the same league as Hitchcocks earlier work, and while "Acid Bird," "Out of the Picture," and "Brendas Iron Sledge" are newly catchy and engaging, the guitar work on "I Watch the Cars" shows Hitchcocks vision had changed very little, and the menace of "Do Policemen Sing?" is only slightly undercut by its wit. Black Snake Diamond Role staked out a distinct sonic territory for Hitchcocks solo career that still made room for the abundant talent hed displayed in his years with the Soft Boys, and remains one of his most enjoyable efforts. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 26 Title: Groovy Decay Released: 1982 Tracks: 10 Duration: 37:58 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Night Ride to Trinidad (03:29) 2 Fifty Two Stations (04:02) 3 Young People Scream (02:58) 4 The Rain (04:41) 5 America (04:40) 6 The Cars She Used to Drive (03:05) 7 Grooving on an Inner Plane (04:53) 8 St. Petersburg (02:46) 9 When I Was a Kid (03:59) 10 Midnight Fish (03:25) |
| Groovy Decay : Allmusic album Review : For his second solo album, Robyn Hitchcock decided to work with producer Steve Hillage, a former member of Gong. Under his guidance, Hitchcock made an album that smoothed out his rough edges and obscured his quirks under layers of saxophones, trumpets, and processed guitars. Beneath the stilted production lay some of Hitchcocks weakest songs, most of which were underdeveloped melodically and lyrically. Some of the songs are worthwhile -- "The Cars She Used to Drive" is the best stab at slick new wave pop, while "Fifty Two Stations" and "St. Petersburg" are powerful -- but most of the album is simply lifeless. After its release, Hitchcock retired from music for nearly three years. In 1986, he released an alternate version of Groovy Decay, comprised mostly of songwriting demos, called Groovy Decoy. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 26 Title: I Often Dream of Trains Released: 1984 Tracks: 24 Duration: 1:08:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Nocturne (Prelude) (01:41) 2 Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl (01:57) 3 Cathedral (03:43) 4 Uncorrected Personality Traits (01:45) 5 Sounds Great When You’re Dead (03:22) 6 Flavour of Night (02:58) 7 Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus (04:01) 8 Mellow Together (01:55) 9 Winter Love (02:40) 10 The Bones in the Ground (03:09) 11 My Favourite Buildings (02:49) 12 I Used to Say I Love You (04:34) 13 This Could Be the Day (02:47) 14 Trams of Old London (03:29) 15 Furry Green Atom Bowl (03:18) 16 Heart Full of Leaves (02:30) 17 Autumn Is Your Last Chance (03:32) 18 I Often Dream of Trains (02:25) 19 Nocturne (Demise) (01:52) 20 Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus (demo) (04:14) 21 Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl (demo) (01:56) 22 Cathedral (demo) (03:53) 23 Mellow Together (demo) (02:00) 24 The Bones in the Ground (demo) (01:52) |
| I Often Dream of Trains : Allmusic album Review : After the debacle that was the making of 1982s Groovy Decay, Robyn Hitchcock briefly retired from music, and when he returned it was with an album that offered a thoroughly uncompromised vision of Hitchcocks imagination. Released in 1984, I Often Dream of Trains was a primarily acoustic set with Hitchcock handling nearly all the instruments and vocals by himself; the tone is spare compared to the full-on rock & roll of his recordings with the Soft Boys or his solo debut, Black Snake Diamond Role, but the curious beauty of Hitchcocks melodies is every bit as striking in these stripped-down sessions, and the surreal imagery of "Flavour of Night," "Trams of Old London," and the title song comes to vivid and enchanting life. Hitchcocks off-kilter wit has rarely been as effective as it is on this album; the jaunty harmonies of "Uncorrected Personality Traits" are the ideal complement for the songs psychobabble, "Sounds Great When Youre Dead" manages to be funny and a bit disturbing at once, and the drunken campfire singalong of "Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus" was joyously sloppy enough to inspire a cover by the Replacements. Theres a slightly ramshackle quality to these recordings, but Hitchcock was rarely in more uniformly fine form as a songwriter, and there is a consistency of tone to the disc that makes it all the more effective, drawing listeners into a curious world of its own and allowing them to explore the surroundings and their quiet splendor. And Hitchcock has rarely recorded a song as luminously gorgeous as "Autumn Is Your Last Chance." Hitchcock would pick up his electric guitar and reunite with his band the Egyptians in 1985, releasing two fine albums in one year, but I Often Dream of Trains was a simple and marvelously effective return to action thats all the more winning for its subdued, tentative tone. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 26 Title: The Bells of Rhymney Released: 1984 Tracks: 4 Duration: 13:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 Bells of Rhymney (03:27) 2 Falling Leaves (04:23) 3 Winter Love (02:42) 4 The Bones in the Ground (03:07) |
 | Album: 5 of 26 Title: Groovy Decoy Released: 1985 Tracks: 12 Duration: 46:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Fifty Two Stations (04:07) 2 America (04:43) 3 St. Petersburg (02:50) 4 Nightride to Trinidad (03:34) 5 How Do You Work This Thing? (02:29) 6 The Cars She Used to Drive (03:20) 7 Grooving on a Inner Plane (04:55) 8 It Was the Night (04:41) 9 Young People Scream (03:16) 10 The Rain (04:23) 11 When I Was a Kid (04:02) 12 Midnight Fish (03:43) |
