Robyn Hitchcock Albums (20)
What The Critics Say
After making records for three decades, Robyn Hitchcock has largely lost the ability to surprise listeners, which isn't in itself a bad thing -- the consistent strength of his work had led the average fan to expect a handful of good to great songs and lively, compelling performances whenever Hitchcock releases a new album, and with very rare exceptions he hasn't let fans down yet, even if he doesn't deliver an Underwater Moonlight or I Often Dream of Trains or Element of Light each time he heads into the studio. Released in 2009, Goodnight Oslo isn't going to force listeners to reassess their opinions about Robyn Hitchcock at this stage of the game, but it's also an album that shows the man is still in firm command of his abilities, and in many respects it's as consistently pleasurable as anything Hitchcock has released since the mid-'90s. Like 2006's Olé! Tarantula, a large share of the credit for Goodnight Oslo's effectiveness is the contribution of Hitchcock's backing band, the Venus 3 -- Peter Buck on guitar, Scott McCaughey on bass, and Bill Rieflin on drums. While this is only the second studio album the three have made with Hitchcock, they've worked with one another long enough to have the feel and unspoken communication of a real band rather than a handful of sidemen, and along with being excellent musicians, they bring out the best in Hitchcock, filling out his melodies with taste and enthusiastic energy while helping him bring some different flavors to these sessions, like the Memphis-style R&B undertow of "What You Is," the acoustic country shuffle of "Hurry for the Sky," and the slinky, off-kilter romance of "TLC," along with Hitchcock's traditional angular guitar-centered pop. On Goodnight Oslo, Hitchcock has eased back a bit on the lysergic surrealism that was long his trademark, instead aiming for an air of sensuous menace that suits this music very well indeed, though "Intricate Thing" and "Saturday Groovers" show his eye for the offbeat is as sharp as ever. Goodnight Oslo is good enough and engaged enough that you can hardly believe Robyn Hitchcock has been making records like this since 1979 -- and who knows, maybe he can keep making albums this entertaining for another two or three decades. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Robyn Hitchcock is a wizard with an electric guitar and can create crackling, energetic rock & roll with the right band behind him, but sometimes it seems he's happiest when he's working all by his lonesome, and some of the finest albums in his catalog feature him in solo semi-acoustic mode (most notably I Often Dream of Trains and Eye). Shadow Cat is an accidental sibling to these works, a collection of 14 solo Hitchcock tracks recorded between 1993 and 1999, most of which haven't surfaced before (though a version of "Statue with a Walkman" appeared on the vinyl edition of Storefront Hitchcock, the same album included another take on Jimi Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary," and "The Green Boy" surfaced on the outtakes compilation A Star for Bram). Some of these tracks can be politely described as experiments that don't quite work, most notably two a cappella numbers performed with the aid of a vocoder ("Because You're Over" and "Real Dot"), and a few are simply lesser compositions that don't sound especially memorable, such as "High on Yourself" and the truncated opener "For Debbie Reynolds." But for fans who like Hitchcock best when he's in a deep and atmospheric mood, Shadow Cat certainly has its rewards, and the languid "Baby Doll," the minimal but absorbing "Beautiful Shock," the stripped-down rock guitar figures of "Never Have to See You Again," and the ominous yet playful title cut are welcome examples of what Hitchcock does so well. Shadow Cat shouldn't be mistaken for a "new" Robyn Hitchcock album, but as a sampler of odds and ends from his notebooks it rescues a few worthy songs from an obscurity they don't deserve, and it's a fine reminder of why Hitchcock is still regarded as one of the most gifted and singular British songwriters around. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Sometime after the release of 2003's sparse and slightly chilly Luxor, Robyn Hitchcock attended his first Gillian Welch show. Impressed by the duo's rootsy adherence to the organic -- two guitars, two voices -- he approached the longtime fans -- Hitchcock unknowingly signed David Rawlings' guitar at a Boston in-store in 1989 -- and exchanged digits. The unlikely partnership came to fruition at Nashville's Woodland Studios a few months later, and in just six days the lovely, intimate, and typically eccentric Spooked was born. Produced by Rawlings and culled from hours of off-the-cuff originals, Dylan songs, and general weirdness, Spooked harks back to his mercurial I Often Dream of Trains period. References to fungus and food abound, but wrapped in the wooly blankets of Rawlings' signature picking and Welch's winsome harmonies, they take on a fireplace warmth that renders them amiably nostalgic rather than blatantly surreal. On the dew-soaked opener, "Television," Rawlings lays down a beautiful descending lead that wouldn't have sounded out of place on the duo's debut, and its juxtaposition with Hitchcock's "bing a bon a bing bong" vocal entrance is jarring, but when the three of them come together mid-song to harmonize, the results are quietly majestic. Much of the record revisits -- musically at least -- Hitchcock's colorful past. "Everybody Needs Love," with its breathy urgency and electric sitar, sounds like something off of Element of Light, and the lurching "Creeped Out" -- featuring Welch on drums -- could have been the B-side to 1985's "Brenda's Iron Sledge." This is Hitchcock's most rewarding and creative endeavor since 1993's Egyptian-led Respect, and the fact that Rawlings and Welch are there as eager tools to flesh out his English netherworld makes the fellowship feel even more collaborative. It's a testament to both camps' willingness to try anything -- hearing Welch and Rawlings repeating "crackle, crackle, pop" beneath Hitchcock's spoken word sales pitch to extraterrestrials looking to vacation on Earth is a pretty good example -- that ultimately succeeds in making Spooked the left-field gem that it is. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Some of Robyn Hitchcock's best work in his career has been on his solo acoustic albums. It therefore comes as no surprise that Luxor is on par with both Eye and the classic I Often Dream of Trains, although it is a bit darker in tone than either of those discs. This collection offers more examples of Hitchcock's winning mix of silly and sublime lyrics backed with exotically tuned acoustic guitars. Numbers such as "The Sound of Sound," "Round Song," and "One L" are familiar and fresh all at once, as Hitchcock subtly rewrites variations of his own catalog. There is not only a strong sense of his own musical past evident, but also the past of pop music in general; sort of like a musical tea party with the ghosts of Syd Barrett, John Lennon, and Bob Dylan as the special guests. Once again, Hitchcock's amazing virtuosity on the guitar is highlighted with two instrumentals, including the title track, which is reminiscent of "The End," "Calvary Cross," and "White Summer." Hitchcock's tunefulness and playing have never really been in question, but the one nagging perplexity of his work that has perhaps kept him from greater fame has been his reputation for self-consciously bizarre lyrics. This aspect has been exaggerated to a great extent but there can sometimes be jarring juxtapositions inherent in some of his imagery. Hitchcock's vision has always included allusions to sex, death, vegetables, and small creatures, but to his credit he's never let that undermine his humanistic and hopeful side. But what do you make of an artist who sings "death is all around us like a swarm of bees, or maybe flies" and "everyone is fading gradually" in one breath, and then "I am not a yam!" and "I'll have your babies if you'll have my cold" in the next one? It's akin to a philosophy professor who intermittently giggles to bring levity to some heavy theory. No matter, for Hitchcock is aging gracefully and still maturing artistically. Luxor is a minor gem in a catalog studded with jewels. ~ Brian Downing, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Robyn Hitchcock has covered a multitude of artists throughout his career, wowing concert audiences with his ability to spontaneously recall obscure songs and a penchant for making such numbers seem like his own. While his voice and songcraft have usually led to quick comparisons with Syd Barrett and the Beatles, his surreal lyrics and acoustic bent are both the exclusive offspring of Bob Dylan's mid-'60s work. Robyn Sings is a two-disc tribute to