YES!!!!!! This album is a stone cold classic! THE TRULY GREAT ROBYN HITCHCOCK leads this band… and his solo catalog is deep and fantastic! Surrealistic, psychedelic Beatle-esque indie pop… and so,so good! He’s a first-rate songwriter… with foot-stomping bangers (“The Yip song,” “Sally Was A Legend,” “Oceanside”)… brilliant pop (“Madonna Of The Wasps,” “Flesh Number One,” “One Long Pair Of Eye,” “Sally Was. Legend,”) …and. Beautiful acoustic songs “Cynthia Mask,” “Glass Hotel,” “Beautiful Girl,” “Queen Elvis”… the entire “Eye” album, actually… or his great live album “Storefront Hitchcock” … He even teamed with XTC’S Andy Partridge on a great EP worth checking out!
In a perfect world, "Queen f Eyes" would have been a global number one hit. One thumbs up is not enough! Robyn Hitchcock is an astounding songwriter that too few people know. His songs look at the world from a uniquely odd viewpoint and the songs are magnificent. His band the Soft Boys were only together for a handful of albums, but his albums with The Egyptians and solo are equally great - I'd recommend having a listen to the RH and the Egyptians album "Element of Light". Heavily influenced by the Beatles, the Byrds, and Bob Dylan, and an influence on many indie artists, most notably REM. Sadly Matthew Seligman died of covid a couple of years back (RIP, Matthew). PS - that's a type of phasing called flanging :)
Robyn Hitchcock is phenomenal. One of the most literate of songwriters. I like his solo stuff and his work with Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians much more than this though. He was my first post-COVID concert, playing solo, at first on guitar and later on piano. Obscured by surrealism as his lyrics often are, I bet he found it ironic to be the only one in the room without a mask.
There are multiple sides to the Soft Boys... great studio albums, huge influence on folk-rock and neo-psychedelia bands like R.E.M., FANTASTIC live albums, and then Robyn Hitchcock has an incredible catalog of electric and acoustic albums. Kimberley Rew wrote a lot of songs as guitarist for Katrina & the Waves, and Matthew Seligman played with a lot of different bands as a studio musician. Based on all of your previous reactions, especially to XTC, Peter Gabriel, Gary Numan, you should dig deeper into Robyn Hitchcock. He tells bizarre stories in his live shows, and I suspect he could have made it as a writer or made films, but started making albums instead.
Robyn Hitchcock, the singer, lyricist, and main songwriter here is one of my absolute favorite artists. And you know we love so many of the same things - you have to go much further with Robyn. He's completely one-off and unique. And though this album is awesome and ground breaking, his copious solo catalog and albums with his later band The Egyptians far surpass this, despite the raw power and exuberant energy here. Yes, he's psychedelic, surrealistic, with scathing wit, profound wisdom, and rich with alchemical and Hermetic references. Weaving in influences from early psychedelia, The Beatles, The Byrds, Beach Boys, XTC (he's worked with Andy Partridge as a duo), and so much more. The subtlety, variety, mature heart, and mastery of his songwriting went up and up and up from this wonderful early period. For me, standout albums include Queen Elvis, Eye, and Perspex Island, but you almost can't go wrong with Robyn. He may be a bit of an acquired taste, and take a little acclimation, but he's always eye-opening, outrageous, and full of transcendent belly-laughs and flushing the shadow out of hiding. Queen of Eyes is my favorite track on this marvelous and diverse album. Oh, the riddle in Tonight - based on my sense of Robyn, he's really just free associating with imagery but the subtext is spiritual, with tongue-in-cheek. He's talking from the part of him that is everywhere, that transcendent union beyond the personal self, and deftly, as he often does, capturing the weird paranoia of the first uncomprehending glimmers of that state. At least that's how it speaks to me, knowing Robyn (and his source inspirations, themes, and sense of humor) well. And the Queen Of Eyes is the all-seeing all-knowing Goddess. Everything with Hitchcock, however gonzo on the surface, is a knowing sophisticated esoteric spiritual metaphor, filtered through his stream-of-consciousness free association style. He's a genius. It's no wonder he and Partridge get on and admire each other. (And btw JP, did you ever get my email? Not sure if you still check the address on the channel.)
