The Wafflehead
Autumn, 1996 (#2)
Fruits Of The Sea
The Complete Recorded And Released History Of Robyn Hitchcock In His Many Shapes And Sizes
#1: The Soft Boys -- "Several Cans Of Spring And Summer's Wasps And Bees"
by Haydn J. Mullineux
This, as the title suggests, collects together every Soft Boys song that was released, and places it in chronological order. These could be the album cuts, different mixes and takes, or live recordings. It doesn't matter, just as long as they were released officially. This should prove endlessly useful to those who believe that Soft Boys songs placed in chronological order are a necessity. Part 2 will cover Hitchcock up to the formation of The Egyptians.
March, 1977 -- "Wey Wey Hep Uh Hole", "It's Not Just The Size Of A Walnut", and "Ugly Nora".
Notes: According to the book of old, these seem to be the very first recordings by the newly-named Soft Boys -- or at least the first recordings that have been released (supposedly tapes still exist of Hitchcock in Maureen And The Meatpackers -- a 1976 mould -- and as they remain as-yet unreleased despite numerous rarities collections, we can assume that they are either unobtainable, or just not of a great standard). They in fact took 16 years to reach broad daylight, surfacing on the heartily recommended (and cleverly titled) The Soft Boys 1976-81. The three-track demo was intended to stir record company interest, and was recorded by the former Chris Hamburger in Robyn Hitchcock's living room somewhere in Cambridge. And because of the non-studio surroundings, they have a distinct raw and scaley sound which could only have been obtained in a Cambridge living room. Especially valuable because this is the first and last time we'll hear the charming "It's Not Just The Size Of A Walnut" -- god, life's cruel! The influences, in what are essentially stripped-down recordings (quieter guitars), are much easier to identify. Basically it's light-headed Rhythm And Blues, that, in a few months' time, would be turned inside-out.
June, 1977 -- EP titled Give It To The Soft Boys, featuring "The Yodelling Hoover", "Hear My Brane", "The Face Of Death", "Wading Through A Ventilator", and "Give It To The Soft Boys"; released in November, 1977; the reissues ('85, '86, '87, and then on CD in '89) featured the up-until-then-unheard "Vyrna Knowl Is A Headbanger".
Notes: This, now, is the very first Soft Boys release, Give It To The Soft Boys. Hmmmm...not much to say about this, really. The title song inspired the band's name, and consequently stapled itself to the beginning of most Soft Boys shows. It also acts as one of the most threatening album openers for some time -- on A Can Of Bees -- but that's a different version, of course. This is the original, and the Can Of Bees version is a sort of parody of it. You know, it's that sort of song. "Wading Through A Ventilator" is, sort of, an evacuation song (the louder, the more public the environment, the better). There's little more to say: the proof is in the pudding. Hitchcock introduced the songs at a gig in '78 with the line, "If this doesn't get rid of you, then nothing will." You know, it's that sort of EP: drink/enjoy/survive, or drink/disklike/die. Many are seduced by the titles (if the public based their record purchasing on track titles, then Mr. Hitchcock would be a laughing man), and rightly so. Rarely have a set of songs looked so good from the outside without overstepping the boundaries of pretension. And rarely have the songs stood up so well against their outer shells. The liquid centres to "Hear My Brane" and "The Face Of Death", for instance, are much more melodic than their titles. Kimberley Rew only enters the frame later on in the year. This features, on guitar, Alan davies AKA Wangbo Trotter (I'm sure, now, as a teacher, he continues to use that lovely name), who tends to keep the volume below ten (which is nice for a change, because Rew's overload could sometimes get too much).
January-March, 1978 -- "(I Wanna Be An) Anglepoise Lamp", and "Fatman's Son"; released as A/B sides ro a Radar single released in May, 1978.
