The Hollywood Reporter
April 3, 1995
Robyn Hitchcock
Bottom Line, New York Saturday, April 1
by Frank Scheck
Few singer-songwriters have as rich a catalog to draw as than Robyn Hitchcock, the quirky British Pop stylist and ex-leader of The Soft Boys. Having released nearly a record-a-year for the last 20 years, he's nothing if not prolific.
Hitchcock drew mainly from his '80s solo work for his acoustic show at The
Bottom Line -- which is only fitting, since nine of his albums from that period are currently being reissued by that savior of music catalogs, Rhino Records. Their resuscitation is a boon to lovers of Literate Pop Rock.
Although one missed the Pop sheen of the records, Hitchcock's acoustic approach emphasized the sophisticated and complex nature of the music (and made the witty wordplay all-the-more dominant). Songs like "Cynthia Mask" (the show's opener) and "Egyptian Cream" are uniquely quirky in their lyrical content (while still delivering memorable melodies). When he wants to, he can deliver hooks as well as anybody -- as he demonstrated with "Balloon Man", a song that he wrote for The Bangles but which they never recorded. ("If you could imagine the late Bangles singing this, it'd be great," he advised.)
The singer didn't disappoint fans of his lengthy, rambling song introductions, which were often longer than the songs themselves. Comprised as neat little absurdist short stories, they kept the audience in nearly constant laughter between numbers. Other times his deadpan style was more succinct. He prefaced one song simply: "It's about being menaced by solid objects."
The evening was largely devoid of frills -- with the occasional exception, like the echo effect added to the catchy "The Yip Song". Indeed, robbed of his music's psychedelic production, Hitchcock sometimes came off like a demented folkie. For some numbers, he was backed up to pleasing effect by one of the opening acts, Deni Bonet, on electric fiddle. And for the encore, he strapped on an electric guitar and gave the show a welcome rocking boost with songs like "Arms of Love". The obviously adoring fans who had packed the club ate it up.
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