Robyn Hitchcock/Soft Boys: Classic or Dud?

Short answer: both classic.

As for Robyn's solo stuff, I'd have to say its a mixed bad. In fact, I can't even point to one album that's all classic. But there's so much great stuff scrambled in there that its hard to dismiss any of them totally. Probablly my favorites would be GLOBE OF FROGS, EYE, ELEMENT OF LIGHT, and QUEEN ELVIS. That looks like mostly mid-period Hitchcock to me.

But for a career, I'd give Robyn in his various guises a CLASSIC.

Dud: Never heard a single solitary note, so I wdn't know. Naturally I hate him.

But Underwater Moonlight is somethig else. I Wanna Destroy You is an alltime winner. I also really like He's A Reptile.

haven't heard soft boys myself but will pick it up if i see it.

The Minor Fall, The Major Lift
http://intonation.blogspot.com/

The rest of The Soft Boys and Hitchcock's output is very hit and miss.

The only Hitchcock album that I have heard that is consistent front to back is "Globe of Frogs". I used to have a few others from that time period, but there would generally only be a song or two worth hearing and the rest pretty dull. It has been a long time since I have heard any of this music.

Hitchcock seemed to put out a record every six months for a few years back in the day, which is probably a primary reason why they are kind of spotty.

(Wonder why I never posted on this thread before? Been listening to the Rykodisc reissues and the 2-disc overview of Soft Boys stuffage all week.)

Anyone knocked out by the new Gillian Welch collab?

I guess I like "Element of Light" all right, and there are times I put on "Mossy Liquor" or "Moss Elixor" or whatever that's called depending on whether you have the LP or CD. RH is good, kind of a one-trick drugged pony ride though. I probably still prefer Syd Barrett or John Lennon, though.

It's kinda strange. I do like it - not necessarily knocked out though. It had this implicit "this is Robyn's grown-up serious record" feeling to it. Almost if it's in reaction to the relatively freewheeling Luxor album.

i'd say that the best way to experience robyn these days is to see him live--he's got such a wealth of great songs at this stage in his career. And usually, the more recent songs sound better in person than they do on record. there are a few live shows on archive.org's live music database if you're curious.

also worth seeking out is the soft boys' live at portland arms LP (some of which is on the ryko overview). hilarious and unplugged.

and ned, it sounds as though we were probably at the same mccabes show in 1995--i think my friend and i were the only teenagers in the house. if you ever digitize your tape, i'd love to relive it.

He's one of two people I ever asked for an autograph. Philip Glass was not in a good mood when I walked up, 15 years old & nervous, having spotted him in the lobby during the intermission to the Knee Plays... can't blame him for scowling at me. Robyn on the other hand was impossibly cool about the awkward situation, saying while signing my copy of Trains "well y'know it's no good having heroes, especially once you get to know them and realize they have all the same problems..." I assured him that was the point.

http://s25.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1VM7K048PQ0GF268VGEO0NXEHR

As for Robyn Hitchcock, his first album, Black Snake Diamond Role continued the Soft Boys course honorably - "Acid Bird" especially is classic. Also, his third, I Often Dreamt of Trains is excellent too. Hilarious (and very British) songs like "Uncorrected Personality Traits" and "Sometimes I Wish I Were a Pretty Girl" (..so I could ---- myself in the shower..) sit next to absolutely gorgeous quiet and sad songs. His 80s and 90s stuff gets a bit too slick for my tastes, losing its classic edge - some good moments though. Haven't heard his most recent stuff...mixed bag, as other said.

anyway: classic. i heard solo hitchcock first, and have always had a preference for the early stuff, though i did snag a copy of "spooked" and found it quite entertaining. the 90's stuff often bores me, though certainly "moss elixir" has it moments. but "trains" and "fegmania!" are my favorites.

soft boys, also classic. picked up the matador rerelease of "underwater moonlight" when it came out and loved it. played that this evening in lieu of "i often dream of trains".

He played at Oberlin when I was there to a small crowd and encored with Autumn is Your Last Chance.

I also have a severe soft-spot for Queen Elvis.

Soft Boys: Of course Underwater, and I really liked Nextdoorland, but their earliest stuff is too raw for me.

I'm not the first one to mention it...I think Trouser Press says this too, but Respect is kind of a great lost RH album and a great comeback after the overproduced Perspex Island. (Recently downloaded the Perspex demos, and am finally enjoying these songs stripped of some of the gloss.)

I was just going to ask you where you found the Perspex demos. I saw him in LA a couple times when he was still working on the Perspex material and I've always like the original versions better than what turned up on the album.

Two words: Paul Fox.

Well I got word he's to have a new album out with a new band. It's called Ole Tarantula I think, something like that.

I blathered on and on (without saying much at all) about it here. Normally I don't self-promote, but I didn't feel like rehashing it all in condensed form.

Cause you're just an old pervert and you hang around "under the bridge".

I won't do you no harm I just wanna show you what's in my fridge...

All I know by Robyn Hitchcock solo is his cover of Kung Fu Fighting! Which does rule.

Love the Soft Boys, love solo Hitchcock, though both are frustratingly hit or miss. Understand the objections to Hitch's stereotypically Engwish brand of teapot psychedelia, but his best tunes are organic, moving and catchy as hell - and he's got a TON of best tunes. He's similar to Robert Pollard in that the superficial non-sequiters conceal/reveal a core of real longing and alienation that'll draw blood if you let it. He can be cute 'n' funny without being cloying, too, which is a rare trick.

Recent stuff is patchy, but Invisible Hitchcock, Queen Elvis, I Often Dream of Trains, Eye and Mossy Liquor are (relatively) solid. Lots of great stuff buried elsewhere, too.

Yep Roc is starting to reissue Robyn's back catalogue. The first box will include _Black Snake_, _I Often Dream Of Trains_, _Eye_ and a 2 disc set of odds and sods. _Groovy Decay_ will be available as a digital download (Robyn always hated it, I guess that's why no physical reissue).

Next year brings another box containing _Fegmania_, _Gotta Let This Hen Out_, _Element Of Light_ and another odds and sods disc.

I, for one, am totally looking forward to the barrel scrapings. Seriously. I mean, _Invisible Hitchcock_ and _You & Oblivions_ are b-sides and outtakes and are packed with gems.

They're saying the 2-disc oddities part will have a lot of unheard stuff. Also:

"All of the individual albums feature bonus tracks and enhanced liner notes, including Hitchcock's personal reminiscences on Black Snake and While Thatcher, an extract from a novel in progress on Trains and several pieces of original poetry on Eye, along with previously unpublished photos and Hitchcock cartoons."

Hopefully the bonus tracks for Black Snake et al will be different from the ones on the last editions.

Hopefully the bonus tracks for Black Snake et al will be different from the ones on the last editions.

As long as they include the one from last time. Let's not get into an Elvis Costello situation here where you need mutiple versions of the same album if you want all the bonus tracks!

As it is you need both versions of _Black Snake_ because the sax-version of "The Man Who Invented Himself" was replaced with the sax-less one and the original didn't show up on any of the Rhino reissues.

Let's not get into an Elvis Costello situation here where you need mutiple versions of the same album if you want all the bonus tracks!

That's for damn sure. As it stands I'm going to hold on to mine for the time being. Even Gravy Deco.

Well, the sax version of "Man..." needs to be on this new version, either as track 1 or a bonus, that much is clear.

I see what you guys are saying. But I didn't care for the extras on the Rhino I Often Dream Of Trains (by which I mean the home demos). They added nothing.

Plus...check this out!:

Wanna Go Backwards will also be released as an eight-record vinyl box set version complete with original LP artwork.

Now I have to start saving for this as well. Maybe this, unlike the Neil Young box set I am anticipating, will actually see the light of day.

You can pre-order the box from Yep Roc's site and stream it for free as well. Here's the analysis I did - bottom line, you still need your Rhino editions.

Black Snake Diamond Role
The Man Who Invented Himself [Sax-less version, the Sax version is still in limbo.]
Brenda's Iron Sledge
Do Policemen Sing?
The Lizard
Meat
Acid Bird
I Watch The Cars
Out Of The Picture
City Of Shame
Love

Bonus Tracks:
All I Wanna Do Is Fall In Love [from Invisible Hitchcock]
A Skull, A Suitcase & A Long Red Bottle Of Wine [from Invisible Hitchcock]
It Was The Night [from Rhino edition]
I Watch The Cars No. 2 [from Rhino edition]
Give Me A Spanner Ralph [from Invisible Hitchcock]
It's A Mystic Trip [from Invisible Hitchcock]
Grooving On A Inner Plane [from Rhino edition]
Happy The Golden Prince [from Rhino edition]

Missing:
Dancing On God's Thumb [from Rhino edition]

Note: Nothing previously unreleased.

I Often Dream Of Trains
Nocturne (prelude)
Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl
Cathedral
Uncorrected Personality Traits
Sounds Great When You're Dead
Flavour Of Light
Ye Sleeping Knights Of Jesus
This Could Be The Day
Trams Of Old London
Furry Green Atom Bowl
Heart Full Of Leaves
Autumn Is Your Last Chance
I Often Dream Of Trains
Nocturne (Demise)
Winter Love
The Bones In The Ground
My Favourite Buildings
I Used To Say I Love You

Bonus Tracks:
Chant/Aether
Heart Full Of Leaves (alternate)
I Often Dream Of Trains (demo)
Not Even A Nurse
Slow Chant/That's Fantastic Mother Church
Traveller's Fare

Missing:
Mellow Together [from Rhino edition]
Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl (demo) [from Rhino edition]
Cathedral (demo) [from Rhino edition]
Mellow Together (demo) [from Rhino edition]
The Bones In The Ground (demo) [from Rhino edition]

Note: Original LP running order restored with previous CD bonus tracks moved to the end.

Eye
Cynthia Mask
Certainly Cliquot
Queen Elvis
Flesh Cartoons
Chinese Water Python
Executioner
Linctus House
Sweet Ghost Of Light
Transparent Lover
Beautiful Girl
Clean Steve
Raining Twilight Coast
Agony Of Pleasure
Glass Hotel
Satellite
Aquarium
Queen Elvis II

Bonus Tracks:
Century
Shimmering Distant Love
Lovers Turn To Skulls
The Beauty Of Earl's Court

Missing:
Agony Of Pleasure (demo) [from Rhino edition]
Note: College Of Ice isn't listed here but is on the Thatcher set. Running order from original LP is slightly altered.

