Wey Wey Hep a Hole Ding Dong: Robyn Hitchcock the song by song, album by album thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Lance LaSalle, May 15, 2020.

  1. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Our votes for "Each of Her Silver Wands [Soft Boys' version]

    1-0
    2-0
    3-2
    4-4
    Average: 3.5833
     
  2. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Today's song is "Om", written by Robyn Hitchcock; produced by The Soft Boys and Pat Collier.


    Robyn Hitchcock: lead vocals, guitar
    Kimberly Rew: vocals, synthesizer
    Matthew Seligman: bass, synthesizer
    Morris Windsor: drums, vocals

    Get ready for the white light
    The white light is your friend
    It shone in the beginning
    And it is shining at the end
    Om

    Oh do not every worry
    Oh, do not lose your mind
    Oh, do not even hurry
    Cause you can never hurry time
    Om
    Shanti Om

    The past is always over
    And it will not return
    Unless you really want it

    The wind controls the towels
    It shapes the dancing leaves
    It animates the laundry
    All the V-necks and the sleeves
    Om, shanti, Om

    Get ready for the white light
    The white light is your friend
    It shone in the beginning
    And it is shining at the end
    Om, shanti, om

    Ah, ah...ah
     
  3. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Undeveloped, perhaps, like "Each of Her Silver Wands"but this is the great, rocking ska-prog-folk synthesis that we've been waiting for for all these years.

    4.2/5
     
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  4. MattR

    MattR Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sheffield, UK
    Om is fantastic, and unusually mystic tinged lyrics. It comes on like George Harrison on proazac fronting a magnificently ragged power pop band, and has the energy that's missing from most of these other songs. Another that should definitely have made the album. 4.5/5


    Here's my playlist:

    I Love Lucy
    Unprotected Love
    Mr Kennedy
    Sudden Town
    Narcissus
    Each of her silver wands
    Strings
    La Cherité
    Om


    I kind of like it at 9 tracks, but I'd maybe add Lions and Tigers or Evil Guy as a bonus track at the end.
     
  5. Great Face For Radio

    Great Face For Radio Sing Hosanna, the jazz snobs are all going home.

    Location:
    London N13
    After the cod reggae of Narcissus we get a venture into ska territory with this brilliant little track. I recall him introducing it at a gig with something along the lines of "this is a song about eastern mysticism set to the sound of Madness". @MattR and @Lance LaSalle both provide excellent descriptions too.

    There's a wonderful sense of fun about this one; it belts along at a fair old rate and the words are perfect. I love the image of the wind animating the laundry. Top class stuff which deserved a far greater profile. If I could have picked a single from these sessions, this would have been it.

    Om. 4.5/5.
     
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  6. AlienRendel

    AlienRendel Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, il
    Om - 5/5 - This one really tickles me, though I think it comes off more Camper Van Beethoven than Madness.
     
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  7. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Yes. Love that.
     
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  8. Shriner

    Shriner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ann Arbor, MI, USA
    OM -- 4/5. Nice change of pace from the band.
     
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  9. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Our votes for "Om"

    1-0
    2-0
    3-0
    4-2
    5-3
    Average: 4.44
     
  10. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Today's song is "Comin' Through", written by Robyn Hitchcock; produced by The Soft Boys and Pat Collier. It doesn't seem to stream in these parts, unfortunately.
     
  11. Great Face For Radio

    Great Face For Radio Sing Hosanna, the jazz snobs are all going home.

    Location:
    London N13
    I love this one. It's wonderfully tight but loose with some great bass playing by Matthew. It reminds me a little of 1974 in its wistful remembrances and namechecks although it's far less focused. Clearly they were having a ball recording this one and it's another that would have added a much needed bit of variety to the album.

    Spike Milligan's grave in Winchelsea, Sussex does indeed say "I told you I was ill" albeit in Gaelic. A second RH mention for Brian Jones too.

    Comin' Through 4.7/5.
     
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  12. Shriner

    Shriner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ann Arbor, MI, USA
    Comin' -- dug this out and played it -- and it's great and surprisingly doesn't feel too long! Right up there with Narcissus and I wanted more of this type of song on the actual album. I'm trying to be consistent, so I'll give it a very strong 4/5.

    "untitled" (the next track since it came up) -- since there are no zeros to be given out -- 1/5. Not sure what the point of that track is.
     
