Fegmaniax Digest Volume 2 Number 22 Today's Topics: ------- ------ "?" Chillin Gout [forwarded mail] Eye Eye Mr Watson "?" (fwd) r+r (robyn and relaxation) "?" woah history of So you think you're in love woah That giant sucking sound Captain Sensible Groovy Decoy That giant sucking sound [forwarded mail] That giant sucking sound That Grovy Decoy CD Discography Request Albums & Andy [][][][][][][][][][] From: Dean Ericksen To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Date: Wed, 23 Mar 94 19:53:43 PST Subject: "?" Am I the only person in the world that enjoys _Eye_? Sheepishly, I'll say that "Glass Hotel", "Certainly Clickot", and "Sattelite" are easy on the ears. I'm curious, because I thought that I always liked the most popularist music that everyone else liked. I guess that I'm losing any coolness that used to be. -Dean deaneri@microsoft.com [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 24 Mar 94 10:33 GMT From: andyh@cogs.susx.ac.uk (Andy Holyer) To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu, woj@remus.rutgers.edu Subject: Re: Chillin Gout [forwarded mail] > > Rolling jelly from someone who has recently fallen in love with "Agony > of Pleasure"... again. > > At last. A little sanity. Could I just throw in here that I'm rediscovering "Eye" (again), I'm sorry for being dismissive of it in the past, and it really is the most fantabulous thing he ever did? I though so. Thanks. Pity it doesn't fit on a C90 with IODOT, though :-). [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 24 Mar 94 10:11:17 GMT From: S.Roberts@astronomy.cardiff.ac.uk (Simon Roberts) To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: Eye Eye Mr Watson >Am I the only person in the world that enjoys _Eye_? Wouldn't it be great if that were true. Unfortunately there are at least three of us. It never fails to move me. I used to be a schmuck and have a job I hated. I listened to Eye on the way to work quite regularly and think "This is the real me. I'll just play along with the world for the rest of the day and get back to me tonight." As soon as I hear the first strums to "Cynthia Mask" it's as if I get ripped out of me fleshy shell, and zoom up into the air, and some all-knowing, all-powerful force is pointing down and saying "That's you that is". And I say "No. I'm the one behind him...The one with the plastic bag." As I have just proven - I cannot express my deep and sincere love for "Eye". >Sheepishly, I'll say that "Glass Hotel", "Certainly Clickot", and "Sattelite" are easy >on the ears. Sheepishly, I'll say Baaah. It's diificult to interpret "easy on the ears", but if all my facts are right I disagree that "Certainly clickot" fits in this category. I think this is the loopiest RH song. My favourites are "Agony of Pleasure" because the melody hits me where it hurts (on the ears) and the story brings back fond childhood memories - of angels measuring the offal in our local butchers, "Sweet Ghost of Light" because of its atmosphere and "Aquarium" which always brings tears to my legs. Having heard Eye the other day, I was particularly struck by the line "All you need is love, but all you get is a friend." >I'm curious, because I thought that I always liked the most popularist music that everyone >else liked. I guess that I'm losing any coolness that used to be. Does that worry you? When I listen to music I prefer to shut out the attached images of the related culture, the artist and her/his past, the stereotypical fan, the video, the knife-sharpener advert and the masses all over the world listening to the same thing. Just me and the sounds. Then I don't get confused and like or dislike the music for the wrong reason. Are there any of those sticky things left? Simon [][][][][][][][][][] From: treefrog@netcom.com (An Earthling...Really!) Subject: "?" (fwd) To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Date: Thu, 24 Mar 1994 08:34:19 -0800 (PST) > Am I the only person in the world that enjoys _Eye_? Sheepishly, I'll > say that "Glass Hotel", "Certainly Clickot", and "Sattelite" are easy > on the ears. I'm curious, because I thought that I always liked the > most popularist music that everyone else liked. I guess that I'm losing > any coolness that used to be. > -Dean > deaneri@microsoft.com > Well, I'm the last person on Earth who can accurately vouch for someone else's coolness, but I'm more than happy to throw in my $.02. I consider the two acoustic solo albums (Trains and Eye) to be his best works, all around. I love the songs from Eye that you mention, as well as many