incredible record, it's pretty much the blueprint for 90% of the neo-psychedelic revival and a huge influence of jangle pop and british pop in general too, way underrated imo. great reaction brother
Y’know, I’ve always loved Robyn and the Soft Boys. I don’t think this album’s any better than the first but I can put any of those records on and get a warm glow inside. His songwriting is excellent, with that British quirkiness that never fails to raise a smile. Remember’I Want To Be An Anglepoise Lamp?’ Trans-sexual commentary from back in the ‘70s. And their one punk rock song ‘Wading Through A Ventilator’? Timeless. I saw him play an acoustic set in delicatessen in Durham last year less than a week after his daughter passed away. Now there’s a man dedicated to his music.
Thanks so much for giving this a spin, Justin. Robyn Hitchcock is one of the last English eccentrics with an unlimited imagination. You can hear a lot of their influences but they synthesized them into their own unique sound that constantly surprises. They remind me a lot of XTC without actually sounding like them. One of the great bands of the '80s.
Hitchcock lyrically is compared often to Syd Barrett. He’s made lots of solo records and with another band called the Egyptians. All very oddball psychedelic. I’ve only ever heard one song from this album. It’s hard to put a finger on genre or style. Sort of a psychedelic post rock. Really creative songs.
OMG YES! And so begins your Robyn Hitchcock journey! So glad to hear this!! Genre-wise you're hearing correctly. Psychedelia and a love of the Beatles are solid base, and Robyn uses that to create surreal mental landscapes that will stick with you forever. For recommendations I'd suggest everything off of "Element of Light", "Fegmania!", and "Queen Elvis".
Great fun to hear this album through someone else's ears for the first time, after having heard it maybe a hundred times myself! 🙂 (Apart from the obvious influences already mentioned in the comments - Beatles, Barrett etc - Robyn H. was also a big fan of Captain Beefheart, and some of that shines through on Old Pervert and parts of I got the hots.) I find Robyn's later stuff even more enjoyable. His eponymous album from 2017 is a blast, for example.
Great reaction of a pretty good album.. I love The Soft boys and some of the Robyn hitchcock work .Sometimes he is great. Black Snake Diamond Röle and Eye, are my favorite Robyn Albums.
Hi JP, fun review. Longtime fan, Can of Bees being my favorite. Hitchcock went on to a prolific solo career very much like Julian Cope, both worthy of exploring.
Back in the day hardly anyone had heard of this psychedelic new wave band , great songs great musicians , REM were big fans . Kimberly Rew went on to write walking on sunshine for Katrina and the waves . Robyn of course then had the Egyptians , i saw the Egyptians at Glastonbury 1987 they played kingdom of love , tonight , insanely jealous and underwater moonlight from this album . my partner saw The Soft Boys at the Astoria reunion gig about 30 yrs ago she said it was a great gig ! RIP Matthew Seligman
The Bangles version of Going Down to Liverpool is just incredible. Also, lots of people are saying lots of things in these comments, and RIP Matthew Seligman had to be said. Incredible talent and career there, and it ended too soon.
Really solid album. It’s a favorite of mine from this kind of early college-rock/neo-psych style, but it’s never quite struck me as a masterpiece - I think every track is good, but there’s something that keeps me at a distance. Maybe it’s Hitchcock himself, the paleness of his voice and the lack of warmth in his lyrics. (If you want to hear my idea of a masterpiece in this vein, might I recommend Let It Be by the Replacements and Stands for Decibels by the dB’s?)
I got into this album in the early 2000s after being a huge Robyn fan for years. I'm so glad to see you enjoying this one, especially I GOT THE HOTS. I so wanted to name our trivia group THE BATHROOM STATUES, but my team members didn't know the song.