Notes: "Anglepoise Lamp" isn't really The Soft Boys -- it is only the mildly amusing lyrics and the word-edged guitars that actually give it away. Nasty to believe that it was their first proper single, and obviosuly something that they can't have had much control over. But what if it had been sucessful in all its Power Pop glory? Then it possibly could have killed The Soft Boys -- the mainstream waters can be quite treacherous. They would have certainly been The "Soft" Boys then. However, its B-side, "Fatman's Son", is much more promising. It's beautiful, yet menacing. It's the stepping stone, not "Anglepoise Lamp". This, at least, makes full use of new guitarist Kimberley Rew (who went on to "brighter" things with Katrina And The Waves, and their beautiful-yet-menacing "Walking On Sunshine"), and sets the record straight in the distressing matter concerning Robyn Hitchcock not being a fat man's son. So at least we all know. During a six month partnership with their new record company, Radar, The Soft Boys recorded mounds of material, with the intention to eventually produce an album for them. When they finally completed one, it was scrapped by Radar, and has since undeservedly earned the title of "the legendary lost album" (see next entry). All that the company ever squeezed out of them was this 7" single, chosen because it was the closest to mainstream that could be found. So the short-lived and unsuccessful partnership ended, leaving Radar money-drained, and The Soft Boys disillusioned. Little has actually surfaced from those Radar sessions. Only "Where Are The Prawns?" and "Salamander" come to mind (The Soft Boys thought "Where Are The Prawns?" was the best song from the sessions), although, of course, a lot of the Can Of Bees songs were originally tried out at this time.
January-March 1978 -- from the aborted Radar album; "Where Are The Prawns?" and "Salamander" appear on The Soft Boys 1976-81.
Notes: This is when things really get interesting. Without question, "Where Are The Prawns?" has been hard done to. Possibly one of the greatest Soft Boys songs -- pre-Moonlight, at least -- and, well, it brings tears to the eyes. But it's so out of its era, one can imagine it emerging out of the sea onto a '50s Californian shore, with its stinging percussion, and crispy-clear guitars; or a few years later on a Byrdsian shore, with its watermelon melodies, ringing notes, and heavy bass runs; and I suppose it wouldn't go amiss on the '65-'66 Psychedelic wave, what with the drug-inspired lyrics and all (well, yes, in the '60s they would have been drug-inspired, but in the late-'70s you have Robyn Hitchcock, who manages to encapsulate all thsoe weird images). "Where are the prawns?/Down by the sea". It was recorded along with "Salamander" for the aborted Radar album. In fact, this now choosed to be called the "legendary lost album" for some reason or other, although I suspect if it is indeed lost, it was misplaced on purpose (Hitchcock declared that it was only "legendary" because it was too bad to release). But the quality of these two tracks (and "Anglepoise Lamp" and "Fatman's Son" from the same period) does tend to suggest that the album can't have been that bad. "Salamander" is quite harmless, if you can describe a song in such a way. I suppose it is relatively similar to "Where Are The Prawns?", apart from that tempestuous percussion. You know, but not as good. Good though, in a groovy kind of way. This is less lyrically inviting, though. It sounds like an evil nursery rhyme with lots of dark imagery. Both tracks are quite Pop-y, really, considering the Can Of Bees material recorded a few months later just isn't Pop-y (especially not in the popular sense).
August-November, 1978 -- LP titled A Can Of Bees; featuring "Give It To The Soft Boys", "The Pigworker", "Human Music", "Leppo And The Jooves", "The Rat's Prayer", "Do The Chisel", "Sandra's Having Her Brain Out", "Cold Turkey", "Skool Dinner Blues", and "Fatman's Son"; released in February, 1979; tracks that have been added over the years are as follows: "Skool Dinner Blues" (live), "Wading Through A Ventilator" (live), "Leppo And The Jooves" #2, "The Return Of The Sacred Crab", "Sandra's Having Her Brain Out" #2, "(I Wanna Be An) Anglepoise Lamp" (live), and "Ugly Nora" (live).