this influence, albeit with much more melody aboard than one would normally associate with Dylan's material. As mentioned, the first disc is the keeper of the two and includes live versions of some of Dylan's most well-known acoustic songs, recorded on tour at various American locales in 1999 and 2000. Without sounding sacrilegious, Hitchcock's voice is more pleasing than Dylan's and his acoustic guitar playing is also better, making his versions, much like the Byrds' and Jimi Hendrix's before him, arguably superior to the Dylan takes. Hitchcock calls "Visions of Johanna" his favorite song, and it's easy to imagine this cut, or "Desolation Row," seamlessly nestled on one of his own albums. "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" can also be seen as a definitive cover, successfully mixing the moods of Hitchcock's own "Wide Open Star" and "Chinese Bones." Hitchcock already released a similar album entitled Royal Queen Albert & Beautiful Homer that captured a 30th anniversary tribute to Dylan's famous Royal Albert Hall concert, and the second disc of Robyn Sings simply reprises that release. This disc isn't as essential, as it contains a DAT-sourced audience recording of Hitchcock and his band recreating the concert in competent but unnecessary fashion. The sound quality aside, that event was truly too unique to be repeated and isn't as conducive to replication as the material from the fist disc. Hitchcock has released more than a half dozen "specialty" releases since he became a solo troubadour of sorts, after he and the Egyptians parted ways in 1994. Some may view this onslaught of rarities, alternate mixes, demos, live recordings, and cover albums as a sign of a dwindling muse, but on the contrary, it actually shows Hitchcock's talent to be just too abundant and varied to be contained on mere studio efforts. ~ Brian Downing, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In 2004, Robyn Hitchcock's loose and folky Spooked saw the insect- and crustacean-loving eccentric enlisting the unlikely help of NPR darlings David Rawlings and Gillian Welch. This time around he's backed by "3/4s of the Minus 5 and half of R.E.M." (Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, and Bill Rieflin) as well as ex-Soft Boys Kimberley Rew and Morris Windsor, Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan, Harvey Danger's Sean Nelson, and ex-President of the United States of America Chris Ballew. A small army indeed, but a tasteful one. Olé! Tarantula sounds like a trip back to the iconic singer/songwriter's early A&M days. Long, Byrds-inspired harmonies, jangly electric guitars, and random bursts of piano, harmonica, and saxophone pepper the collection in fits, seasoning Hitchcock's already delicious wordplay with exactly the right amount of spice. Opener "Adventure Rocket Ship" sounds like a lost track from Underwater Moonlight, the kind of confident psychedelic rocker that used to spill from the anti-bard's leafy pen like battery acid in the early to mid-'80s. That confidence coupled with the tight, road-ready band vibe permeates Tarantula's swollen belly, allowing only one or two forays into the esoteric balladry that has become the norm for the artist's post-Egyptians catalog. With the jaunty "'Cause It's Love (Saint Parallelogram)," co-written by XTC's Andy Partridge, the creepy and dissonant "Red Locust Frenzy," and the impossibly ridiculous title cut, the former "Man with the Light Bulb Head" has distilled the best of each of his eras into one big shambling creature. Lyrically, he's still obsessed with crabs, eggs, tomatoes, and things that are fleshy, furry, and spindly, but his greatest strength has always been his ability to toss a clear nugget of profundity into his most surrealist rants. In the warm, weird, and nostalgic "Belltown Ramble," he manages to rope an Uzbek warlord, email and R.E.M. into a motor-mouthed stroll through town and time that's bolstered by the wisdom that "It's an independent life/And you want to see your eyes/Reflected in the world" and the notion that "The burning train is back in your hometown." It's that perfect balance of sadness, vitriol, and absurdity that makes Hitchcock (when he's on) such a legendary social commentator. He's the jester, the king, the convict, and the executioner all wrapped up into one. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'Jewels for Sophia'
Release Date 7/20/1999
Tracks 12
Label Warner Bros.
