Robyn Hitchcock: I Often Dream Of Trains 1984 + Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians: Fegmania! 1985 + Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians: Queen Elvis 1989

 

Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born 3 March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While

primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano, and bass guitar. After leading the Soft Boys in the late 1970s and releasing the influential Underwater Moonlight, Hitchcock launched a prolific solo career. His musical and lyrical styles have been influenced by Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Syd Barrett, Captain Beefheart, Martin Carthy, Lou Reed, Roger McGuinn and Bryan Ferry.
                   

One of England's most enduring and prolific singer/songwriters, visual artists, guitarists, live performers, and genuine eccentrics, Robyn Hitchcock started his recording career with the Soft Boys,

a punk-era band specializing in melodic pop merged with offbeat lyrics. Heavily influenced by Syd Barrett, John Lennon, and Bob Dylan, and prone to telling long, improvised, surrealist monologues during live performances, Hitchcock embarked on a solo career in 1981 and never looked back, releasing nearly an album a year well into the early 21st century, both as a solo artist and with his bands the Egyptians and the Venus 3.
                    

Starting his career as a folkie in Cambridge, England, Hitchcock has been compared to such British folk-rock figures as Roy Harper and the Incredible String Band, specifically because of his acoustic guitar and loopy vocal style, though his rock voice bears shades of John Lennon and Syd Barrett.

Switching gears early to front the Soft Boys, a punk-era band specializing in melodic, chiming jangle pop and clever lyrics (Underwater Moonlight remains a classic of the genre), it wasn't long before he quit the band and made his solo debut. Black Snake Diamond Role (1981) confirmed his reputation as an oddball thanks to his titles "Brenda's Iron Sledge" and "Acid Bird," among others. The psychedelia of Groovy Decay (1982) followed, as did the all-acoustic I Often Dream of Trains (1984). By 1985, Hitchcock's unpredictable songsmithing coalesced on Fegmania! Later that year, the live document Gotta Let This Hen Out! demonstrated his command of the stage.
                                    

In 1988, he landed his first major U.S. label contract with A&M Records and followed the signing by releasing the ambitious Globe of Frogs (1988) and Queen Elvis (1989). He continued to record

(Perspex Island, 1991; Respect, 1993) and receive college radio airplay, though once the momentum of the A&M years began to lag, Hitchcock bounced back in 1996 with the return-to-form Moss Elixir (Warner Bros.), which embraced his folk roots. Storefront Hitchcock, the soundtrack to the Jonathan Demme-directed concert film, followed in 1998.
                      

In late 2007, Yep Roc began reissuing all of Hitchcock's earlier work, culminating in the boxed

collection I Wanna Go Backwards. Hitchcock delved back into the archives for 2008's Shadow Cat, a collection of unreleased material from the latter half of the '90s, and also for Luminous Groove, a box set of early Egyptians releases and rarities. Goodnight Oslo, his second release with the Venus 3, and the live CD/DVD set I Often Dream of Trains in New York arrived in 2009.
                                      

The following year, Hitchcock dropped Propellor Time, a collaboration with the Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Nick Lowe, and John Paul Jones (as well as the Venus 3) that was three years in the

making. An all-new solo outing, Love from London, arrived in March of 2013, a day after his 60th birthday. The Man Upstairs, a self-described collection of "new originals, classic covers, and little-known gems" produced by legendary folk producer Joe Boyd, was released in 2014. 2017's eponymous Robyn Hitchcock marked a return to the more rock-oriented sound of his earlier works, splitting the difference between the blazing psych rock of the Soft Boys and the artful jangle pop of his output with the Venus 3.

I OFTEN DREAM OF TRAINS

                              

After the debacle that was the making of 1982's Groovy Decay, Robyn Hitchcock briefly retired from music, and when he returned it was with an album that offered a thoroughly uncompromised vision of Hitchcock's imagination. Released in 1984, I Often Dream of Trains was a primarily acoustic set with

THE EGYPTIANS

Hitchcock handling nearly all the instruments and vocals by himself; the tone is spare compared to the full-on rock & roll of his recordings with the Soft Boys or his solo debut, Black Snake Diamond Role, but the curious beauty of Hitchcock's melodies is every bit as striking in these stripped-down sessions, and the surreal imagery of "Flavour of Night," "Trams of Old London," and the title song comes to vivid and enchanting life.
               

ROBYN  HITCHCOCK  1972

Hitchcock's off-kilter wit has rarely been as effective as it is on this album; the jaunty harmonies of "Uncorrected Personality Traits" are the ideal complement for the song's psychobabble, "Sounds Great

THE EGYPTIANS

When You're Dead" manages to be funny and a bit disturbing at once, and the drunken campfire singalong of "Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus" was joyously sloppy enough to inspire a cover by the Replacements. There's a slightly ramshackle quality to these recordings, but Hitchcock was rarely in more uniformly fine form as a songwriter, and there is a consistency of tone to the disc that makes it all the more effective, drawing listeners into a curious world of its own and allowing them to explore the surroundings and their quiet splendor.
                      

