Best "obscure" Robyn Hitchcock song:

[Wickerman]

None of that "Ballon Man", "Heaven" or "I Wanna Destroy You" stuff. I want the album tracks you love that don't get played on classic rock radio.

A bit of a copycat thread...

[Fenris]

1. Viva! Sea-Tac

BTW, Wickerman, what do you think of Spooked?

[Wickerman]

6. More solid songwriting and what a pair to team with

how about you?

btw, I found this poll really hard to put together, I had a solid list together and wasn't out of the 80's.

[Fenris]

8. I think it's quite amazing.

David Rawlings is one hell of a guitarist. He and Welch are terrific together, but with Robyn, they're incredible.

He has so many great songs. One of my favorites was a recording I found somewhere of him performing with REM on a cover of "Mrs. Robinson." I wish I still had that.

[Wickerman]

14. Yeah, that was from a show in Austin, I think

I've got that on tape somewhere, but no cataloging to find it.

One of my fave concert experiences was in '89 when Hitchcock joined REM on stage for an encore. It was the last night of him and the Egyptians opening for them on the Green tour. They did There She Goes Again (VU) and then Wild Thing, with everyone taking a solo, instrument or voice. The best part was the RC car that Mills had on tour - one of the Egyptians was running it around stage, getting it into the feet of the guys. It was hilarious.

[flamingyouth]

13. They've got the best computers and coffee and smack

Sea-Tac, that is.

[Wickerman]

15. wonderful lyric

eh?

[flamingyouth]

17. Amusingly true too

:D

[GOPisEvil]

29. Yes!!!! I saw him do that live at SXSW!

:bounce:

[asthmaticeog]

2. Raymond Chandler Evening's GREAT, but

my vote goes to "Airscape." Same album.

[Wickerman]

10. beautiful song

:thumbsup:

[asthmaticeog]

11. The pared-down version from "Storefront Hitchcock"

is breathtaking.

[Wickerman]

16. That was a great set

I picked up Storefront for 1$ at a Big Lots. How the hell did that happen?

[asthmaticeog]

18. Wha?

DAMN, I'm jealous!

I don't have the DVD, I saw it on Sundance Channel last fall, forgot to TiVO it.:banghead:

[Magrittes Pipe]

3. "My Wife and My Dead Wife" was his biggest hit!

Well, before Perspex Island let that hen out with "So You Think You're in Love."

Still, I voted for it, as it's my favorite song on your poll.

My real answer would probably be "Superman," though, as I've had it in my head for a week.

[Wickerman]

9. lol, a big hit for Robyn means he broke the top 50 for a week in the US

this was a fun list to come up with. And, I love Superman.

I saw a solo Hitchcock show in 89 that left me sore for two days from laughing so hard, a Soft Boys show that I thought would deafen me, and several shows with the Egyptians that were simply incredible.

[tigereye]

36. where was it a big hit?

I always thought Globe of Frogs was the best known.

[Withywindle]

4. My big faves aren't on your list.

"Acid Bird," "Uncorrected Personality Traits," "This Could Be the Day," "Vibrating," "Madonna of the Wasps," "The Bones in the Ground," "A Skull, A Suitcase, and a Long Red Bottle of Wine," "You & Oblivion", "Sleeping With Your Devil Mask", "The Speed of Things"....

yeah, I could go on for quite a while. :D I'm not even counting any Soft Boys stuff.

[Wickerman]

7. exactly

see my response to Fenris. How he is so overlooked is a matter of continual amazement.

[asthmaticeog]

12. Ooooh, "This Could Be The Day" -- good one! n/t

[tigereye]

37. great list WW!

:hi:

[DistressedAmerican]

5. Raymond...

[Withywindle]

19. Ooh, I forgot "The President"

Reagan era. Still apt. Lyrics alone don't do justice to his creepy delivery.


The President is talking to us through a microphone
Like he's trying to pack his mother off
To an old people's home

I know you're out there
I know you're out there somewhere
I know you're out there
When I hear the word "Democracy"
I reach for my headphones

He's the president of Europe and he's talking to the dead
They're the only ones who'll listen or believe a word he said
You know I'm out here
But you can't see me, darlin'
You know I'm out here
When I hear the word "Security"
I reach for my shotgun

Whoa-oo-whoa-oo-oh

He's standing in a cemetery inside the western zone
I listen on the radio, I'm glad I'm not alone
I know you're out there
I know you're out there somewhere
God knows you're out there

I can almost hear it raining
I can almost hear it raining
I can almost hear it raining


But you can't see me, can you?