| Groovy Decoy : Allmusic album Review : Four years after its release, Robyn Hitchcock pulled Groovy Decay from circulation, replacing it with Groovy Decoy, an alternate version of the record assembled mainly from demos he recorded with Soft Boys bassist Matthew Seligman; the album included some versions that are identical to the Decay material, as well as a handful of new songs. By and large, Groovy Decoy is a better record, with more immediate and gripping versions of the songs that comprised the original album, but the material remains some of the weakest Hitchcock has written. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 26 Title: Invisible Hitchcock Released: 1986 Tracks: 14 Duration: 48:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 All I Wanna Do Is Fall in Love (03:48) 2 Give Me a Spanner, Ralph (02:38) 3 A Skull, a Suitcase, and a Long Red Bottle of Wine (04:59) 4 My Favourite Buildings (03:13) 5 Grooving on a Inner Plane (04:10) 6 The Pit of Souls (country version) (05:58) 7 Trash (02:52) 8 Messages of Dark (03:52) 9 Star of Hairs (03:19) 10 I Got a Message for You (03:06) 11 Vegetable Friend (02:11) 12 Point It at Gran (02:02) 13 Let There Be More Darkness (02:57) 14 Blues in A (03:25) |
| Invisible Hitchcock : Allmusic album Review : As the reference to the Soft Boys rarities collection, Invisible Hits, suggests, Invisible Hitchcock gathers together a selection of obscurities and non-album tracks Robyn Hitchcock recorded between 1980 and 1986. Granted, the material is a bit uneven, but the album holds together well, as it emphasizes Hitchcocks gift for warped wordplay and appealingly convoluted melodies. Upon its original release, the running order for Invisible Hitchcock was considerably different in Britain and America; Rhinos 1995 reissue standardized the album, including all the material from both versions of the album (with the exception of "Grooving on a Inner Plane," which appeared as a bonus track on the companys reissue of Black Snake Diamond Role), as well as adding two songs that never appeared on either version of the record. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 26 Title: Eye Released: 1990 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:12:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Cynthia Mask (04:38) 2 Certainly Cliquot (02:15) 3 Queen Elvis (04:23) 4 Flesh Cartoons (04:22) 5 Chinese Water Python (02:12) 6 Executioner (03:45) 7 Linctus House (05:15) 8 Sweet Ghost of Light (03:09) 9 Transparent Lover (03:35) 10 Beautiful Girl (02:13) 11 Clean Steve (03:52) 12 Raining Twilight Coast (04:38) 13 Agony of Pleasure (02:25) 14 Glass Hotel (03:28) 15 Satellite (01:45) 16 Aquarium (04:20) 17 Queen Elvis II (04:37) 18 Century (02:18) 19 Shimmering Distant Love (03:20) 20 Lovers Turn to Skulls (01:40) 21 The Beauty of Earl’s Court (03:59) |
| Eye : Allmusic album Review : Six years after his superb I Often Dream of Trains, Robyn Hitchcock returned to the acoustic format of that album with Eye, and while the surfaces of the two albums are similar and Eye was eagerly embraced by fans, the tone of the two discs is considerably different. I Often Dream of Trains was a collection of songs written as Hitchcock was slowly returning to a career in music after a two-year layoff, and theres a striking if subtle power in the occasional tentative moments and understated tone. Eye, on the other hand, is a far more confident album, and Hitchcocks performances boast a precision that befits a musician who had been recording and touring at a steady clip for the past six years, especially in his splendid guitar work. The surreal whimsy of I Often Dream of Trains also takes a backseat on Eye, replaced by the relative clarity of "Cynthia Mask," an idiosyncratic but unblinking condemnation of Britains failings during World War II, "Raining Twilight Coast," a point-of-view profile of various emotional hurts, and "Queen Elvis," a meditation on the effects of fame; the most Eye can offer in the way of humor is "Clean Steve" and "Certainly Clickot." But if Eye isnt the understated masterpiece I Often Dream of Trains was, its Hitchcocks most consistent and satisfying album of the 80s; the songs are intelligent, effective and dont rely on his eccentricities to work, while the melodies are winning and his vocals are beautifully modulated. While Eye lacks Hitchcocks exciting electric guitar work, its still the best representation of his music from a period when he made a couple of good records but few great ones. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 26 Title: Gravy Deco: The Complete Groovy Decay/Decoy Sessions Released: 1995-01-24 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:15:03 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Rain (04:22) 2 The Cars She Used to Drive (03:18) 3 It Was the Night (04:39) 4 Young People Scream (03:14) 5 How Do You Work This Thing? (02:26) 6 When I Was a Kid (04:02) 7 Midnight Fish (03:46) 8 Night Ride to Trinidad (03:32) 9 Fifty Two Stations (04:03) 10 Young People Scream (02:59) 11 The Rain (04:44) 12 America (04:39) 13 The Cars She Used to Drive (03:08) 14 Grooving on a Inner Plane (05:11) 15 St. Petersburg (02:47) 16 When I Was a Kid (03:51) 17 Midnight Fish (03:23) 18 Night Ride to Trinidad (05:38) 19 Kingdom of Love (05:13) |
| Gravy Deco: The Complete Groovy Decay/Decoy Sessions : Allmusic album Review : Robyn Hitchcock has never made a secret of the fact that he has little use for his second solo album, 1982s Groovy Decay, recorded with producer Steve Hillage while Robyn was in the midst of a deep depression and a songwriting slump. Hitchcock went so far as to release an alternate version of the album three years later, Groovy Decoy, which scrapped most of the original tracks and replaced them with demos hed cut with Matthew Seligman (the two albums share seven songs, while three are exclusive to Groovy Decay and two appear only on Groovy Decoy). In a commendable effort to clear up the long-standing confusion, Rhino Records compiled all the material from both albums into one CD, Gravy Deco (The Complete Groovy Decay/Decoy Sessions), which tacks on ill-advised dance mixes of "Night Ride to Trinidad" and "Kingdom of Love" as a bonus. Its certainly the best presentation to date of this material, but the fact that Hitchcock retired from recording for three years after making Groovy Decay indicates how happy he was with his work in 1982 ... and he certainly had his reasons. There are more than a few good songs here, especially "The Rain," "The Cars She Used to Drive," and "America" (Hitchcock revisited the latter two in much more enthusiastic form on the live album Gotta Let This Hen Out!), but theres also a higher percentage of throw-aways than Robyn has ever allowed on an album, and having two versions of "Young People Scream" isnt much of a bargain. Hitchcock has called Groovy Decay "a complete abortion," and while thats going a bit far, he wouldnt make an album this weak again until 1991s overly tidy Perspex Island; it still stands among the least interesting material of his career. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 26 Title: You & Oblivion Released: 1995-03-28 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:11:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You’ve Got (04:08) 2 Don’t You (02:13) 3 Birdshead (02:56) 4 She Reached for a Light (02:41) 5 Victorian Squid (02:26) 6 Captain Dry (02:46) 7 Mr. Rock ’n’ Roll (04:18) 8 August Hair (03:54) 9 Take Your Knife out of My Back (02:56) 10 Surgery (02:34) 11 The Dust (03:12) 12 Polly on the Shore (03:28) 13 Aether (03:04) 14 Fiend Before the Shrine (02:00) 15 Nothing (02:57) 16 Into It (02:08) 17 Stranded in the Future (03:21) 18 Keeping Still (03:37) 19 September Cones (05:20) 20 Ghost Ship (05:38) 21 You & Me (03:36) 22 If I Could Look (01:38) |
| You & Oblivion : Allmusic album Review : Released as part of Rhinos 1995 series of Robyn Hitchcock reissues, You & Oblivion is the second collection of Hitchcock rarities, featuring demos, live tracks, and studio outtakes. Unfortunately, much of the material is second rate, and some of the songs sound unfinished. Accentuating the frustratingly inconsistent musical quality of the record is the lack of liner notes and non-chronological sequencing, which makes the record confusing for casual listeners and exasperating for hardcore fans. There are a handful of intriguing performances among the 22 tracks, yet most of You & Oblivion is a chore to listen to. | ||
 | Album: 10 of 26 Title: Mossy Liquor Released: 1996 Tracks: 12 Duration: 42:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Alright, Yeah (Swedish version) (02:53) 2 Beautiful Queen (05:22) 3 Shuffling Over the Flagstones (02:58) 4 Cool Bug Rumble (03:35) 5 Wide Open Star (04:22) 6 Each of Her Silver Wands (02:13) 7 De Chirico Street (03:31) 8 As Lemons Chop (02:33) 9 Sinister but She Was Happy (03:17) 10 Trilobite (03:07) 11 The Devil’s Radio (03:59) 12 Heliotrope (04:43) |
 | Album: 11 of 26 Title: Moss Elixir Released: 1996-08-13 Tracks: 12 Duration: 48:46 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Sinister but She Was Happy (04:06) 2 The Devil’s Radio (04:01) 3 Heliotrope (03:12) 4 Alright, Yeah (02:55) 5 Filthy Bird (05:16) 6 The Speed of Things (03:46) 7 Beautiful Queen (05:48) 8 Man With a Woman’s Shadow (03:36) 9 I Am Not Me (03:28) 10 De Chirico Street (03:28) 11 You and Oblivion (04:46) 12 This Is How It Feels (04:19) |
| Moss Elixir : Allmusic album Review : Wisely, Robyn Hitchcock chucked the band sound (though longtime associates Morris Windsor and Andy Metcalfe continue to lend their services on some tracks) and returned to the spare singer/songwriter format for his best set of songs in more than ten years. Everything is here: the quirky on "Man with a Womans Shadow," and the elegant on "Beautiful Queen," and the straight-ahead Beatlessque music in which Hitchcock excels in the perfect pop of "Alright, Yeah." Finally, Hitchcock embraced his folk guitar roots, which hearken back to the days of the Incredible String Band and Roy Harper, while imprinting his indelible lyrical and vocal stamp, one of the true leading lights of contemporary alternative music. | ||
 | Album: 12 of 26 Title: Greatest Hits Released: 1996-09-09 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:16:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Balloon Man (03:33) 2 Vibrating (03:01) 3 Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis) (02:40) 4 A Globe of Frogs (Electric version) (04:28) 5 Legalized Murder (04:05) 6 Intro to Eyes (02:44) 7 One Long Pair of Eyes (04:58) 8 Madonna of the Wasps (03:06) 9 Wax Doll (04:14) 10 More Than This (03:51) 11 Ruling Class (03:23) 12 So You Think Youre in Love (02:34) 13 Oceanside (03:45) 14 Ride (05:01) 15 She Doesnt Exist (04:25) 16 Dark Green Energy (03:14) 17 Eight Miles High (03:58) 18 Driving Aloud (Radio Storm) (04:00) 19 The Yip! Song (03:08) 20 Alright, Yeah (02:56) 21 Bright Fresh Flower (03:22) |
| Greatest Hits : Allmusic album Review : Disappointingly, the 1980s failed to recognize the genius of Robyn Hitchcock. As a member of the Soft Boys until they broke up in 1981, Hitchcock went on to write some extremely witty, off-the-wall, and peculiarly clever music. With a sound reminiscent of Lloyd Cole and even Elvis Costello at times, Hitchcocks jangly Brit-pop is made up of sharp lyrical craftsmanship and a frolicsome weightlessness that gives his music a distinct charisma. This hits collection is a fine example of his work with the Egyptians dating back to their formation in 1987, made up of album selections, rarities, B-sides, and promotional singles, most of which failed to surface on any of their albums. Riding on the strength of college radio, tunes like "A Globe of Frogs" and "Balloon Man" eventually gained popular admiration, even if it was for a short while. The tongue-in-cheek subtlety of "Legalized Murder" is typical of Hitchcocks humor, and the bizarre effusiveness of "Madonna of the Wasps" is fittingly left of center. The bands cover of Roxy Musics "More Than This" holds up a little better than their attempt at the Byrds "Eight Miles High," but is a valiant effort nonetheless. Intriguing pieces like "The Yip Song," "Dark Green Energy," and "She Doesnt Exist" confirm that Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians possess a unique imagination as well as an adept spiritedness, which should have led to wider attention. | ||
 | Album: 13 of 26 Title: Storefront Hitchcock Released: 1998-10-27 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:37:08 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 1974 (05:07) 2 Let’s Go Thundering (06:28) 3 Filthy Bird (08:16) 4 Statue With a Walkman (08:10) 5 I’m Only You (06:52) 6 Glass Hotel (03:31) 7 I Something You (03:24) 8 The Yip! Song (05:01) 9 You and Oblivion (05:20) 1 Freeze (04:54) 2 Airscape (07:23) 3 Alright, Yeah (03:31) 4 Where Do You Go When You Die? (05:27) 5 The Wind Cries Mary (03:31) 6 No, I Don’t Remember Guildford (06:16) 7 Eerie Green Storm Lantern (07:07) 8 Beautiful Queen (06:50) |
