I thought long and hard about purchasing this box set given that I already had copies of Black Snake Diamond Role(BSDR), I Often Dream Of Trains (IODOT) and Eye. The selling point for RH completists was, of course, the two-disc set of 'rarities' which formed the While Thatcher Mauled Britain (WTMB) package. However at least half of these tracks where/are available on 1995's compilation You & Oblivion and the harder-to-find Invisible Hitchcock.
I waited for Yep Roc's Christmas sale when IWGB was reduced from $49.99 to $32.99. Throw in the transaltantic p&p and I got the box set for twenty-two pounds. There's not much point reviewing albums from the 80s so I thought I'd highlight the changes.
BSDR
This was, of course, Robyn's first solo album and harks back to 1981 when it was originally released on the Armageddon label, as was the Soft Boys' classic Underwater Moonlight. To my knowledge there had been two previous reissues. The first (which is in my possession) included Dancing On God's Thumb (DOGT) as a bonus track and the later issue included Happy The Golden Prince, I Watch The Cars demo, It Was The Night and Grooving On An Inner Plane. Robyn drops DOGT and adds All I Wanna Do Is Fall in Love, Give Me a Spanner Ralph and the sublime A Skull, A Suitcase And A Long Red Bottle Of Wine.
IODOT
Originally released in 1984 I have the 1995 Rhino/sequel re-issue with five demos as bonus tracks. Robyn drops the by-now embarrassing Mellow Together and changes the running order of the second half of the album. He drops the 1995 bonus tracks and adds Chant/Aether, an alternative take of Heart Full Of Leaves, a demo of the title track and three unreleased songs, Not Even A Nurse, Slow Chant/That's Fantastic Mother Church (a withering attack on The Sacrament of Reconciliation) and Traveller's Fare.
Eye
I own the original 1990 Glass Fish release. Robyn drops Sweet Ghost Of Light, College Of Ice, Transparent Lover and replaces them with Century in the running order and bonus tracks Shimmering Distant Love, Lovers Turn To Skulls and the brilliant The Beauty of Earl's Court.
WTMB
Through the beauty that is Soulseek I'd heard most of the rare tracks on the double CD. The best of the previously unissued are the Barrettesque Parachutes & Jellyfish, the Oedipean Melting Arthur and the box set title track.
In summary then, a must for Hitchcock completists and now is the time to strike with prices plummeting on ebay. Nice packaging and the usual Robyn words and drawings thrown in for good measure. January will be a lot brighter this year.
WG
Saturday 5 January 2008
Thursday 3 January 2008
Happy New Year
A sombre start to 2008 following the untimely death of Phil O'Donnell. May he rest in peace.
Sartorial Records in London are releasing, Shadow Cat (in honour of Robyn's cat Figgy), a compilation of rare Robyn Hitchcock recordings from the mid-to-late Nineties. One track Statue With A Walkman was the extra track on Robyn's eponymous sampler on Sequel from 1995. Another track, Green Boy, was on A Star For Bram, itself a series of outtakes from Jewels For Sophia. With the exception of his cover of The Wind Cries Mary the remaining tracks are all originals and unreleased. Full details of the track-listing can be had in my Music Latest section. The CD can be had for 18 pounds including p&p direct from Robyn's website but I got my copy for a tenner with free postage direct from Sartorial on ebay.
This continues Robyn's clearing of the vaults and comes hot on the heels of the 5-disc opus, I Wanna Go Backwards (IWGB), and pre-dates another Yep Roc release of material from The Egyptians era.
If you have the patience for transAtlantic shopping I would highly recommend Yep Roc as a slick, smart and modern supplier. All purchases come with the exact same in digitital download format. Look out for special offers and the occasional freebie in your package.
I intend to review IWGB over the coming Celtic-free weekend with Shadow Cat to follow on receipt. If anyone has any questions on Yep Roc or Robyn Hitchcock I will do my best to help.
God rest Phil O'Donnell, 1972-2007.
Sartorial Records in London are releasing, Shadow Cat (in honour of Robyn's cat Figgy), a compilation of rare Robyn Hitchcock recordings from the mid-to-late Nineties. One track Statue With A Walkman was the extra track on Robyn's eponymous sampler on Sequel from 1995. Another track, Green Boy, was on A Star For Bram, itself a series of outtakes from Jewels For Sophia. With the exception of his cover of The Wind Cries Mary the remaining tracks are all originals and unreleased. Full details of the track-listing can be had in my Music Latest section. The CD can be had for 18 pounds including p&p direct from Robyn's website but I got my copy for a tenner with free postage direct from Sartorial on ebay.
This continues Robyn's clearing of the vaults and comes hot on the heels of the 5-disc opus, I Wanna Go Backwards (IWGB), and pre-dates another Yep Roc release of material from The Egyptians era.
If you have the patience for transAtlantic shopping I would highly recommend Yep Roc as a slick, smart and modern supplier. All purchases come with the exact same in digitital download format. Look out for special offers and the occasional freebie in your package.
I intend to review IWGB over the coming Celtic-free weekend with Shadow Cat to follow on receipt. If anyone has any questions on Yep Roc or Robyn Hitchcock I will do my best to help.
God rest Phil O'Donnell, 1972-2007.
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