The Record
March 24, 1995
Rhino Resurrects Tunes By A Quirky Rocker
by Mark Porter
Rhino Records has released a compilation of nine tracks by Robyn Hitchcock, a singer and writer of Rock songs where bizarre wordplay melds with beautiful arrangements.
As a creative artist, Hitchcock has a joyful go at the intricacies, double-entendres, and multiple meanings in the English language.
Hitchcock, an iconoclast who early in his endeavors as the leader of The Soft Boys, sustained flower-power Psychedelia deep into the New Wave era, intuitively recognizes what will sound good -- and then veers slightly into the unexpected. There are traces of The Beatles, The Byrds, and early Pink Floyd; and he shares creative similarities with The Church and The Bevis Frond.
The Rhino re-releases cover a period from the breakup of The Soft Boys in the '80s, to Hitchcock's signing with A&M Records and the release of Globe Of Frogs in 1988. His album Eye was released on an indie label a couple years ago and appears on the Rhino compilation.
The Rhino CDs also contain additional tracks such as demo cuts, live recordings, cover versions, or unreleased material.
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