While Thatcher Mauled Britain
She Reached For A Light [from You & Oblivion]
August Hair [from You & Oblivion]
Take Your Knife Out Of My Back [from You & Oblivion]
Fiend Before The Shrine [from You & Oblivion]
Raymond Chandler Evening (demo) [from Rhino _Element Of Light_]
Birdshead [from You & Oblivion]
Victorian Squid [from You & Oblivion]
You've Got [from You & Oblivion]
Captain Dry [from You & Oblivion]
Raining Twilight Coast (Demo) [from Rhino _Eye_]
Point It At Gran [from Invisible Hitchcock]
Vegetable Friend [from Invisible Hitchcock]
Flesh Number 1 (demo)
Surgery [from You & Oblivion]
I Got A Message For You [from Invisible Hitchcock]
If I Could Look [from You & Oblivion]
Parachutes & Jellyfish
Queen Elvis (Demo) [from Rhino _Eye_]
Nothing [from You & Oblivion]
Stranded In The Future [from You & Oblivion]
Melting Arthur
The Abandoned Brain [from Invisible Hitchcock]
You're So Repulsive
Opiatrescence
September Cones [from You & Oblivion]
Lovely Golden Villains
Dr Sticky (live)
Toadboy
Trash [from Invisible Hitchcock]
Pit Of Souls (Country version) [from Invisible Hitchcock]
Mr Deadly [from Invisible Hitchcock]
Let There Be More Darkness [from Invisible Hitchcock]
Listening To The Higsons [from Invisible Hitchcock]
College Of Ice [from Rhino _Eye_]
My Favourite Buildings (Demo) [from Rhino _IODOT_]
Lightplug
Sleeping Knights Of Jesus (Demo) [from Rhino _IODOT_]
Insect Mother (demo) [from Rhino _Fegmania_]
I Wanna Go Backwards

Missing from _Invisible Hitchcock_:
My Favourite Buildings [Or is it the same as either version in box?]
Falling Leaves
Eaten By Her Own Dinner
Star Of Hairs
Messages Of Dark
Blues In A
Dr. Sticky

Missing From _You & Oblivion_:
Don't You
Mr. Rock 'N' Roll
The Dust
Polly On The Shore
Into It
Keeping Still
The Ghost Ship
You & Me
Aether

thanks for breaking all that down! on first glance, it doesn't appear quite as exciting as it seemed when they announced it, in terms of unreleased stuff ... but Robyn's gone through his demos/outtakes quite a bit over the years, so it's not too surprising there isn't all that much "new" stuff here. The "I Wanna Go Backwards" tune sounds good. But the A&M records (Globe of Frogs, Queen Elvis, Perspex Island and Respect) are the ones that really need the deluxe reissue treatment. Anyone know if that's in the works?

Hmph. There's not a lot on there I need. I think I'll be cherrypicking the dozen or so unreleased songs off emusic.

This is mostly just moving a bunch of previously available stuff into new configurations. Also NO LOBSTERMAN WTF ROBYN I AM HAVING A HARD TIME RESPECTING YOU

I'm torn; I've bought these in multiple configurations before, but I'm not seeing much incentive this time. I want the unreleased stuff (being a total Hitchcock geek), but listening to them at the Yep Roc site makes me think there is a reason these were left off of the Rhino reissues.

One correction to your incredibly helpful list Mr. Odd - big thanks, by the way, it is most helpful - it looks like "Aether" moved from You & Oblivion to I Often Dream of Trains.

I wish they were publishing the tracklist to the second boxset; I'm assuming/hoping many of the tracks that appear to be dropping from Rhino reissues are just being reassigned. Relegating "Polly On The Shore" to the dustbin of history would be shameful.

One correction to your incredibly helpful list Mr. Odd - big thanks, by the way, it is most helpful - it looks like "Aether" moved from You & Oblivion to I Often Dream of Trains.

I thought that initially as well, but listening to it on the stream showed it's something different, or a demo of what wound up on _Y&O_. Also, I have found that the version of "The Abandoned Brain" (one of my faves) is a demo with an even more moving vocal take.

For starters, it would be nice if the CD versions of his 80s albums would be available in Europe again. I didn't discover him properly until they were deleted, and now I'm stuck with burned copies based on downloaded stuff.

Geir -

do you mean the A&M years? Because this Yep Roc project will redo all the other 80s recordings, and they have international distrobution deals.

The A&M stuff really needs a proper archive. There's plenty of extra stuff too - I'd love to hear the full set of solo covers that made the rounds on an A&M promo tape.

Can someone please clarify - the bonus tracks for Eye don't look familiar to me, are they previously unreleased? Also, aren't the last three bonus tracks for "I Often Dream..." also previously unreleased?

Those ones you mention are all previously unreleased. Mr. Odd has done a good job attributing all previously released material.

Wait-- how can the vocal on Abandoned Brain be more moving?! That seems impossible...

Just thought I'd bump this now that the reissues are out in the wild. I haven't compared the sound to the Rhino or other previous releases, but did listen to the first disc of While Thatcher Mauled Britain. The previously unreleased stuff fits in nicely with the other demos and oddities. It is nicely paced - no major dips or lags.

Anyone else pick this up?

And Mr. Odd was right - this latest version of "The Abandoned Brain" is actually more moving. Definite standout track.

you know what's particularly good here? the bonus tracks on Black Snake Diamond Role. Nothing that wasn't released on either Invisible HItchcock or the Rhino reissue, but taken together, it's like a great, lost circa 81-82 Hitchcock solo record. The songs are:

1. All I Wanna Do Is Fall In Love
2. A Skull, A Suitcase ...
3. It Was The Night
4. I Watch The Cars No. 2
5. Give Me A Spanner Ralph
6. It's A Mystic Trip
7. Grooving On An Inner Plane
8. Happy The Golden Prince

Anyway, I've just got promo burns of the box set, but I'm considering shelling out for the real deal.

long interview over at avclub.com today. most interesting bit is this:
"In January, there is a record coming out called Shadow Cat, which is unreleased recordings from the '90s. But that's only coming out in Britain to start with, on a label called Sartorial, which is run by a friend of mine called Terry Edwards. And then, sometime in the spring, the Egyptians-era stuff is coming out, which we've just started work on. That will have Element Of Light, Fegmania!, and Gotta Let This Hen Out! and a bunch of related stuff, and then I'm hoping that the Soft Boys material will come out next autumn on Matador Records, and by then, the new one with The Venus 3 will have come out as well."

I've been diving in for the past two days. Agreed about the Black Snake bonus tracks being the high point so far. Overall, seems worth the splurge, at least for the CD versions - really pretty inexpensive.

i'm considering getting the box but i don't like how they mauled I Often Dream of Trains as i know it with the bonus tracks

if there was ever an album that was improved by sticking the bonus tracks in the middle it was that one

yeah, i think i kinda agree, IODOT in its expanded version (with the bonus trax in the middle) is how I was introduced to the album -- and where's "Mellow Together"? That one is great.

I saw him in Minneapolis last week, with Sean Nelson. Great show, and he played a beautiful new song that he said was written for an upcoming Brian Epstein biopic.

I went to the Milwaukee show - also great. Bought a copy of the box set too, and got it signed.

Is the download version of the box really only $9.99? Seems pretty bargainous!

uh, yeah, is it really $9.99? That is like the deal of the century. that's how downloads should be priced!

if it is then i really hope they do the egyptians box at that price, too. that would be extremely sweet. the thing that makes me think it might be a mistake on their website is that the individual album reissues are also that price.

So who has the physical object? More to the point, how's the booklet? I'm tempted to just buy the DL unless the booklet's substantial...

Also, the three album reissues have been up on eMusic for about a month, but not the Thatcher Mauled Britain part. And now Amazon is claiming exclusive for the download version of the entire box (about $50 from them). Where's this $9.99 info coming from?

However, I noticed eMusic does carry the Sartorial label, so Shadowcat should be available from there when the time comes.

$9.99 is coming from the Yep Roc website:

http://store.yeproc.com/album.php?id=12810

I haven't really looked through the box properly yet (I bought it as a gift for someone), but I don't recall anything substantial booklet-wise.

Hmm, it looks like a lot of the juiciest tracks are not part of the downloadables though.

If you buy the actual cds there's a little piece of paper pointing you to a free "extra" track you can download - a demo of "It Sounds Great When You're Dead".

Nice little touch.

OK, so I just bought the download. You do indeed get all 102 tracks in DRM-free 192kbps MP3s for $9.99! The only annoying thing is that they haven't tagged the discs separately - I've emailed to see if they can sort that out. Anyway, I can highly recommend this.

Thanks, toby, you're making me feel better about having decided not to drop $55 for the box at the show!

Price has jumped up to $39.99 now, so I guess it was a mistake, after all.

_Shadow Cat_ is now available through Sartorial's shop on eBay. It's clearly second tier material with a handful of gems.

this sounds really dumb to lots of you, i'm sure, but what would be the best two two or three albums to start with? i'm a hitchcock newbie...

Not dumb at all! I would suggest the live album, _Gotta Let This Hen Out_ for a survey of his early stuff with great renditions. For his more recent work I'm partial to _Jewels For Sophia_ and his latest, _Ole Tarantula_.

thank you! I'm always nervous about live albums for some reason, but will have a look for that one, and the two others. Greatly appreciated!

I would seriously consider listening to some live bootlegs, too - his solo shows from the early 90s are some of my favourite things to listen to. They're rather unrepresented here, but I'm sure there's also some good stuff:

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=collection%3Aetree%20AND%20creator%3A%22Robyn%20Hitchcock%22&sort=-date

I never listened to the albums (other than Eye) all that much in comparison to the live tapes/CDs I had, so the box set has been something of a revelation to me - I've been playing it a lot lately, and also pulling out all the live CDs I have. One thing I'd forgotten, listening to them, is how many great songs he's never released; I'm pretty obsessed with "If we had a baby" at the moment.

"i often dream of trains" was the first solo hitchcock i heard, and it's still my favorite, fellow emily.

brilliant - thanks everyone!

I just got into Hitchcock solo recently, and the first album was I Often Dream Of Trains, which I adore.

moss elixir still the solidest front to back (to me). im sure ive repped it elsewhere in ilm.

this from spooked popped up unbidden on my player yesterday and cheered me-

"Press 1 for Famine, 2 for Pestilence, 3 for Condoleeza, and 4 for Death.
Please note that Pestilence closes at six."

i started with globe of frogs and I think that's probably a very good place, but maybe other people don't like it, dunno. it and element of light seem like the quinessential hitchcock albums to me (and 'trains' the essential non-band album).

I can't do it. I'm going to cry. I'm going to fucking cry. Jesus, leave me alone. He makes me cry.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hck2K6uuqwE

I can't stop crying.

"acid bird" from "black snake diamond role" = yes.

Aw yeah. Black Snake Diamond Role. I haven't heard that one in a long, long time. Thanks.

Looking forward to the latest box set, Luminous Groove, featuring the pre A&M Egyptians records, Fegmania, Element of Light and Gotta Let This Hen Out, plus two discs of live and unreleased material. The live stuff in particular should be lovely -- I've got a couple recordings of Robyn, Andy and Morris that are blissful.
Wonder when that new Venus 3 record will be out? Last one was aces.

And anybody who's a fan should check out that IFC documentary from last year (available on Netflix!). Good stuff, including a bizarre jam session featuring: Peter Buck, Nick Lowe, John Paul Jones, a dude from Presidents of the United States of America, Scott McCaughey and Robyn. Grumpy ol' Pete Buck is funny throughout, as he not too subtly disses his day job band.

