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

Today's song is "The Threat of Freedom", written by Robyn Hitchcock and recorded by Charlie Francis.
The Threat of Freedom, by Robyn Hitchcock

Robyn Hitchcock: all vocals and instruments

 

A real hidden gem in my opinion.

5/5

 

I have bought plenty of things off bandcamp this year, I don't know why they won't let me listen to it. I'll try a different browser.

 

OK Cavendish Square is nice, 3.2/5

Threat of Freedom is pretty good too, 3.2/5

Despite the lukewarm ratings, these have more pep or something than most of the stuff from TMU....were they the same sessions?

 

Well, my understanding (but I could be wrong) is that they all date from that era but pre-date The Man Upstairs.

These are demos recorded by Charlie McCoy and Jessica Cochoran and there is no Joe Boyd or any other instrumentalists, for that matter, it's all Robyn. I agree, they have more pep and generally work better for me than the other album's songs.

 

Robyn says, "These songs were mostly recorded in 2013 as demos for 'The Man Upstairs'", so I assume they were recorded at the same time as the other demos for the album. Maybe because he didn't have enough unused songs, the demo for "Recalling the Truth", which made it on to the album proper, is also on The Man Downstairs.

As for "The Threat of Freedom", there's more to this song than most of the other ones that made the album, but unfortunately I think it needs a lot more production to bring out the atmosphere, which is the strongest part of the song for me. 3.5/5.

 

Another decent effort. It sounds as if he's going for a Jacques Brel sort of vibe here which makes it more interesting than most of the stuff on both these albums.

The Threat of Freedom 3.5/5.

 

Freedom -- another "it's ok, but it's also ok if I never hear it again" song. 3/5

 

Our votes for "The Threat Of Freedom"

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Average: 3.64

 

Today's song is "The Tower Song" written by Townes Van Zandt; recorded by Charlie McCoy.
The Tower Song, by Robyn Hitchcock

Robyn Hitchcock: vocals and guitar

 

I don't know much about Townes van Zandt but I quite like the song. Unfortunately RH employs that rather annoying breathy vocal tic of his which spoils it a bit, but it's certainly one of the better cover versions in this collection.

The Tower Song 3/5.

 

Tower -- liked it. 3/5

 

Tower Song is a great song, this rendition makes me say eh. I am continuing my tradition of rarely rating covers.

 

"The Tower Song" - this is a good song, and Robyn does a good job just singing it straight. Nice simple guitar solo that complements the finger picking. Maybe because I'm not familiar with the original, I'm more charitable towards this than I was to some of the other covers. 4/5

 

I think Robyn does a decent job, but I do hear Townes Van Zandt's voice doing it and while Robyn doesn't necessarily sound worse (except for that rasp thing that he likes), I just hear Van Zandt's voice in the back of my head. For those who don't know him, I see Townes Van Zandt is something like a gentile and drunken Leonard Cohen from Texas.

3/5

 

Our votes for "The Tower Song"

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Average: 3.25

 

Today's song is "I Pray When I'm Drunk", written by Robyn Htichccock; recorded by Charlie Francis.

This would also turn up on Robyn Hitchcock in 2017: this is the demo version; I'll hold the other one up separtely.

And I'll also hold up another song today.

I Pray When I'm Drunk, by Robyn Hitchcock

 

Today's second song is "On Seeing Your Photograph", written by Robyn Hitchcock and recorded by Charlie Francis.

On Seeing Your Photograph, by Robyn Hitchcock

Robyn: vocals and guitar

 

I Pray When I'm Drunk is probably my least favourite track on the Robyn Hitchcock album. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a huge fan of his ventures into country/Americana and I think it sounds at odds with the rest of that album. It fits better here in its stripped down form and reminds me a little of Ye Sleeping Knights Of Jesus in theme and approach, although it's nowhere near as good.

I Pray When I'm Drunk 2/5.

On Seeing Your Photograph is another one that's pleasant but not really memorable. At nearly five minutes it goes on way too long for a song based around a repeated riff.

On Seeing Your Photograph 2.5/5.

 

Pray WID is also maybe my least favorite on RH, but I still like it a lot. I agree, it always has reminded me of Sleeping Knights of Jesus.

3.5/5

OSYP is a nice surprise, this is really good...although, yes, maybe a bit long.

3.6/5

 

Drunk -- the Robyn Hitchcock version is much better. 2/5

Photograph -- This is nice (maybe the best song on the album) -- 4/5

 

"I Pray When I'm Drunk" - this is a slight but enjoyable country song, which is immensely improved by the full arrangement on Robyn Hitchcock. Here, it's just barely: 3/5

"On Seeing Your Photograph" - I enjoy the fingerpicking on this one very much, but as others have noted, it's pretty repetitive and goes on a little too long. I also have no idea what he's trying to get at in the lyrics. 3/5.

 

"I Pray When I'm Drunk".
Country pastiche, it's hard to take these songs seriously. Verse is very Johnny Cash, filtered through that rich boy English public school sensibility; and I'm not actually a big Johnny Cash fan for some reason. Chorus provides relief. If the song was longer, I'd dislike it, but I actually quite like it.
3.8/5
"On Seeing Your Photograph"
I greatly enjoy this one too. 4/5

 

Our votes for "I Pray When I'm Drunk[demo]"
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Average: 2.86

Our votes for "ON Seeing Your Photograph"
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Average: 3.42

 

Today's first song is "Born In Time", written by Bob Dylan and produced by Charlie Francis.
Born In Time, by Robyn Hitchcock

Robyn Hitchcock: vocals, guitar