ICE
1994
Dial H For Hitchcock
by Erik Flannigan
Nine catalog albums by eclectic singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock are set for release by Rhino early next year as part of a three-phase reissue campaign. The albums -- primarily recorded between 1980-87, spanning his post-Soft Boys and pre-A&M years -- will be considerably upgraded for reissue. Also included in the campaign are Hitchcock's 1990 solo-acoustic album, Eye (originally released on Twin/Tone), and a new compilation of previously unreleased tracks titled You & Oblivion. The new editions feature bonus tracks, new liner notes and expanded artwork; and were remastered by Bill Inglot. Most will see their first Stateside CD release (with some available in America for the first time in any format).
The albums will be reissued in sets of three titles each, with Black Snake Diamond Role, Gravy Deco< (The Complete Groovy Decay/Decoy Sessions), and I Often Dream Of Trains coming out January 24. Fegmania!, the live album Gotta Let This Hen Out!, and Element Of Light will be available February 28. The series concludes March 28 with the release of Invisible Hitchcock, Eye, and You & Oblivion.
Longtime Hitchcock fan and Rhino National Director of Promotion Jim Neill produced the series for the label, with considerable input from the artist himself. "He's calling it his 'living epitaph'," Neill tells ICE, "because he's not dead. This is a central period in his career, and there's still a lot more to come." To that end, Neill says Hitchcock is releasing a new three-track single on Olympia, Washington-based K Records in February.
As was the case with Rykodisc's Elvis Costello reissues, the bonus tracks were placed by Hitchcock with the appropriate album. "We've reshuffled to put things in their correct chronological slot," says Neill. "Some songs that people became aware of later in Robyn's career actually date back to his first album." The reissue program combines Groovy Decay and Groovy Decoy into one CD entitled Gravy Deco. The two albums, released in 1982 and 1985 respectively, featured many of the same songs, but from different recording sessions. Gravy Deco features new cover art by Hitchcock himself, one of several of his works that Neill says will be employed in the series: "He gave us a whole portfolio of drawings -- and other stuff that hasn't been seen before."
The CD booklets include new photos (along with liner notes by Seattle writer Grant Alden, who conducted two long interviews with Hitchcock for the series). "If you were to read all the liner notes end-to-end," Neill explains, "it would be a unified piece. But they also stand alone in the context of the albums they are appended to."
Some of Hitchcock's records featured a few bonus tracks when first issued on CD in England, but there was no trouble finding additional worthwhile material. "The only problem was getting it together in one place," Neill says. "Robyn had to round up tapes from Andy Metcalfe and various attics around England. It's a combination of stuff, including tracks that have been previously released but are difficult to find -- like out-of-print 12-inches. The truly unreleased stuff kicks in later in the series."
That unreleased stuff includes solo demos, outtakes, alternative mixes and some unusual live tracks. "The live stuff is not just filler," Neill asserts. "It's very different interpretations of the songs. The live version of 'Heaven' on Fegmania! is a total reworking."
You & Oblivion looks to be the sequel to Invisible Hitchcock, the 1986 collection of unreleased tracks recorded over the previous six years. "It's almost Volume Two," says Neill (who faces the unenviable task of whittling down some 30 unissued songs to a single CD). "He forewhadowed You & Oblivion in the liner notes to Invisibile Hitchcock. When we signed the deal with Robyn, he wrote in the original proposal, 'What excites me is the opportunity to assemble another outtakes album. In the attic I have over 20 good-quality, mostly unreleased tapes from 1981-87. These are great songs that just didn't fit at the time. I defy the collector to even suspect their existence, let alone have them already.' There are some beautiful, spaced-out songs there. Some are demos, some are fully-realized songs. Others are completely produced with the band. But a lot of it is just him and guitar. For people who are big fans, this is going to be a holy grail of sorts."
Neill is trying to incorporate one of Robyn's illustrated short stories, "The Professor", into the You & Oblivion packaging -- or make it available some other way. It's one of many signs that Rhino is going the extra mile to make their relationship with Hitchcock an ongoing one. "He's submitted three spoken-word short stories which we're considering for our Word Beat label," Neill says. "We'd ultimately like to get the A&M stuff, now that he's left the label. And I'd like to get permission to do a Beat The Boots-type thing, too [Referring to an earlier Frank Zappa project]. With so many great live tapes out there, we could [assemble] a dream Robyn Hitchcock concert."
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