REVIEWS:
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: My Wife And My Dead Wife, Egyptian Cream, Heaven. LOW POINTS: None.
After two albums as a solo artist, Robyn Hitchcock recruited the rhythm section of The Soft Boys (bassist Andy Metcalf and drummer Morris Windsor), along with keyboardist Roger Jackson, to form The Egyptians. The group's first album together establishes their signature sound, mixing melodic jangle pop with off-kilter sonic surprises; the lightly-tapping "I'm Only You" makes a sudden turn into a brief, abrasive chorus, then goes right back into its gentle patter, and the change goes over so smoothly. It helps that the band are expert musicians, creating a unified collage of sound in each of these songs. The ringing organ and creative drumwork of "Egyptian Cream" start things off on a distinctively exotic note. However, once you arrive at that anthemic chorus, you don't have to be an eclecticist to enjoy the tune - and early hit for Robyn, and a definite standout. (Oh, and, when I call the song a "hit," I mean on a scale of his small but devoted fanbase.)
The macabre "two-timing" narrative of "My Wife And My Dead Wife" is certainly charming, although it's the musical nuances, like the dreamy chimes and spooky chorus, that render the song a highlight. And that's not just a high point on the album, but one for Robyn's entire career. Fegmania! comes to a grandiose finale with the gorgeous "Heaven." The rest is pretty good, too. "Another Bubble" and "Insect Mother" are more jangly, good fun; "Goodnight I Say" and "The Fly" are atmospheric and dark, with mild hints of upbeat pop lurking beneath their surfaces. "Strawberry Mind" briskly waddles with some silly, but infectious, accordion playing. This song is sort of like a mix between up-tempo rock, a sea shanty, and nonsensical poetry (if you can imagine such a thing). Speaking of nonsensical poetry, Robyn's penchant for using random, unrelated phrases to get a rhyme comes into play on this record. Incidentally, I don't consider this a weakness, but rather an odd quirk that provides Hitchcock's music with much of its unique sense of humor - and while many of his phrases sound unrelated at first, they usually have some minor trait binding them together. All thing's considered, this is a major album in Hitchcock's canon, and one of his best. It does take a few listens for these kooky hooks to sink in, and a couple of songs on side two ("The Man With The Lightbulb Head," "Glass") aren't that strong melodically. But once you start to digest it all, you'll find that Fegmania! is a great triumph of this band's awesome musical chemistry.
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: Brenda's Iron Sledge, Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl, My Wife And My Dead Wife. LOW POINTS: None.
The title may be a little misleading, but this is a live album of a single performance. And, seeing as how The Egyptians only had one studio album at this point, it wisely culls a variety of songs ranging from The Soft Boys to Robyn's first three solo outings to Fegmania! So, it makes for a pretty good sampler of Robyn's career up to this point. Now, I'm not head over heels in love with this, and I don't agree with the many critics who consider this to rest among Robyn's best work. To my ears, these live recordings don't sound all that different from their studio recordings that I've heard. Well, to be honest, I haven't heard the studio versions of most of these songs (just "Brenda's Iron Sledge" and everything from Fegmania!), but they still have that slick, complexly arranged feel about them. I know this shouldn't be the case, considering that this is a raw recording, and it wasn't produced, at least according to John Alroy. And I suppose that the tightness of this setlist is only further testament to the band's incredible chemistry and talent - the way they replicate the arrangement of "My Wife And My Dead Wife" is simply stunning - but it still sounds to me like a mere compilation with some crowd noises and stage banter thrown in. Also, keep in mind that Hitchcock was never as good at creating catchy pop hooks as such contemporaries as XTC and Midnight Oil. But, having said that, the album is still quite good; I just can't seem to get as excited about it as some do.
What saves Gotta Let This Hen Out!, apart from the band's stunning musicianship (a given), is that all the songs are still pretty good. My favorite here is the pulsating rocker "Brenda's Iron Sledge," from Robyn's first solo album, Black Snake Diamond Roll. The melodic "Acid Bird" also represents this LP. "My Wife And My Dead Wife" is great as always, and the tense, marching opener "Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl" (from I Often Dream Of Trains) is a big highlight as well, not to mention hilarious: "Sometimes I wish I was a pretty girl/So I could wreck myself in the sho-WWWEEEEERRR!!!" "Heaven," the jangly "Kingdom Of Love" (from the Soft Boys LP Underwater Moonlight) and the catchy oddity "Listening To The Higsons" could also be considered minor standouts. However, even though there are no bad songs on here, Hitchcock is still an acquired taste, and it may take several listens to appreciate some of this quirkiness for quirkiness' sake ("The Car She Used To Drive") and mundane jangle-jangle ("America"; both songs from Groovy Decay). So, it's a neat little live album with solid performances, and it samples Robyn's early work rather thoroughly. But for some odd reason that I can't always put my finger on, I don't enjoy listening to it as much as most of his studio albums with The Egyptians. On the upside, GLTHO! does contain what is probably the funniest stage banter I've EVER heard: "Thanks, that was about life in the West Country before most of you were born and a long time after the rest of you were dead. This one's called, uh, I suddenly found myself underneath a bucket, but there was nobody there except for some cement, so I went home wearing the wrong head."
