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

The Sound of Sound

This is a good one. It has a nice melody and some interesting lyrics that I don’t quite understand. Is he singing to someone who is deaf? Is the singer deaf? That isn’t clear, because the person he is singing to is playing music. I like the line “build me a cloud.” The lines about the destructive ability of water are interesting too, although it’s all kind of disjointed. But that’s okay. It’s an interesting song to ponder.

4/5

One thing I notice when I listen to this album is that Robyn’s voice sounds different. It’s not that noticeable on this song, but gets increasingly noticeable as the album goes on. I can’t really describe it other to say there’s something scratchy and grating about it. I don’t recall hearing that before or in more recent recordings, so maybe he just had a cold, and decided to release the album anyway! Giving this album to people attending his 50th birthday gig was a nice gesture. Not sure it was worth releasing commercially later on, but if he hadn’t done that, it would have become a very collectable thing!

I can’t believe this is his 23rd album! He is certainly prolific.

 

Probably did need a reset, I think he was going through some major issues in the first couple of years of the 21st C.
I had this album for a short time before passing it on to someone, so it can't have made much impression at the time. Now I rather like this one (apart from the rather alarming vocal gear change half way through). The modulations in the guitar chords are interesting and the words are vaguely philosophical, but the sound is very upfront in a good way. 3.75/5

 

I own Luxor, but it's probably his album I'm least familar with, so it'll be interesting to revisit it and see if any of these songs leave more of an impression on me this time around. I suspect that one a day is a much better way to digest this album than in one sitting.

Some nice, ethereal chord changes in this one. I hear an essence of River Man in bitsof the melody, and also some similarities in one section to the upcoming Sometimes a Blonde. Quite a compelling song. 3.3/5

 

As one of the recipients of a free copy of Luxor at the 50th birthday gig at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, it's never felt to me like a proper album. I'm not sure it did to him either. I'd have to say it's probably my least favourite RH LP, I listened to it yesterday for the first time in ages and it really grates. I'm less of a fan of his acoustic albums than some on here but this is way, way below the others in terms of style and content.

There's only one really great song on it and of the others, there are probably seven or eight I could happily never hear again. The Sound Of Sound is one of the better ones although, in keeping which much of this album, I don't like the vocal tone or phrasing. It sounds like he's trying too hard to sound like an authentic folk singer rather than relying on his normal singing style.

3/5.

 

Luxor -- recorded really well (from what I remember).

Sound -- too low key and not engaging at all for an album opener. 2/5

(I thought the "Wig In A Box" song was "City of Women"?)

 

Yeah, I guess you are right. I was working from a list that @Summer of Malcontent sent me about a year ago and I just think I looked at it wrong.

 

Our votes for "The Sound of Sound"

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Average: 3.3083

 

Today's song is "One L", written and produced by Robyn Hitchcock; recorded by Pat Collier.

Lyric.

Robyn Hitchcock: vocals, guitars

This song was about Robyn's Hitchcock, Michele Loach.

 

Damn I stopped getting notified again and didn't notice.

I am back in time for the worst song ever. One L is embarrassingly bad...0/5

 

"One L"is pretty boring and doesn't seem particularly inspired. Which makes me feel sorry for Michele Loach. Her photography graces the CD booklet on this, some of the best pictures of Robyn Hitchcock I've ever seen were taken by her; she deserved a better song. The chorus is vaguely catchy. But it's a jingle-like catchiness that feels forced.

2.5/5

 

Michèle. Noach. That's one L and a grave accent! Worth looking her up, she's done some interesting stuff. Met her once, I think she'd been around RH for some years before they got together.

This is terrible. The lyrics are really bad. Another 0/5.

 

Yup this one's pretty terrible. The melody on the verses is ok but the lyrics are excruciating. Dark Princess is a far better tribute.

One L. One point. 1/5.

 

Eugh, yeah this one is pretty dire. Grating vocals too. 1/5

 

One L

The idea of this song isn’t so bad. But it sounds tossed off and half-assed. If he was sitting around with Michele one night and this spontaneously came out, it would be cute and sweet. But to record and release it in this form - it sounds like he didn’t spend even five minutes trying to make it into a real song for her. Michele deserved better.

The music is fine, but the endless “One L, Michele Michele” is just weak and lazy for someone of Robyn’s ability.

2/5

 

One L -- can't add much to what's been said. A good song might be somewhere buried in there, but it's not this. 2/5

 

I never heard this version of If You Know Time, it's great....4/5

Sound of Sound I like it but it drags a little, 3.5/5

 

As promised, my reconfigured album:

Side One:
UNPROTECTED LOVE
PULSE OF MY HEART
DISCONNECTION OF THE RULING CLASS
MY MIND IS CONNECTED . . .
SUDDEN TOWN

Side Two:
NARCISSUS
EACH OF HER SILVER WANDS
I LOVE LUCY
MR. KENNEDY
OM

Not as much of a fan of 'La Cherite' as the rest of you. It gets points for not sounding like the rest of the album, but loses them again for not sounding like The Soft Boys.

And I'd follow this up with a last-gasp City of Women / Butterfly single.

 

Come back 'Wafflehead'! All is forgiven!

Quite possibly his worst song, and "Michele Michele Michele Michele Michele Mih" is quite possibly the worst chorus I've ever heard.

0/5. I'm annoyed just thinking about this song.

 

Agreed, it's worse than Wafflehead.

 

Our votes for "One L"

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Average: 1.5

 

Today's song is "Penelope's Angles", written and produced by Robyn Hitchcock; recorded by Pat Collier.

Robyn Hitchcock – Penelope's Angles Lyrics | Genius Lyrics

Robyn Hitchcock: vocals, guitars

 

Penelope’s Angles

This is another one where the music is fine, but what was he thinking with the lyrics?

“I am not a yam” is a funny line and is not out of place (! LOL) in a Robyn Hitchcock song. Once. Not repeatedly, and not when it is sort of the only idea in the song. His too deep, gravelly voice in the verses doesn’t work for me either and really grates.

2/5

 

For his 70th birthday gig Robyn will be giving away the 12" remix of Wafflehead on red and yellow vinyl.

 

Penelope - starts off promisingly with the usual impeccable guitar work and the fine resonant sound of this questionable record. The lyrics start to annoy... having said which, I rather like it, especially when the chiming slide guitar enters. I don't think he'd settled into a new style at this point. 2.75/5

Literary scholars will note the references to Marvell and Plath.

 

The sound is indeed very, very nice.

Again I feel that there is a very forced, uninspired feeling to this. Almost as Robyn said to himself, I've got writers block but I'm just going to write a song anyway. Which I guess is what needs to be done. But I'm not sure we need to hear it. It's pleasant background music, but just bores me if I pay attention to it. Good guitar work and sound.

2.4/5