All-Music Guide
Biography for Robyn Hitchcock:
Music Style: Alternative Pop/Rock, Vocal
Instrument: Vocal
Birth: 1952
Importance: 2 (scale 1-3; 3=highest)
by William Ruhlmann
British avant-garde singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock built up a large cult following and critical acclaim for his highly poetic, if somewhat obscure, songs, especially after his work began to be more generally available in the U.S. after 1985. Born in London, Hitchcock formed The Soft Boys with Andy Metcalfe and Morris Windsor in 1976; the band continued until 1981, when Hitchcock released his first solo album, Black Snake Diamond Role. This was followed by Groovy Decay (1982) and I Often Dream of Trains (1984). In 1984 Hitchcock formed a backing band called The Egyptians, consisting of Metcalfe, Windsor, Otis "Horns" Fletcher, and Roger Jackson, and began playing concerts for the first time in two-and-a-half years. The first recorded output of this band, and the first U.S. Hitchcock album, was Fegmania! (1985). It was followed by the live album Gotta Let This Hen Out! (1985), Element of Light (1986), and a compilation called Invisible Hitchcock (1986), all of which built up Hitchcock's following to the point that he was signed by A&M Records, resulting in his major-label debut Globe of Frogs (1988), which reached #111. Queen Elvis, Hitchcock's second A&M album, reached #139 in 1989. He then made Eye (1990), an acoustic solo album released on Twin/Tone Records.
Roots and Influences: The Beatles, Big Star, The Byrds, The Doors, Captain Beefheart, Pink Floyd
Similar Artists: Julian Cope, The Soft Boys, R.E.M.
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