[Wickerman]

20. nice one

his politics are solid.

[Withywindle]

23. Yup, total lefty

His between-song story-rambles have had some distinctly anti-Bush tacks to 'em the last few times I've seen him. Totally adds to the pleasure.

(I also loved that tour he did with Billy Bragg some years back--they were on the same page.)

[tigereye]

38. one of my bands once did a cover of that

[gmoney]

21. All I Wanna Do is Fall In Love

...Tell Me About Your Drugs, Blues in A, Oceanside, Surgery, Heaven, If You Were A Priest, and about 100 others tied for second place. Robyn rules!

Anyone else catch one of his shows where he was backed by Departure Lounge? Astounding evening's entertainment...

Also, I really like his cover of "More Than This" by Roxy Music...

[LilKim]

22. Is 'I often dream of trains' obscure?

[Wickerman]

27. Huge Hit

:D, and one of my faves, but of course with the volumes of songs he has written its near impossible to say what my aactual favorites are.

I'd say that 'Trains is pretty obscure but regrettably most of his music is.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

24. Those are ALL great

Why not "I Wanna Destroy You"? Was that a hit?

Insanely Jealous from Underwater Moonlight (and I love the title track too)

I don't know why the people want to meet
When all they know is that they'll breed like rabbits in the end
Cause ordinary people on the street
They never know
But if they can't be rabbits they'll be friends

Sleeping Knights, Listening to the Higsons, Brenda's Iron Sledge, Bells Of Rhymney, When I Was a Kid...

I guess if I had to pick one "best" it would be Brenda's Iron Sledge. It's got everything!

[Wickerman]

30. I tried to leave off Soft Boys stuff

and I do think I Wanna Destroy You has recieved a lot of attention.

Did anyone catch the Amazon.com commercial a few years back - around Christmas time? It had the few of a driver in a parking lot,trying to find a parking space. The only thing you heard was Hitchcock siging "I Wanna Destroy You" as people took his parking spot, pushed carts in front of him, etc. Classic. It was right about the time of some horrible event - DC sniper perhaps and they pulled it.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

25. "I am Not Me" from Moss Elixir

followed by Earthly Paradise
or Leppo and the Jooves from the soft boys days

also, his covers of "More Than This" and "Visions of Johanna" are superb

but really, aren't all hitch song obscure? this is the most i've ever seen his work discussed anywhere

[Wickerman]

26. Yeah, I'm afraid most all Robyn songs could be described as obscure

I wasn't out of the 80's before I had a solid list, trying to leave off some more obvious stuff, but still throwing out a few bones here and there. And, of course, trying to leave off Soft Boys stuff, though it gets tricky as he has a few re-recordings and his live catalogmakes the line fine.

The thread is a copycat of RandomCoolZip's Neil Young obscure song thread.

[MrScorpio]

28. Sorry, Robyn's music not in my collection

How funky is it?

[Wickerman]

31. On the funk-o-meter its right up there with the Beatles, Syd Barrett

and Bob Dylan. :shrug: :D

[peekaloo]

32. Queen Elvis.

Favorite show of the '80's was when he opened for r.e.m. in Houston.


Jonathan Demme must be a fan since he cast R.H. in the Manchurian sequel.

[Wickerman]

33. That was a great performance

Remember the REM encore, I mentioned that above, but Wild Thing was hilarious.

[peekaloo]

34. I'll be damned!

I had not read through the thread.

Great show! Small world, eh?

:hi:

[tigereye]

35. we think these aren't obscure

Raymond Chandler Evening? ( love it, but not obscure) Man with the Lightbulb Head? On classic rock radio, maybe. Not where I live, unfortunately! ;)

You can tell we are somewhat obsessive Hitchcock fans. Well, my h is, anyway. :)

To wit, Vegetation and Dimes, Fiend before the Shrine, Statue with a Walkman, Watch Your Intelligence, The Yip Song, The Devil's Radio.


Cool Question though.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

39. Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting

That was the encore he did on an Egyptians tour in '94, I think. He accompanied it with the obligatory moves. The crowd loved it. :D

[Strawman]

40. Midnight Fish

"I'm slippin you the midnight fish"

but my favorite album of his is I Often Dream of Trains.