| Storefront Hitchcock : Allmusic album Review : On Hitchcocks last U.S. tour, he played Hendrixs "The Wind Cries Mary" as well as "Are You Experienced," sometimes within the same set. Its the kind of act that defines his performing genius as a whimsical iconoclast; but then Hitchcock once performed most of Dylans "Royal Albert Hall" concert, so such live acts of devotion shouldnt come as entirely unexpected. Though only "Mary" is included here, Hitchcocks wacky essence is captured on the soundtrack to the Jonathan Demme picture which chronicles a couple of evenings during the aforementioned U.S. tour; both documents demand patience, but by the third song and final guitar of "Im Only You," if you aint hooked, Ill buy yours. Drawing from a variety of eras (the slice of life "The Yip! Song" and the electrified riff of "Freeze" are familiar Egyptians songs; love stories "Beautiful Queen" and "Alright, Yeah" are from Moss Elixir; "1974" and "I Dont Remember Guildford" are newer, personal-ish songs), the tie that binds this collection is feelings, instead of those proverbial Hitchcock symbols for them: fish and birds. What a relief. And who knew he was such an accomplished folk and electric guitarist? Storefront Hitchcock reveals his humanness, with all of his flaws, foibles, and mid-life revelations: "Im completely gray, youre completely mad, youre a middle-aged baby and the world is bad," in "Lets Go Thundering"; "I know who wrote the book of love...it was an idiot, it was a fool..." in "Freeze." To the best of his ability, the Hitchcock persona has become "sensitive male" while still maintaining his absurd sense of humor. In the process, hes made one dictionary definition, jaw-dropping live singer/songwriter album. Listen closely for the nod to "Purple Haze." | ||
 | Album: 14 of 26 Title: Jewels for Sophia Released: 1999-07-20 Tracks: 12 Duration: 54:13 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Mexican God (02:58) 2 The Cheese Alarm (04:03) 3 Viva! Sea‐Tac (03:51) 4 I Feel Beautiful (04:02) 5 You’ve Got a Sweet Mouth on You, Baby (04:26) 6 NASA Clapping (03:30) 7 Sally Was a Legend (02:32) 8 Antwoman (04:44) 9 Elizabeth Jade (02:20) 10 No, I Don’t Remember Guildford (04:45) 11 Dark Princess (05:40) 12 Jewels for Sophia (11:15) |
| Jewels for Sophia : Allmusic album Review : Exhilarated by the simple joys of the Jonathan Demme movie Storefront Hitchcock, the celebrated Mr. H demonstrates more of the straightforward, idiosyncratic charm and scrumptious tunes that made his film such a surprise. And what a fine piece of work! Without altering his established formula, its clear the one-time Soft Boys leader has hit on a good vein. No need for lush production, even if it worked well on some of his earlier 90s albums such as Perspex Island. Jewels just collects all his strengths. On the folk-rock numbers such as the strident "Mexican God," Hitchcock relies on a six-string acoustic and some light percussion. For the more lithe pop of "Sally Was a Legend," its all restrained electric guitar and nimble, unobtrusive bass and drums to keep it smooth. A darker, scratchier, more foreboding 60s rock arrives on the low-down stomp of "Antwoman," or the more zippy, neo-Stones rockers "Elizabeth Jade" and "Viva! Sea-Tac." Lastly, a new, studio version of Storefront Hitchcocks solo-unplugged "I Dont Remember Guilford" is fleshed out with a somber piano, lugubrious violin, and old-West harmonica to make the tune sparkle even more. He has plenty of help, too. While fans are celebrating the return of original Soft Boy Kimberley Rew on two tracks for the first time in 18 years, Hitchcock also commandeered a squadron of reverent co-conspirators in other cities to make a good LP into a first-rate one. Three-quarters of the Young Fresh Fellows along with R.E.M.s Peter Buck are unmistakable on a trio of Seattle-recorded tracks, especially "Elizabeth Jade." Elsewhere, guitarist Tim Keegan of Homer reprises the sidekick color-man role he played in the film, and who wouldnt want Grant Lee Phillips and Jon Brion to sit in on some L.A. sessions? More than two decades after first launch, Commander Hitchcock is still firing super-creative rockets. Jewels indeed. | ||
 | Album: 15 of 26 Title: A Star for Bram Released: 2000 Tracks: 12 Duration: 49:59 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Daisy Bomb (02:57) 2 I Saw Nick Drake (03:58) 3 Adoration of the City (04:40) 4 1974 (04:26) 5 I Wish I Liked You (04:27) 6 Nietzsche’s Way (04:32) 7 The Philosophers’ Stone (03:28) 8 The Green Boy (04:07) 9 Judas Sings (Jesus & Me) (04:28) 10 Antwoman (Dub) (04:48) 11 I Used to Love You (04:44) 12 The Underneath (03:21) |
| A Star for Bram : Allmusic album Review : The unstoppable Robyn Hitchcock collected his outtakes from the Jewels for Sophia sessions as well as some odds and ends for this self-released 12-song collection. Thanks to a 1999 ad for a Volkswagen, Hitchcocks "I Saw Nick Drake" was topical, which isnt usually the case for the willfully obscure artist. "1974" is reprised from Storefront Hitchcock, and the frequent live showstopper "The Philosophers Stone" is finally committed to disc in all of its glorious frenzy. As seemingly the last alternative singer/songwriter not to try hip-hop, Hitchcock caves in with his "Antwoman (Dub)." This is one outtake that the world probably couldve done without, but then this is yet another in a long line of Hitchcocks gratuitous releases for completists who wont be disappointed, even with its excesses. | ||
 | Album: 16 of 26 Title: Robyn Sings Released: 2002-07-15 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:34:47 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Visions of Johanna (06:13) 2 Tangled Up in Blue (06:27) 3 Not Dark Yet (03:18) 4 4th Time Around (06:02) 5 It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (04:56) 6 Desolation Row (11:23) 7 Dignity (05:59) 8 Visions of Johanna (07:36) 1 Tell Me Mama (04:28) 2 I Don’t Believe You (She Acts Like We Never Have Met) (05:57) 3 Baby, Let Me Follow You Down (03:07) 4 Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (05:18) 5 Leopard‐Skin Pill‐Box Hat (03:20) 6 One Too Many Mornings (04:31) 7 Ballad of a Thin Man (07:21) 8 Like a Rolling Stone (08:43) |