others; you can't get much better than Clean Steve, or Cynthia Mask, or the incredible Chinese Water Python. peace Edward -- treefrog@netcom.COM "Bungalow, bungalow, by the sea." - C. Moulding, XTC [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 24 Mar 1994 17:52:00 -0400 (EDT) From: TCARLSTO@drew.drew.edu Subject: Re: r+r (robyn and relaxation) To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu In article , ckiv@minerva.cis.yale.edu writes: > Hmmm. I sense a growing restlessness in the wind... I'm not sure > exactly what I expected to be discussed by a group of Robyn Hitchcock's > fans (I think he would find the notion of a bunch of people arguing about > him via computer with no other connection either sadly appropriate or > hysterically funny) and because my Robyn trivia is limited, I do enjoy > getting more of it, but at times feel as if I'm watching a game show ("I'll > take Robyn's boyhood fantasies for 300"). I don't have any plan for > restructuring our network or anything because I like its casual polite > atmosphere (sounds like a bar) but I guess I'm kind of interested in how > Robyn has affected the people signed up on this network, or why it is they > signed up in the first place. Any interesting testimonials? Being an > admirer of his music sort of implies a certain amount of > cynicism/skepticism, and I expect I'll get some nice sarcastic replies in > response ("I was listening to this one song and all of a sudden I > understood that my true purpose in life was to be an anteater snuffling > through the grass" or some such thing). But I think that a little bit of > personal annecdoting (like that one a while ago about gardening) might > liven things up a bit. > Responses? > I admire your pluck, and agree that this would be quite an interesting topic to explore. I for one, am a recent Robyn fan, but have become somewhat overzealous, to the point of endangering personal relationships. The first I heard of him, I saw "Balloon Man" on MTV, and I suppose my palate was not ready for him, as I thought the song was dreadful. The video was by all means intriguing, but that wasn't always good enough--still being a slaphead in high school, I reacted positively to the more primal aspects of rock still. My roommate introduced me to him freshman year of college, and I began to enjoy him via my newfound respect for Byrdsian jangle. But then, I started to really listen to the lyrics, and was absolutely in awe of the guy's imagination. He seems to still be connected to that unfettered childhood reserve that makes allowance for any combination of items or ideas in the same restricted space (ie a song). He writes what are seemingly the most nonsensical lyrics, but then he'll put in a line of such unadulterated honesty that will make you just stick your thumb in one of the various bodily orifices. And even the nonsensical ones are brilliant when he describes what they are really about. (Cf. the Yip Song, as explicated on _Spectre_) He is, as I have often read him saying, "dreaming in public", and I'll be damned if that isn't the best job on earth, or if anyone does it nearly as well as him. Of course, some of his songs just make me wet my pants, too. There. And by the way, just to put my two cents into a dead argument, I rather like Mr. Metcalfe's unique playing style, which I did not appreciate fully until it stared me full in the face at a show last April or May (I can't recall) at the Fast Lane in Asbury Park, NJ. I was aghast. I agree with whoever said that his musicianship exceeds Robyn's. Of course, he's not the songwriter, but that's blatantly obvious. Todd Carlstrom "I just fitted a new guitar onto these strings." Robyn [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Thu, 24 Mar 1994 18:04:17 -0400 (EDT) From: TCARLSTO@drew.drew.edu Subject: Re: "?" To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu In article , Dean Ericksen writes: > > Am I the only person in the world that enjoys _Eye_? Sheepishly, I'll > say that "Glass Hotel", "Certainly Clickot", and "Sattelite" are easy > on the ears. I'm curious, because I thought that I always liked the > most popularist music that everyone else liked. I guess that I'm losing > any coolness that used to be. > -Dean > deaneri@microsoft.com A) I apologize to all on the list for my tendency to post in clumps. B) Eye is one of my absolute favorites, and is the album that really made me turn the Robyn corner. And I don't mind being uncool, if such is my doom. :) Todd [][][][][][][][][][] Date: 24 Mar 1994 15:41:46 -0800 From: "Partridge John" Subject: woah To: "fegmaniax" I have somehow managed to offend many gentle and friendly people out here on this news list and I greatly regret it. The suggestion to use "IMO"'s is well taken and I hope that will help set things straight. (Frankly, I don't know who else's opinion I *could* be expressing, but manners are more important.) RH is a great songwriter; I own and enjoy all his albums; I have even interviewed him. I still think, IMO, that he writes the occasional dud song or dud album. He also writes the only albums that I would defend as art. As to Metcalfe, "your mileage may vary" sums it up pretty well - sorry to stir up such a fuss. (For those of you who were disgusted by my original posting, I should point out that you could not have asked for a more delicious blunder than for me to drop into your lap my laughably ignorant misspelling of "Basingstoke".) So anyway. I have seen Black Snake Diamond Role on CD within the last two months so it should still be in press. Has anyone seen Captain Sensible's first two albums on CD? In the UK maybe? A comment on IODOT and Eye: Look at the IODOT cover. The man sits gazing out over the water and in front of him is a chain fence suspended by three posts. Look at the post that is closest to the viewer and you will see two eyes, top and bottom, in the bulges of the post. It's clearer with the LP cover. (With my luck, this has already been discussed ad nauseum and I'm boring everyone by talking about it again.) Anyway, for me that's yet another connection between IODOT and Eye. Does Flavour of Night remind anyone of College of Ice? JP, Part-ridge, part biscuit [][][][][][][][][][] From: thiel@cdsp.neu.edu (Tim Thiel) Date: Thu, 24 Mar 94 21:23:23 EST To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: history of So you think you're in love Adavidwright@eworld.com writes: >They started the set with the current single (radio storm) and >followed that with the most popular song (so you think...). AND, they >played them both totally acoustic, even though they weren't really >written that way. Is this true? about "So you think..."? I heard him do it live at a solo acoustic show at Nightstage. I spent years looking for it. The closest I came was an unexplained reference to it in the liner notes of my "Can of Bees" cd. I don't have it here but I remeber it saying something to the effect of "it's too painful for me to listen to and I've destroyed all the tapes of it." To me the theme of the song seems to be expressed much more poignantly in the acoustic setting and I always assumed that's how it started out. Anybody have the straight dope? Had it appeared previously on a commercial recording? Another, totally unrelated, question. I read a lot of references to REM's version of Arms of Love. Where did that appear?? Cheers, Tim [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Fri, 25 Mar 94 11:01 GMT From: andyh@cogs.susx.ac.uk (Andy Holyer) To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu, partridge_john@gsb.stanford.edu Subject: Re: woah > A comment on IODOT and Eye: Look at the IODOT cover. The man sits gazing out > over the water and in front of him is a chain fence suspended by three posts. > Look at the post that is closest to the viewer and you will see two eyes, top > and bottom, in the bulges of the post. It's clearer with the LP cover. (With my > luck, this has already been discussed ad nauseum and I'm boring everyone by > talking about it again.) Anyway, for me that's yet another connection between > IODOT and Eye. Does Flavour of Night remind anyone of College of Ice? > The cover of IODOT is taken on the pier at ... Hmmm, don't remember, I *think* it's Ventnor, anyway it's where you arrive on the Isle of Wight from the Portsmouth ferry. Another link. -&. [][][][][][][][][][] From: vince@devnull.mpd.tandem.com (Vince Layton) Subject: That giant sucking sound To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@gnu.ai.mit.edu Date: Thu, 24 Mar 94 9:28:06 CST I don't mean to rumple any feathers but I gotta let this hen out. I recently picked up the album _Groovy Decoy_. This is after years of seeing it in the cd bins but never purchasing it because I had the idea that it wasn't any good. This feeling may have actually come from an NME interview with Robyn, I'm not sure. Anyway, I got home and popped the disc on the cd player and...I didn't like it at all. It had none of the qualities that I enjoy in his music(I'm having a Fripp flashback). I haven't listened to it again. Is this album a dark secret of