Seattle Post-Intelligencer
September 29, 1995
Robyn Hitchcock's Brilliance Shines, Big-Label Deal Or Not
by Peter Blackstock
Robyn Hitchcock is proof of how easy it is for worthy artists to fall through the cracks of a music industry bent on promoting the latest trend.
Hitchcock, who performs tonight at The Backstage, is one of the most talented and accomplished Pop tunesmiths of his generation -- yet he's currently without a major-label record deal. Meanwhile, you could walk into the Colourbox tonight and catch a couple of relatively small-time Punk/Alternative acts -- The Mieces and The Lemons -- that both have deals with big labels.
Nothing against either of those bands, but neither of them holds a candle to what Hitchcock has accomplished in a 15-year career that has stretched from his early-'80s work with The Soft Boys to a string of solo albums ranging from eccentric New Wave to straightforward Guitar Pop.
Fortunately, not every label has ignored Hitchcock's brilliance recently. Rhino Records has reissued nearly all of his back catalog on CD, while Olympia label K Records recently put out a Hitchcock 7-inch single. And his management reports that he's currently working on a new album to be released sometime next year on an as-yet undetermined label.
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