And Hitchcock has rarely recorded a song as luminously gorgeous as "Autumn Is Your Last Chance." Hitchcock would pick up his electric guitar and reunite with his band the Egyptians in 1985, releasing two fine albums in one year, but I Often Dream of Trains was a simple and marvelously effective return to action that's all the more winning for its subdued, tentative tone.

ROBYN HITCHCOCK - I OFTEN DREAM OF TRAINS (1984) {Rhino-Sequel 1995}

                           

After the break-up of The Soft Boys, Hitchcock recorded two solo albums — "Black Snake Diamond Role" and the experimental "Groovy Decay" — before hitting an artistic slump mitigated only by some collaborations with Captain Sensible. He re-emerged in 1984 with this all-acoustic album, "I Often Dream Of Trains" the cathartic process of which he later likened to John Lennon's first solo work Plastic Ono Band, as he shook off the depressing effects of the unsatisfying Groovy Decay sessions.
The album was recorded in the space of a few days under the working title Crystal Branches (taken

from a line in the song "Winter Love", not originally included in the track listing). Hitchcock plays
acoustic and electric guitar and piano and delivers direct with occasional multi-tracked vocals. The vinyl album ran to fourteen tracks, bookended by the 'classical' "Nocturne". In between, Hitchcock's lyrics reference gravestones, the ghosts of derelict trams and falling leaves, the subtext of beautiful death surfacing in almost every song including the surreal-absurdist "Furry Green Atom Bowl", in which he depicts "roots in the earth and kidneys in the body", wryly commenting that "That's the way to stay".
Characteristically, Hitchcock punctuates his imagery with plenty of humour and stark, wintry arrangements which resist any descent into gloom. The album's title track accounts a train journey through Basingstoke in which he dreams of love between the buffet car and the corridor, as the winter sun falls outside the train windows.
                    

Re-issued on CD with tracks taken from Hitchcock's recent B sides. (One of these, "The Bones In The Ground", is an archetypal death-comedy lyric delivered in a mock serious manner.) A later CD edition saw yet more extras thrown in, all of which were demos of tracks originally included and took the

listing to a sprawling twenty four titles. A third CD edition saw the previous demo bonus tracks dropped, along with "Mellow Together", whilst adding yet more. So completionists need to keep both. If you want to hear the album as originally intended, play tracks 1-7 and 13-19. Tracks 8-12 were bonus tracks added to the intial CD release in 1986 on Midnight Records. Tracks 20-24 are demos that were added to the 1995 Rhino CD Re-issue. Yep Roc's 2007 release restored the original album track order, but dropped the track "Mellow Together" Completely

Robyn Hitchcock – I Often Dream Of Trains
Label: Rhino Records – R2 71822
Format:    CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country: US
Released: 1995
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock, Acoustic, Indie Rock

TRACKS

                             

01. Nocturne (Prelude) 1:43
02. Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl 2:00
03. Cathedral 3:43
04. Uncorrected Personality Traits 1:46
05. Sounds Great When You're Dead 3:23
06. Flavour Of Night 2:59
07. Ye Sleeping Knights Of Jesus 4:02
08. Mellow Together 1:56
09. Winter Love 2:40
10. The Bones In The Ground 3:09
11. My Favourite Buildings 2:50
12. I Used To Say I Love You 4:35
13. This Could Be The Day 2:48
14. Trams Of Old London 3:31
15. Furry Green Atom Bowl 3:19
16. Heart Full Of Leaves 2:30
17. Autumn Is Your Last Chance 3:33
18. I Often Dream Of Trains 2:28
19. Nocturne (Demise) 1:53
20. Ye Sleeping Knights Of Jesus 4:14 (Demo)
21. Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl 1:57 (Demo)
22. Cathedral 3:53 (Demo)
23. Mellow Together 2:00 (Demo)
24. The Bones In The Ground 1:53 (Demo)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 158 MB
Flac  SIZE: 377 MB

ROBYN HITCHCOCK AND THE EGYPTIANS - FEGMANIA! 1985

            

Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians – Fegmania!
Label: Sequel Records – RSACD 822
Format:    CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered
Country: UK
Released: 1995
Genre: Rock
Style: Alternative Rock

TRACKS

                               

01. Egyptian Cream    3:31
02. Another Bubble    2:44
03. I'm Only You    4:26
04. My Wife & My Dead Wife    4:16
05. Goodnight I Say    3:12
06. The Man With The Lightbulb Head    3:03
07. Insect Mother    1:52
08. Strawberry Mind    2:48
09. Glass    3:11
10. The Fly    3:48
11. Heaven    4:40
12. Bells Of Rhymney    3:29
13. Dwarfbeat    2:58
14. Some Body    3:19