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: If You Were A Priest, Winchester, President, Bass. LOW POINTS: None.
On Element Of Light, The Egyptians make a noticeable shift in their sound, abandoning some of the eclectic, quirky pop that defined most of Robyn's previous work for a more subdued, Beatlesque approach. The result is what some consider to be Robyn's finest hour, at least with The Egyptians: a sweeping aura of pleasantly melodic pop containing mostly softer tunes, but not lacking in diversity. The album is very impressive, although I can't quite get into it as much as some do. Actually, the first half is nothing short of genius. Every song finds its own unique way to absorb you. "If You Were A Priest" is hooky jangle pop in the purest tradition of the band; "President" is an uplifting political anthem complete with crowd noises tacked onto the end. The sleepy ballad "Winchester" is absolutely breathtaking, and the gentle "Ted, Woody And Junior" is almost as good. "Somewhere Apart" is just fun, bouncy Brit Pop.
In the second half, things get a bit less memorable, but the music is still easy on the ears, and the performances are still sincere. It's mostly decent ballads from here on out, whether it be the jangly "Airscape" or engaging story songs like "Lady Waters And The Hooded One." The exception to the norm is "Bass" (pronounced like the fish), the sort of wonderfully convoluted pop you'd expect to hear on Fegmania! The album as a whole is an overlooked '80s gem. It's a must-have if you're into Beatles-inspired music from that era. In fact, it's almost a 9, but I just don't quite get enough raw enjoyment out of it to rate it that high. Not as fun as Skylarking, but not boring in places like Imperial Bedroom - how' that for a comparison? Hardcore fans ought to know that I reviewed an old ten-song vinyl copy of this, so I can't comment on any of the CD bonus tracks, including the popular "Tell Me About Your Drugs" (well, the song does have a great title).
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis), Balloon Man, A Globe Of Frogs, Tropical Flesh Mandala, Chinese Bones. LOW POINTS: Unsettled, The Shapes Between Us Turn Into Animals.
Robyn's major label debut for A&M doesn't show him toning down the weirdness too much, although it does offer two or three potentially made-for-radio cuts. Actually, the album is almost excessive when it comes to diversity; there's a bit of everything of here. (And don't all Egyptians albums have two or three radio-friendly songs?) What saves Globe of Frogs is its fairly brisk pace and the fact that half of the songs are excellent. So, yeah, the album is another keeper. The jangly "Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)" and infectiously corny "Balloon Man" were the singles, and they're tremendously catchy highlights. Changing the mood a bit are the ballads "Chinese Bones" and the spooky, Eastern-flavored titled track, both lovely. And the funky arrangement of "Tropical Flesh Mandala" will surely have you shakin'.
The other songs aren't bad, either, with two exceptions that I'll get to. "Sleeping With Your Devil Mask" is evil rockabilly, I guess, and it works pretty well. "Vibrating" is more pop-oriented fluff along the lines of "Balloon Man," although not as outstanding. The echoing, Celtic folk-influenced "Luminous Rose" is odd filler or mildly interesting, take your pick. Like I said, I enjoy most of this mixed bag of goodies to some extent, but I'm not crazy about "Unsettled," a pop song with an irritating arrangement, and the loud, tuneless rock of "The Shapes Between Us Turn Into Animals." Not as cohesive a record as the last two, GOF still contains a fun assortment of mostly good material, even a few classics. In fact, because of its strong pop sensibilities, it's probably the best place to start if you want an introduction to The Egyptians' major label period.
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(reviewed by John Schlegel)
HIGH POINTS: Madonna Of The Wasps, The Devil's Coachman, Freeze. LOW POINTS: Knife.
Robyn and company get real ambitious this time, with eclectic songwriting and complex arrangements to spare. The album features impressive instrumental work by the whole band, and the orchestration is often sweeping, but all of this experimentation is pretty hit-and-miss. There are two pop gems on here, most notably "Madonna Of The Wasps," which is about as catchy as Hitchcock gets. The stamping, violin-augmented "Wax Doll" is a little plodding by comparison, but rescued by a solid melody. "One Long Pair Of Eyes," a ballad, is the other fairly "conservative" sounding track on board - too bad it's not all that impressive.
Apart from those, the tunes begin to grow bizarre. Some of this works pretty well. "The Devil's Coachman" is a serious highlight, containing a slithering bassline courtesy of Mr. Andy Metcalf and some well-placed orchestration. This song is surprisingly effective for how weird it is, partially because of Robyn's introspective lyrics about how he sees the Devil in himself. The frantic "Freeze," with its spastic horns and aggressive marching drumwork, is also mind-blowing. The eclectic ballad "Veins Of The Queen" is nice too, and Robyn's reflections on Her Majesty are humorous, as he wonders if she ever chops up logs: "No I don't suppose she does/It would all be too much fuss." The rest is pretty bland, especially "Knife," which has another one of Metcalf's cool basslines, but absolutely nothing else going for it. The laid back "Swirling" and "Autumn Sea" are just boring. So a little of this goes a long way. Oh, the album's good - I like half the songs - and Robyn's lyrics are some of his most delightfully perverse. You probably shouldn't start here, though.
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