Robyn Hitchcock?

anyway, i think i'm going to put together a little comp of Robyn's best work in the 00s -- a pretty strong decade overall. maybe the only weak link is Luxor, and even that has its moments. And Nextdoorland isn't quite a great Soft Boys album (compared to the originals) but I still like it.

Cool find! Rapidshare is best early morning or late night EST; they basically hamstring non-members during daylight hours.

I agree this has been a particularly good decade for him, despite Luxor. Please don't forget the amazing stuff off A Star For Bram.

actually was thinking about leaving out star for bram, since it's 90s material (outtakes from Jewels for Sophia) was it released in 2000? i love that disc, though, maybe more than Jewels ...

maybe the only weak link is Luxor, and even that has its moments. And Nextdoorland isn't quite a great Soft Boys album (compared to the originals) but I still like it.

I concur with this. "Luxor" has some nice instrumentals but otherwise I've got no memory of it, it's the only outright disappointing album he's released. And "Nextdoorland" is about half great (especially "Mr. Kennedy") and half merely mortal.

I put together that oddities comp for someone I knew wasn't as obsessive as folks like EZ, Jon Lewis and I are. But if there's anything y'all are in search of, post it and I'll share if possible.

I'd put "Solpadeine" on a RH best of 00's comp.

well, since you asked ... do you have those live van morrison covers that were on the b-side of some 12-inch single ...? i remember playing them back when i had a college radio show, but never tracked down digital copies ... also, is there a different version of Ghost Ship floating around (different from the one on You & Oblivion, I mean)? Could've sworn I've heard it, but don't know where.

yeah, i like "solpadeine" and "idonia" from luxor -- and the instrumentals are nice, too, i agree.

but overall, Luxor sorta strikes me as what you'd get if you made Robyn write and record an entire album in a weekend ....

Tyler - you're referring to the Oceanside 12" single, and there was a b-side version of "Ghost Ship". I've included all those tracks here:
http://www.divshare.com/download/10192709-aac

awesome -- thanks!

OK, I put together this best of the 00s Robyn/Soft Boys comp. 20 songs, 80 minutes. If you want a download link shoot me a webmail ... Nothing really rare here, except the Soft Boys' version of "If You Know Time" ... But this turned out pretty well overall! Had forgotten how good the Soft Boys EP Side Three is!

Tracklisting:

Luxor
Mr. Kennedy
Underground Sun
Idonia
What You Is
Solpadeine
My Mind Is Connected...
I'm Falling
I Love Lucy
Television
Olé! Tarantula
Each Of Her Silver Wands
English Girl
Narcissus
Up To Our Nex
If You Know Time
Full Moon In My Soul
Winter Love
The Wolf House

Nice picks, Tyler. The biggest miss for me is the title track, "Goodnight Oslo" - utterly gorgeous.

Ok, so 25 of you downloaded that comp (and another 3 the addendum). Any specific favorites, comments or questions?

haha not yet but it is in my computer and I have looked at the tracklist. I will throw it on the ipod right now so it will come up at work on shuffle.

loving the acoustic covers -- his "more than this" and "ghost in you" are way better than the originals imo. is there a recording of the whole show w/ him and metcalfe on piano?

Yeah, those particular covers are stunning - he finds the emotional heart of those songs. I don't have a specific show but there's an official boot called "Give It To The Thoth Boys" which has some tracks which highlight piano.

what's the deal with him and andy metcalfe anyway? they haven't played together since, what, the last egyptians record? seems like Robyn generally ends up getting back together with everyone sooner or later -- except him!

OK 9 songs in to this and Bad Case Of History is the first one that's new to me, I assume these are chronological? Liking "Evil Guy".

where to hear "more than this" please?

Here:

I just put together a nifty playlist of 35 Robyn rarities from various sources, thought y'all might enjoy it:
http://www.divshare.com/download/9066599-c48

― Gerald McBoing-Boing

it actually made it on the A&M Greatest Hits disc, which has some other oddities/rarities - the live intro to "One Long Pair Of Eyes", "Legalized Murder", "Ruling Class", "Bright Fresh Flower", live versions of "Dark Green Energy" and "Eight Miles High" and a version of "Alright Yeah" with the Egyptians.

oh yeah, I already downloaded that...was too caught up in the Gary Numan cover to notice this!

By the way, does anyone have a cover scan or photo of the "Dark Green Energy" promo 12"? It's got one of those nifty Hitchcock drawings, I believe.

The live Gotta Let This Hen Out is the best Hitchcock intro IMHO. The CD reissue botches this up a little as the added a few weaker songs, sort of like the Rock n Roll Animal reissue. Another Lou Reed convergence, Hitchcock does a great version of Caroline Says although I don't care much for his Bob Dylan covers.

yeah, i'm not nuts about the Robyn Sings Dylan record, but I usually like hearing him do covers live -- and there are a few covers in Gerald's rarities mix that are stunning. I saw an all covers set at the Largo in the late 90s w/ Benmont Tench and Jon Brion that was one of the more fun shows I've ever been to. Dylan, VU, Beatles, Floyd, etc. My friend taped it, I should see if he ever digitized it.

By the way, does anyone have a cover scan or photo of the "Dark Green Energy" promo 12"? It's got one of those nifty Hitchcock drawings, I believe.

― Gerald McBoing-Boing

I remember this at my college radio station back in the day, but haven't seen it since. Sorry!

i think i have the CD single of that -- don't have a scanner tho!

No, it's gotta be the promo 12" with the demo of "Ride" on it.