Classic. They were a somewhat post-punk band. But never called that because they're so musically advanced. But they were psych rock, I'd say. RH is genius
I have this and Invisible Hits but haven't been able to get A Can Of Bees or Two Halves but they are on mi list. I first heard of Robyn Hitchcock back in the 80s and still listen to the Softboys a lot.
you can get Can of Bees on cd , have you heard the live at the portland arms Cambridge ? it's hilarious they've taken acid and have to go a capella because their too out of it to play with loads of funny Robyn Hitchcock banter !
@@acrookedbeat9013 I don't generally do CDs other than to rip them. I don't have enough space to have Vinyl and CDs. Now that I know this, I'll definitely have to get a Vinyl copy.
I listened to this album several years ago, as well as their previous one, A Can of Bees. It's nice power pop but it didn't make much of an impression on me. Justin, I'd love you to listen to the underrated trio The Opposition and particularly to their 1981 debut album Breaking the Silence.
The Soft Boys (and Robyn Hitchcock in particular) are better remembered in retrospect more so than they were at the time. This was the time of post-punk, angularity, synth-pop, agitprop politics and outrage so it would have been difficult for any band with a name like 'The Soft Boys' playing fairly retro psychedelic inspired pop rock like this to have made an impact (though The Stranglers and The Police did quite well so go figure) For me, it's a little bland though of some quality but I wouldn't spend any money to own this.
track two atm and it's shirley a mention for Matthew Seligman? any second now! yep, on cue but use yer rhythmic groove when sayin his name Jus Tin pull eaze i had no idea about The Soft Boys before Seligman's death. Thanks for playing it. Gotta go now but I'll be back. Good comments below too! x
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YES!!!!!! This album is a stone cold classic! THE TRULY GREAT ROBYN HITCHCOCK leads this band… and his solo catalog is deep and fantastic! Surrealistic, psychedelic Beatle-esque indie pop… and so,so good! He’s a first-rate songwriter… with foot-stomping bangers (“The Yip song,” “Sally Was A Legend,” “Oceanside”)… brilliant pop (“Madonna Of The Wasps,” “Flesh Number One,” “One Long Pair Of Eye,” “Sally Was. Legend,”) …and. Beautiful acoustic songs “Cynthia Mask,” “Glass Hotel,” “Beautiful Girl,” “Queen Elvis”… the entire “Eye” album, actually… or his great live album “Storefront Hitchcock” … He even teamed with XTC’S Andy Partridge on a great EP worth checking out!
In a perfect world, "Queen f Eyes" would have been a global number one hit. One thumbs up is not enough! Robyn Hitchcock is an astounding songwriter that too few people know. His songs look at the world from a uniquely odd viewpoint and the songs are magnificent. His band the Soft Boys were only together for a handful of albums, but his albums with The Egyptians and solo are equally great - I'd recommend having a listen to the RH and the Egyptians album "Element of Light". Heavily influenced by the Beatles, the Byrds, and Bob Dylan, and an influence on many indie artists, most notably REM. Sadly Matthew Seligman died of covid a couple of years back (RIP, Matthew). PS - that's a type of phasing called flanging :)
What a surprise to see this as a full album reaction! Great reaction, I'm glad you enjoyed it!l
There's a lot more Robyn Hitchcock to explore.
Robyn Hitchcock is phenomenal. One of the most literate of songwriters. I like his solo stuff and his work with Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians much more than this though. He was my first post-COVID concert, playing solo, at first on guitar and later on piano. Obscured by surrealism as his lyrics often are, I bet he found it ironic to be the only one in the room without a mask.
There are multiple sides to the Soft Boys... great studio albums, huge influence on folk-rock and neo-psychedelia bands like R.E.M., FANTASTIC live albums, and then Robyn Hitchcock has an incredible catalog of electric and acoustic albums. Kimberley Rew wrote a lot of songs as guitarist for Katrina & the Waves, and Matthew Seligman played with a lot of different bands as a studio musician. Based on all of your previous reactions, especially to XTC, Peter Gabriel, Gary Numan, you should dig deeper into Robyn Hitchcock. He tells bizarre stories in his live shows, and I suspect he could have made it as a writer or made films, but started making albums instead.