I can't believe that the Luminous Groove box set is going to confine "The Can Opener" to the dustbin of history. I like these reissues - they sound great, and the included extras are fine - but I wish that previously released stuff wasn't pushed to the side.

yeah it's true -- all of the most recent reissues give you reason to hold on to those Rhino discs from the 90s. some of it does seem like fiddling for fiddling's sake ...

He says in the aforementioned documentary that when he is writing them he has no clue which of his songs are keepers or which are fluff; sadly, it appears he hasn't figured it out over time, either.

Off the Top of my lightbulb head

Acid Bird
Insanely Jealous
I wanna Destroy you

all classic

oh and 'The Queen Of Eyes'...

EZ SNAPPIN, I kind of like that Hitchcock has always been pretty filter-less -- he's definitely not a very fussy songwriter, like say, Elvis Costello. And as a result, I think that he is able to get a lot more across. Sure there are bound to be duds on pretty much everyone of his albums, but it sort of sets up an interesting tension. Even on songs that I've known for years, there will be the odd line amidst a bunch of throwaways that will knock me out.

Agree that during his best years, his records are filler free in that he wasn't ever just painting by numbers. The songs all have distinct personalities, even the ones that might be in need of a little correction. In recent years, though, I do get the feeling that he's sometimes just pushing out product.

S: Wading Through a Ventilator

Other S:

Leppo and the Jooves
I Want to Be an Anglepoise Lamp
I Wanna Destroy You
Queen of Eyes
Acid Bird
St. Petersburg
Trash
Insect Mother
Raymond Chandler Evening
Flesh #1
Queen Elvis
Clean Steve
Linctus House
She Doesn't Exist
Alright, Yeah
Dark Green Energy
Dark Princess
Television

He is my all-time favorite, and I'm glad to see he's getting around A&M Records by putting out demos and live versions of lots of those songs; but losing tracks I consider classic seems such a shame. "Mellow Together", "Eaten By Her Own Dinner", "Polly On The Shore", "Mr. Rock 'N' Roll" are all now in the dustbin.

He's never had a filler-free work, though the two odds-n-sods are pretty close; Invisible Hitchcock and You & Oblivion (even to some extent the recent Shadow Cat) are pretty much packed to the gills with memorable stuff. I love the weird old nuggets, but I'm with Contenderizer in that of late there's been a steeper drop off (again, Shadow Cat rescues a whole bunch of great weird stuff, including some out there vocal processed acappella songs).

As excited as I am that the classic 80s albums are returning to print I'm a little saddened that they aren't as "Complete" as they could be. Plus, I'd love to only own one copy of each and be able to give my Rhino editions away to friends.

He's never had a filler-free work, though the two odds-n-sods are pretty close; Invisible Hitchcock and You & Oblivion...

-- EZ

yeah You & Oblivion is def. up there as one of his greatest collections, which is crazy since I'm assuming that it is going to stay out of print ... "September Cones," "Ghost Ship," "Victorian Squid," "Birdshead" etc. Some of my fave Hitchcock songs of all time there.
if you haven't listened already, this has been on my stereo for a while now: http://www.archive.org/details/rh2008-05-31
great recording, great setlist, and the tunes with the violinist at the end are sublime.

Thanks for the heads-up on the new archive shows. If you don't have it yet, the NHK radio show from 2005 is one of the best I've ever heard:

http://www.archive.org/details/rhitchcock2005-10-06.flacf

is there any bonus for preordering the new box from yep rox this time?

I don't believe so. I'm getting it from my local store.

what about the soft boys box that's coming later this year, any info?

Yep Roc has been silent - I think press will start up in a month or two, after the push for Luminous Groove.

so the new robyn hitchcock box set has been released, anyone heard it yet?

I'm a sucker for all things Hitchcock so I picked this up yesterday. Some good, some bad; the sound quality for the three albums is better than the Rhino or any other edition, but the extras (except for the live stuff added to Hen) are pretty meh.

The two-discs of unreleased material (entitled A Bad Case Of History) I found less interesting than the stuff on the previous set. The Egyptians outtakes and demos are a mixed bag. Their versions of songs that were released in other forms ("I Am Not Me", "Beautiful Queen", "Agony Of Pleasure") aren't that exciting, though it may be familiarity trumping the new; most of the others are inferior to anything that made actual albums, with the exception of "Zipper In My Spine" which is as punk as anything he did with the Soft Boys.

The live disc is all over the place. Instead of being a particular show it is random tracks from different shows and tours; the audience is often so far down in the mix that most of them seem like rehearsals. The stuff from Respect is probably the best - "Wafflehead", "Railway Shoes", a beautiful "Wreck of the Arthur Lee". They could do anything they wanted in the end. Overall, it doesn't come near to Gotta Let This Hen Out!, especially with the new added tracks. One weird thing - the additions to Hen come from 1989, and a few of the tracks on the bonus live disc seem to be from the same show.

haven't picked this up yet (anyone know of any deals?), but I'm excited to have a good quality version of "Surfer Ghost" finally. That's been one of my fave unreleased songs of his for ages now.

but yeah, i agree that the bonus stuff here seems chosen kind of haphazardly -- looks like stuff that would go better with the A&M albums than the ones present here. but oh well ... looking forward to hearing it all, regardless.

I got it for under $40 w/tax.

"Surfer Ghost" is good. It just got buried between "I Am Not Me" and "Beautiful Queen" so I missed it when I was skimming the listing.

I think he doesn't expect the A&M albums to get back in print, so he's trying to rescue some of that material. Would have loved a box that was just various live versions of all the A&M stuff. That would take serious balls to put out though, especially if he ever hopes to get the rights back.

it is pretty wacky that the A&M years are so inaccessible now ... when I interviewed him a few years back he said this about it:

"Well, it's just some warehouse in Burbank, and there's some guy sitting there with this supply of candles. And he waits until one candle burns right down to the stub and then he blows it out. And then he pulls a lighter out of his pocket and lights a new candle and puts it on top of his desk. And the camera pans back, and you see that he's all alone in this huge, dark warehouse. Bright California sun is beating down outside and he's sitting there with one glowing candle and thousands of master tapes, the whole A&M back catalog. I'm not sure I'm even going to attempt to dig that stuff up. But I do have the rights to the rest of it."

Insanely jealous of those of you who attend Robyn's Symphony Space concert in November, when he'll be playing all of I Often Dream of Trains. At least they're taping it for later simulcast on Sundance ...
http://www.symphonyspace.org/event/2684

Holy shit, wow, that's great.

I have front row tickets for the IODOT show in Somerville. Not 100% sure I will be able to go, though, as I have to catch a 6am flight to Japan the next day.

Awesome, I got the mailer for the NY show and assumed it was a one-off, had no idea he was touring. Toby, though I sympathize with your dilemma, either way seems like a good outcome: you could see the show and sleep all the next day on the plane, or if you decide to pass this time I'd be happy to take the tickets off your hands.

Hey here's Storefront Hitchock if you want to see it.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/39076/storefront-hitchcock

IODOT show was fantastic - best show I've seen him play in a few years. Really, really great - one of those shows where a song you've never noticed much (That's fantastic mother church, in this case) gains a whole new perspective.

otm! it was amazing. genius. but, why the hell wasn't it sold out? boston is weird. embarrassing! comparable to the pitiful turnout boston gave to John Cale at the Paradise a while ago...

otoh, it was a great weekend for me--RH at Somerville Theater on Friday, Stars of the Lid at the Regent Theater on Sunday!

The new Venus 3 album, Goodnight Oslo hits next month. As expected, it is out in the wild already. On first listen - Wow! The difference between this and Olé! Tarantula is bigger than expected; whereas Olé! sounded like Hitchcock songs with some new backing, Oslo sounds much more organic and cohesive. These songs sound like they were written with the band in mind. The production is also notable; there is a 70s feel to much of it, with some great horn parts, female backing vocals, and general AM radio vibe. Not that I wasn't going to get this day of release, but I'm psyched. More thoughts after I've heard it more than once.

Cool -- I've been hearing good things about this one.

Out today! CD sounds better than the leaked MP3s. Digging it immensely - P4k wrong as per usual. Popmatters review was much better.

Finally got this last night, listened on the bus this morning ... sounds good -- and different? I dunno, just doesn't seem quite as by-the-numbers Hitchcock as some of his more recent output. (Don't get me wrong, I like by-the-numbers Hitchcock). I guess there were just a few curveballs ... I'll have to listen more.

Hey-

have more people listened to Goodnight Oslo? One of the best albums of his career, and a high point in a mediocre year.

yeah, i agree, this album is killer, a lot of great songs, and the Venus 3 sounds wonderful, up there with the Soft Boys and Egyptians now, but supporting Robyn in a different way than those other groups. apparently, there's an all-acoustic Venus 3 record already in the can? Peter Buck mentioned it in an interview recently ....

There is a live I Often Dream OF Trains coming out this fall, recorded on the tour he did last year. Truly hitting on all cylinders these days.

Wonder if the novel he wrote in the late 90s/early 00s will ever get published?

Is the Trains release a DVD, or is it coming out on CD too? Dunno about the novel -- if it's anything like the liner note short story things that crop up occasionally, I can't imagine that publishers would be leaping to get it in print. Not that they're bad or anything -- I think they're fun! -- just not a ton of commercial appeal ...

His website is saying DVD and CD. Wonder if it'll be different tracks on different formats like Storefront was.

I Often Dream Of Trains In New York is out today - CD & DVD for the price of a CD. Sounds great so far, look forward to seeing the show. One track different between the two, I'm guessing encores. "America" is on the CD and "I'm Falling" is on the DVD.

seeing two of these threads bumped made me think he died. glad he didn't.

ha, sorry about that! alive and well and busy!

glad that the Trains cd/dvd is so cheap! thought it would be pricier.

I was at that show-- it was wonderful and brought a wee tear to my eye. Arrangements interestingly unfaithful to the album ('Winter Love' became wayyyy out psych), and he deleted some tracks and replaced them with contemporary oddments like 'That's Fantastic Mother Church'.

There were serious technical glitches b/c of bad cables in a couple of songs and he performed 'patches' of those verses after the songs ended-- i'll be curious to see how the editing works out with those.

Thought this was going to be a repost of Robyn/Grant Lee banter.

There were serious technical glitches b/c of bad cables in a couple of songs and he performed 'patches' of those verses after the songs ended-- i'll be curious to see how the editing works out with those.

― Durian Durian (Jon Lewis)

ha! interesting ... he should have used the Chicago show! ours went off without hitch (and definitely one of my favorite shows of last year)

Ditto the Boston show - I guess it was almost exactly a year ago. Indeed there I am posting about it upthread. Really looking forward to hearing/seeing this.

