Robyn Hitchcock Appreciation Thread

He played one of the best covers I've ever heard, sometime in the late 80's at First Avenue, a spot-on version of "Eight Days a Week", jangling Rickenbacker and all.

 

I got into Robyn right around the time of "Madonna of the Wasps". Soon after I saw him at McCabes and was hooked. I can't even count how many times I've seen him since. Anytime he played McCabes he would play two shows a night, and I usually went to both. He had Andy Metcalfe with him in those days, who was a great bass player, and could keep up with him comically as well. In the last ten years or so, I've always enjoyed seeing him play at Largo, since usually Jon Brion and\or Grant Lee Phillips would sit in with him. One night it turned into an all-star jam with Hithchcock, Brion, Phillips and Neil Finn all taking turns playing their own songs along with Beatles and Dylan covers.
I like the Venus 3 stuff, and am really looking forward to this new record. However I think I prefer him solo if given a choice....

 

FANTASTIC song. It's one I don't mind listening to multiple times in one sitting. It's about a friend of his that died - a great tribute.

 

"Airscape" - that's the song title. Thanks!
I really need a fact checker at all times.

You guys are killing me naming all these great Robyn songs. His catalog is so vast and I've dropped out more than once so I've missed a lot.

Time to drop back in obviously.

 

I never dropped out, but I can understand how it might happen. At some point you're exploring a new furrow of music and a new Robyn Hitchcock album comes out and it gets another three-star review. Meaning: it's going to make fans happy, but isn't a radical departure or a career best or whatever... and you decide you can live without it. After you do that the first time it's really easy to ignore the next album (and so forth and so on).

As much as a I love him, some albums are stronger than others and yet there's no real consensus among fans; no albums that are consistently picked as his "best." He's a cult artist and releases a lot of archival work and "seconds" too so there's a lot out there.

But if you decide to delve back in you will find that the QC has not gone down. If you felt he was starting to become a tad predictable during his stint on A&M you will find nicely-varied albums in the years since; strong albums... great collections of songs.

I don't know that you'll ever find a Hitchcock song you like better than Airscape, but stranger things have happened.

 

New RH video on YouTube - check it out. The song is "Ordinary Millionaire" words by Robyn - music by Johnny Marr. It'll be on Propellor Time - the forthcoming RH & V3 album.

 

Typically completely amazing.

 

Big RH fan here.

 

His lyrics and vocal arrangements make me wanna label him a genius.
The Soft Boys Live At the Portland Arms made my jaw drop repeatedly.

 

i was a big fan in high school, bought "globe of frogs" because he was opening for REM and wanted to hear who he was, and was instantly obsessed, it completely spoke to the anglophile, syd barrett/lennon loving soul that I was. I saw him solo several times around then, and I think he was living in San Francisco for a little while then too, because I saw him playing on the street corner once as well. I remained a big fan through Respect and then in my 20s got disaffected, depressed, and too cool for Robyn and for whatever reason totally missed out on all his music until the last couple of years when I started listening again. For the past few months I've really enjoyed going back through his entire catalog and rediscovering it, spurred in part because my son (who is almost 4) is such a big fan of the song Sickie Boy (on the new propeller time). I also just lost my father in law and Respect really resonated with me through the whole process; in retrospect it seems like a turning point in his writing, the Wreck of the Arthur Lee being one of his greatest compositions; I think this record and Queen Elvis are kind of his towering achievements with the Egyptians, they're just really really great albums.

I really hope to catch him if he tours the US for Propeller Time. Also, I need to go buy the proper Yep Rock reissues of some of this stuff, my stuff is a melange of old CD issues of the early stuff, some vinyl in not very good shape, and a lot of mp3s, most of them of the last series of reissues. Certainly want to get the two box sets.

 

I've seen Robyn since his first tour w/ the Egyptians in '85. Great stuff, but I did take a "break" for few years. I saw a bad gig in D.C. in '89, right around the time my first child was born...and that 'cooled' me. Plus I a little obsessed w/ Hitchcock at the time.

It didn't help that there was a string of albums that didn't do much for me at the time (Globe of Frogs, Perspex Island, Respect) but I found that I loved Moss Elixir and Mossy Liquor. The rekindling continued wtih Jewels for Sophia and A Star for Bram. Then came LUXOR. I absolutely LOVE this album. And Spooked, Olé Tarantula and Goodnight Oslo are a great trio. All different.

....well, my oldest is 20 now and we enjoyed the Carrboro, NC gig (touring for GOODNIGHT OSLO) together...so, life is good....and complete...

I have not heard Propeller Time yet, but the clips I heard didn't do a lot for me. After all, it is an album of leftovers, isn't it? Of course, I'll pick up the LP and once it sinks in, I'm sure I'll dig it.....

 

My introduction to Robyn and the Softboys was in 1978. I was in London visiting my pal Andrew Lauder at Radar Records. He said check this band out, sound like Capt Beefheart and Syd Barrett. He told me they signed 'em but only got a single out of them, as they couldn't capture the sound of the debut ep for an album. I know Robyn was bitter about this, and have a recording of him saying some nasty things about Radar. Over the next few years, another friend in London kept sending me singles and live tapes.

Jump ahead to 1985. I decided to got to CMJ cause REM and Robyn and the Eqyptians would be playing... While hanging out at Irving Plaza to get tix, a group of attendees asked if I wanted to go see the Young Fresh Fellows with them at the Bitter End. Sure...

I knew the name and might have heard a little of their music. A friend in Seattle had told me one of his coworkers at Cellophane Sq was the singer of the band. The show was a amazing. I was an instant fan. Later that evening, I see Robyn and am also blown away. Everything I expected. As we were heading out, I spotted the singer and bass player from the Fellows in the lobby. Being a friendly sort, I went over and said hello and told them I really enjoyed their show.

