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.
― Mr. Odd, Friday, 31 August 2007 21:57 (sixteen years ago) link
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 Hongro, Friday, 31 August 2007 22:16 (sixteen years ago) link
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.
― EZ Snappin, Friday, 31 August 2007 22:59 (sixteen years ago) link
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?
― Bimble, Saturday, 1 September 2007 00:27 (sixteen years ago) link
Those ones you mention are all previously unreleased. Mr. Odd has done a good job attributing all previously released material.
― EZ Snappin, Saturday, 1 September 2007 00:40 (sixteen years ago) link
Wait-- how can the vocal on Abandoned Brain be more moving?! That seems impossible...
― Jon Lewis, Saturday, 1 September 2007 01:42 (sixteen years ago) link
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?
― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 18:13 (sixteen years ago) link
And Mr. Odd was right - this latest version of "The Abandoned Brain" is actually more moving. Definite standout track.
― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 18:15 (sixteen years ago) link
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.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 18:19 (sixteen years ago) link
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."
― tylerw, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 18:30 (sixteen years ago) link
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.
― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 20:39 (sixteen years ago) link
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
― ciderpress, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 20:44 (sixteen years ago) link
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.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 20:47 (sixteen years ago) link
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.
― clotpoll, Tuesday, 13 November 2007 23:44 (sixteen years ago) link
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!
― toby, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 01:01 (sixteen years ago) link
uh, yeah, is it really $9.99? That is like the deal of the century. that's how downloads should be priced!
― tylerw, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 18:21 (sixteen years ago) link
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.
― toby, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 18:57 (sixteen years ago) link
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.
― Jon Lewis, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 18:59 (sixteen years ago) link
$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.
― toby, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 19:14 (sixteen years ago) link
Hmm, it looks like a lot of the juiciest tracks are not part of the downloadables though.
― eater, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 21:51 (sixteen years ago) link
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.
― EZ Snappin, Wednesday, 14 November 2007 22:37 (sixteen years ago) link
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.
― toby, Thursday, 15 November 2007 00:16 (sixteen years ago) link
Thanks, toby, you're making me feel better about having decided not to drop $55 for the box at the show!
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Thursday, 15 November 2007 02:56 (sixteen years ago) link
Price has jumped up to $39.99 now, so I guess it was a mistake, after all.
― toby, Saturday, 17 November 2007 16:47 (sixteen years ago) link
_Shadow Cat_ is now available through Sartorial's shop on eBay. It's clearly second tier material with a handful of gems.
― Mr. Odd, Saturday, 12 January 2008 01:05 (sixteen years ago) link
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...
― Emily S., Saturday, 12 January 2008 14:07 (sixteen years ago) link
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_.
― Mr. Odd, Saturday, 12 January 2008 14:54 (sixteen years ago) link
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!
― Emily S., Saturday, 12 January 2008 15:20 (sixteen years ago) link
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.
― toby, Saturday, 12 January 2008 15:43 (sixteen years ago) link
"i often dream of trains" was the first solo hitchcock i heard, and it's still my favorite, fellow emily.
― Emily Bjurnhjam, Saturday, 12 January 2008 15:47 (sixteen years ago) link
brilliant - thanks everyone!
― Emily S., Saturday, 12 January 2008 16:39 (sixteen years ago) link
I just got into Hitchcock solo recently, and the first album was I Often Dream Of Trains, which I adore.
― zeus, Saturday, 12 January 2008 20:55 (sixteen years ago) link
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."
― Hunt3r, Saturday, 12 January 2008 22:05 (sixteen years ago) link
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).
― akm, Saturday, 12 January 2008 22:35 (sixteen years ago) link
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
― Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You, Sunday, 10 August 2008 21:37 (fifteen years ago) link
I can't stop crying.
― Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You, Sunday, 10 August 2008 21:40 (fifteen years ago) link
"acid bird" from "black snake diamond role" = yes.
― Emily Bjurnhjam, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 03:43 (fifteen years ago) link
Aw yeah. Black Snake Diamond Role. I haven't heard that one in a long, long time. Thanks.
― Bimble Is Still More Goth Than You, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 04:58 (fifteen years ago) link
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.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 14:45 (fifteen years ago) link
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.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 14:48 (fifteen years ago) link
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.
― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 16:31 (fifteen years ago) link
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 ...
― tylerw, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 16:42 (fifteen years ago) link
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.
― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 18:01 (fifteen years ago) link
Off the Top of my lightbulb head
Acid Bird Insanely Jealous I wanna Destroy you
all classic
― Fer Ark, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 18:10 (fifteen years ago) link
oh and 'The Queen Of Eyes'...
― Fer Ark, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 18:14 (fifteen years ago) link
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.
― tylerw, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 18:25 (fifteen years ago) link
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
― contenderizer, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 18:28 (fifteen years ago) link
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
― contenderizer, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 18:43 (fifteen years ago) link
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.
― EZ Snappin, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 19:12 (fifteen years ago) link
He's never had a filler-free work, though the two odds-n-sods are pretty close; Invisible Hitchcock and You & Oblivion...-- EZ
-- EZ
― contenderizer, Tuesday, 12 August 2008 19:20 (fifteen years ago) link