| Robyn Sings : Allmusic album Review : Robyn Hitchcock has covered a multitude of artists throughout his career, wowing concert audiences with his ability to spontaneously recall obscure songs and a penchant for making such numbers seem like his own. While his voice and songcraft have usually led to quick comparisons with Syd Barrett and the Beatles, his surreal lyrics and acoustic bent are both the exclusive offspring of Bob Dylans mid-60s work. Robyn Sings is a two-disc tribute to this influence, albeit with much more melody aboard than one would normally associate with Dylans material. As mentioned, the first disc is the keeper of the two and includes live versions of some of Dylans most well-known acoustic songs, recorded on tour at various American locales in 1999 and 2000. Without sounding sacrilegious, Hitchcocks voice is more pleasing than Dylans and his acoustic guitar playing is also better, making his versions, much like the Byrds and Jimi Hendrixs before him, arguably superior to the Dylan takes. Hitchcock calls "Visions of Johanna" his favorite song, and its easy to imagine this cut, or "Desolation Row," seamlessly nestled on one of his own albums. "Its All Over Now, Baby Blue" can also be seen as a definitive cover, successfully mixing the moods of Hitchcocks own "Wide Open Star" and "Chinese Bones." Hitchcock already released a similar album entitled Royal Queen Albert & Beautiful Homer that captured a 30th anniversary tribute to Dylans famous Royal Albert Hall concert, and the second disc of Robyn Sings simply reprises that release. This disc isnt as essential, as it contains a DAT-sourced audience recording of Hitchcock and his band recreating the concert in competent but unnecessary fashion. The sound quality aside, that event was truly too unique to be repeated and isnt as conducive to replication as the material from the fist disc. Hitchcock has released more than a half dozen "specialty" releases since he became a solo troubadour of sorts, after he and the Egyptians parted ways in 1994. Some may view this onslaught of rarities, alternate mixes, demos, live recordings, and cover albums as a sign of a dwindling muse, but on the contrary, it actually shows Hitchcocks talent to be just too abundant and varied to be contained on mere studio efforts. | ||
 | Album: 17 of 26 Title: Luxor Released: 2003-04-21 Tracks: 13 Duration: 47:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Sound of Sound (04:10) 2 One L (03:48) 3 Penelope’s Angles (03:18) 4 The Idea of You (04:15) 5 You Remind Me of You (03:39) 6 Luxor (02:46) 7 Keep Finding Me (03:07) 8 Maria Lyn (03:59) 9 Round Song (04:27) 10 Ant Corridor (02:30) 11 Idonia (04:26) 12 The Wolf House (03:23) 13 Solpadeine (03:30) |
| Luxor : Allmusic album Review : Some of Robyn Hitchcocks best work in his career has been on his solo acoustic albums. It therefore comes as no surprise that Luxor is on par with both Eye and the classic I Often Dream of Trains, although it is a bit darker in tone than either of those discs. This collection offers more examples of Hitchcocks winning mix of silly and sublime lyrics backed with exotically tuned acoustic guitars. Numbers such as "The Sound of Sound," "Round Song," and "One L" are familiar and fresh all at once, as Hitchcock subtly rewrites variations of his own catalog. There is not only a strong sense of his own musical past evident, but also the past of pop music in general; sort of like a musical tea party with the ghosts of Syd Barrett, John Lennon, and Bob Dylan as the special guests. Once again, Hitchcocks amazing virtuosity on the guitar is highlighted with two instrumentals, including the title track, which is reminiscent of "The End," "Calvary Cross," and "White Summer." Hitchcocks tunefulness and playing have never really been in question, but the one nagging perplexity of his work that has perhaps kept him from greater fame has been his reputation for self-consciously bizarre lyrics. This aspect has been exaggerated to a great extent but there can sometimes be jarring juxtapositions inherent in some of his imagery. Hitchcocks vision has always included allusions to sex, death, vegetables, and small creatures, but to his credit hes never let that undermine his humanistic and hopeful side. But what do you make of an artist who sings "death is all around us like a swarm of bees, or maybe flies" and "everyone is fading gradually" in one breath, and then "I am not a yam!" and "Ill have your babies if youll have my cold" in the next one? Its akin to a philosophy professor who intermittently giggles to bring levity to some heavy theory. No matter, for Hitchcock is aging gracefully and still maturing artistically. Luxor is a minor gem in a catalog studded with jewels. | ||
 | Album: 18 of 26 Title: Spooked Released: 2004-09-27 Tracks: 12 Duration: 44:53 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Television (06:22) 2 If You Know Time (03:32) 3 Everybody Needs Love (03:17) 4 English Girl (03:21) 5 Demons & Fiends (02:14) 6 Creeped Out (03:15) 7 Sometimes a Blonde (04:53) 8 We’re Gonna Live in the Trees (03:24) 9 Tryin’ to Get to Heaven Before They Close the Door (06:00) 10 Full Moon in My Soul (03:02) 11 Welcome to Earth (00:49) 12 Flanagan’s Song (04:39) |