After a few minutes of chat, the singer says "I know you". I say now way... but then suggest maybe I did meet him in a record shop, thinking Seattle. He says "no, your Ron from Discount Records San Jose"! Bingo. He reminds me he was a friend of Gary, a rabid Beatles fan who use to come around and show off his rare finds. It had been five years since I left The Bay Area and hadn't kept in touch with anyone to let them know where I was. We renewed our friendship, and started seeing the Fellows often and hanging out when we were in Seattle. Things got more entwined over the years, working on records together and such.

It was a bit thrill when the Soft Boys reunited. We flew out to see them at the Fillmore, as the Fellows would be opening. I enjoyed telling anyone who'd listen that the last time I'd been at the Fillmore Aud was to see the Yardbirds. Shame the live album from that show was never released, they were magnificent.

More recently the Fellows, Minus 5 and Roy Loney did a mini tour of the NW. Robyn came out to do his recitation on that Minus 5 tune. Scott introduced me to Robyn, and his first question to me was "didja ever see Country Joe and The Fish?". I told him we had a lot of mutual friends, and he sussed out the connection was through the Man Band circle. At the end of the tour I found myself in the bar with Pete Buck, who I know a little, Robyn and Scott... they seemed slightly amused when I related this NYC encounter... I'm still a Robyn H fan, but he has out paced my buying power. I have found some of his albums better than others, but I could probably pick at least one stand out track per album.

Someone mentioned Element Of Light. Yes easily his best with the Eqyptians. The Electric Globe of Frogs is probably my Favorite song of the solo catalog.

 

they're not really leftovers, they just weren't finished or released as an album until now for some reason, I think. it's the stuff he was writing and recording in that 'sex death food' documentary that was on the sundance channel a few years ago. I think it's much better than Oslo, but then, our tastes might differ (I love those Egyptians albums you dislike)

 

That's right. It is a more subtle album than either of the last two and I think he felt it was too different from Ole! Tarantula to release as a follow-up. So the material is a couple years old, but that's NBD.

The album has been getting fairly neutral reviews - it doesn't go for knock-out punches - but I'm enjoying it a lot and I think it'll have staying power.

Here's a link to his website with Phantom 45's; he has one free and one pay-to-download... a nice EP supplement to Propellor Time.

http://www.robynhitchcock.com/phantom45s/

 

That first Phantom 45 was initially free. If you're on his mailing list you'll get the info as soon as it's available.

I'm enjoying Propellor Time considerably more than his past several releases. I'm a huge Nick Lowe fan, and hearing his backing vocals so prominently on the first track put a smile on my face. The two of them would seemingly have little in common except that I guess they're neighbors.

I'd sure love to hear Peter Buck's jangly Ric on a good new REM song.

 

I am on his list, but I kept forgetting about it (until this weekend). I'll buy the new one too when it's available... the freebies are 160-bit mp3 and the pay-to-DL was available as a FLAC file.

 

I didn't realize that. I'll have to relisten and decide if I'd like to pay for them.

 

Vinyl alert: The 12" of Oceanside has two live Van Morrison cover songs that are not on cd.

 

Honestly, the mp3's sound pretty good. They're 48K files; I had to "save as" to 44K to burn a CDR and I really don't notice a drop-off in fidelity when track number 3 kicks in.

The FLAC files were more expensive too; I think it was $1.79 to download mp3 and $2.79 for FLAC.

I've now paid to download two singles; one by Robyn Hitchcock and one by Mission of Burma. I guess I'm a kinda modern guy.

 

Stumbled across a discounted copy of Queen Elvis in a record store 21 years ago, got curious and been a fan ever since. Got most of his stuff on cd, including promos like Spectre and Live Death. Saw him live once, in Copenhagen. Nice that some of the new songs he played then finally made it to an album (ie this latest).

I must admit that Goodnight Oslo and the Shadow Cat compilation were slight disappointments, but it's nice that he's still able to add to an already frighteningly vast catalogue.

 

It's interesting how opinions vary about Hitchcock's work and specifically about Goodnight Oslo. I've read many glowing opinions about the album on music forums, but here at SH it's less than unanimous. I liked the varied pop rock approach, but wasn't crazy about some of the genre-moves; especially the CCR swamp rock opener What You Is. There were plenty of stellar tracks though and the free single I Just Wanna Be Loved / Nothing Makes Me Cry was also great.

The new one's more subtle and it doesn't seem to be getting equally good reviews in our instant-gratification world, but I think it's a sleeper keeper.

Shadow Cat was more of a demos and outtakes collection and it sounds like it; I don't think of that one as a real album.

 

I love Robyn Hitchcock's work, but I'm behind on anything from the past 10 years or so, sadly - so this I appreciate the discussion of the newer stuff, following it with interest.

In fact I'm still catching up with the back catalog, slowly savoring each title I pick up over time. Today I picked up the old Midnight Music CD edition of GOTTA LET THIS HEN OUT for cheap. Wow, what a fantastic live album! Rocks a lot harder than I would have ever guessed (never had a chance to see this band live), so a nice somewhat different take on many of the songs, which sound more psychedelic/trippy and less straight ahead rockish than on HEN.

Gonna have to pull out EYE tonight for a listen, when it gets a bit later and a more relaxed mood strikes.

 

Nice interview with Robyn about the tracks on his new Chronolology release (download only). I was most surprised to find out he wrote "Balloon Man" for the Bangles. I'd love to hear Susanna sing those lyrics!

http://www.avclub.com/articles/robyn-hitchcock,64430/1/

 

I see RH is going to be at Slim's in San Francisco on 11.17.11, performing Eye in its entirety. God, I wish I could be there.

 

!!!

Why didn't they? The fools!