Interesting Michael Azerrad bit about one of the DVD extras:

http://www.rocksbackpagesblogs.com/2009/11/robyn-hitchcock-in-nowhere-land/

Azerrad underrates the concert itself btw.

finally got the Trains Live in NY cd/dvd -- sounds great! Maybe better than I expected, a really wonderful recording/performance. Nice, subtle rearrangements of the songs. And I like that it's a different running order, rather than the standard "Don't Look Back" practice of playing the album in exactly the way it originally appeared. Makes sense with Trains, since it's been released in so many different versions. Haven't watched the DVD yet ...

also, his website has been revamped and has some prev. unreleased downloads up for free. New album in March! robynhitchcock.com

There's a couple of dramatic reworkings on "Trains in NY" - "Winter Love" being particularly different.

yeah, was just listening to that one -- really beautiful version! That's one I've never heard him do live in the past ...

Just hearing Ole Tarantula for the first time, totally sublime. The Arthur Kane tribute is lovely...

Probably better than more of his recent albums in terms of consistency. I still haven't heard Propellor Time yet though...

Propeller time is probably better, so you're in for a treat

A Can of Bees and Underwater Moonlight reissues from Yep Roc next month. Looks to be just the original albums, with all the bonus stuff as digital downloads that are free with purchase. All the tracks from the Matador version of Moonlight, and it looks like most of Invisible Hits is broken up between the two records by proper era. However, once again stuff is lost from prior releases - for example, the alternate side 2 of A Can of Bees is now written off. "Fatman's Son" is history. Is it that hard not to fuck this up?

"Airscape" is one of the great morning songs.

very true. It sounds almost milky.

dud/classic

yeah, sort of disappointed by the yep roc news! thought it'd be a comprehensive overview, with live stuff, other outtakes, etc. and the phasing out of invisible hits is kind of unforgivable imo. on some days that's my fave soft boys album, even if it's not a proper "album".

Sadly, I don't think the Hitchcock box sets did as well as they hoped, scuttling any chance for a comprehensive Soft Boys collection. I've never been a huge Invisible Hits fan (nor a fan of A Can of Bees, if I'm being honest. Wading Through a Ventilator EP and Moonlight are the only studio works I listen to very often), so scrapping it and assigning the songs elsewhere doesn't bug me too much. Just don't lose stuff in the process, damn it!

also -- seems like they should put out that amazing Portland Arms disc again too. Or do some kind of live comp. Guess it's up to the fans.

With some of the boots that have surfaced (like the much improved Lady Mitchell Hall and the set from Leicester University) and the Portland Arms set you could easily have a nice two-disc live collection. They were much better live than in the studio; both more playful and more vicious.

Got to see him and Joe Boyd doing their Chinese White Bicycles reading/performance thing tonight (Boyd reads, Hitchcock performs songs he produced).

Setlist:

My White Bicycle
It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
Chinese White
River Man
Reynardine
And the Wind Cries Mary
Bike
Way Back in the 1960s

wanted to go out and see this (love robyn forever), but door was kinda steep and it was a tuesday. currently regretting my reticence...

Got the Soft Boys reissues early, but the download codes don't seem to be active. Slight bummer, but won't be peeved unless the downloads don't appear come Tuesday.

Just got an email from Amazon that a two disc reissue of Moss Elixir is coming out in about 10 days, with Mossy Liquor as the second disc! Have this vinyl, but as I don't have a working record player at the moment. I'm sure I'll end up buying it again.

Yeah, I have a vinyl rip myself but I'll pick it up as well - Mossy Liquor was the better of the two!

I agree completely.

Happy Birthday Robyn!

Going to see him and Joe Boyd at Mass MOCA weekend after next!

I wish I could make it out there and stop by Greenfield and visit Scott Seward and his awesome record shop; alas, it is just too big a pain.

The show looks like a blast. Make sure and report back.

I'm thinking of going to the Washington DC area gig. I guess noone here has seen this tour yet?

talked to a friend who saw it -- said it was fun, if a little bit stilted... I'd go if it was anywhere near me!

new album?
http://soundcloud.com/hype-city-recordings/dismal-city
Robyn Hitchcock's forthcoming album on Hype City. To be released in Norway April 8th on LP and CD. Produced by Paul Noble, the "Tromsø, Kaptein" features 8 new RH compositions as well as a re-recording of 'Raining Twilight Coast' from EYE and a new Norwegian language version of GOODNIGHT OSLO.

tapping into the lucrative norwegian market, i guess.

I think a black metal Robyn Hitchcock would be interesting ...

Years ago another quirky-ish pop guy I liked (Laptop) put out a seemingly random Norway release, and I wondered at the time what the deal was. Do you get free healthcare or sardines or something if you use their record labels?

all the lutefisk you could ever desire

I thought Robyn said all his future albums would be digital-only?

yeah he hinted at that...guess he's not ready to say goodbye to the physical world just yet.

I've only listened to the two streamed tracks once apiece, and I wasn't terribly excited by them. Then again, that happens a lot with my first hearing of a new RH album; I tend to start out hearing what it's NOT and only later hear what it IS...

Anyway, what I'm hearing is a kind of late 60s Kinks-y midtempo thing with prominent rhythmic cello. "Dismal City" feels a bit cute, though the sentiment expressed is unique enough.

The "produced by Paul Noble" tag is intriguing; RH's London live band is usually Noble on bass, Terry Edwards on various, Kimberly Rew on guitar and Morris Windsor on drums. I've long hoped he'd do a record with that lineup (one of its few studio recordings, "City Of Women", is IMO one of RH's top 5 songs of the 00s).

Nice cover painting.

There's another track floating around, one listen to each didn't move me, but then "Propellor Time" needed a few spins to really grow on me. Still, I think the last out-of-nowhere album he released was "Luxor" which is really weak.

Haha, I didn't see your comments when I posted, Jon. Twisted minds think alike!

dunno, i kinda like this poppier direction -- hitchcock could easily settle into rootsy folk-mode, but the arrangement on dismal city is fun.

Hype City is on eMusic btw, so I expect I'll get this on there.

Tracklist is announced:

01 Light Blue Afternoon
02 Raining Twilight Coast
03 Savannah
04 Dismal City
05 Old Man Weather
06 Erasing Your Life
07 August In Hammersmith
08 Everything About You
09 The Abyss
10 Godnatt Oslo

I just discovered Fegmania and I wonder why I've never heard of it before? Digging it.

yeah that's a great one -- production on it is this weird mix of 80s gloss and really raw sounds. some of hitchcock's best songs too.

looks like this new one will be available via robyn's website.

I am predicting based strictly on track titles that tracks #5 through #7 will be my favorites.

ha! yeah those do sound good.
wonder what the deal is with the re-recorded "raining twilight coast"? love that song.

Yeah that's one of the best songs on Eye. I'm assuming this will be a band arrangement so I'm really curious what sort of tempo/rhythmic dynamic he'll use. 'Each Of Her Silver Wands' became sort of odd when it went from solo electric arr. to full band Soft Boys arr.

Pre-order for physical CD and more sound samples are up on robynhitchcock.com - you get a digital version immediately. Just downloaded, will offer thoughts later.

thx for the heads up. samples sound nice! ordering ...

twilight coast is just guitar and cello, so, no full band on that. it's pretty good though.

It's mixed really oddly - the cello is a bit overwhelming, don't you think?

On that song or the whole album?

That particular song, but there's other spots on the album where the mix felt strange - al,ost like certain instruments weree too far up in the mix. I need to give another listen and make some notes for a proper review.

First impression of this is that it's not very good. Not Luxor levels of suck, but an uninteresting throwaway. I like "Savannah" with it's "I Am The Walrus" strings, and even in Norwegian "Godnatt Oslo" is one of the best songs in his entire catalog.

I agree that the mix isn't helping; it's too punchy. Anything in the lower registers - cello, bass, etc - is slapped into the front more than seems necessary for the material.

it's ok, it seems like a trifle of a record though, not as good as propeller time or most of the other recent albums. but it kind of seems like an afterthought record anyway, with what are basically two cover versions of his own material

"Tromso, Kaptein" just arrived in the mailbox. It has a fairly tossed off feel to it, his singing is a bit flat in places - "Dismal City" for example. The new version of "Raining Twilight Coast" pales in comparison to the original, the female backing vocals just detract. On the plus side, "Old Man Weather" is wonderfully soulful and I appreciate that Robyn seems to be trying something different. A decidedly minor addition to his catalog.

Is the mix better on the actual disc than on the downloads?

haven't head the new one yet, but i'll get to it. in the meantime ... anton barbeau and the egyptians? http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/threeminutetease

I'm clearing out stuff in preparation for moving, and came across roughly 35 CDRs of Robyn shows from (mostly) the 1990s - nothing especially rare, I suspect, but all pre-mp3 CDR trades from 10 years ago, or occasionally stuff downloaded from DIME and burned to CDR. Includes a complete UK tour from 99 or 2000, I think. Anyway, I don't have time to rip this stuff to mp3 and tag etc, so it's no use to me.

I don't think my mail here works, but if someone living *in the US* (sorry, don't want to mess around with airmail) wants them, post here and I'll get in touch and send them to you.

hi! i'd be into getting these, maybe sharing some of them on my blog...

Webmail sent.

he played a great set in whitechapel last week. was the first time i'd heard anything by him tbh. will def be checking some more stuff out. nice dude.

http://www.hells-belles.org/2011/05/robyn-hitchcock-plays-captain-beefheart/

urgh, that show sounds rad. hitchcock can actually do a convincing beefheart impersonation.

Noticed in my email that RH will be at Bell House in Brooklyn on November 19. It's been a longer span than usual without a US tour for him.

Wonder if it'll be rawk band or solo troubador format...

cool, kind of hope it's with a band? and that he does an actual tour ... still never seen him with the venus 3 somehow.
this sounds great (from his website)
Robyn re-opens Eye
To commemorate its 21st anniversary, RH plays a definitive version of his second entirely solo record EYE, at St. Leonard’s Church in Shoreditch, London. First released in 1990, and subsequently in various formats (most recently by YepRoc), the record has contained different track selections. In this show where RH will be joined by Jenny Adejayan on cello, and Lucy Parnell & Jen Macro on harmonies, he will attempt to present a ‘director’s cut’ of the piece.

Doors are at 7:30pm. TICKETS are £15 in advance HERE.

Hmm maybe it's that in NYC. That would be fine w/me because his IODOT show with small ensemble was totally amazing (same show as the CD release).

yeah the Trains CD was a a pleasant surprise -- nice reimaginings, w/o being super radical about it. EYE with a backing band is intriguing ...

I have a spare (free) ticket for his London show tomorrow night, post if you're interested: http://www.villageunderground.co.uk/events/robyn-hitchcock

If I wasn't thousands of miles away I would be all over it. Hope you find a taker!

ditto!

Apparently working on his next album, "File Under Pop", due out very early next year.

