1993
Robyn Hitchcock And The Egyptians
Respect
(A&M 31454 0064-2)
by Mike Pattenden
Ex-Soft Boy Robyn Hitchcock ploughs his own highly idiosyncratic path these days: pretty much a cult taste in the UK but highly respected in The States -- not least by R.E.M.. They covered the Lennon-meets-Stephen Duffy-styled "Arms Of Love" from his latest solo outing, whose songs pursue Hitchcock's very-British Pop Psychedelia further up the gumbo tree.
Essentially this is a live gig (produced and engineered by Stone Roses man John Leckie in a mobile studio on The Isle Of Wight). Helping out on performance duties are Andy Metcalfe and Morris Windsor (whose instrument roster includes cheese graters, wine glasses, and water jug), the LP juxtaposes crisp songwriting with Hitchcock's batty lyricism: "The Yip Song" eulogises Forces' Sweetheart Vera Lynn and surgery, while "The Moon Inside" is what Blur might sound like if they possessed any subtlety to go with their "British Image".
Beyond this there's the brilliantly titled "Wreck Of The Arthur Lee" and the cheery "When I Was Dead", in which Hitchcock muses: "And the Devil asked me to supper -- he said 'Careful with the spoons'/And God said 'Oh ignore him! I've got all your albums'/I said 'Yes but who's got all the tunes?". This must rate a genuinely bonkers: 7
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