Notes: "The cover of The Soft Boys' very first album, A Can Of Bees, is a simple affair: sharp colours and Andy Warhol-type artwork, depicting the simple action of releasing a family of bees from a can of 'Finest Old English Bees'. Strange? No, not really. All a bit of a bees' nest compared with the chasms of distorted sound that lie beneath that simple cover. It can be quite melodic -- and even wonderfully inventive -- but also it can be downright painful. The simplicity is just a cover (as it were)." That's how I began a quickly-binned and horrible article on The Soft Boys. It was too downright painful for its own good. And, come to think of it, there was no wonderful invention or melody. That extract at least makes a valuable point, though: The Soft Boys were never simplistic. They didn't plumb for the three-chord get-up. Bah! However, this is as undigestible as The Soft Boys get -- dense and psychotic. And of course, Hitchcock himself had said that "The Soft Boys really evoked only one emotion, and that was psychosis." This is certainly the best example of that basic undeniable fact. Ultimately, the greatest difference between The Soft Boys and the Hitchcock solo escapades is that the psychosis is expressed differently. Hitchcock has replaced the volume with subtlety and cunning. Hitchcock couldn't have struck the jugular with less correctness when he noted that Can Of Bees was great, just as long as it was taken in small doses. Indeed, large doses could disturb many a dormant headache. Still, the album is also impossible to comprehend, so perhaps that's why the final line of my dismantled Can Of Bees review sounded like complete gibberish: "On the first listen it is a swarm of bees, on the seventeenth it is a unique and birghtly-coloured bee sculpture from the flower bed at the bottom of the garden." A Can Of Bees has been released four times up 'til now, and each time the tracklisting has gone under some sort of re-shuffle. Not only have the band tampered with the order of the original album, but numerous live and alternate versions have been slotted in over the years. Presumably they were never happy with how the tracks stuck themselves together in 1979. But I can't see how changing the order will make a significant difference. The tracks are simply too jagged to gel together with any sort of ease. However, what now seems apparent with the most recent 1990 tracklisting is that A Can Of Bees is almost a live album (note the inclusion of the crowd-pleasing live set regular "Cold Turkey"). The way the live tracks are mixed in with the studio material suggests that this could be one whole gig. And there is no studio trickery to suggest otherwise. The sound of the studio tracks is as "dry and untreated" as the live tracks. All the songs, no doubt, were written for live performance, rather than with an album in mind (as it were). And also we mustn't forget that every one has been performed live to a greater or lesser degree.
November, 1978 -- outtakes from A Can Of Bees were recorded; "Have A Heart, Betty (I'm Not Fireproof)", and "Mystery Train"; released on The Soft Boys 1976-81.
Notes: Perhaps this version of the never-perfected "Have A Heart, Betty (I'm Not Fireproof)" was too cucumber-light to be included on A Can Of Bees -- or was it just so precise compared to the album that it was perfect? It begins with the finger-clicking and vocal "bom bom" melodies, and closes with an improvisational guitar frenzy that uncharacteristically keeps a firm grip on the top end of the fretboard, never once wavering. And so for once a Soft Boys record recommends that sweet tooth. This version sounds the closest to what the band probably first intended, and each time it was recorded since, it became weightier and too mechanical (as is the case with the Invisible Hits) version), and also by that time it had lost the original's charm. However, you will find this song at home in the Portland Arms, amongst similar sorts. Also, we have yet another wonderful Elvis cover that, admittedly, probably works better live.
November, 1978 -- a number of tracks from a concert at Lady Mitchell Hall have surfaced on The Soft Boys 1976-81; "Heartbreak Hotel", "Caroline Says II", "I Like Bananas (Because They Have No Bones)", "The Pigworker", "Do The Chisel", and "The Return Of The Sacred Crab".
November, 1978 -- live LP entitled Live At The Portland Arms was recorded; "Give It To The Soft Boys", "Sandra's Having Her Brain Out", "Give Me A Spanner, Ralph", "My Evaline", "Human Music", "I Like Bananas (Because They Have No Bones)", "Horns Large Horns", "Book Of Love", "Wish I Had My Baby", "White Shoe Blues", "In The Mood", "That's When Your Heartaches Begin", "Have A Heart, Betty (I'm Not Fireproof)", "The Duke Of Squeeze", and "All Shook Up"; released December, '87 (although already avalable to owners of Invisible Hits).