OK, this was pretty great! 5 musicians on a rooftop in perfect weather. We got IODOT + a Roxy Music cover, Quicksand + Queen Elvis. Maybe not quite as good musically as the IODOT show I saw in Boston a few years ago, but the atmosphere was awesome.

ah, that sounds cool.
i'll point these things out on my blog -- http://doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr.com/post/29493804365/ghost-ship-heres-a-short-but-extremely-sweet and http://doomandgloomfromthetomb.tumblr.com/post/26576660442/the-soft-boys-underwater-moonlight-live-the
but tbh i think i got most of the material for both from toby, ez and gerald.

That does sound like a cool show. If only...

i know i've complained about it (probably on this thread) but it's going on 7 years since i've seen hitchcock live. and before that i think i had a streak of seeing him pretty much every year from 1994-2005.

I haven't seen him since 2000! I haven't been within 150 miles of a show since then.

It looked like this:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8304/7886720400_e451ee5652.jpg

amazing!

Stream of that gig:

http://soundcloud.com/villunderlondon/robyn-hitchcock-i-often-dream

i know i've complained about it (probably on this thread) but it's going on 7 years since i've seen hitchcock live. and before that i think i had a streak of seeing him pretty much every year from 1994-2005.

― tylerw, Wednesday, August 29, 2012 10:52 AM (1 month ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This. My at-least-once-a-year streak lasted until the tour for Goodnight Oslo (with that unforgettable arrangement of 'The Lizard'!) but since then, nada.

this IODOT gig sounds cool! nice to hear some different keyboard touches (i guess they didn't want to haul a real piano up to the roof).

guess he's playing at mccabe's in santa monica tonight, where i saw many great hitchcock shows. urgh!

the "quicksand" cover is lovely, don't know if i've ever heard him do that one.

A 60th birthday concert at the same venue:

https://villageunderground.ticketabc.com/events/robyn-hitchcock-2/

Very cool. Also excited that the new album has a date!

new song for today, too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csWyalb2PQQ

Can't believe motherfucker is almost 60. I've been hunkering down with his stuff for 27 years.

What's the skinny on the new album? Electric band? Troubador mode?

It's not the Venus 3, but other than that I don't know. He's been playing a lot with the band in that clip, so it could be a Robyn & friends record.

Would love to see some more action from the Windsor/Noble/Edwards lineup.

cool news. new song sounds good!

This is mostly for Gerald McBoing-Boing, who pestered me for awhile about my claim that every RH record can and should be boiled down to a brilliant EP. It's my long playlist of the finest of Robyn (within the constraints of what's included on Spotify). Roughly chronological order. If this were on CD-Rs it would be a 6CD boxset.

Verities & Verdigris: The Gold Of Robyn Hitchcock

http://open.spotify.com/user/1213493496/playlist/2tcoKqzbBfeKPg2NlA1a47

(The most tragic omissions due to Spotify unavailability are:
'It's Not Just The Size Of A Walnut'
'Salamander'
'I Wanna Be An Anglepoise Lamp'
'Luminous Rose'
'The Ghost Ship' (playlist is pretty much worthless without this)
'Lysander'
'Birds In Perspex'
'Watch Your Intelligence'
'Arms Of Love' (had to sub in the live one)
'Ring Them Bones'
'City Of Women'
'I Love Lucy'
'Sudden Town'
'Strings'
'Narcissus'

But what can ye do?)

(My all-time favorite guitar solo on 'The Pigworker', in case anyone's curious)

that's one of those weird rare songs where i don't like it all that much but think the solo rules

the solo on 'When I Was A Kid' almost equals it. Rew is a monster of body vibrato.

haha yeah, the guitar work on pigworker is insaaaaaane, like hendrix playing w/ beefheart.

Oooooo, lovely! I will dig into this over the weekend but a cursory look shows we're well on the same page: "September Cones", "You've Got" and "She Reached For A Light" jump out at me! The only glaring omission I see is "Glass" from "Fegmania", that's one of Robyn's fairly straightforward, deeply penetrating songs.

September Cones is such a great song. I still hope to see him play it one day (and If We Had A Baby, which really isn't going to happen).

is if we had a baby on anything or is it just a bootleg thing?
september cones really is an incredible song -- i guess he was playing it live a bit a few years ago. a shame that the you & oblivion album is kind of written out of his history at this point. i might even put that in my top 5 hitchcock albums.

You & Oblivion and Invisible Hitchcock would both be in my top 5. Rest in pieces, you odds and sods masterpieces.

maybe some enterprising label will convince him to put you & oblivion out as a double LP on vinyl or something. has anyone ever asked him about the creepy little girl in between the tracks on that album?

no idea. Pre-internet interviews are sometimes hard to find. I don't remember him doing tons of press for the Rhino reissues - lots of the same press release quotes everywhere, and the liner notes, but not much else.

September Cones is such a great song. I still hope to see him play it one day (and If We Had A Baby, which really isn't going to happen).

― colette, Saturday, December 1, 2012 2:35 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

This was me, not realising I was logged in as my wife.

As far as I know If We Had A Baby was never released: http://www.jh3.com/robyn/base/song.asp?squid=318

I have 'If We Had A Baby' somewhere. I think on the 'Demos And Rough Sketches' boot comp that also includes 'Lobsterman' (which would go on the playlist if it could).

He played 'September Cones' memorably at the Maxwell's Hoboken all-request shows in 2004. I had just moved to NYC. Here, Archive has it!:

http://archive.org/details/robynhitchcock2004-11-14.flac16

Also, I should have included in my list of 'damn you spotify!' (or rather 'damn you A&M!') unavailables the amazing 'Chinese Bones'. The best song on its album some days (other days it's 'Vibrating').

And I added 'I Wanna Destroy You' and 'Queen Of Eyes' at the very last minute because even though I myself am completely sick of them, they're great songs and everyone loves them and I can't have people thinking I'm crazy.

Re: You & Oblivion and Invisible Hitchcock, I mean they're both pretty much on I Wanna Go Backwards all mixed up with each other, and in fantastic sound quality. But I know what y'all mean, I miss them as entities.

True, most everything is somewhere. But Invisible Hitchcock used to be my easy primer for the breadth and depth and weirdness of Hitchcock; a perfect introduction for someone who at best knew Balloon Man or something. Alas, now no perfect sampler exists.

There are some interesting 88 and 89 Egyptians shows up on Archive now, by the way. The 89s in support of REM. Short 10 song sets but it looks like they varied their set lists a lot. The 88 one is well recorded as is one of the 89s.

Also, Stewart Russell has posted some 2001 Edinburgh shows including a solo electric instrumental I never noticed before: 'Your Feelings Are The Last Thing To Die'. It's really beautiful!

And ooo! ooo! I found another RH Incredible String Band cover! 'Nightfall' in this Edinburgh show:

http://archive.org/details/Robyn_Hitchcock2001-08-04.aud.flac24

Which makes, to my knowledge:

'The Yellow Snake'
'Chinese White'
'Way Back In the 60s'
'Nightfall'

If an RH cover of 'Job's Tears' turned up I would shit and die.

Alas, now no perfect sampler exists.

Yep Roc put out a tiny sampler called "Chronology" recently but, good lord, how is there no comprehensive career overview for a man with such a huge back catalog? You could pick up the A&M "Greatest Hits" and the Rhino "Uncorrected Personality Traits" comps but then you still have no Soft Boys or anything since "Moss Elixir"!

I hate a lot of the choices on "Chronology" I gotta say

new old Hitchcock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqRq2T1cJuA

nice -- don't think i've heard that one before? also don't think i've ever seen that clip for one long pair of eyes there at the end....

I'm excited to hear he's combing the archives. Did I hear right at the end? He sorta says there will be a live show broadcast on the youtube channel? I'm assuming he mean's the birthday show, and if so, that'd be amazing.

OK, Robyn, OK, I subscribed to your YouTube channel.

BTW, I pared down my RH 'box set' to a much more more concise double disc of strict cream:

http://open.spotify.com/user/1213493496/playlist/3dfBUkUJrekhx5v6UQsXF4

In my email just now:

Yep Roc Records is excited to announce the March 5, 2013 release of the new Robyn Hitchcock album, Love From London.

Hitchcock describes his songs as "paintings you can listen to." Love From London "celebrates life in a culture imperiled by economic and environmental collapse," he says. "We are surfing on the momentum of chaos. If a consensus on global warming comes from the people, then the media, the politicians, and the corporations will have to adapt to it. Rock and Roll is an old man's game now, so I'm staying in it."

The record was produced and engineered by Paul Noble, and features Noble on bass, guitar, keyboards and vocals; Jenny Adejayan on cello and vocals; Lizzie Anstey on vocals and keyboards and Jenny Macro, Lucy Parnell and Anne Lise Frokedal on vocals.

Personnel list leads me to think this will be in the same general sound world as Tromse Kaptein...

Yeah, that was my thinking as well - and I wasn't impressed with "Tromso" aside from a few tunes. Granted, he's just come off a trilogy of his best work but still...

Same reaction to Tromso over here. We'll see...

Tromso was a bit boring, yeah, but I thought that was as much the songs' fault as anything else -- if he's got a good collection of tunes, i'm optimistic.

That's my hope-- that Tromso was the second tier of this batch.

I think Tromso sounds like all the songs the Venus 3 rejected over the past x number of years. There are a few solid ones, but as always, it takes other people -- for the recent past that's been the Venus 3 -- to let Robyn know what is good and what is naff. I hope to hell someone in the current circle of friends can do the same.

perhaps someone at Yep Roc is that person (he's always released his inbetweeners on odd labels)

Possibly. It's nice to think so.

Y'know, I haven't really caught up to his last several web singles, the ones he releases on his site for free and then they go pay-only after a few months. How have those been?

He's put out 4 of those phantom 45's and there are probably 2 keepers in the 8 songs.

I'd have to give them another listen but, yeah, nothing struck me as memorable. Just reading the titles I can only recall the tunes to "There Goes The Ice" and "Thank You, Time Girl".

Wow, "Love In The Garden Of Light"! I heard that live in Chicago in 1992 and I remember it vividly.

That was on the old fan club cassette bootleg "Unhatched Crablings". Solid tune but I can see why it didn't make it onto "Perspex" or "Respect".

Someone hacked Matthew Seligman's twitter acct, I got an obvious 'i am a virus please click this link' DM from him today. Would be p excited if actual Seligman DMed me.

I met Matthew after a gig once and he was just as happy to engage with fans as we were to chat with him. Same for Kimberley.

Nothing to contribute except that "Chinese Bones" is a lovely song.

"Chinese Bones" is the song that made my wife a fan.

It's one of the very best things he ever did. Shame not to be able to put it on my rh spotify list (the only A&M Robyn on there is the stuff included on that weird Greatest Hits CD).

I'm surprised a live version wasn't included on the Bad Case Of History disc.

For reasons too boring to go into, I have been A/B'ing the Rhino and Yep Roc remasterings of Fegmania. I think I actually prefer the Rhino by a wee bit. The Yep Roc strikes me as a bit too thumpy for the crowded, colorful sound field of these recordings. This is a paisley party record, the only one of its ilk he ever made, and it needs to glitter more than it needs to rock.

Totally true.