| Spooked : Allmusic album Review : Sometime after the release of 2003s sparse and slightly chilly Luxor, Robyn Hitchcock attended his first Gillian Welch show. Impressed by the duos rootsy adherence to the organic -- two guitars, two voices -- he approached the longtime fans -- Hitchcock unknowingly signed David Rawlings guitar at a Boston in-store in 1989 -- and exchanged digits. The unlikely partnership came to fruition at Nashvilles Woodland Studios a few months later, and in just six days the lovely, intimate, and typically eccentric Spooked was born. Produced by Rawlings and culled from hours of off-the-cuff originals, Dylan songs, and general weirdness, Spooked harks back to his mercurial I Often Dream of Trains period. References to fungus and food abound, but wrapped in the wooly blankets of Rawlings signature picking and Welchs winsome harmonies, they take on a fireplace warmth that renders them amiably nostalgic rather than blatantly surreal. On the dew-soaked opener, "Television," Rawlings lays down a beautiful descending lead that wouldnt have sounded out of place on the duos debut, and its juxtaposition with Hitchcocks "bing a bon a bing bong" vocal entrance is jarring, but when the three of them come together mid-song to harmonize, the results are quietly majestic. Much of the record revisits -- musically at least -- Hitchcocks colorful past. "Everybody Needs Love," with its breathy urgency and electric sitar, sounds like something off of Element of Light, and the lurching "Creeped Out" -- featuring Welch on drums -- could have been the B-side to 1985s "Brendas Iron Sledge." This is Hitchcocks most rewarding and creative endeavor since 1993s Egyptian-led Respect, and the fact that Rawlings and Welch are there as eager tools to flesh out his English netherworld makes the fellowship feel even more collaborative. Its a testament to both camps willingness to try anything -- hearing Welch and Rawlings repeating "crackle, crackle, pop" beneath Hitchcocks spoken word sales pitch to extraterrestrials looking to vacation on Earth is a pretty good example -- that ultimately succeeds in making Spooked the left-field gem that it is. | ||
 | Album: 19 of 26 Title: Obliteration Pie Released: 2005-08-03 Tracks: 14 Duration: 53:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Madonna of the Wasps (03:07) 2 City of Women (04:29) 3 I Fall Into Your Eyes (03:07) 4 Arms of Love (03:56) 5 A Man’s Gotta Know His Limitations, Briggs (05:42) 6 Madelaine (02:58) 7 Let the Sun Begin (03:42) 8 My Dreams Are Scars (04:30) 9 Frank Sinatra (01:59) 10 My Wife and My Dead Wife (03:51) 11 Chinese Bones (03:53) 12 Funkytown (03:57) 13 Butterfly (04:46) 14 Queen Elvis (04:00) |
 | Album: 20 of 26 Title: I Wanna Go Backwards Released: 2007-11-13 Tracks: 102 Duration: 5:36:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 The Man Who Invented Himself (02:59) 2 Brenda’s Iron Sledge (02:56) 3 Do Policemen Sing? (03:37) 4 The Lizard (05:03) 5 Meat (03:04) 6 Acid Bird (04:42) 7 I Watch the Cars (02:26) 8 Out of the Picture (03:41) 9 City of Shame (03:23) 10 Love (04:45) 11 All I Wanna Do Is Fall in Love (03:47) 12 A Skull, a Suitcase, and a Long Red Bottle of Wine (04:59) 13 It Was the Night (03:36) 14 I Watch the Cars No. 2 (04:26) 15 Give Me a Spanner Ralph (02:38) 16 It’s a Mystic Trip (02:58) 17 Grooving on a Inner Plane (04:12) 18 Happy the Golden Prince (06:40) 1 Nocturne (Prelude) (01:39) 2 Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl (01:58) 3 Cathedral (03:43) 4 Uncorrected Personality Traits (01:45) 5 Sounds Great When You’re Dead (03:23) 6 Flavour of Night (02:59) 7 Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus (04:01) 8 This Could Be the Day (02:46) 9 Trams of Old London (03:29) 10 Furry Green Atom Bowl (03:16) 11 Heart Full of Leaves (02:30) 12 Autumn Is Your Last Chance (03:31) 13 I Often Dream of Trains (02:23) 14 Nocturne (Demise) (02:06) 15 Winter Love (02:39) 16 The Bones in the Ground (03:08) 17 My Favourite Buildings (02:48) 18 I Used to Say I Love You (04:32) 19 Chant / Aether (05:25) 20 Heart Full of Leaves (02:28) 21 I Often Dream of Trains (02:41) 22 Not Even a Nurse (02:31) 23 Slow Chant / That’s Fantastic Mother Church (02:15) 24 Traveller’s Fare (01:48) 1 Cynthia Mask (04:38) 2 Certainly Cliquot (02:15) 3 Queen Elvis (04:23) 4 Flesh Cartoons (04:22) 5 Chinese Water Python (02:12) 6 Executioner (03:45) 7 Linctus House (05:15) 8 Sweet Ghost of Light (03:09) 9 Transparent Lover (03:35) 10 Beautiful Girl (02:13) 11 Clean Steve (03:52) 12 Raining Twilight Coast (04:38) 13 Agony of Pleasure (02:25) 14 Glass Hotel (03:28) 15 Satellite (01:45) 16 Aquarium (04:20) 17 Queen Elvis II (04:37) 18 Century (02:18) 19 Shimmering Distant Love (03:20) 20 Lovers Turn to Skulls (01:40) 21 The Beauty of Earl’s Court (03:59) 1 She Reached for a Light (02:38) 2 August Hair (03:56) 3 Take Your Knife out of My Back (03:03) 4 Fiend Before the Shrine (02:03) 5 Raymond Chandler Evening (01:56) 6 Birdshead (02:52) 7 Victorian Squid (02:29) 8 You’ve Got (04:06) 9 Captain Dry (02:50) 10 Raining Twilight Coast (04:36) 11 Point It at Gran (02:00) 12 Vegetable Friend (02:13) 13 Flesh Number 1 (02:42) 14 Surgery (02:40) 15 I Got a Message for You (03:05) 16 If I Could Look (01:12) 17 Parachutes & Jellyfish (03:05) 18 Queen Elvis (04:39) 19 Nothing (02:47) 20 Stranded in the Future (03:22) 21 Melting Arthur (03:13) 22 The Abandoned Brain (03:30) 23 You’re So Repulsive (03:32) 24 Opiatrescence (03:54) 1 September Cones (05:22) 2 Lovely Golden Villains (03:03) 3 Dr Sticky (live) (03:11) 4 Toadboy (03:50) 5 Trash (02:51) 6 Pit of Souls (country version) (05:58) 7 Mr Deadly (04:13) 8 Let There Be More Darkness (02:56) 9 Listening to the Higsons (02:45) 10 College of Ice (03:42) 11 My Favourite Buildings (03:13) 12 Lightplug (01:43) 13 Sleeping Knights of Jesus (04:14) 14 Insect Mother (01:44) 15 I Wanna Go Backwards (03:36) |
| I Wanna Go Backwards : Allmusic album Review : Robyn Hitchcocks large armory of material is tailor-made for the reissue circuit -- his entire post-Soft Boys, pre-A&M; output was remastered and re-released in the early 90s by Rhino with bonus cuts and extended liner notes for ingestion by the newly enlightened college radio demographic -- so it comes as no surprise that amidst a career resurgence in 2007 due to the well received Spooked and Olé! Tarantula, as well as the Sundance Channel documentary Sex, Food, Death & Insects. comes another set of reissues, this time from the Yep Roc label. The first boxed installment, I Wanna Go Backwards (each disc is available separately as well) collects his solo debut Black Snake Diamond Role, I Often Dream of Trains, Eye, and a grab bag of singles both rare (and not so rare) called While Thatcher Mauled Britain: Demos 81-90. The bonus tracks on each disc differ from the early-90s reissues in that they are spread about (among new rarities) between the four albums. Also, the inclusion of album tracks like "A Skull, A Suitcase & A Long Red Bottle of Wine" and "Mystic Trip" from 1986s Invisible Hitchcock (one of his finest releases) on the Black Snake Diamond Role disc is a bit confusing, as one would hope for a quality remastering of that album, as well. Elsewhere, While Thatcher Mauled Britains first half is populated by almost all of the key tracks from 1995s You & Oblivion, where Eyes "College of Ice" instrumental has been sent as well. Each disc comes with original Hitchcock artwork, comics, and stories, and the remastering, especially on BSDR is exceptional. With more reissues to come (though no word on the elusive A&M; years), this is just the tip of the iceberg, and while the construction of I Wanna Go Backwards may be a bit schizophrenic, its all in there; every snake, lizard, pad of cheese, boring little creep, furry leg, and nostril with a bean in it. | ||