Similarly looking for the cover of Stereo-Phonic Pop Culture from Pop Culture Press, Issue 40 which has an excellent version of "Caroline II".

that "Caroline II" is different from the one on the Soft Boys 76-81 comp? Speaking of which, is there going to be a Soft Boys box set this year? Feel like I heard something about it.

Yes, it's an acoustic studio take on "Caroline II".

I haven't heard anything further about the Soft Boys box but I presume it's still on for this year.

"Propeller Time" is coming: http://sartorialrecords.greedbag.com/buy/propellor-time-1/

Amazon now has sound samples up for all the Propeller Time tracks-- and almost all of them sound really exciting. Folksy, drawing-room, but with unmistakeable full-band power... Robyn's Music From Big Pink, maybe. The tear-jerking 'Star Of Venus' I already know from live recordings and can say it's one of his four or five best songs of the post-Warners era.

Haven't been around much lately. Tylerw, you are very naughty for not putting 'City Of Women' on your In The 00's mix! Unless I'm mistaken and it predates the decade...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Propellor-Time/dp/B00377VARK/ref=dm_ap_alb1?ie=UTF8&qid=1265990324&sr=8-10

so ... it doesn't look like Yep Roc is releasing this one in the US? What's up with that?

And yeah, City of Women (and a few others from Shadowcat) would've made the mix, but from what I understand, that record is all outtakes from 1994-1999? Also love "Nothing But Time" ... That was one I heard him play live once back in the late 90s and couldn't believe it didn't show up on any albums until Shadowcat ...

I think Sartorial is just the UK label, no? I can't imagine the Yep Roc thing going kaput at this moment...?

'City Of Women' first came out in 2003 on the Hedwig & The Angry Inch tribute album Wig In A Box (though it's an RH original) and judging from the personnel on the track (Kimberly, Paul Noble on bass, Terry Edwards) it must have been recorded around then. Love that fuckin' song so much.

Oddly, there's no listing for it yet on the Yep Roc site. You would think with it out in less than six weeks the promotion would be starting.

yeah, someone on a RH mailing list emailed yep roc and they said they don't have plans to release it ... maybe it'll be available on his Web site? Hopefully not at ridic import prices ...

Whoa that's crazy. I thought the RH/Yep relationship was quite fruitful for both parties. At least Sartorial is on eMusic, so I can get it that way, hopefully close to the release date...

yeah, it seems weird -- thanks to that Demme movie, Robyn's profile is at least a little bigger than usual, I'd think.

And this album has marketable guest John Paul Jones on it...

and Johnny Marr! And Peter Buck! And Nick Lowe! It's like Yep Roc catnip ...

i could have seen robyn play live a at a midsized club when i last went to the states, but i skipped it - probably had a date or was drinking with my buds, but i'm still kicking myself over that

for me i often dream of trains is the untouchable classic, but pretty much every album he's made's got a decent-to-great song or 4 on it... madonna of the wasps springs to mind, my wife and my dead wife, that one really haunting one off of eye, i should probably dig up more of his back catalogue actually...

damn, the links to rarities collections and live shows links all seem dead, too bad!

Go on archive.org and you'll find a wealth of shows to download, with RH's permission.

I was able to get the Sartorial released Shadow Cat at my local store for around $14. Hopefully I can do the same for Propeller Time.

Sartorial is Terry Edwards's label - reserving this album just for him may have been Robyn returning a favor or just wanting to help his mate.

The rarities links aren't dead - I just checked them!

"Haunting one off Eye" - man, that whole album is pretty haunting!

Quite a generous gift for Terry, then, bcuz if this lives up to its 30 second samples, it will be at minimum the equal of either of the foregoing Venus 3 records.

During the I Often Dream... concert in NYC, Robyn said that Terry Edwards actually WAS a Higson, something I never knew...

I looked into the Higsons years ago and wasn't moved but a few years ago I picked up their BBC sessions CD and it's fantastic!

http://www.amazon.com/Its-Wonderful-Life-Higsons/dp/B00004RDR1/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1266013421&sr=8-1

Wow that's the first positive Higsons comment I've heard!

Higsons were great! Especially if you particularly like the goofy twee post-punk funk bands from Norwich. I bought my first Higsons record because I was a Hitchcock fan, and never heard anything else about them for years and years. It Goes Waap! and Tear the Whole Thing Down are great.

the only song by them i ever heard was "run me down," which i could still hum, so there's that

The rarities links aren't dead - I just checked them!

my mistake, THATS what that popup window was demanding i sign up for divshare was about!

unfortunately:

"This file is not available to free users in China and Southeast Asia. To download it and any other DivShare file, sign up for a DivShare Personal account for just $12 / year!"

probably a recurring charge too.

i suppose $12 isn't really an unreasonable amount to pay for a double album of rarities by an artist i like though. god, should i actually sign up? i just spent $30 on itunes and i'm sorta on a big spender-type roll here...

Nice, long interview with Robyn about the new album (among other things) here: http://www.robynhitchcock.com/propellortime/interview/

Keep waiting for the new alb to pop up on eMusic, getting v annoyed. As always, am resolved to either buy or pay-to-DL when it comes to RH.

yeah, i just ordered it ... one of the few remaining artists I just buy whatever he puts out.

Yeah the RHYLT show I saw in Brooklyn a little while ago was super super great. Robyn's frenzied wah pedal work - the soberly excellent ylt choir on do policemen sing - Georgia harmonies and ira faux-backward solo on Airscape (it's like baba o'riley ned - not titled the way you think it should be)