Notes: Two live recordings from the same month. One electric at Lady Mitchell Hall, Cambridge; the other acoustic at the Portland Arms Folk Club, Cambridge. One thrives off doo-wop classics and "traditional" (let's not get carried away) standards; the other, classic-period Soft Boys Jagged Rock, with the odd harmonic leakage. Rarely do two such contrasting gigs appear on a band's month schedule -- a monumental occasion indeed! Live At The Portland Arms is the real treasure, though, because it's an oddity. Lady Mitchell Hall's sounds very A Can Of Bees, which is great -- but when placed by the side of (as I have done) Live At The Portland Arms, the latter must be the favoured cake for its exclusiveness alone. Hear the wildly electric and improvisational Soft Boys perform an all-restrictive, all-acoustic gig at a Folk club just as Punk is wrapping its ugly self around the greatest of Britains. Surely this is the greatest overnight Rock revolution since Dylan finally made up his mind and went electric? Surely not? It's just one great squeeze, really. Perhaps a little greater if you were standing in the Portland Arms. But a chucklesome squeeze all the same. There. On the whole, not a bad critical analysis, if I don't say so myself. Also, before I forget, honorary "fifth" Soft Boy Jim Melton, and his tenor saxophone, deserve a special mention for their part in making this "Give Me A Spanner, Ralph" so very moving. It's the greatest version we'll ever hear, chums. Anyway, let's not forget the Lady Mitchell Hall gig: it is up there amongst the high standards. But we must forget if for the sake of Live At The Portland Arms, which is essential (as they say).
Late-1978-April, 1979 -- "Have A Heart, Betty (I'm Not Fireproof)" #2, "The Asking Tree", "Muriel's Hoof/Rout Of The Clones", "Let Me Put It Next To You", "When I Was A Kid", "Rock 'n' Roll Toilet", "Love Poisoning", "Blues In The Dark", and "Wey Wey Hep Uh Hole" (live); eventually released as one-half of Invisible Hits in 1983; also added are the original mixes of "Love Poisoning" and "When I Was A Kid".
Notes: Unhappy at the direction in which The Soft Boys were now heading, bassist Andy Metcalfe decided to leave in April of '79. So, this half of Invisible Hits contains Metcalfe's final contribution to the band, (although he did reemerge six years later alongside Hitchcock and Windsor in The Egyptians). Surprisingly different to the April-June tracks, considering the short time lapse, these are little more than extensions of Can Of Bees' psychotic arm. It certainly isn't surprising why The Soft Boys circa 1978 didn't catch on to the rebellious audiences of the time -- they were too menacing and jagged, and the songs were far too dense and influenced. They rebelled, but only against the relatively simple and likeable music of the mainstream -- which of course was Punk. Punk only rebelled by beeing noisy and aggressive. Take "The Asking Tree", for example: it's The Soft Boys going nowhwere. It's great, yes. But it's Rhythm And Blues with a twist of Punk. In other words, it's R&B in a blizzard of feedback and distortion. It lacks Punk's head-spinning catchiness, and as a result could be quite frightening when put in the wrong hands. "When I Was A Kid" just goes several steps too far because it's too damned scary and evil for its own good. I do love that song, though. Invisible Hits, however, is the change -- it's when things start to bubble. Pop starts to appear as an ingredient in the already-murky mix, and out pops stuff like "Let Me Put It Next To You", which could sound a little suggestive if it rolled off the tongue of the late, great Kenneth Williams. But when it drops and drips off Mr. Hitchcock's, it sounds very strange indeed -- almost threatening. I mean, it's hardly a mind-massage for this woman: "My heart is full of worms/You know it's always been that way/Grow worms, grow". The Irish-Jig-like instrumental "Muriel's Hoof/Rout Of The Clones" has no lyrics, so at least we can keep away those subversive thoughts, even if the jolly Jig melody does turn predictably sour (unlike the harmonious "Love Poisoning", which is sweet 'til the very end, although the lyrics are rather bitter: "It's not easy being here with you/There's so much that I would rather do/But that's okay, because I'm floating through/The hole in your heart"). "The Asking Tree" was the flipside to the '81 release of "Only The Stones Remain"; "Love Poisoning" and "When I Was A Kid" were issued as a single given away with the Bucketfull Of Brains fanzine in 1982. But the rest of the tracks were fresh on issue. Some people may say that quality live Soft Boys gig recordings are hard to come by, considering that this version of "Wey Wey Hep Uh Hole" is from that Lady Mitchell Hall gig mentioned in the previous entry -- and they'd be right. Invisible Hits also begins the tiresomely titled "Invisible" series of rarities collections (Invisible Hits, Invisible Hitchcock, and Invisible History). "Invisible Hits" seems to suggest that these songs were potentially hits, but sadly they were invisible, and so nobody noticed them. "Invisible Hitchcock": Robyn Hitchcock has gone about his business relatively unnoticed. "Invisible History": Hitchcock's musical history is invisible to those who haven't seen it. Of course, seeing as they are all rarities collecitons, then the "Invisible" may mean the songs here present were previously invisible to the public. But you must also consider the fact that all songs are invisible, so may I suggest adding "Invisible" to every Hitchcock album title? This would therefore hide any confusion caused. (The "Invisible" issue is discussed in greater detail in a forthcoming article. And yes, it is invisible.)