Fegmaniacs? I don't recall seeing anything on the list about it(but I haven't been on long). I get the feeling that this cd is Robyn's _Mirror Man_ (one of Beefheart's early albums that he pretty much disowned due to bad production). My biggest gripe about Robyn's albums of the past few years is that they're not long enough. A 40 minute cd almost seems like an EP to me. vince [][][][][][][][][][] Date: 25 Mar 1994 15:11:26 -0700 (PDT) From: MARTINP@cgsvax.claremont.edu Subject: Captain Sensible To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu In a recent posting someone asked about the availability of Captain Sensible's first two albums (the one's R Hitchcock is on; hence the pertinance of this posting) "Women and Captains First" and "The Power of Love". These are not in print in the U.S., and not available as imports either, I've been recently told. Possibly, however, they're in print in Japan--my store doesn't carry Japanese imports (given the dollar/yen rate) so the manager was unable to check on that for me. Wish I had better news. Pam [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 07:59:20 -0600 (CST) From: GOOSENMK@ctrvax.vanderbilt.edu Subject: Groovy Decoy To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu In response to Vince's missive dissing GROOVY DECOY: First, _Groovy Decoy_ is a repackage/rerelease of his 1982 _Groovy Decay_ album. Robyn disliked the smooth production of Steve Hillage on the original, and instead substituted demos recorded with Matthew Seligman for all but four cuts and reordered the tracks. Personally, I like both versions, and it astounds me that you could utterly loathe any album that contains songs of such depth and feeling as "Fifty-Two Stations" and "St. Petersburg" (two songs that easily make it onto my famous--at least in my circle--Robyn Hitchcock sampler tape), or such fun songs as "Grooving on an Inner Plane" and "Night Ride to Trinidad." I never pass judgment on any album until I've listened to it at least three times; I suggest you give _Groovy Decoy_ another spin or two. BTW, I've seen a couple of discographies that show a CD of Groovy DeCAY once existed--I've had the _Groovy DeCOY_ CD for years, but I'd love to have a CD of the originial Steve Hillage-produced album (maybe it's because the DeCAY tracks are the ones I'd heard for years). Anyone know if it's still available and/or would be willing to sell it or trade for it? Later, Miles Goosens ...there's fifty-two stations on the Northern Line [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 11:12:23 -0400 (EDT) From: TCARLSTO@drew.drew.edu Subject: Re: That giant sucking sound [forwarded mail] To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu In article , woj@remus.rutgers.edu (something shakespeare never said) writes: > > I don't mean to rumple any feathers but I gotta let this hen > out. I recently picked up the album _Groovy Decoy_. This > is after years of seeing it in the cd bins but never purchasing > it because I had the idea that it wasn't any good. This > feeling may have actually come from an NME interview with > Robyn, I'm not sure. Anyway, I got home and popped the disc > on the cd player and...I didn't like it at all. It had none > of the qualities that I enjoy in his music(I'm having a > Fripp flashback). I haven't listened to it again. > > Is this album a dark secret of Fegmaniacs? I don't recall > seeing anything on the list about it(but I haven't been on > long). I get the feeling that this cd is Robyn's _Mirror Man_ > (one of Beefheart's early albums that he pretty much > disowned due to bad production). > > My biggest gripe about Robyn's albums of the past few years > is that they're not long enough. A 40 minute cd almost > seems like an EP to me. > > vince > > I can certainly see your point about _Groovy Decoy_. From what I remember, the original version, _Groovy Decay_, was even worse in production values. I have not heard it, but I can only imagine how bad it must be. Musically, however, I think it's passable Hitchcock. This is definitely evident when you hear any _Groovy_ songs played live. I hate to call Mr. Seligman's production abilities into question, but that's just MHO. Definite highlights (for me, anyway): "Young People Scream", "America", "How Do You Work This Thing?", "The Cars She Used to Drive", "When I Was A Kid" (though the Soft Boys version is still better), and "Midnight Fish". I have it on tape, and (correct me if I'm wrong) I believe the CD version has "Dancing on God's Thumb" which is also good IMHO. As for the length of