This is my last post for a while. I'm signing off for a bit because I'm heading to an Ionian island to splash around like a duck in the sea, under the Mediterranean sun. See you later alligators.
Robyn Hitchcock is a rock ’n’ roll surrealist. Born in London in 1953, he describes his songs as “paintings you can listen to”. As much a child of Dalí, de Chirico and J. G. Ballard as of his 1960s musical heroes, he is a master of the absurd, reveling in the beauty of the unexpected. His first band, the Soft
Boys (1976–81), has remained an influential art-rock touchstone for generations of musicians. Hitchcock has floated at a tangent to the mainstream for five decades, and his songs have been performed by R.E.M., the Replacements, Uncle Tupelo, Vic Chesnutt, Sparklehorse and Suzanne Vega with the Grateful Dead, among others. He came of age in the 1960s while he attended Winchester College, an eccentric hothouse boarding school in the south of England. Hitchcock lives in Nashville with his wife Emma Swift and their two cats, Ringo and Tubby.
Robyn Hitchcock is one of England's most enduring and prolific singer/songwriters. Heavily influenced by Syd Barrett, John Lennon, and Bob Dylan, Hitchcock first made his name as a member of the Soft Boys, who pioneered a fusion of punk and psychedelia on 1980's Underwater Moonlight. He
stepped out as a solo artist with 1981's Black Snake Diamond Role, introduced his backing band the Egyptians on 1985's Fegmania!, and made his major-label debut on 1988's Globe of Frogs. Hitchcock delivered a steady stream of fine albums through the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, including 1998's Storefront Hitchcock, 2006's Olé! Tarantula, and 2010's Propellor Time, while 2017's Robyn Hitchcock, 2022's Shufflemania, and 2026's The Confuser saw him delivering strong, stylish work in his sixth decade as a recording artist.
In 2007, he was the subject of a documentary, Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death... and Insects,
directed by John Edginton, shown on the U.S. Sundance Channel and in the UK on BBC Four (and later released on DVD). "Food, sex and death are all corridors to life if you like. You need sex to get you here, you need food to keep you here and you need death to get you out and they’re the entry and exit signs." The filmmaker eavesdrops on Hitchcock at work on his latest collection of songs with contributors including Nick Lowe, former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, Peter Buck and
Gillian Welch. The film culminates with Hitchcock and the band taking the songs on the road in America. A live EP with The Venus 3, Sex, Food, Death... and Tarantulas, was released in conjunction with the documentary. The film also includes candid interviews with Hitchcock, who reveals much about the source of his work: "At heart I'm a frightened angry person. That's probably why my stuff isn't totally insubstantial. I'm constantly, deep down inside, in a kind of rage."
01. ROBYN HITCHCOCK - BLACK SNAKE DIAMOND ROLE 1981 DELUXE EDITION 2007
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While the other three members of the Soft Boys appeared on the album (guitarist Kimberley Rew, bassist
Matthew Seligman, and drummer Morris Windsor) along with Vince Ely of the Psychedelic Furs, Knox from the Vibrators, and a then-unknown Thomas Dolby, Black Snake Diamond Role represented a subtle but clear shift away from the more aggressive tone of the Soft Boys toward a more pop-oriented sound. Black Snake Diamond Role staked out a distinct sonic territory for Hitchcock's solo career that still made room for the abundant talent he'd displayed in his years with the Soft Boys, and remains one of his most enjoyable efforts.
