Album Club week 51, 24/7/12: Robyn Hitchcock - I Often Dream of Trains (1984)

[Ashmore]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512zfRKoriL.jpg


Robyn Hitchcock: eccentric, whimsical, absurd, surreal and occasionally disturbing. To create a Robyn Hitchcock for yourself mix two parts Bob Dylan, three parts Syd Barrett, one part Ray Davies... and then throw in some insects.

Lead singer for the 70's outfit Soft Boys (whose neo-psychedelic masterpiece 'Underwater Moonlight' really deserves to be better remembered), and later the Egyptians, his recent list of collaborations includes Gillian Welch, Grant-Lee Phillips, John Paul Jones, and REM band members in a sort of ultimate backing band as The Venus 3. This year has seen him touring with poet John Hegley. I can't imagine a more suited pair.

I Often Dream of Trains is probably Hitchcock's most admired work. A mostly acoustic affair from 1984 (and recently revived as a live set), it conjures sparse wintery images of falling leaves, brittle love and empty cathedrals. Its melancholy is tempered by extraordinary (and sometimes grotesque) humour.

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/dbdb0b4ba47b19e9f4fca1e5b394fe98/9661.jpg

Spotify link:
spotify:album:2A0HvAVcmwLxbyMLZd1cTz

Grooveshark Link:
I Often Dream of Trains (http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/I+Often+Dream+Of+Trains/2376768)



Wiki Links:
Robyn Hitchcock (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robyn_Hitchcock)
Album (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Often_Dream_of_Trains)

[Tim]

Whoa, that must be the fastest Album Club submission so far - I'm on it ;)

[Ashmore]

haha I stayed up late to do it and I'm drinking brandy. Excellent. ;) Shame about having to go to work in about 6 hours. :(

[The Grand Wazoo]

I was trying to guess what you might choose for your album Simon and, despite knowing your avatar well, it never occurred to me that it might be Robyn Hitchcock! Good choice.

[Ashmore]

Thanks Chris, it nearly wasn't. I was planning to do an obscure Cressida album. (the 1970's prog band not the modern dance outfit). Maybe next time... or perhaps I've just put the kibosh on it. :doh:

[The Grand Wazoo]

Double bluffs are good:

"Always expect the unexpected".

"But that's what they expect us to do, Capt. Mainwaring!"


...........anyway, here's a link to the album (http://grooveshark.com/#!/album/I+Often+Dream+Of+Trains/2376768) for folks who don't have a Spotify account.

[John]

I am quite liking this Think it might a grower
It has a very British feel to it
I given it a 6

[synsei]

I shall listen to it tomorrow once I have reconstituted myself from the melted puddle of goo I have been reduced to by this heat... http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/smileys/free-sick-smileys-381.gif ;)

[RichB]

Another 8 from me, currently enjoying this via spotify and my headphone rig. I can see the comparisons with Syd Barratt yet this is far more tuneful and organised than any of his solo output ever was which makes it hard listening. This is quite different and so much more enjoyable, lyrics are very entertaining and really paint pictures for the listener.


Will look forward to giving it a spin on my main system when i get back home at the end of the week.

[Ashmore]

I think I deserve a special prize for the least successful entry to album club of all time. Could you club together and buy me a new car please? ;)

[The Grand Wazoo]

Bugger - sorry I'm getting bad at this & have some catching up to do.
It's an 8 from me. I have a love/hate thing with Robyn Hitchcock. Actually love/hate is too strong.....more like love/ambivalent. I go through periods when I can listen to three or four of his albums on the trot & others when it occurs to me to play him, but always think of something I'd prefer.
Having played this three times now, since your nominating it, (and mostly thoroughly enjoying it again) I think I can feel a bit more back-catalogue exploration coming on!

[Tim]

Well I have only played this once so far and it didn't grip me, but I think it deserves another listen before I vote. I couldn't really work out where the artist is coming from :scratch:

But it could be a grower, so I shall report back after further listens.

[Ashmore]

Thanks chaps. I guess I don't get that new car now :(

I also go through 'Hitchcock' phases where I'll listen to several albums in succession and then none for ages. But I do the same with lots of artists. My all time favourite RH album is Eye (unsurprisingly given my moniker), which is also an acoustic effort, albeit with a more tortured feel.

[Martinh]

I think I deserve a special prize for the least successful entry to album club of all time. Could you club together and buy me a new car please? ;)

Hi Simon,

If you want a mega-positive reaction, you need to enter something from the 70s that everyone's already heard and/or got in their collection. Entering something new is a bit more risky :eyebrows: I expect to get a blasting for saying that but that's life.

So, thanks for introducing me to some new music :) it's not really for me, although I do like its quirkiness. 6/10 from me. At least I now know where my dodgy personality came from :lol:

Cheers,

[Alex_UK]

If you want a mega-positive reaction, you need to enter something from the 70s that everyone's already heard and/or got in their collection.

I was going to argue with you Martin - but in terms of the numbers, the 70s definitely win, and the 50s 60s & 80s are very surprisingly in the minority - here are the scores on the doors...

1950s - 1
1960s - 1
1970s - 15
1980s - 3
1990s - 13
2000s - 10
2010s - 8

Anyway, I digress - still not listened to this one yet - hopefully next week.

[synsei]

I'm sorry Simon, I've listened to this album three times now and it really isn't my cup of tea, nice recording though ;)

[Ashmore]

Don't worry Dave, each to their own (and I hope it was obvious I was feigning upset that the thread wasn't the 'Jessica Ennis of album club') :)

[Tim]

Well I think I have enjoyed this more the second time round, but I don't think its something I would ever buy for myself. Interesting choice however and thanks for introducing someone new to me.

I think your description for 5 fits exactly how I feel about it, so its a 5/10 from me.

[keiths]

Really need to catch up with Album Club - I should like this as I am pretty familiar with quite a bit of Robyn Hitchcock's work - Globe of Frogs is a particular favourite - but this one will be new to me.

[MartinT]

Sorry to get to this so late - I'm on catch-up too. It has moments of magic, but overall it's perhaps too idiosyncratic and very, very English. Thanks for bringing it to our notice, though. 5/10

[keiths]

Though familiar with some other Robyn Hitchcock albums, this one is new to me. An enjoyable listen. He's very much in the Syd Barrett songwriting school with some very quirky and original songs, but not someone I could play all the time. 6/10 from me.

[Alex_UK]

Well, I'd never heard of him! And now having heard him, I can't say that I feel I've missed out on much! ;) Just not my cup of tea, I'm afraid, although it was nice to try something different. 5/10 for me.