In unrelated Hitchcock news, Yep Roc is releasing those Phantom 45s on LP for Record Store Day. Will be my first record store day purchase.

Oh cool! When is record store day again?

April?

Yeah, ditto, I'll pick that up too.

And Jon, A/Bing sources is only boring to those not interested in the results!

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/20315_530828273617000_310354882_n.jpg

that reminds me - I'm seeing The Residents in a week.

Great painting. It's bothering my eye that the two titles are centered while the painting is sort of shrugging to the right though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkfZ9CP6hv8
think i've seen this before, but it's a better capture -- is this Robyn's most desperate for pop acceptance song? i like it, but there's something that feels like he's *trying* here.

also lol dennis miller 90s

You definitely saw it on my tumblr the other day.

Yeah I never listen to that song, it has that tryhard taint. As does 'Up To Our Nex'. Sometimes I love about half of Perspex but there are times when it just feels like the most suffocating thing.

They were GREAT live on the Perspex Island and Respect tours though. I remember at the (...what the fuck was the name of the main club in Ballard, Seattle?) and someone fainting in the middle of an incredibly intense rendition of 'Child of the Universe'

Until Luxor, I rated Perspex Island my least favorite Hitchcock record. It's still at the bottom of records I would choose to listen to, even if live and the Kershaw disc redeemed some of those tunes.

It's hard for me to separate my life at that time and the actual qualities of the record. The year it came out was probably the low point of my entire life, so there's a certain pall cast over it.

Luxor is full of filler but there is a deep well of mystery in the sound of his voice and guitar on 'You Remind Me of You' and 'The Sound of Sound'

haha EZ! i probably did see it there! my brain.
yeah perspex is probably the most milquetoast hitchcock. though the ones that pop up live from that album every now and then sound good -- she doesn't exist, birds in perspex, lysander...

lysander is the all-time jam from that record. That is an incredible song.

I want a de-stiped she doesn't exist. If RH can forever excise the saxes from 'The Man Who Invented Himself' he can do this.

Good call on those two tunes, Jon. I have yet to find someone who considers Luxor a good record, but even shit Hitch has high points.

ha yeah otm re: stipe. i do like that bright green energy duet thing.
the solo version of lysander i heard him do the first time i saw him is a great memory.

Bright Green Energy is wonderful, I'm not against stipe harmonies per se.

The A&M b-sides were always soooooo great.

'Watch Your Intelligence' FTW

yep.

I hate A&M for not giving a fuck about those records. Criminal.

For reasons too boring to go into, I have been A/B'ing the Rhino and Yep Roc remasterings of Fegmania. I think I actually prefer the Rhino by a wee bit. The Yep Roc strikes me as a bit too thumpy for the crowded, colorful sound field of these recordings. This is a paisley party record, the only one of its ilk he ever made, and it needs to glitter more than it needs to rock.

― here is no telephone (Jon Lewis), Tuesday, January 22, 2013 12:27 PM (2 weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Unfortunately I would like to report the same finding wrt Element of Light Rhino vs. Yep Roc. The essential sound color of Element is the ring and shimmer of Robyn's telecaster; on the Yep Roc they have given so much thump to the kick drum that every time it hits it fractures the sustained tones around it a little. The diff is not huge but i def prefer the Rhino sound. And Rhino has that amazing, amazing 'Raymond Chandler Evening' demo.

Maybe RH wanted to take some of the 80s sheen off this record with its FM synths and Andy's chorused bass, but if so he has thrown the babby out with the bathwater.

I didn't get rid of any of my Rhino reissues because of all the missing tracks on the Yep Roc ones. I'll have to dig them out.

The liner notes were great too. It was so exciting when those were coming out 2 per month in 1994(?).

And Rhino has that amazing, amazing 'Raymond Chandler Evening' demo.
yeahhh, incredible that they took that off of the yep roc element of light. that is probably one of my top ten fave robyn recordings.

He probably omitted it on purpose. RH is a perverse fellow.

"And that could not have been rasher!"

*everyone loses their shit*

is that one not on the yep roc edition either? sheesh.
still ridiculous to me that there's not a soft boys live comp. that'd blow plenty of minds imo.

Robyn has one of the most rereleased and yet still utterly baffling discographies in history.

The Ryko 2CD is the best Soft Boys release ever. So fucking smart. Those Wading Through A Ventilator EP tracks aren't in print on ANYTHING now!

And 'Salamander'!!!!

yep. The best single Hitchcock related release ever.

^^^ yeah-- I'd even go that far.

it's a legit overview, a rarities comp, and a best-of all in one. And of course it's long, long out of print.

yeah, it's amazing that is out of print.

I think it's cause it pulls stuff from several different licensors/labels. Tricky to renew, I suppose.

I remember reading there was going to be a Soft Boys box from Yep Roc like the two Hitchcock ones, but they didn't sell as well as expected so we got the bog standard reissues instead. Absolutely criminal if that's the truth.

The reissues werent even bog standard, they were only vinyl or download right?

it's cool that robyn has a supportive label like yep roc, but can't help feel that his catalog has been underserved by them. soft boys records deserve exhaustive numero group style reissues.

Didn't the "Raymond Chandler Evening" demo move to the "While Thatcher Mauled England" discs?

His discography isn't all that complicated - you need everything released in every version on every format. Well, at least that's how it feels.

You need three CD versions of Black Snake, even! The first CD is the only one to retain the saxophones on 'The Man Who Invented Himself'.

Underwater Moonlight and A Can Of Bees got cd releases from yep roc. Also came with a code for download only bonus stuff, which was basically just the second disc of the Matador Moonlight and the Invisible Hits disc. And of course, stuff got left off. Gone are the shorter version of "Sandra", live versions of "Anglepoise Lamp" and "Ugly Nora", and "Fatman's Son".

lol, that's another thing -- invisible hits! classic album, now seemingly disowned. that stuff is as good as anything the soft boys did, shouldn't just be relegated to bonus track status.

Just tracks in the ether these days. *sigh* In the realm of bits and bobs with the Groovy/Gravy/Decay/coy/o recordings, only not even purchasable separately.

Shame upon shame the way his catalog is managed/mangled.

I swear he does it himself. Just look at the tracks he decides to leave off his proper albums! God bless him but he is an odd bastard.

Was it in Sex, Death, Food... that he said he has no idea what the good songs are? I understand that, but if you don't know let it all hang out. The here then gone then back in a different form then gone again shit is stupid.

Didn't he say he wasn't going to release physical media anymore? I guess he's not sticking to that line.

Tracks from the new album are, I'm told, previewed on this Guardian podcast. I just started listening.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/audio/2013/feb/07/music-weekly-robyn-hitchcock-delphic

^So, you guys should listen to that. The Robyn part is the first 15 minutes or so. I don't know what I think of the new stuff! It's not too far from Respect (lively band sound led by acoustic instead of electric) but this SOUNDS much more home studio than Respect did. The use of effects is more frankly artificial/surreal. I'm gonna be get the record as soon as it's out because I'm truly intrigued.

And today, there's this!

http://thequietus.com/articles/11363-robyn-hitchcock-favourite-albums?page=1

he's very fun to listen to in that podcast

I like when they go on to discuss Reg Presley's practice of eating gold.

LOL

He ill-treated those men, yes, but they let him do it and also they produced Trout Mask Replica. People have been treated worse for less. It’s interesting meeting Magic Band survivors now; they’re all Beefheart casualties and they all suffer from hats. They all wear hats and they make these oblique remarks and you think, they’re not really like that, but Beefheart imposed his personality on them when they were so young. It was like Dr Van Vliet’s Academy For Boys. I’ve met about four of them and they’re all suffering from hats. He sent them off on a particular direction they wouldn’t really have gone in and they’re grateful in a way and they resent him in a way and I think they also resent the fact that that’s what they’re known for, this guy. But it’s thanks to them.

Haven't gotten that far, but re eating gold to live forever, maybe Reg's migrated from his body's resting place to the nearest vein of gold (do they have any in the UK). "I"ve never played Lincolnshire", but saw a little doc of him playing New Jersey etc bars w the Venus 3; pretty cool. Peter Buck said he was so glad to get away from R.E.M. (years before they officially split) I enjoy the excerpts of new songs. Think RH tends to be auto-compared to Lennon, but here seems more like Harrison at his sharpest.

once saw hitchcock do a pretty killer "blue jay way"
quietus thing is great. the bit about him and buck arguing over byrds riffs is funny.

The Guardian podcast is what I'm listening to; might be signif diff excerpts on quietus

Boy do I love his Quietus commentary. Seems like the background music should be "Tell Me About Your Drugs" as he seems to bring it up for each artist. I hadn't realized he was straight-edge though it's always been clear he didn't need drugs to see the weirdess of life.

Monday, February 25th with Irene Trudel 12-3pm: On the eve of a brand new album, a tour and a significant birthday, Robyn Hitchcock is dropping by some of his favorite radio stations with solo performance sessions. In advance of the new album, Robyn will be ensconced in WFMU's Love Room to play songs from his newest disc, "Love from London," to be released in early March.

But I don't see anything NYC in his tour dates. If anyone hears of a short notice nyc show adjacent to this radio date please lemme know!

guess the new one is on itunes now?

you can pre-order it. Not out until next month.

ah, ok i don't think i even knew you could preorder something on itunes...shucks, i was excited to hear it!

One track streaming, and Webster Hall NYC 4/26 with the Venus 3 announced:

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2013/02/robyn_hitchcock_8.html

Peter Buck solo is the opener. I hope this doesn't mean the date is about to sell out on presale, because I am so broke I can't preorder a ticket for another 2 weeks at least...

It has been awhile since NYC has seen a proper Hitch/Venus 3 show. I bought pre-sale tickets for this. I have a feeling that old school REM fans are going to snatch these tickets up quickly.

venus 3 has never come near me, annoyingly, but i was surprised when my brother told me the show he saw in san diego was not particularly packed. seems funny that the guitarist from one of the biggest bands of the last few decades would not be that much of a draw...but i guess if he's doing his own set, the rem die hards will come out.

tylerw, I think that's because your average lo-information hardcore REM fan probably has no idea Buck is in the Venus 3 but...I think when they hear he is opening this show solo they will arrive in droves. I could be wrong though.

yeah maybe -- REM is such a weird band in that there's really no superstar in the group. obviously stipe comes close, but i don't think anyone is clamoring for a stipe solo album? and it's pretty difficult to imagine any of them playing REM tunes in a solo setting.

But I could see Hitch hopping on stage w/him to maybe give one or two of them a try.

yeah i think i've heard hitchcock doing electrolite with buck, berry, mills?

or maybe not berry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmrTGPB2aaw
kind of a cruddy vid, but hey

listening to him on the bbc NOW. "pink dress" (i think?) sounded awesome, kinda element of light-y.

Went to the 60th birthday show last night - very good! Mostly reverse-chronological, lots of guests, ended up banging through Where Are The Prawns?/Kingdom of Love/Pigworker/Give it to the Soft Boys with Morris/Kimberley/Paul Noble. Also played Heaven with Green Gartside on backing vocals, Clean Steve with Nick Lowe etc etc.