Robyn Hitchcock – 1981 - Black Snake Diamond Röle
Label: Yep Roc Records – YEP-2611
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Limited Edition 2007
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Psychedelic Rock, Indie Rock
TRACKS
01. The Man Who Invented Himself (Zinc Pear Mix) 3:00
02. Brenda's Iron Sledge (Amniotic Mix) 2:57
03. Do Policemen Sing? 3:37
04. The Lizard 5:03
05. Meat 3:05
Guitar – Knox
06. Acid Bird 4:43
07. I Watch The Cars 2:26
08. Out Of The Picture 3:42
Guitar – Knox
09. City Of Shame 3:23
10. Love 4:46
Backing Vocals – Howie Gilbert, Robb Appleton
Bass [Overbass] – Matthew Seligman
Keyboards [Ocean] – Thomas Dolby
BONUS TRACKS
11. All I Wanna Do Is Fall In Love 3:48
12. A Skull, A Suitcase, And A Long Red Bottle Of Wine 4:59
Harmonica – Robb Appleton
Keyboards – Thomas Dolby
13. It Was The Night 3:36
14. I Watch The Cars No. 2 4:26
15. Give Me A Spanner Ralph 2:38
Harmonica – Robb Appleton
16. It's A Mystic Trip 2:59
17. Grooving On A Inner Plane 4:12
Vocals, Handclaps – James A. Smith
18. Happy The Golden Prince 6:40
LINE - UP
Robyn Hitchcock - piano, bass, lead guitar, artwork
Morris Windsor - drums, backing vocals
Gary Barnacle - saxophone on "The Man Who Invented Himself"
Matthew Seligman - bass, overbass on "Love"
Vince Ely - drums on "Brenda's Iron Sledge", "Do Policemen Sing?", "The Lizard" and "I Watch the Cars"
Kimberley Rew - guitar on "Do Policemen Sing?", "The Lizard", "I Watch the Cars" and "City of Shame"
Knox - guitar on "Meat" and "Out of the Picture"
Robb Appleton - backing vocals on "Love"
Howie Gilbert - backing vocals on "Love"
Tom Dolby - keyboards/ocean on "Love"
Flac Size: 491 MB
02. ROBYN HITCHCOCK AND THE EGYPTIANS - GOTTA LET THIS HEN OUT! (LIVE) 1985
Recorded at the Marquee in London shortly after the release of Fegmania!, the live Gotta Let This Hen Out! is a tense and exciting record, finding the raw energy that usually goes untapped in Robyn Hitchcock's music. Although the album makes the Egyptians sound more like a rock & roll band than they
actually were -- they never played with such reckless abandon before or since -- the driving performances don't wreck the melodic and lyrical eccentricities of the songs; instead, the increased vigor gives the music a searing power, obliterating the notion that Hitchcock's songs are delicate and precious. The set list also accentuates Hitchcock's strengths, relying on his most accessible and melodic material, whether it's newer Egyptians material like "Egyptian Cream," "Sometimes I Wish I Was a Pretty Girl," and "Acid Bird," or earlier Soft Boys tracks like "Kingdom of Love," "Only the Stones Remain," "The Face of Death," and "Leppo and the Jooves."
Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – 1985 - Gotta Let This Hen Out!
Label: Yep Roc Records – YEP 2617, Yep Roc Records – YEP-2617
Format: CD, Album, Reissue 2008
Country: US
Released: 1985
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Indie Rock
TRACKS
01. Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl 2:09
02. Kingdom Of Love 4:11
03. Acid Bird 4:46
04. The Cars She Used To Drive 2:53
05. My Wife And My Dead Wife 4:00
06. Brenda's Iron Sledge 3:06
07. The Fly 3:41
08. Only The Stones Remain 2:38
09. Egyptian Cream 3:31
10. Leppo And The Jooves 4:54
11. America 4:17
12. Heaven 3:53
13. Listening To The Higsons 3:07
14. The Face Of Death 3:26
15. If You Were A Priest 2:37
16. Freeze 3:55
17. I'm Only You 6:25
18. Unsettled 3:49
19. Egyptian Cream 2 4:25
LINE - UP
Robyn Hitchcock - vocals, guitar
Roger Jackson - keyboards
Andy Metcalfe - bass, vocals
Morris Windsor - drums, ice cream
Flac Size: 498 MB
03. ROBYN HITCHCOCK AND THE EGYPTIANS - ELEMENT OF LIGHT 1986
Element of Light, Hitchcock's second studio album with the Egyptians, remains one of his finest moments and offers a convincing argument for his talents as a pop craftsman. Using John Lennon's work for Revolver and The Beatles as a template, Hitchcock wrote an elegant set of songs for Element of Light,
songs that contained all of his cryptic lyrical sensibilities, yet featured more refined melodies and song structures. The Egyptians play with a subtle grace, moving between the stately "Winchester" and light psychedelia of "If You Were a Priest" to the bracing attack of "Tell Me About Your Drugs" with ease. While it sacrifices some of the edgy tension of Hitchcock's earlier work, Element of Light is his most melodic and eerily beautiful record. [In 2008, Yep Roc released a new edition of Element of Light which included the original album re-mastered, six bonus cuts (four of which had never seen the light of day) and expanded packaging.]
Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians – 1986 - Element Of Light
Label: Rhino Records – R2 71839
Format: CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country: US
Released: 1995
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave, Psychedelic Rock, Indie Rock
TRACKS
01. If You Were A Priest 3:00
02. Winchester 5:01
Piano – Andy Metcalfe
03. Somewhere Apart 2:48
Electric Piano – Roger Jackson
Upright Piano – Robyn Hitchcock
04. Ted, Woody And Junior 2:51
Organ – Roger Jackson
Piano – Andy Metcalfe
05. The President 4:16
Recorded By [Backing Track, Guitar Overdubs] – Steve Robertshaw
06. Raymond Chandler Evening 2:15
Keyboards [Bass Keyboard] – Andy Metcalfe
07. Bass 3:00
08. Airscape 5:09
Glass Harmonica – Roger Jackson
09. Never Stop Bleeding 2:475:37
10. Lady Waters & The Hooded One
Recorded By [Backing Track] – Steve Robertshaw
11. The Black Crow Knows 3:34
12. The Crawling 3:20
13. The Leopard 4:21
14. Tell Me About Your Drugs 2:47
Bass, Keyboards – Robyn Hitchcock
Drums – Andy Metcalfe
Guitar – Morris Windsor
BONUS SELECTIONS
15. The Can Opener 2:27
16. Raymond Chandler Evening (Demo) 1:54
Double Bass [String Bass], Trumpet [Muted] – Chris Cox (4)
Saxophone – James Fletcher
17. The President (Demo) 3:47
18. If You Were A Priest (Demo) 2:46
Percussion – Chris Cox
19. Airscape (Live) 4:49
Percussion – Andy Metcalfe, Morris Windsor
20. The Leopard (Demo) 5:14
Percussion – Chris Cox
LINE - UP
Robyn Hitchcock – guitar, vocals, upright piano on "Somewhere Apart", bass on "Tell Me About Your Drugs"
Andy Metcalfe – bass, vocals on "If You Were A Priest", "Winchester", "Ted, Woody and Junior", "Bass", "Airscape", "Lady Waters & the Hooded One", "The Black Crow Knows", "Tell Me About Your Drugs", piano on "Winchester", "Ted, Woody and Junior", bass keyboard on "Raymond Chandler Evening", keyboards on "Never Stop Bleeding" and "The Leopard", drums on "Tell Me About Your Drugs"
Morris Windsor – drums, vocals on "Ted, Woody and Junior", "Bass", "Airscape" and "Lady Waters & the Hooded One", electric guitar on "Tell Me About Your Drugs"
Roger Jackson – keyboards, glass harmonica on "Airscape", vocals on "Lady Waters & the Hooded One"
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR DRUGS LYRICS
Do you believe in the Holy Grail?
Tell me about your drugs
Do you know anyone in jail?
Tell me about your drugs
Tell me about your drugs
And you just can't take it anymore?
Tell me about your drugs
Tell me about your drugs
Do you like the things that hurt you most?
Tell me about your drugs
Do you wish you were somebody else?
Tell me about your drugs
But you wake up and you're still yourself
Talkin' about your drugs
Why don't you tell me about your drugs?
