The Courier-Journal
May 21, 1988
Globe Of Frogs
Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians (A&M)
Formats: LP, Cassette, CD
by Joe Peterson; Scott Robinson
British cult figure Robyn Hitchcock, formerly of The Soft Boys and now leader of The Egyptians, has gotten some pretty high-profile coverage since the release of this LP. He has been in Musician magazine and on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, among other things.
Having friends like R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook (both on the album) probably helps.
So does talent. Hitchcock is good, and these songs are generally interesting and occasionally arresting. But he stops short of totally satisfying.
Don't assume, for instance, that his quirky music and weird lyrics mark him as a true original. If you've been around long enough, you'll recognize the sound as a softened version of the 1960s Psychedelic Rock, a la Pink Floyd's Relics.
However, don't link him with the current crop of Neo-Psychedelic thrillseekers, such as Plasticland, or with XTC's alter-ego psychedelic parody band, The Dukes Of Stratosphear. While Hitchcock's lyrical themes are as weird as anything you've heard, his music is more accessible and less likely to put you off than theirs.
So what you get is a mixed bag. Half of the songs are rather standard psychedelic tunes with the usual mannerisms -- languid British accent, jangly guitars and weird keyboard sounds. The other half are genuinely good songs, with nice Pop melodies and exotic sounds used as more than mere gimmicks.
Among the first group are the fairly routine "Tropical Flesh Mandala" and "Unsettled", and the annoying "The Shapes Between Us Turn Into Animals", with grinding bass and snarling guitars.
Among the better cuts are "A Globe Of Frogs", a medium-slow tune that uses harmonica, guitar and Indian drum to create a pleasant Middle Eastern feel; and "Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)", an easygoing song with harmonies reminiscent of the pre-psychedelic British bands.
I'm also partial to the clopping rhythm of "Vibrating", the irresistible Pop hooks of "Balloon Man", the droning "Luminous Rose" (with vocals that sound like Roy Harper at times) and the lovely melody on "Chinese Bones".
That last song contains a perfect example of what's right and what's wrong with Hitchcock. Consider two lines from the lyrics. The first, "I met an interesting dwarf/And I told him a story", is typical psychedelic babble, self-conscious, facile weirdness that reads like bad fantasy. The second, "Something Shakespeare never said was, 'You've got to be kidding'" is much better.
I wouldn't want Hitchcock to stop being weird. But random weirdness and focused weirdness are two different things.
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