 | Album: 21 of 26 Title: Shadow Cat Released: 2008-02-11 Tracks: 14 Duration: 47:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 For Debbie Reynolds (01:33) 2 Never Have to See You Again (02:50) 3 Love Affair (03:07) 4 The Wind Cries Mary (02:57) 5 High on Yourself (04:49) 6 Because You’re Over (02:43) 7 The Cat Walks Her Kind of Line (02:05) 8 Statue With a Walkman (03:26) 9 The Green Boy (03:53) 10 Real Dot (02:09) 11 Nothing but Time (04:01) 12 Beautiful Shock (03:26) 13 Baby‐Doll (04:26) 14 Shadowcat (05:55) |
| Shadow Cat : Allmusic album Review : Robyn Hitchcock is a wizard with an electric guitar and can create crackling, energetic rock & roll with the right band behind him, but sometimes it seems hes happiest when hes working all by his lonesome, and some of the finest albums in his catalog feature him in solo semi-acoustic mode (most notably I Often Dream of Trains and Eye). Shadow Cat is an accidental sibling to these works, a collection of 14 solo Hitchcock tracks recorded between 1993 and 1999, most of which havent surfaced before (though a version of "Statue with a Walkman" appeared on the vinyl edition of Storefront Hitchcock, the same album included another take on Jimi Hendrixs "The Wind Cries Mary," and "The Green Boy" surfaced on the outtakes compilation A Star for Bram). Some of these tracks can be politely described as experiments that dont quite work, most notably two a cappella numbers performed with the aid of a vocoder ("Because Youre Over" and "Real Dot"), and a few are simply lesser compositions that dont sound especially memorable, such as "High on Yourself" and the truncated opener "For Debbie Reynolds." But for fans who like Hitchcock best when hes in a deep and atmospheric mood, Shadow Cat certainly has its rewards, and the languid "Baby Doll," the minimal but absorbing "Beautiful Shock," the stripped-down rock guitar figures of "Never Have to See You Again," and the ominous yet playful title cut are welcome examples of what Hitchcock does so well. Shadow Cat shouldnt be mistaken for a "new" Robyn Hitchcock album, but as a sampler of odds and ends from his notebooks it rescues a few worthy songs from an obscurity they dont deserve, and its a fine reminder of why Hitchcock is still regarded as one of the most gifted and singular British songwriters around. | ||
 | Album: 22 of 26 Title: I Often Dream of Trains in New York Released: 2009-11-10 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:13:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl (Cassette Fragment) (01:40) 2 Nocturne (Prelude) (03:08) 3 Flavour of Night (03:01) 4 Cathedral (04:26) 5 Sounds Great When Youre Dead (03:58) 6 Uncorrected Personality Traits (03:01) 7 I Used to Say I Love You (05:34) 8 Winter Love (04:38) 9 This Could Be the Day (03:42) 10 Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus (04:43) 11 Trams of Old London (04:17) 12 My Favourite Buildings (03:08) 13 Thats Fantastic, Mother Church (02:59) 14 Heart Full of Leaves (02:44) 15 Autumn Is Your Last Chance (04:27) 16 I Often Dream of Trains (03:47) 17 America (06:01) 18 Up to Our Nex (04:12) 19 Goodnight I Say (04:14) |
| I Often Dream of Trains in New York : Allmusic album Review : Recorded live at Symphony Space in New York City, I Often Dream of Trains in New York features Robyn Hitchcock and multi-instrumentalists Tim Keegan and Terry Edwards re-creating the willfully eccentric Englishmans seminal 1983 post-Soft Boys solo outing I Often Dream of Trains in its entirety. In typical "Hitchcockian" fashion, the singer enters the stage to the tinny crackle of a hand-held tape recorder playing "Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl," sits down at the piano, comically slows the pitch and begins playing the moody instrumental "Nocturne." What follows is a surprisingly deft and poignant retelling of his most beloved album, peppered with the usual Dada banter about tomatoes, microorganisms, and detectives. The two-disc set includes a DVD of the performance, as well as a surreal short film that features extended footage from the original video shoot for the title track backed by random bursts of disconnected music and dialogue. | ||
 | Album: 23 of 26 Title: Tromsø, Kaptein Released: 2011-05-04 Tracks: 10 Duration: 46:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Light Blue Afternoon (03:19) 2 Raining Twilight Coast (04:22) 3 Savannah (05:33) 4 Dismal City (03:33) 5 Old Man Weather (04:35) 6 Erasing Your Life (04:13) 7 August in Hammersmith (04:57) 8 Everything About You (05:41) 9 The Abyss (04:03) 10 Godnatt Oslo (06:31) |
 | Album: 24 of 26 Title: Love From London Released: 2013-03-04 Tracks: 10 Duration: 40:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Harry’s Song (04:20) 2 Be Still (04:13) 3 Stupefied (03:02) 4 I Love You (03:31) 5 Devil on a String (04:47) 6 Strawberries Dress (03:28) 7 Death & Love (04:09) 8 Fix You (03:51) 9 My Rain (02:55) 10 End of Time (06:25) |