I'd love to know more about your drugs
Why don't you get intimate about your drugs
Why don't you call me up and go on for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours and hours about your drugs
Tell me Morris
Tell me about your drugs
Do you believe in human sheep?
Tell me about your drugs
WIth their curly little whirly tails?
Tell me about your drugs
So they hang themselves when all else fails
And they're thinkin' about their drugs
04. ROBYN HITCHCOCK - JEWELS FOR SOPHIA 1999
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. More than two decades after first launch, Commander Hitchcock is still firing super-creative rockets. Jewels indeed.
Robyn Hitchcock – 1999 - Jewels For Sophia
Label: Warner Bros. Records – 9362-47433-2
Format: CD, Album
Country: Europe
Released: 1999
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock
TRACKS
01. Mexican God 2:57
02. The Cheese Alarm 4:03
03. Viva! Sea-Tac 3:51
04. I Feel Beautiful 4:02
05. You've Got A Sweet Mouth On You, Baby 4:27
06. NASA Clapping 3:30
07. Sally Was A Legend 2:32
08. Antwoman 4:44
09. Elizabeth Jade 2:19
10. No, I Don't Remember Guildford 4:45
11. Dark Princess 5:40
12. Jewels For Sophia 4:09
13. Mr Tongs 3:55
14. Gene Hackman 2:40
LINE - UP
Robyn Hitchcock - lead vocals, acoustic guitar (#1,2,3,4,5,9,10,11,12), electric guitar (#2,3,4,6,7,8,10,11), bass guitar (#2,12), backing vocals (#2,10), harmonica (#5,6,10), piano (#10,12), handclaps (#12)
Tim Keegan - backing vocals (#2,3,8,10,11,12), acoustic guitar (#3,10,12), pop (#4), piano (#8), electric guitar (#9), shaker (#11)
TRACKS 1,2,4,5,8,11 – PRODUCED BY JON BRION IN LOS ANGELES
Jon Brion - bass guitar (#1,11), drums (#1,2,8,11), keyboards (#2,8,11), marimba (#4), low sonic wobble (#4), marxophone (#4), vocals (#5), percussion (#5), organ (#11)
Aloke Dutta - tabla (#2)
Grant Lee Phillips - backing vocals (#4,8), bass guitar (#8)
Flac Size: 420 MB
05. ROBYN HITCHCOCK AND THE VENUS 3 - PROPELLOR TIME 2010
Robyn Hitchcock has made a few albums that announce themselves as masterpieces right out of the box, such as I Often Dream of Trains, Fegmania!, or the Soft Boys' Underwater Moonlight, but his catalog also includes a handful of records that sneak up on you with a subtle excellence, such as Eye, Respect, and
Jewels for Sophia. Propellor Time falls into the latter category; on the surface, it doesn't feel all that different from the albums that immediately preceded it (Olé! Tarantula and Goodnight Oslo), but play it a few times, let it sink in, and this album sounds like one of the most satisfying things Hitchcock has made since the mid-'90s. Robyn Hitchcock doesn't really make bad albums, but he doesn't always make legitimately great ones; Propellor Time thankfully feels like one of the high-watermarks of his post-millennial body of work, and it's beautiful, essential listening.
Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3 – 2010 - Propellor Time
Label: Sartorial Records – FIT047CD
Format: CD, Album
Country: UK
Released: 2010
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock
TRACKS
01. Star Of Venus 4:20
Acoustic Guitar – Chris Ballew
02. The Afterlight 3:50
Acoustic Guitar – Chris Ballew
Banjo – Neill MacColl
03. Luckiness 3:12
Banjo – Neill MacColl
Mandolin – John Paul Jones
Saw [Musical] – Ruby Wright
04. Ordinary Millionaire 3:51
Cor Anglais – Kate St. John
Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Music By – Johnny Marr
Words By – RH
05. John In The Air 2:56
Piano – Chris Ballew
06. Propellor Time 5:13
Electric Guitar – Chris Ballew
Music By – Peter Buck
Words By – RH
07. Primitive 3:42
Accordion [Treated] – Kate St John
08. Sickie Boy 3:58
09. Born On The Wind 4:33
10. Evolove 3:58
Acoustic Guitar – Chris Ballew
Mandolin – John Paul Jones
Mellotron – Charlie Francis
Saw [Musical] – Ruby Wright
LINE - UP
Robyn Hitchcock – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, keyboards
Peter Buck – 12-string electric guitar, 6-string acoustic guitar
Scott McCaughey – bass, vocals
Bill Rieflin – drums
ADDITIONAL MUSICIANS
Chris Ballew – guitar, backing vocals, piano
Charlie Francis – keyboards, mellotrons
John Paul Jones – mandolin
Nick Lowe – backing vocals
Neil MacColl – banjo
Johnny Marr – guitar
Kate St John – oboe, treated accordion
Morris Windsor – backing vocals
Ruby Wright – musical saw
Flac Size: 255 MB
06. ROBYN HITCHCOCK - ROBYN HITCHCOCK 2017
Eponymous albums usually herald a debut or a stylistic sea change. Robyn Hitchcock's 22nd studio LP is
neither, but it embraces elements of both. Recorded in Nashville with pop sorcerer Brendan Benson, it's a distillation of the 64-year-old surrealist's entire career, and easily his most vibrant collection of new music since the early 1990s. No longer the hyper-prolific, Byzantine food-, sex-, and death-obsessed Syd Barrett-phile of old -- well, maybe just a little bit -- Hitchcock has settled into a sort of seasoned eccentricity, and this economical, late career gem proves that he's still got plenty of Madcap Laughs left in the hopper.
Robyn Hitchcock – 2017 - Robyn Hitchcock
Label: Yep Roc Records – YEP-2483
Format: CD, Album
Country: US
Released: Apr 21, 2017
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock
TRACKS
01. I Want To Tell You About What I Want 3:42
02. Virginia Woolf 2:53
03. I Pray When I'm Drunk 2:06
04. Mad Shelley's Letterbox 3:38
05. Sayonara Judge 5:55
06. Detective Mindhorn 3:28
07. 1970 In Aspic 3:14
08. Raymond And The Wires 2:21
09. Autumn Sunglasses 5:06
10. Time Coast 3:42
LINE - UP
Robyn Hitchcock – guitar, keyboards, vocals
Anne McCue – guitar
Jon Estes – bass
Jon Radford – drums
Russ Pahl – pedal steel
Emma Swift & Pat Sansone – harmony vocals on "Sayonara Judge", "Time Coast", "Detective Mindhorn", and "1970 In Aspic"
Grant Lee Phillips – harmonies on "I Pray When I'm Drunk" and "Raymond And The Wires"
Gillian Welch – harmonies on "Autumn Sunglasses"
SAYONARA JUDGE LYRICS
Losing my face
Losing my friends
Losing my temper
Losing my place on the map
Losing my home
Losing my January to December
But I'm twirling my cane
Out on my own
Sayonara, I'm a loser
But I'm walking on air
Losing my case
Losing my form
Losing my tether
My self-esteem
But together is not all that it seems
Sayonara, I'm a loser
But I'm walking on air
Uh-huh
Losing your trust
Losing your number
Losing your praise
Your rubber stamp
Losing your smile
I never danced, not even a rhumba
But if I did, I'd be dancing in style
Sayonara, I'm a loser
But I'm walking on air
(Air, uh-huh)
I won't wait for the sentence
I know what you always wanted to do
Goodbye judge
Auf wiedersehn jury
I'm not sticking around
For any of you
But I'm walking on air
(air, uh-huh)
Walking on air
(air, yes, sir)
Walking on air
(air, uh-huh)
(air, uh-huh)
Goodbye teddy bear
(air, uh-huh)
(air, uh-huh)