April-June, 1979 -- "Wey Wey Hep Uh Hole" #2, "Empty Girl", "He's A Reptile", "Have A Heart, Betty (I'm Not Fireproof)" #3, "Rock 'n' Roll Toilet" #2; eventually released as the other half of Invisible Hits, in 1983.
Notes: According to the 1976-81 booklet, when bassist Matthew Seligman arrived in April, they recorded a bunch of more Pop-y things -- which these four songs stand as a testament to. Here are the best versions of the irresistible "Have A Heart, Betty (I'm Not Fireproof)"; and the now-more-polished and less-ragged "Rock 'n' Roll Toilet" (which is the best Rolling Stones song they never recorded). But the real star of this album, the one the title was chosen for, is "He's A Reptile", which combines rhythmic Rock 'n' Roll, '50s-style, with a beautiful collection of rhyming couplets: "He's a reptile and it shows/Got a web between his toes". It's "Puff The Magic Dragon" from a different perspective: a childhood daydream. (Or just Robyn Hitchcock being, well, Robyn Hitchcock, for a change.) It hints of his creature-ridden solo career to come, but it's just two years on from "Wey Wey Hep Uh Hole", and far from an elaborate novelty song -- more a slice of songwriting genius. One would have thought that rarities collections such as Invisible Hits were released merely as cash-ins, as they usually are. But with Soft Boys/Hitchcock material, little would actually be cashed in (as it were). So were these albums released because there was such a great wealth of good-quality material laying around that it would just be a waste of time not releasing the best bits? Or perhaps it was the American interest? You know, the if-they-were-released-over-there-they-might-as-well-be-released-here-too theory. Consider the relatively recent reissue series: this was done primarily for the American audiences (on Rhino rather than on Sequel) after the reasonable success of The Soft Boys 1976-81 double-album (that marked the CD releases of the original Soft Boys albums in the U.S.) -- or else why are the sleeve notes in an American's hand? But it was agreed that the series could spark some interest with the British as long as the R.E.M. connection was mentioned in every possible sentence. We don't have much to thank the Americans for, but with matters that invovle Robyn Hitchcock -- and when Queen Elvis isn't mentioned -- we must shake their hands very violently.
September, 1979 -- "Insanely Jealous" (early version) and "Underwater Moonlight" (early version) appear on The Soft Boys 1976-81 in 1993.
Notes: Despite being named "early versions", these are not rough attic demos. These versions are "Insanely Jealous" and "Underwater Moonlight" in the early stages of studio development, so the sound quality is certianly not rough. They were included on The Soft Boys 1976-81 firstly because of the apparent differences from the album takes, and secondly because of their great historical importance (two major tracks on the album). For instance, this version of "Underwater Moonlight" features a particularly strange, minute-long monologue towards the end of the song that begins with, "In the beginning was the fish," and curtains with "...feed the fish." The album version replaces this with some much-less-interesting whispering and harmony vocals, that ends with "...feed the fish." So at least the plot isn't lost. Nevertheless, this early version is still around thirty seconds longer. Not surprisingly, it isn't as polished as its more-developed cousin (and also there isn't an as-interesting bassline, and there are a couple of guitar breaks absent). This early "Insanely Jealous" lacks some of that escalating psychotic tension that makes the later version so effectictve. It's not surprising, really, being an early version. Hitchcock has not yet become the character: at the moment he is only pretending to be the deranged stalker. His voice has yet to develop that agitation, and the under-the-window whisper. We also hear little of that echoing, spasmodic guitar that creates the eeriest of backdrops. However, the final version just isn't as hypnotic as this one. You know, it's lost beneath the mysterious vocals and spasmodic guitars. You can't have everything, I suppose. The lyrics go through minor changes ("But if they can't be mirrors they'll be friends"), but nothing as dramatic as "Underwater Moonlight". And, as with the latter, this is longer than its later version: about thirty seconds longer. The world has yet to realise that these early versions are of greater social importance than The Beatles' early material.