Kimberley Rew's hair is a bit scary these days though:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8235/8516316753_2e1b61c773.jpg

Jealous!

On first listen the new record didn't grab me much. There are a few songs that intrigue and a few that seem like clunkers, so I'll have to see where it settles. Weirdly dated in places too.

he started with Be Still last night, which didn't do much for me, but the final encore of End of Time was surprisingly good. Haven't listened to the record yet though.

I couldn't wait for my disc to arrive in the mail so acquired it early. "End Of Time" is definitely one of the highlights. I like "Be Still" better on the record than on the live rehearsal video he put out so I'm not too surprised it was a bit of a damp squib live.

Wow Kim has abandoned his muppet 'do! It's been decades! I'm not so sure about this new jeepers creepers look. I'm sure he's still the king of body vibrato though.

Happy 60th, Mr. Hitchcock.

He was on Weekend Edition this morning, with good excerpts from the new album; comments incl. other, all w with that wry suave Brit male thang (declares he wrote songs for ten years before they were any good)Can download it too:
http://www.npr.org/2013/03/03/173317537/robyn-hitchcock-rock-n-roll-is-an-old-mans-game-now Scroll down to the bottom of this page for another download: his and Joe Boyd's Tiny Desk Concert (23 minutes and change). Boyd reads from his UK folk-rock memoir, RH plays "songs from and inspired by the era." Or if you wanna go directly to that 'un:
http://www.npr.org/event/music/137702245/joe-boyd-and-robyn-hitchcock-tiny-desk-concert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcTlxQOYDYI

nice!

set list

"Side 1": Jenny, Paul & Stephen on all tracks unless otherwise stated:

BE STILL Jen & Lucy – vocals + a few others?
OLD MAN WEATHER Jen & Lucy - vocals
ORDINARY MILLIONAIRE as above + Terry - horn
GOODNIGHT OSLO as above + Kimberley - guitar
MUSEUM OF SEX as above + Terry - other horn
SOMETIMES A BLONDE
AMERICA Jenny, Paul, Stephen, + Terry on trumpet
NO I DON'T REMEMBER GUILDFORD Jenny, Paul, Stephen, Kim + Tim on guitar + Jen & Lucy - vocals
BEAUTIFUL QUEEN as above
WRECK OF THE ARTHUR LEE as above minus Kim & Tim
SO YOU THINK YOU'RE IN LOVE Nick Lowe – acoustic, harmonies, Morris - harmonies & percussion, RH - acoustic
CLEAN STEVE as above + Mark Ellen acoustic, harmonies (Note: Mark Ellen is mentioned in the lyrics - H.L.)

"Side 2": Kim, Morris & Paul on all tracks unless otherwise indicated:

FREEZE
UNSETTLED
AIRSCAPE
MR. KENNEDY
HEAVEN - Morris & Green harmonies, RH acoustic
FURRY GREEN ATOM BOWL - Green, Jen, Lucy, Terry, Tim, RH + Adam Buxton vocals
BRENDA'S IRON SLEDGE - Kim, Morris, Paul + Jen & Lucy
KINGDOM OF LOVE - Kim, Morris & Paul
THE PIGWORKER - as above
WHERE ARE THE PRAWNS - as above
GIVE IT TO THE SOFT BOYS - as above + Jen & Lucy vocals + Jenny, Tim, Terry
Encore:
VICTORIAN SQUID - RH solo
THE END OF TIME - Jenny, Paul, Stephen + cast

Ah, happy 60th. We're all getting older and as the man said to NPR, "when you think about how much time you've got left you just want to get on with it"!

Much better B side than A side. I'm feeling everything from 'Strawberries Dress' onward.

I just got myself a hard copy today so I'll see if that changes my initial thoughts. I agree that the record ends well.

By the way, his cover of Nick Cave's "Parasite" which is streaming at Stereogum might be the best thing he's put out in some time.

http://stereogum.com/1283782/robyn-hitchcock-parasite-nick-drake-cover/mp3s/

By the way, why the hell would Yep Roc put in a download code in the CD case for a 192kbps copy of the album? I thought it might be bonus tracks or something but no, just a copy of the album you could easily rip for yourself in higher quality. Weird.

I guess if you have MacBook Air and can't rip CDs?

Good show from a week ago for free downloading or streaming:

https://archive.org/details/robynhitchcock2013-03-09.Pike1957-16bit-flac

checkin' it out!
guess he's doing another b-day thing in LA this coming may. the dreaded amanda palmer is making an appearance! ick! otherwise, probably a good time.
https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/884513_558542197512274_1058812647_o.jpg

Oh well, we had to suffer through his associations with the Presidents and the Decembrists, we'll live...

The production on the new LP is dreadful, esp. the dated sounding drum machine. Hard to believe Robyn couldn't find a proper drummer. There are some great songs on here but I fopund myself mostly distracted by how sterile it sounds.

I hear you loud and clear. I went on at length over here so I'll link instead of pasting it in:

http://lightbulbhead.tumblr.com/post/45857127871/robyn-hitchcock-love-from-london-ive-been

Really nice 35 minute SXSW solo set:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2xlyniZWms

cool, thanks! yeah, haven't given the new one enough attention, but the production isn't super appealing. seems to have kind of drowned out a lot of robyn's guitar? which is one the main things, you know? have a feeling i'll probably like live versions of these songs more than the the studio versions.

"Be Still" is almost redeemed by the solo version in that set. Almost, but not quite.

Thanks for that link EZ. This is great so far. Gonna rip it to my computer later. Unless it turns up at archive.org first...

I just got the vinyl box of Luminous Groove from my local record store, which I had been openly coveting for more than a year. wow, these records are great. I had only heard Gotta Let This Hen Out and some of Fegmania, the Element Of Light stuff and the giant bunch of demos/outtakes/live extras is totally new to me. just like the first box, this demands total immersion, you can just swim around in the profusion of material for weeks.

I envy you. Helluva thing to delve into with fresh ears.

"The Crawling" is rocking my world right now!

Nice!

I just got the Record Store Day album, "There Goes The Ice", which collects his Phantom 45s plus 2 new tracks and these odds and sods are way better than "Love From London"! I hope this is made available elsewhere down the road.

"LfL" is half-good, but way down towards the bottom of his albums for me.

My local was sold out but a text to a friend in Maine got me one. Will be a long time before I can hear it because I still have no record player.

Included download codes are your friend.

sweet find

cool.

solid recent show here: http://archive.org/details/robynhitchcock2013-04-27.aud.flac.16
the love from london tracks are mostly improved upon by the venus 3.

Cool. I've been depressed about having to miss the NYC show so I was hoping archive would come through.

x-post-- Hey, I was at that Washington D.C. gig. Was worried a bit beforehand that Buck might diminish Hitchcock's set due to Buck's inebriation, but it all worked out fine -- As I noted on a Peter Buck thread -- Near the end of his (Buck's) opening set he said: "Bad news for you, I still have another song to do; good news- I'm drunk." Buck sang with an annoying affected voice on blues-rock and garage rock numbers, and joked about Fleetwood Mac twice. With Robyn Hitchcock though he was more subdued and playing the proper sideman role.

The Velvets, Beatles, & Byrds encores were great. I think some of it is on youtube.

haha, peter buck! yeah the vocal stuff i've heard from him has been pretty dullsville. hopefully he's enjoying himself.

maybe him and johnny marr can do a joint tour?

And r Lloyd

Golden voices

Wait, Richard Lloyd's vocals are pretty solid compared to Buck and Marr. My comment when listening to Buck's show was, "Sounds like he's aping Captain Beefheart fronting a blues-rock bar band. Zzzzzzz..."

haha, yeah, lloyd is arguably a "better" singer than verlaine. not that i *prefer* his vocals, mind you. i actually have managed to avoid hearing marr sing so far. should i continue to do so?

it would've been awesome if buck turned out to be some amazing singer and he had just been holding out on everyone. Peter Buck-ley.

groan...now drummer adds a roll

Someone uploaded the Gotta Let This Hen Out! video. I never upgraded my VHS so I'm enjoying watching it this morning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3u8Z9dlKa4

cool, haven't seen that in ... 15 years? never released on DVD, I take it?

It came out on DVD in 2001, but I never bought it and I think it's out of print. It was just a straight transfer of the shit quality VHS so it was a low priority for me.

this usta get shown on a local NY/NJ UHF station (one song at a time) constantly in the mid '80s.

Last night I was listening to the Soft Boys "1976-81" comp and, by god, it's spectacular. The punkadelia sound, the harmonies, Robyn's twisted world view ("Sandra's Having Her Brain Out" was the first thing I ever heard from him at age 17 and it's never left my head since). I'm guessing there's lots more in the vault, not the least is the full Portland Arms gig which is wonderful. Bring it on!!

i still haven't gotten over the "have a heart betty"s on that

Best 2cd retrospective ever.

just recently heard "Salamander" for the first time, what a fantastic, sick song.

Yes! That track got orphaned in the most recent reissues from Yep Roc-- tragically, IMO.

kind of want to pretend those yep roc reissues never happened. do-over!

I was just mulling over "Two Halves For The Price Of One", an odds and ends comp at the end of the Soft Boys career. Only some of it has been released on CD:
Only The Stones Remain - Underwater Moonlight
Where Are The Prawns - Underwater Moonlight
The Bells Of Rhymney
There's Nobody Like You - Underwater Moonlight
Innocent Boy - Invisible History
Black Snake Diamond Rock (live)
Underwater Moonlight (live)
Astronomy Domine (live) - Invisible History
Outlaw Blues (live) - Invisible History
Mystery Train (live)

The version of Rhymney isn't the same one Robyn released as a b-side and Mystery Train is live vs the studio take on the 1976-81 comp. I think I've got that right...

'Innocent Boy' is so great, man I haven't heard/had that song in forever.

I think the Mystery Train on that is the same as on The Rout Of The Clones. Maybe not? I don't have them handy to compare.

Rout is 1978 gig, Lope At The Hive is 1980.

i'd like it if he put out the full gig from whence those live "two halves" tracks came. that's not floating around in the bootleg world, is it?

I've never seen it.

And thanks for the Rout/Lope clarification, GmcBB.

It's too bad The Asking Tree isn't updated anymore, or that there's not another level of detail regarding versions of each track. I've been digging into this stuff for years and even I have to refresh my memory from time to time.

Is there a specific date for the Lope recording? I had heard March 1980 but it doesn't match up with the one Asking Tree setlist for that time period.

It's got to be this one: http://www.jh3.com/robyn/base/gig.asp?chubb=70 but clearly the tracklisting is incomplete.

slightly confusing facebook update suggests that Joe Boyd is producing the next Hitchcock LP. which i think is good news.
gave love from london another try last week -- man, i would like to hear robyn's demos for it, because i really have trouble getting past the dullllll production (especially the programmed beats). hard to tell if the songs are good/bad/mediocre/whatever.