Robyn Hitchcock, the singer, lyricist, and main songwriter here is one of my absolute favorite artists. And you know we love so many of the same things - you have to go much further with Robyn. He's completely one-off and unique. And though this album is awesome and ground breaking, his copious solo catalog and albums with his later band The Egyptians far surpass this, despite the raw power and exuberant energy here. Yes, he's psychedelic, surrealistic, with scathing wit, profound wisdom, and rich with alchemical and Hermetic references. Weaving in influences from early psychedelia, The Beatles, The Byrds, Beach Boys, XTC (he's worked with Andy Partridge as a duo), and so much more. The subtlety, variety, mature heart, and mastery of his songwriting went up and up and up from this wonderful early period. For me, standout albums include Queen Elvis, Eye, and Perspex Island, but you almost can't go wrong with Robyn. He may be a bit of an acquired taste, and take a little acclimation, but he's always eye-opening, outrageous, and full of transcendent belly-laughs and flushing the shadow out of hiding. Queen of Eyes is my favorite track on this marvelous and diverse album.
Oh, the riddle in Tonight - based on my sense of Robyn, he's really just free associating with imagery but the subtext is spiritual, with tongue-in-cheek. He's talking from the part of him that is everywhere, that transcendent union beyond the personal self, and deftly, as he often does, capturing the weird paranoia of the first uncomprehending glimmers of that state. At least that's how it speaks to me, knowing Robyn (and his source inspirations, themes, and sense of humor) well. And the Queen Of Eyes is the all-seeing all-knowing Goddess. Everything with Hitchcock, however gonzo on the surface, is a knowing sophisticated esoteric spiritual metaphor, filtered through his stream-of-consciousness free association style. He's a genius. It's no wonder he and Partridge get on and admire each other.
(And btw JP, did you ever get my email? Not sure if you still check the address on the channel.)
"Queen Of Eyes" is a gem of a pop song.
incredible record, it's pretty much the blueprint for 90% of the neo-psychedelic revival and a huge influence of jangle pop and british pop in general too, way underrated imo. great reaction brother
Y’know, I’ve always loved Robyn and the Soft Boys. I don’t think this album’s any better than the first but I can put any of those records on and get a warm glow inside. His songwriting is excellent, with that British quirkiness that never fails to raise a smile. Remember’I Want To Be An Anglepoise Lamp?’ Trans-sexual commentary from back in the ‘70s. And their one punk rock song ‘Wading Through A Ventilator’? Timeless. I saw him play an acoustic set in delicatessen in Durham last year less than a week after his daughter passed away. Now there’s a man dedicated to his music.
Whoa! I am sorry to hear his daughter passed away! RH is brilliant. I've seen him at least 6 times. And 2 of them were the Soft Boys reunion 2001!
Thanks so much for giving this a spin, Justin. Robyn Hitchcock is one of the last English eccentrics with an unlimited imagination. You can hear a lot of their influences but they synthesized them into their own unique sound that constantly surprises. They remind me a lot of XTC without actually sounding like them. One of the great bands of the '80s.
Hitchcock lyrically is compared often to Syd Barrett. He’s made lots of solo records and with another band called the Egyptians. All very oddball psychedelic. I’ve only ever heard one song from this album. It’s hard to put a finger on genre or style. Sort of a psychedelic post rock. Really creative songs.
Hitchcock and XTC's Andy Partridge finally worked together a year or so back after expressing a liking for each others' music for years.
OMG YES! And so begins your Robyn Hitchcock journey! So glad to hear this!! Genre-wise you're hearing correctly. Psychedelia and a love of the Beatles are solid base, and Robyn uses that to create surreal mental landscapes that will stick with you forever. For recommendations I'd suggest everything off of "Element of Light", "Fegmania!", and "Queen Elvis".
Ty S!
ROBYN! He and the Egyptians did some phenom albums, but this one's gold. Yay
Great fun to hear this album through someone else's ears for the first time, after having heard it maybe a hundred times myself! 🙂
(Apart from the obvious influences already mentioned in the comments - Beatles, Barrett etc - Robyn H. was also a big fan of Captain Beefheart, and some of that shines through on Old Pervert and parts of I got the hots.)