BONUS SELECTIONS       
    
15. Egyptian Cream (Demo)    4:34
16. Heaven (Live)    4:53
17. Insect Mother (Smithsound Demo)    1:40
18. Egyptian Cream (Live)    5:33
19. The Pit Of Souls (Parts I-IV) :    (9:57)
19.1. I. The Plateau   
19.2. II. The Descent   
19.3. III. The Spinal Dance   
19.4. IV. Flight Of The Iron Lung   

Backing Vocals – Andy Metcalfe (tracks: 5, 8, 11, 12, 16, 18), Morris Windsor (tracks: 5, 11, 12, 14, 16, 18), Roger Jackson (tracks: 8)
Bass – Andy Metcalfe (tracks: 3 to 5, 7 to 12), Robyn Hitchcock (tracks: 1, 2, 6, 13, 14, 19)
Congas – Justin Grimaldi (tracks: 19.2)
Drums – John Kingham (tracks: 6), Morris Windsor (tracks: 3 to 5, 7 to 14, 18, 19)
Guitar – James A. Smith (tracks: 19.2), Robyn Hitchcock (tracks: 1 to 14, 16 to 19)
Keyboards – Andy Metcalfe (tracks: 3 to 5, 7, 11, 18, 19), Robyn Hitchcock (tracks: 1, 15, 19), Roger Jackson (tracks: 8 to 11)
Percussion – Andy Metcalfe (tracks: 16), Morris Windsor (tracks: 16, 18)
Saxophone – James Fletcher (tracks: 13)
Vocals – Robyn Hitchcock

Tracks 15-19 are previously unissued.
Track 19 originally issued on 12" <I>Brenda's Iron Sledge,</I> Midnight Music '86.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 172 MB
Flac  SIZE: 451 MB

ROBYN HITCHCOCK AND THE EGYPTIANS - QUEEN ELVIS 1989

                   

Robyn Hitchcock 'N' The Egyptians – Queen Elvis
Label: A&M Records – CD 5241
Format:    CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 1989
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Indie Rock

TRACKS

                    

01. Madonna Of The Wasps      3:05
02. The Devils Coachman   2:34
(Acoustic Guitar – Andy Metcalfe/Arranged By [Strings] – Harvey Brough, John Miller/Cello – Audrey Riley/Electric Guitar, Percussion – Morris Windsor/Strings – Quartet Zu/Viola – Jocelyn Pook/Violin – Sally Herbert, Sonia Slany)
03. Wax Doll   4:14
(Acoustic Guitar – Andy Metcalfe/Arranged By [Strings] – Harvey Brough, John Miller/Cello – Audrey Riley/Electric Guitar – Peter Buck/Strings – Quartet Zu/Viola – Jocelyn Pook/Violin – Sally Herbert, Sonia Slany)
04. Knife   3:27
Performer [Fire Extinguisher], Percussion – Andy Metcalfe
Piano [In Concept] – Robyn Hitchcock
05. Swirling    3:39
06. One Long Pair Of Eyes    4:58
(Triangle – Andy Metcalfe)
07. Veins Of The Queen    3:26
(Score [Trumpet] – Dave Woodhead)
08. Freeze    4:46
09. Autumn Sea    4:28
10. Superman    3:50
11. Veins Of The Queen (Royal Mix)   4:03
(Score [Trumpet] – Dave Woodhead)
12. Freeze (Shatter Mix)    4:17

Backing Vocals – Andy Metcalfe (tracks: 1, 6 to 8, 10 to 12), Morris Windsor (tracks: 7, 8, 11, 12), Robyn Hitchcock (tracks: 3, 5 to 8, 11, 12)
Bass, Keyboards, Mixed By – Andy Metcalfe
Drums – Morris Windsor
Engineer – Jessica Corcoran
Guitar – Peter Buck (tracks: 1, 5, 8, 12)
Guitar, Lead Vocals, Written-By – Robyn Hitchcock
Mastered By – Arnie Acosta
Mixed By – Pat Collier
Producer – Andy Metcalfe, Robyn Hitchcock
Trumpet – Dave Woodhead (tracks: 7, 8, 11, 12)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 109 MB
Flac  SIZE: 309 MB

PAINTER ROBYN HITCHCOCK

                

With a career now spanning six decades, Robyn Hitchcock remains a truly one-of-a-kind artist

–surrealist rock ’n’ roller, iconic troubadour, guitarist, poet, painter, performer.
                           

An unparalleled, deeply individualistic songwriter and stylist, Hitchcock has traversed myriad genres

with humor, intelligence, and originality over more than thirty albums and seemingly infinite live performances.
                           

From The Soft Boys’ proto-psych-punk and The Egyptians’ Dadaist pop to solo masterpieces like

1984’s milestone I Often Dream of Trains and 1990’s Eye, Hitchcock has crafted a strikingly original oeuvre rife with sagacious observation, astringent wit, recurring marine life, mechanized rail services, cheese, Clint Eastwood, and innumerable finely drawn characters real and imagined.