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  13. AlienRendel

    AlienRendel Senior Member

    Location:
    Chicago, il
    Comin' Through - 4/5 - Very pleasant. I like the slide. As others have noted, a lot of this stuff sounds more like Robyn solo than the Soft Boys.
     
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  14. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    "Comin' Through" is really nice, a nicely loping song with some great harmonies and playing. 4/5
     
  15. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Our votes for "Comin' Through"

    1-0
    2-0
    3-0
    4-3
    5-1

    Average: 4.175
     
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  16. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    I'll just skip the next track, which I consider a mere interstice.



    Today's song is "Evil Guy", written by Robyn Hitchcock; recorded by Paul Bevan in April 2001. Thomas Dolby, an old associate, plays on this one.

    Robyn Hitchcock: vocals guitars
    Kimberly Rew: guitars, vocals
    Matthew Seligman: bass
    MOrris Windsor: drums
    Thomas Dolby: keyboards
     
  17. Great Face For Radio

    Great Face For Radio Sing Hosanna, the jazz snobs are all going home.

    Location:
    London N13
    A fairly underwhelming end to Side Three with a rather perfunctory rehash of the earlier Bad Case Of History version. The previous untitled track appear to feature Kimberley struggling with some sort of packaging. No idea why it was included but I still prefer it to Wafflehead.

    Evil Guy 2/5.
     
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  18. chrism1971

    chrism1971 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Glos, UK
    Hello again.
    As GFFR has said, perfunctory. One thing that struck me re the SBs 2001/2 was the difference between Matthew and Andy - the former had a slick professionalism/inventiveness but the latter always seemed to bring a sense of purpose or optimism which gave some tracks more point. This one, along with half a dozen of the 2002 recordings I can happily live without. (By the way, what happened to my scores for Nextdoorland? :sigh:)

    Someone asked what a Japanese captain was. My only observation is that Matthew had recently married a Japanese woman who Robyn described (according to MS's blog) as a 'Tiger wife' (if I recall correctly).... Don't like the song much anyway.

    There was a 45 of live tracks with the NDL LP - are you covering those?
     
  19. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    I just forgot about your scores as my enthusiasm is at low ebb for this period and I didn’t give much thought…I did include them on some but may have forgotten a couple of days. Sorry. Maybe I’ll recalculate those tomorrow as I am off work.
     
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  20. Shriner

    Shriner Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ann Arbor, MI, USA
    Evil Guy - 2/5 Very underwhelming way to go out...
     
  21. Mr. Odd

    Mr. Odd Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    I dig "Evil Guy"! It was an outtake from _Queen Elvis_, I think, and was circulating on a tape back in the day, along with stuff like "Hanging Out With Dad".
     
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  22. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler

    I stopped getting notified and didn't notice....Om 4/5 , Evil Guy 3/5
     
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  23. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    It should be noted that at time of release, Bad Case of History had not been released yet; so this was, in fact, the first appearance of the song. Perhaps I shouldn't have held it up for discussion at all, but I totally forgot about the Bad Case of History version.

    I quite like this version "Evil Guy", it's got a langorous, trippy feel to it and I think it's better than the Egyptians version from 1987 or so. Mainly the guitars....

    4/5
     
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  24. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    Today, both

    • Side Three, the EP, and
    • the live double CD Robyn Sings.
    Robyn Sings is a live album of Bob Dylan Covers. Disc 1 was recorded at various concerts in 1999-2000.

    1. Visions Of Johanna [version 1]
    2. Tangled Up In Blue
    3. Not Dark Yet
    4. 4th Time Around
    5. Desolation Row
    6. It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue
    7. Dignity
    8. Visions Of Johanna [version 2]
    Disc 2 was recorded in 1996; and consists of songs previously released on a promo CD of Beautiful Queen which was released in 1997.

    1. Tell Me Mama
    2. I Don't Believe You
    3. Baby Let Me Follow You Down
    4. Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
    5. Leopard-Skin Pillbox Hat
    6. One Too Many Mornings
    7. Ballad Of A Thin Man
    8. Like A Rolling Stone
     
  25. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus Thread Starter

    @chrism1971 , I will be recalculating all of these scores today to make sure that your vote is included and tomorrow(or whenever I Have the time to post the collated ratings), (or whenever I get the time to do so, those will include the recalculated scores.)
     
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