September, 1979-March, 1980 -- LP titled Underwater Moonlight; featuring "I Wanna Destroy You", "Kingdom Of Love", "Positive Vibrations", "I Got The Hots", "Insanely Jealous", "Tonight", "You'll Have To Go Sideways", "Old Pervert", "Queen Of Eyes", and "Underwater Moonlight"; released in June, 1980.
Notes: The most subversively influential album of the '80s was recorded for less than £600 -- the price of a washing machine and dryer. Surely I'm mistaken? For a detailed view of the underwater classic, see the first issue of The Wafflehead.
September, 1979-June, 1980 -- "Vegetable Man", "Strange", "Only The Stones Remain", "Where Are The Prawns" #2, "Dreams", "Black Snake Diamond Rock", "There's Nobody Like You", and "Song No. 4" appear as extra tracks on the 1990 Moonlight reissue.
Notes: Hitchcock does seem to have written a hell of a lot of songs over the last twenty years. I mean, when we consider his comments in the interview, "I put ten songs on an album, but I write forty songs for it," we must wonder whether in twenty years we will still be making our way through stacks of Hitchcock rarities. You can't complain. Also, it does mean that there is ample material to serve as extra tracks -- but there is a danger that given a few more years (and with more reissues) there may be more bonus tracks than album cuts! The latter is almost the case with the Underwater Moonlight reissue, because eight previously-somewhere-else tracks have been added (without a word of warning in the sleeve to suggest otherwise). On the whole, not surprisingly, they're not as good as their housemates. Out of this particular collection, "Vegetable Man" and "Song No. 4" have already appeared as B-sides to posthumously released singles, and "Only The Stones Remain" was a single in its own right. The rest had to wait for an opportunity such as this -- which is fine, really: they do seem quite comfortable here, so there's no reason to complain. Only "Only The Stones Remain" could have really competed for a position on the album (and i'm sure it would have got one if it weren't for the fact that it was written after its release). Syd Barrett's crazy, self-descriptive "Vegetable Man" couldn't have been interpreted with more heart. The second "Where Are The Prawns?" -- all six minutes of it -- just doesn't have the original's sting in the tail. "Dreams", "Song No. 4", and "There's Nobody Like You" seem to be thriving off the Pop-ier Soft Boys vein sliced open on Invisible Hits -- stuff like "He's A Reptile". It's quite difficult to grasp the fact that songs like that have just been laying around feeding off themselves for all this time. This is definitely a peak period -- the quality of the extra tracks are proof of this.
March, 1980 -- a few tracks from a gig at the Hope And Anchor have surfaced on The Soft Boys 1976-81; "Positive Vibrations", "Gigolo Aunt", "Train Round The Bend", and "Kingdom Of Love".
Notes: The Hope And Anchor gig is especially important, because it means The Soft Boys cycle is nearly at an end. It is also the last live recording. The double rarities album (which, by the way, was put together with extreme care and consideration) chooses a better version of "Positive Vibrations" (benefits from the balloon bass), Syd Barrett's "Gigolo Aunt" (suddenly it loses its fragility and becomes a full-and-rounded Pop song), Lou Reed's "Train Round The Bend" (echoes of old) and the precious "Kingdom Of Love" (adopts "Harold isn't here: he's in The Kingdom Of Love" vocal -- a wise decision, my friends). Although these may be wonderful choice tracks, it seems evident that the whole concert was rather good, considering the evidence (see next entry also), and the fact that the band now had Underwater Moonlight's treasures on the setlist. So why not release it all, and put a smile back on the face of millions? Here's an idea: you could make it available for a limited period, to those who have purchased a certain Hitchcock issue!