Robyn's albums, a fairly-well tread conversational subject from time to time on this list, I am nonplussed. He says in interviews how abundantly he overwrites his albums, but then you get a forty-minute disc, and you can't help but feel cheated. Could it be A&M's disenchantment with him? Who knows? Anyone out there? All I know is that it is certainly a bitch to try and find his B-sides (unless, umm, of course, you have the good fortune to have a college radio show) these days. But then, much as I hate to say it, from a capitalistic point of view, Robyn is not (this REALLY pains me to say) a sure thing for a record label. Hopefully, there's a label out there that doesn't give a flying wilanda about the almighty buck, and just wants to give the music back to the people who want to hear it. I've been wondering why Robyn and Rykodisc haven't struck some kind of deal, what with their Soft Boys re-issues. I would think that would be the perfect springboard for future music, and i've always respected Ryko's re-issuings, as well as their contemporary artists (the only one I can think of presently is Sugar, who absolutely kick ass). Todd [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 13:35:31 -0500 (EST) From: Jordan M Anderson To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: Re: That giant sucking sound Cc: Concerning Groovy Decoy/Decay... I purchased Groovy Decoy a few years ago. I admit that it was my least-played RH cd. Just last year, I picked up Groovy Decay from someone who bought it in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After listening to Groovy Decay, I determined that I enjoyed IT more than Groovy Decoy. Off the top of my head, Midnight Fish is ok on Decoy and great on Decay. Also, the track order seems more fluid. Still, though, I don't log many hours of play with either. For someone who enquired about the cd availability, mine is on Albion Records which it says is a division of Line Music GmbH. It even has an old West Germany address on it. I believe Relativity might have released Decay also, if not only on vinyl. Just my opinions. -Jordan [][][][][][][][][][] Date: 27 Mar 94 17:10:00 EST From: "Mike Brown - ST (EXT 230)" Subject: That Grovy Decoy CD To: "fegmaniax" I saw GD at a local store recently as an import (midnight music?) for 13.99. If anyone is interested, I'll see if it is still there. Mike. fmd2205.daybe3.daas.dla.mil [][][][][][][][][][] From: ovenman@netcom.com (Dan Stomierosky) Subject: Discography Request To: fegmaniax@gnu.ai.mit.edu Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 15:01:00 -0800 (PST) Would some kind soul be so kind as to send me a discography of Robyn's recorded output, or at least point me to the location where it can be found. I am especially looking for information pertaining to singles/non-LP B-sides. Thanx. dws [][][][][][][][][][] Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 17:49:10 -0600 (CST) From: AaRrOoNn LlOoWwEe Subject: Albums & Andy To: -Feg:;@gnu.ai.mit.edu Had to get my two cents worth in, although I know that I'm a bit late. Perhaps I'll resign up for the reflector -- the digestifier seems interminably late. All: As far as the aforementioned albums go, my least favorite would be Queen Elvis, which is not a bad album, but seems almost un-Hitchcock. It is still very listenable, and I would never go as far as to say that any of the songs on the album "stink," (except, perhaps, "Knife" -- no! what am I saying?). Respect is indeed an excellent album -- it seems almost an echo of some of my favorite earlier Hitchcock albums, i.e., Element of Light, but the merits of his other recent efforts should not be overlooked. Heresy? No. But I can honestly say that I am an all-round R.H. fan, and he's never produced anything that I don't at least summarily adore. Also, IMHO, Andy's bass-playing is an indispenable part of RH&TE. Aaron **************************** @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ * C. Aaron Lowe | "I'm standing high on tiptoes looking over @ * "The Man Who Invented | fences. @ * Himself" | Waiting for somebody like you to kiss me @ * st3cr@jetson.uh edu | senseless." --The Lightning Seeds @ **************************** @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ [][][][][][][][] End of this Fegmaniax Digest. Archives can be found on fegmania.wustl.edu:/fegmaniax and ftp.uwp.edu:/pub/music/lists/fegmaniax. For administrative questions, subscription requests, and all that boring crud, send mail to fegmaniax-request@gnu.ai.mit.edu. Slipping you the midnight fish...