Joe Boyd is great news. I hope it's correct! Propellor Time felt a little Boyd-y and is my favorite of the last several RH LPs.

i wanna destroy you always segues into surrender by cheap trick for me...

a pox upon the media... got my kiss records out...

i have very mixed feelings about this dude but i wanna destroy you is all time, not that this is news to anybody

gave love from london another try last week -- man, i would like to hear robyn's demos for it, because i really have trouble getting past the dullllll production (especially the programmed beats). hard to tell if the songs are good/bad/mediocre/whatever.

Tyler, my feelings echo yours. I'm not sure the demos would be much better, the songs themselves are just not strong:

Harry's Song - Nice piano but his singing is a bit out of tune at times. Meh.

Be Still - This is a good one with good lyrics as most of his death-focused songs are. I dig the cello.

Stupefied - Um, no, jeez I don't like this one at all from the programmed beat to the weak keyboards. "You wanna get high but you don't know why", blech.

I Love You - This is alright, with an aggressive vibe, but he's done this sort of song better many times. Mentioning tendrils and dissolving just makes me want to queue up "Clean Steve" and "Chinese Bones", respectively.

Devil On A String - This might be better in demo form but the playing just seems so uninspired and the lyrics aren't memorable.

Strawberries Dress - Feels like a cut-and-paste job where all the pieces don't fit. Meh.

Death & Love - Crikey, who pressed the wrong button on the drum machine? Is he trying to sound like an "Avalon" outtake? His lyrics on this album feel forced - neither straight-forward nor weird enough. The "I got screwed, uh-huh" bit is very poor.

Fix You - I like this one, he takes some chances with aggressive vocals and it works.

My Rain - Again, his singing sounds slightly out of tune in places. Dull song anyway.

End Of Time - Not bad, not great. The teaser snippet of the unincluded title track is possibly the best thing on the album!

Didn't he say he was going for a modern/pop sound on this album? I guess that explains the production choices. Both this and "Tromso" have an unfinished feeling. Even taking the best tracks from both results in a bottom-tier release in his vast catalog. Ah well, they can't all be gems.

Wonderful show last night:

https://twitter.com/2fortheroaduk/status/407258157942312961/photo/1

also playing tonight, with a cellist (I forget who) - there were a few tickets on the door last night, so maybe there will be tonight, and he seems to be on very good form right now.

i can't stop playing "he's a reptile" because it has that special combination of absurd/funny/true lyrics and super standard rock song structure. so fun.

I'm sitting here in the abandoned brain... The hypothalamus is open to the rain and the leaves blow into the hall...

New album streaming at New York Times. SO MUCH better than Love From London. On first listen I'd say it's easily his best non-Venus 3 album in nearly 20 years. Might be able to remove the Venus 3 codicil given time.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/arts/music/pressplay.html?_r=2&

finally getting to this and yeah! sounds pretty wonderful. "san francisco patrol" might be one of the best things I've heard from the dude in 15 years. worthy of EYE.

I liked most of it, incl spare instrumentation and allusively, intimately direct address over weirdness (though was ready for weirdness/humor too). Goosebumps for the timing of "Don't Look Down." Good on "The Ghost In You," which fits/sets context & vibe; Psy Furs don't get enough coverage anyway. Are the others (except disappointing "Crystal Ship") all originals?

Also, who else is on it?

"don't look down" is a grant lee philips tune and to turn you on is roxy music... don't know who's playing on it, though.

Apparently he's on Marc Maron's WTF podcast tomorrow.

Haha wow!

I guess we'll finally find out who his guys are

jesus, this album is gorgeous

track 2 quite near mad me cry just now

wow.

anyone listen to wtf podcast yet?

It's okay but nothing revelatory. They kind of cover the same shit over and over because Marc's a bit of a putz.

Nice microview here, though why waste rationed words mentioning Syd, since reviewer then admits he's less relevant than Nick Drake---but Joe Boyd *also* produced "Arnold Layne," so just gotta namedrop one more tyme--it's RS, after all. Anyway, tells who owns the occasional female voice:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/robyn-hitchcock-the-man-upstairs-20140826

I didn't realize his dad wrote "Percy"! I love that Kinks album.

"The Man Upstairs" is definitely growing on me. I still sort of like the older version of "Ghost In You" but it's such an outstanding song in the first place and Robyn's take reveals the underlying emotional depth. His other covers are great except I'm not thrilled with "Crystal Ship". "San Francisco Patrol" is utterly gorgeous, in both sound and sentiment. The other originals are solid. Overall I think it's far better than "Love From London" and "Tromso Kaptain". He certainly set the bar high with the Venus 3 stuff!

His best non-Venus 3 album since Moss Elixir.

A Star for Bram still holds that title for me. But this is damn good.

Twenty years ago "So You Think You're In Love" topped the U.S. modern rock chart.

In 1994?

Aye. "So You Think You're In Love" was 1991

Twenty-three. Autocorrect.

ok

that's the first place i learned the phrase "silent majority"!

same!

"Lysander" off that album is a lost gem. It hurts me that I can't put those A&M deep cuts on Spotify mixes for people.

My feelings about Perspex Island overall will never settle. I've loved and hated that record so many different ways over the years. And I can't separate it from what a hard confused dark place I was in when it came out and when I played the shit out of it. I get the sense RH was in a dark place when he made it, too.

"Perspex" is underrated, and a bit of a victim of the time it came out and the production choices (even more so with "Respect"). Those tracks are better heard outside the studio:
"The Kershaw Sessions" has great versions of "Oceanside", "So You Think You're In Love" and "Birds In Perspex".
"Bad Case Of History" has live versions of "Vegetation And Dimes" and "Child Of The Universe".
"Ride" was released in demo form on a promo. It was also performed for the BBC but uncollected officially.
I have a nifty version of "She Doesn't Exist" from a 1995 Rhino reissue tour bootleg. I'm sure live versions of the rest are out in the aether as well.

I loved it at the time. I said elsewhere yesterday that the mix is a mess: as he’d prove on XTC’s Nonesuch released the following year, Paul Fox had no clue how to record trad rock. "Lysander," "If You Go Away," "Ultra Unbelievable Love," and "Ride" work though. I'd go so far as to say it's his best A&M album.

I think Respect is the best A&M record but they're all good to great.

Queen Elvis for me. It's the only one of the a&m that totally coheres. The great songs on Globe of Frogs are greater than anything on QE but after all these years balloon man still annoys me so deeply that I can't give GoF the laurel. Plus the sound world of GoF lacks something where QE is mouthwatering. Would loooove for GoF to get a remastering some day.

Almost every tune from GoF has been amazing in live Venus 3 arrangements (esp when Morris available as a Beatle Dennis harmonies walk-on)

Hitchcock was living/hanging out in LA for a bit during the lead up to Perspex Island so I got a chance to see him with/without the Egyptians several times before the album came out. Was hugely disappointed when the album came out - thought that his strongest songs were completely undermined by Paul Fox's production choices. Not the first or last time Fox has done that.

Ok then, any recommended boots from the A&M era?

Robyn does Neil with Emma Swift:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHojyetAoRo

Amazon sent me "I often dream" by mistake - was gonna send it back to get my initial order but curiosity got the best of me so I decided to play it. Some beautiful music mixed in with stuff which I guess can grow on you. "I used to say I love you" is a standout for now

Eventually those tracks that seem like frivolous scraps will come to feel like totally essential pieces of its spell.

(This is not true of the novelty bits on all RH albums tho)

Hadn't listened to Underwater Moonlight in quite a few years and this time around "Old Pervert" really caught me as having a very Magic Band groove.

It definitely does, this influence really stood out when they played it on the soft boys reunion tours a decade-n-change ago. Old pervert slaaaaaayed at those shows (rew is a monster)

God fucking dammit Robyn is performing all of Black Snake Diamond Role with Yo La Tengo on March 1 at Bowery Ballroom and it's already sold out :(

yow, that was fast. i would totally go to that, maybe there'll be some more tix made available. or they'll add another night?
haven't listened yet, but this podcast is generally good: http://www.sodajerker.com/episode-96-robyn-hitchcock/

enjoying that podcast a lot.

yeah i think they do a nice job with it

robyn should probably have his own podcast

hey hey jon -- http://ohmyrockness.com/shows/299096-robyn-hitchcock-yo-la-tengo-rough-trade

Lucky ducks. But I'll see him on 3/3 in the Boston area.

Ha yessss

I'm leaving this bookmark open hopefully I won't forget to get one tmrw

Perfectly happy with rough trade as a venue tbh

From Brooklyn Vegan:

They’ve just added a second NYC show, happening at Rough Trade on February 28. Tickets for Rough Trade go on sale Wednesday, December 21 at noon.

Read More: Robyn Hitchcock & Yo La Tengo playing ‘Black Snake Diamond Role’ at Rough Trade before Bowery Ballroom | http://www.brooklynvegan.com/robyn-hitchcock-yo-la-tengo-playing-black-snake-diamond-role-at-rough-trade-before-bowery-ballroom/?trackback=tsmclip

Sorry now that I am going to the March 1st show at Bowery Ballroom. Rough Trade is a great place to see a show.

Yeah I saw television there twice and totally agree. Bowery ballroom is not terrible though.

I finally got around to putting together an anthology of Robyn's 1995-2015 work. It was hard! Some albums are a real slog and other times I had to cut some good stuff. I limited it to 20 tracks each from three periods: 1995-2000, 2001-2015 and The Venus 3 albums. My overall feelings on this period:

I'm a big fan of the Warner's era, the Mossy Liquor/Elixir and the Jewels/Bram sessions produced a glut of great material. Overall, I think these are consistently excellent albums.

The Venus 3 albums are mostly great as well though I find some rough/dull patches on "Goodnight Oslo" (particularly "Saturday Groovers") and "Propellor Time" (first 3 tracks). I'm especially excited to have cherry-picked all the best stuff to listen to in one go.

His 21st century work aside from the Venus 3 has been prolific and a decidedly mixed bag:
Robyn Sings - disc 1 is damn good, disc 2 is fun despite bootleg quality, I like these songs more with Robyn's voice than Bob's
Nextdoorland / Side Three - half great, half forgettable
Luxor - unredeemable due to it's boringness, it was a struggle to pick even one worthy track
Spooked - also half-great and overall better than I remembered, but it gets a bit dull towards the end
Obliteration Pie - an interesting curiosity with one of his best tracks from this period ("City Of Women") but not a critical entry into his catalog
Shadow Cat - not even close to the quality of "Invisible Hitchcock" and "You & Oblivion" in terms of barrel scraping, mostly forgettable aside from the title track
I Often Dream Of Trains In New York - another fun record with some fascinating new interpretations, of course the source material is one of his best ever
Tromso Kaptein - mostly bad
Love From London - mostly bad
There Goes The Ice - full of good-but-not-great material, this was also hard to pick from simply because nothing truly stands out so I chose a couple of uptempo tracks
The Man Upstairs - very nice, I dig the covers and the originals are mostly solid