Archives for November 2020

Certain Songs #1969: Robyn Hitchcock – “Executioner”

November 30, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Eye
Year: 1990

. . .

In 1990, Robyn Hitchcock released his first purely solo album since 1984’s I Often Dream of Trains. The album was called Eye, and as befitting the bandless nature of the venture, it was released on Twin/Tone rather than A&M.

Not that the world necessarily needed to have that kind of distinction between Robyn Hitchcock with or without The Egyptians, but I think that A&M were still holding out the hope that his electric music would strike some kind of chord with the general public.

Certain Songs #1968: Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – “Madonna of the Wasps”

November 27, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Queen Elvis
Year: 1989

. . .

“Madonna Of The Wasps” just might be my favorite Robyn Hitchcock song.

That said, by any objective standard, it’s his greatest song, right? I know that some of you might stan for “I Wanna Destroy You” — it’s certainly been covered by more people — and I can’t argue too hard with you. Except to say this: “Madonna of the Wasps” is an utterly perfect pop confection from the opening chant to the guitar solo at the fade. In the same universe that all of the great Replacements singles cracked the top 10, “Madonna of the Wasps” was an instant smash #1 all around the world.

Certain Songs #1967: Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – “Chinese Bones”

November 25, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Globe of Frogs
Year: 1988

. . .

“Chinese Bones” might just be my favorite Robyn Hitchcock song. At the very least, it’s on the short list of the Prettiest Songs Ever Recorded, Robyn Hitchcock Division.

In a post on his Facebook page, he called it “a Halloween song, for those of use who dance internally”, and said it was influenced by Roxy Music’s Avalon.

Certain Songs #1966: Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – “Unsettled”

November 24, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Globe of Frogs
Year: 1988

. . .

There were a lot of unlikely major-label signings in the second half of the 1980s — Sonic Youth, Husker Du, etc — but in retrospect, the signing of Robyn Hitchcock to A&M in 1988 was one of the most unlikely. That said, he remained a major label artist for over a decade, with Warner Brothers picking him up after A&M had given up, so the fact that he always made quality records definitely counted for something.

Certain Songs #1965: Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – “Tell Me About Your Drugs”

November 23, 2020 by Jim Connelly

B-side, 1986

. . .

As much as I love Robyn Hitchcock, I learned pretty early on that buying his singles for the b-sides was a dodgy proposition. Often times, the b-sides were rife with weird experiments, either dissonant, ambient or spoken word.

That said, occasionally you hit paydirt, like the “If You Were A Priest” 12″ single, which I’m sure I bought at Rasputin’s in Berkeley, and ended up containing a song I love as much as anything on Element of Light, the glamstomping “Tell Me About Your Drugs.”

Certain Songs #1964: Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – “Lady Waters & The Hooded One”

November 22, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Element of Light
Year: 1986

. . .

I somehow doubt that when Robyn Hitchock wrote “Lady Waters & The Hooded One” — a story song about a woman facing death via the Plague — he knew that it would ever have any kind of contemporary resonance. But here in the waning days of 2020, it kinda does.

Certain Songs #1963: Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – “Never Stop Bleeding”

November 21, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Element of Light
Year: 1986

. . .

The first time I saw Robyn Hitchcock & The Egpytians was in November, 1986, just a week after my 24th birthday. It was at the Berkeley Square in, yup, Berkeley, and the opening band was the Young Fresh Fellows, who I never loved as much as they deserved, especially considering Scott McCaughey’s post-YFF career.

In any event, I think it was another one of those one-night roadtrips where we drove up from Fresno that day, and back home afterwards. In between was an awesome concert: I remember really enjoying Robyn’s surrealistic stories before and after songs — hinted at during Gotta Let This Hen Out!, but taken to extremes during an actual show — and just the awesome musicality of the Egyptians.

Certain Songs #1962: Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – “Airscape”

November 20, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Element of Light
Year: 1986

. . .

“Airscape” just might be my favorite Robyn Hitchcock song.

It’s most certainly one of his favorites, from all accounts, and it’s the centerpiece of the second side of one of his greatest records, Element of Light, floating in on a backwards guitar, already in progress.

Certain Songs #1961: Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – “If You Were a Priest”

November 19, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Element of Light
Year: 1986

. . .

I guess it could have gone either way, couldn’t it have? When Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians recorded Fegmania! they were just coming together as a band — keyboardist Roger Jackson didn’t play on half of the songs — and you could kinda tell it.

Of course, by the time they recorded Gotta Let This Hen Out! they’d figured out how to gel together, but it was a bit of a question as to whether or not that cohesion would continue the next time they went into the studio.

Certain Songs #1960: Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians – “Listening to The Higsons (London 04-27-1985)”

November 18, 2020 by Jim Connelly

Album: Gotta Let This Hen Out!
Year: 1985

. . .

But probably my favorite song on Gotta Let This Hen Out! was the penultimate track, and it was barely a song at all, but rather just a really big riff and a massive hook.

Which was good enough for me.