| Love From London : Allmusic album Review : 2010s Propellor Time found Robyn Hitchcock basking in the anything-goes, notebook-clearing nature of largely minimalist offerings like Eye and I Often Dream of Trains, allowing the pop acumen of his recent work with the Venus 3 (Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, and Bill Rieflin), all of whom contributed, to beat the more abstract elements of the songs into submission. 2013s Love from London, recorded in an East London bedroom and released just days after Hitchcocks 60th birthday, retains some of its predecessors penchant for wanderlust, but is altogether a much trippier beast, swapping out the acoustic foundation for a snappier pop/rock engine that harkens back to more propulsive outings like Element of Light and Fegmania! The piano-led, dirge-like "Harrys Song" starts things off on an ominous note, but its a cloud that soon dissipates with the arrival of the playful and airy "Be Still" and the reliably absurd "Stupefied," both of which wouldnt have sounded out of place on 1988s Globe of Frogs. Love from London is at its best when the light and dark are forced to spend time together, as is the case on the albums two strongest cuts, the beautiful "Death & Love" and the heady, Flaming Lips-inspired, psych-pop closer "The End of Time." Hitchcock is clearly having fun here, and while that sense of joyful, mad abandon may not always result in quality (if there were such a thing as a Robyn Hitchcock song generator, the by-the-book "Devil on a String" would probably be the first track out of the gate), its hard not root for a guy who, at 60, isn’t afraid to stand behind his "honey naked and uncooked." | ||
 | Album: 25 of 26 Title: The Man Upstairs Released: 2013-09 Tracks: 10 Duration: 38:15 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Ghost in You (04:28) 2 San Francisco Patrol (04:19) 3 To Turn You On (04:10) 4 Trouble in Your Blood (04:42) 5 Somebody to Break Your Heart (02:21) 6 Don’t Look Down (05:08) 7 Ferries (03:02) 8 Comme Toujours (03:08) 9 The Crystal Ship (02:27) 10 Recalling the Truth (04:26) |
| The Man Upstairs : Allmusic album Review : Robyn Hitchcock sums up the impetus behind his 20th solo studio outing with an unusually succinct quote: “I’ve always wanted to make a folk record produced by Joe Boyd and now I have: thank you, universe!” It would seem that the serial surrealists penchant for punctuating everything with food, flora, and sex metaphors does not extend to conveying the simple joy of working with the legendary producer of such iconic albums as Nick Drakes Bryter Later and Fairport Conventions Liege & Lief, just to name a few. Hitchcock applies that same newfound predilection for levelheadedness to the songs on The Man Upstairs as well, offering up five choice covers and five new originals that flirt with the fantastic, yet avoid an unnecessary trip down the rabbit hole -- even the Gillian Welch-illustrated, netherworld-fixated cover art feels relatively settled. The albums brightest diamond in the rough, a surprisingly moving and wistful take on the Psychedelic Furs "The Ghost in You," appears right out of the gate, and like much of the material to follow, utilizes the talents of Boyd, cellist Jenny Adejayan, pianist Charlie Francis, and vocalist Anne Lise Frøkedal from the Norwegian indie pop duo I Was a King, all of whom, especially Frøkedal, whose ethereal harmonies are so (tastefully) omnipresent throughout, help to reign in some of the structural elasticity that sometimes has a tendency to undermine Hitchcocks all acoustic outings. Sonically, The Man Upstairs operates somewhere between Eye and I Often Dream of Trains (a very English folk take on the Doors "Crystal Ship" would have fit perfectly on the latter), but outside of the truly spectacular "Trouble in Blood" and the evocative "San Francisco Patrol," the originals (and the remaining covers) feel largely ephemeral, especially for someone so inclined to unmitigated prolificacy. | ||
 | Album: 26 of 26 Title: Robyn Hitchcock Released: 2017-04-21 Tracks: 10 Duration: 36:04 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 I Want to Tell You About What I Want (03:42) 2 Virginia Woolf (02:52) 3 I Pray When I’m Drunk (02:06) 4 Mad Shelley’s Letterbox (03:38) 5 Sayonara Judge (05:55) 6 Detective Mindhorn (03:27) 7 1970 in Aspic (03:13) 8 Raymond and the Wires (02:20) 9 Autumn Sunglasses (05:06) 10 Time Coast (03:41) |
| Robyn Hitchcock : Allmusic album Review : Eponymous albums usually herald a debut or a stylistic sea change. Robyn Hitchcocks 22nd studio LP is neither, but it embraces elements of both. Recorded in Nashville with pop sorcerer Brendan Benson, its a distillation of the 64-year-old surrealists entire career, and easily his most vibrant collection of new music since the early 1990s -- his last outing, 2014s Man Upstairs, saw Hitchcock delivering an enjoyable, yet relatively amorphous set of half-covers/half-originals under the tutelage of the great Joe Boyd. The obvious reference points here are Underwater Moonlight-era Soft Boys and early solo outings like Element of Light and Black Snake Diamond Role, but there are more than a few tips of the hat to his time on A&M; in the late 80s -- lead single "I Want to Tell You About What I Want" wouldnt have sounded out of place on Globe of Frogs or Queen Elvis. Always an underrated and inventive guitar player, Benson gives Hitchcock plenty of room to flex his six-string muscles, and he digs into psych rock/jangle pop confections like "Virginia Woolf," "Detective Mindhorn," "Time Coast," and "Mad Shelleys Letterbox" with the fleet-fingered, double-tracked glee of a man who just rediscovered Revolver. Hitchcocks adopted hometown of Nashville looms large on the Grant-Lee Phillips-assisted, pseudo-honky tonk number "I Pray When Im Drunk," and Russ Pahls weepy pedal steel paints golden sunsets over the lovely "Sayonara Judge" and the equally breezy "1970 in Aspic," but as Hitchcock states in his typically verbose liner notes, his songs are "English myths, seen from abroad." Nowhere is that more apparent than on "Raymond of the Wires," a eulogy for his novelist, screenwriter, and cartoonist father, and an elliptical, psych-pop mini-masterpiece that skillfully wields both nostalgia and wonder. No longer the hyper-prolific, Byzantine food-, sex-, and death-obsessed Syd Barrett-phile of old -- well, maybe just a little bit -- Hitchcock has settled into a sort of seasoned eccentricity, and this economical, late career gem proves that hes still got plenty of Madcap Laughs left in the hopper. | ||