I find Robyn's later stuff even more enjoyable. His eponymous album from 2017 is a blast, for example.
Great reaction of a pretty good album.. I love The Soft boys and some of the Robyn hitchcock work .Sometimes he is great.
Black Snake Diamond Röle and Eye, are my favorite Robyn Albums.
I am still listening to this but I give it my stamp of approval. I had never heard it before.
Hi JP, fun review. Longtime fan, Can of Bees being my favorite. Hitchcock went on to a prolific solo career very much like Julian Cope, both worthy of exploring.
Nice! As a Syd Barrett fan I was naturally attracted to this album when it came out
Back in the day hardly anyone had heard of this psychedelic new wave band , great songs great musicians , REM were big fans . Kimberly Rew went on to write walking on sunshine for Katrina and the waves . Robyn of course then had the Egyptians , i saw the Egyptians at Glastonbury 1987 they played kingdom of love , tonight , insanely jealous and underwater moonlight from this album . my partner saw The Soft Boys at the Astoria reunion gig about 30 yrs ago she said it was a great gig ! RIP Matthew Seligman
The Bangles version of Going Down to Liverpool is just incredible. Also, lots of people are saying lots of things in these comments, and RIP Matthew Seligman had to be said. Incredible talent and career there, and it ended too soon.
Really solid album. It’s a favorite of mine from this kind of early college-rock/neo-psych style, but it’s never quite struck me as a masterpiece - I think every track is good, but there’s something that keeps me at a distance. Maybe it’s Hitchcock himself, the paleness of his voice and the lack of warmth in his lyrics.
(If you want to hear my idea of a masterpiece in this vein, might I recommend Let It Be by the Replacements and Stands for Decibels by the dB’s?)
I got into this album in the early 2000s after being a huge Robyn fan for years. I'm so glad to see you enjoying this one, especially I GOT THE HOTS. I so wanted to name our trivia group THE BATHROOM STATUES, but my team members didn't know the song.
Love this record!!!!
Classic. They were a somewhat post-punk band. But never called that because they're so musically advanced. But they were psych rock, I'd say. RH is genius
I have this and Invisible Hits but haven't been able to get A Can Of Bees or Two Halves but they are on mi list.
I first heard of Robyn Hitchcock back in the 80s and still listen to the Softboys a lot.
you can get Can of Bees on cd , have you heard the live at the portland arms Cambridge ? it's hilarious they've taken acid and have to go a capella because their too out of it to play with loads of funny Robyn Hitchcock banter !
@@acrookedbeat9013 I don't generally do CDs other than to rip them. I don't have enough space to have Vinyl and CDs. Now that I know this, I'll definitely have to get a Vinyl copy.
I listened to this album several years ago, as well as their previous one, A Can of Bees. It's nice power pop but it didn't make much of an impression on me.
Justin, I'd love you to listen to the underrated trio The Opposition and particularly to their 1981 debut album Breaking the Silence.
Robyn Hitchcock is responsible for a lot of the guitar too.
I remember liking their song Rock and Roll Toilet. Good English psych pop.
The Soft Boys (and Robyn Hitchcock in particular) are better remembered in retrospect more so than they were at the time. This was the time of post-punk, angularity, synth-pop, agitprop politics and outrage so it would have been difficult for any band with a name like 'The Soft Boys' playing fairly retro psychedelic inspired pop rock like this to have made an impact (though The Stranglers and The Police did quite well so go figure) For me, it's a little bland though of some quality but I wouldn't spend any money to own this.
track two atm and it's shirley a mention for Matthew Seligman? any second now! yep, on cue but use yer rhythmic groove when sayin his name Jus Tin pull eaze
i had no idea about The Soft Boys before Seligman's death. Thanks for playing it. Gotta go now but I'll be back. Good comments below too! x
Hi.
Soft Boys, what an unfortunate name hahaha