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Exhilarated by the simple joys of the Jonathan Demme movie Storefront Hitchcock, the celebrated Mr. H demonstrates more of the straightforward, idiosyncratic charm and scrumptious tunes that made his film such a surprise. And what a fine piece of work! Without altering his established formula, it's clear the one-time Soft Boys leader has hit on a good vein. No need for lush production, even if it worked well on some of his earlier '90s albums such as Perspex Island. Jewels just collects all his strengths. On the folk-rock numbers such as the strident "Mexican God," Hitchcock relies on a six-string acoustic and some light percussion. For the more lithe pop of "Sally Was a Legend," it's all restrained electric guitar and nimble, unobtrusive bass and drums to keep it smooth. A darker, scratchier, more foreboding '60s rock arrives on the low-down stomp of "Antwoman," or the more zippy, neo-Stones rockers "Elizabeth Jade" and "Viva! Sea-Tac." Lastly, a new, studio version of Storefront Hitchcock's solo-unplugged "I Don't Remember Guilford" is fleshed out with a somber piano, lugubrious violin, and old-West harmonica to make the tune sparkle even more. He has plenty of help, too. While fans are celebrating the return of original Soft Boy Kimberley Rew on two tracks for the first time in 18 years, Hitchcock also commandeered a squadron of reverent co-conspirators in other cities to make a good LP into a first-rate one. Three-quarters of the Young Fresh Fellows along with R.E.M.'s Peter Buck are unmistakable on a trio of Seattle-recorded tracks, especially "Elizabeth Jade." Elsewhere, guitarist Tim Keegan of Homer reprises the sidekick color-man role he played in the film, and who wouldn't want Grant Lee Phillips and Jon Brion to sit in on some L.A. sessions? More than two decades after first launch, Commander Hitchcock is still firing super-creative rockets. Jewels indeed. ~ Jack Rabid, All Music Guide
'Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival'
Release Date 11/3/1998
Tracks 10
Label BBC
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival finds Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians at the height of their considerable powers as a trio, coming off as a more workaday version of the psychedelic-era Beatles. The group add subtle, often acoustic, variations to the songs, which come mainly from Perspex Island and Respect, their final two releases. It does not appear that the entire set is represented, so in the very least some sort of bonus material should've been added to pad the paltry 30-minute running time. More unforgivable is the clumsy, out-of-sequence editing of the songs, which hurts the flow of the disc. To make matters worse, the track listing and actual playing order differ significantly. In fact, Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival could have been as inspiring as the group's 1985 classic live album, Gotta Let This Hen Out, and a nice bookend to the band's career. Instead, it seems a hastily slapped together afterthought, albeit one with unbeatable music. ~ Brian Downing, All Music Guide
'Storefront Hitchcock'
Release Date 10/27/1998
Tracks 21
Label Warner Bros.
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
On Hitchcock's last U.S. tour, he played Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" as well as "Are You Experienced," sometimes within the same set. It's the kind of act that defines his performing genius as a whimsical iconoclast; but then Hitchcock once performed most of Dylan's "Royal Albert Hall" concert, so such live acts of devotion shouldn't come as entirely unexpected. Though only "Mary" is included here, Hitchcock's wacky essence is captured on the soundtrack to the Jonathan Demme picture which chronicles a couple of evenings during the aforementioned U.S. tour; both documents demand patience, but by the third song and final guitar of "I'm Only You," if you ain't hooked, I'll buy yours. Drawing from a variety of eras (the slice of life "The Yip! Song" and the electrified riff of "Freeze" are familiar Egyptians songs; love stories "Beautiful Queen" and "Alright, Yeah" are from Moss Elixir; "1974" and "I Don't Remember Guildford" are newer, personal-ish songs), the tie that binds this collection is feelings, instead of those proverbial Hitchcock symbols for them: fish and birds. What a relief. And who knew he was such an accomplished folk and electric guitarist? Storefront Hitchcock reveals his humanness, with all of his flaws, foibles, and mid-life revelations: "I'm completely gray, you're completely mad, you're a middle-aged baby and the world is bad," in "Let's Go Thundering"; "I know who wrote the book of love...it was an idiot, it was a fool..." in "Freeze." To the best of his ability, the Hitchcock persona has become "sensitive male" while still maintaining his absurd sense of humor. In the process, he's made one dictionary definition, jaw-dropping live singer/songwriter album. Listen closely for the nod to "Purple Haze." ~ Denise Sullivan, All Music Guide