June, 1980 -- "Only The Stones Remain" and "The Bells Of Rhymney"; released on the posthumous compilation LP Two Halves For The Price Of One; along with "Where Are The Prawns?" #2, "There's Nobody Like You", "Innocent Boy" (live), "Black Snake Diamond Rock" (live), "Underwater Moonlight" (live), "Astronomy Domine" (live), "Outlaw Blues" (live), and "Mystery Train" (live); March, 1982.
Notes: As it is titled "Two Halves For The Price Of One" ("Only The Stones Remain in America), one can presume that the two halves refer to the five studio tracks, and the five live tracks, present here. "Only The Stones Remain" and "The Bells Of Rhymney" were the very last songs that The Soft Boys recorded. The former, because of its skewed brilliance, is released as a single (in October of the following year, backed with "The Asking Tree"), and then reemerges as an extra track on the reissue of Underwater Moonlight. The latter disappears into the swamps of time. "There's Nobody Like You", "Black Snake Diamond Rock", and "Where Are The Prawns?" #2 were Moonlight outtakes, and reappear suitably on the Moonlight reissue (and are mentioned in more detail in an earlier entry). The five live tracks are from the aforementioned and cover-version-riddled Hope And Anchor gig, and have all been gig staples from the beginning. The '80s are penetrated in sparkling fashion, without a synthesizer in sight. You would never be forgiven for saying that this isn't a legendary gig. But not only that, it was one of their last. I think the creators of Two Halves For The Price Of One must have imagined that their compilation would be the eipilogue to The Soft Boys' story.
Extra Notes: The already fairly scarce Invisible History has collected together three of the live tracks ("Astronomy Domine", "Outlaw Blues", and "Innocent Boy") from Two Halves For The Price Of One. These, otherwise, would have gone the way of the album, so we are all very grateful to the compilers. Also of note on this album are three other live similar-period cover versions: "Postman's Knock", "Like A Real Smoothie", and "Look Into Your Mirror", which I believe to be new on the scene; and an interesting disco mix of "Kingdom Of Love". The flipside to the 7" flexi single of the "Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)" demo given away with Bucketfull Of Brains in 1987 featured a trifle old ditty sung by Kimberley Rew entitled "Deck Of Cards". this was recorded live with The Soft Boys in late-1978, I believe. On less of a Soft Boys note, Invisible History did the decent thing and compiled the B-sides of the American-only releases of "Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)", "Madonna Of The Wasps", and "Oceanside" -- which are from the period that the reissues have yet to reach (Globe Of Frogs and onwards -- let's hope that Sequel continue their sterling work and give Queen Elvis a release in the UK). The B-sides are as follows: "Legalized Murder" (from the "Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)" promo -- 1988), "The Ruling Class", "More Than This" (from "Madonna Of The Wasps" -- 1989), "The Ghost In You" (from "One Long Pair Of Eyes" promo -- 1989), "Fairplay", and "Linden Arden Stole The Highlights" (both live, and from the "Oceanside" release).
There's a tape availabe of The Soft Boys' reunion gig at The Astoria in London, entitled Where Are The Prawns? (available from Mrs. Wafflehead, address elsewhere), so I must include this as released Soft Boys Material. (Tracklisting: "Wey Wey Hep Uh Hole", "The Face Of Death", "Queen Of Eyes", "The Pigworker", "Underwater Moonlight", "Old Pervert", "Hear My Brane", "Where Are The Prawns?", "Insanely Jealous", "Kingdom Of Love", "Give It To The Soft Boys", "Only The Stones Remain", "Zipper In My Spine", and "I Wanna Destroy You". "Zipper In My Spine" was written especially for The Soft Boys reunion, so technically it is a Soft Boys song even if it was released a year later as a Hitchcock solo release.)
Some time in the future I may attempt to collect together all rumours and evidence regarding unreleased Soft Boys recordings (which will probably be much more fun).
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