I just watched a Syd Barrett documentary on VH1 Classic that was surprisingly good and touching. I love the 2 Barrett solo albums and his work with Pink Floyd is almost always “cool,” even when not “great.” However, I usually keep my enjoyment of Barrett to myself. Other people tend to ruin it for me by focusing on the crazy/drug stuff that most people, I sense, like to live through vicariously. By watching this documentary, which was driven by interviews with the Floyd guys, I’ve not only gained a little more respect for the members of the classic version of Pink Floyd, a phenomenon that creeps forward with each passing year of my long-overdue maturity, but I came to an even more surprising realization and feeling of warmth and tolerance. There’s a brief bit with Robyn Hitchcock, who talks about the natural ease of Barrett’s solo albums. It’s never been a secret that Hitchcock was a Barrett fan, but it was my perceived take on his fandom and his seeming fascination with the KEEEERRRRAAAAAZY diamond side of the artist that turned me off on Hitchcock’s music beyond its frequent mediocrity and that made me think twice, tonight, about watching this Barrett doc. As it turned out, from the 2 minutes Hitchcock spoke on the solo Barrett albums, I got a rare taste of Hitchcock’s better side, a side that I’ve only been able to enjoy on his Element of Light album and the song “Winchester”, in particular. I also admire the guy’s hair. Now, if only I could determine another half dozen Hitchcock songs I’d really like to hear on a regular basis…
I’m a huge Robyn Hitchcock fan (we can get into that in another comment).
Just heard him play a beautiful cover of Barrett’s “Dominos” on an archived “Sound Opinions” show:
http://www.soundopinions.org/shownotes/2007/011307/shownotes
Here’s a direct link to the tune that will play in iTunes:
http://audio.wbez.org/soundopinions/2007/01/dominoes.m3u
I love that Dominos track, I’ve always been a fan of the Perspex Island stuff and enjoy other RH stuff that I’ve heard too…
I’m really excited, my friend Jon who owns Kelp Records out of Ottawa just announced the new album by the ever-talented Jim Bryson. If you’re in the mood for some Canadiana this morning, you can stream his whole new album up on the Kelp Records site here: http://www.kelprecords.com. It’s getting great reviews so far too!
jim, is the syd documentary on all month? i may have to get one of my cable consuming bretheren to fire up the dvd-r and crank one out for me.
i agree with you on all counts regarding barrett fandom.
re. the floyd, i think what you may also be witnessing is their own mellowing on the whole question of syd, especially since he died. there are plenty of verifiable stories of waters’ cruelty to syd at the point when the guy needed to be shipped home to his mum.
shine on, art
Put me in the huge Robyn fan camp as well. I’ve written before that his “crazy” aspects – lyrics, mid-song raps – dissolve in those moments when he speaks more lucidly (for lack of a better word). I’ve heard him “explain” the meaning of songs and all the nonsense makes sense.
Other things I love about him:
* great melodies
* he’s a great cover artist – of Syd songs, Dylan songs (“nobody sings Dylan like Dylan” but Robyn is in the top tier), VU, Kinks, Lennon
* and speaking of covers, he does a great series of shows (usually fundraisers for Doctors Without Borders) where he covers entires albums. So far he’s done The White Album, Pipers At The Gates Of Dawn, Dylan’s legendary Manchester Hall album – complete with “Judas” shouts, a show of ’70s disco hits, and coming next month is Sgt. Pepper.
For me, he’s one of the rare artists that can pretty much do no wrong.
I’m just now getting back here and played the video Doh! Well the version I mentioned is with Peter Buck and Scott McCaughey.
RE: Hitchcock – I’ve listened to him and seen him live in many forms for 20 years now (my now wife introduced me to his music when we first met). I tend to like the band/electric stuff more but have seen some great solo acoustic shows too. Maybe he’s in my “bands that don’t bum out their fans” camp” as there are some releases that have a good song or two on them and the rest…eh. I do like the latest “Ole! Tarantula”. Saw them live – it was only a so-so show. Robyn was great but drummer Bill Rieflin was a stick in the mud – no energy (interesting he couldn’t be bothered to attend and play the Sound Opinions show I linked above…).
I love his lyrics and melodies. I think there are some serious subjects under some seemingly silly wordplay.
Mr. Mod – I recommend you check out the “Storefront Hitchcock” movie that Jonathan Demme made.
Two things that this fanboy needs to see – Robyn as a small time con man in Demme’s remake of “The Manchurian Candidate” and there is a recent documentary on Bravo about the making of the latest CD…
Perhaps a functional Hitchcock EP for Mr. Mod:
My Wife and My Dead Wife (studio version)
Ted, Woody, and Junior
Transparent Lover
Fair Play (live Van cover)
The Ghost Ship
The Abandoned Brain
I can put this together and send it to you…
I like “Ted, Woody, and Junior” a lot. That’s on the one album of his I’ve held onto over the years, Element of Light, which may almost completely drop the “fishes and insects” routine. If I want to hear songs about imaginary animal states, I’ll listen to songs about the animal I’d most like to be reincarnated as: the hawk!
I had no idea he covered “Fair Play”! Now this I gotta hear!
I will rent Storefront Hitchcock MrClean, his part in the remake of The Manchurian Candidate is very small, but it was fun seeing him for 30 seconds or so in a big motion picture.
I look forward to hearing more about his human side. It’s the notion I’ve always gotten that he’s hiding behind a British eccentric schtick that puts me off as much as his typically thin music and the “fishes and insects” subject matter. Does he have any songs about hawks?
The next showing of The Syd Barrett Story is scheduled for June 8, 4pm on VH1 Classic.
I find it telling that Robyn speaks to the ease of those albums (which are both among my very favorite recordings ever) as the problem I have with Robyn is that his lyrics feel so forced-Syd-esque. I kept trying up to, the one after Element… Ultimately I gave up but have been considering revisiting Black Snake Diamond Roll.
I hope Mr. Moderator that you can continue your colon relaxing exercises and allow the classic Floyd into your heart. The day you tell me that you really grooved to Animals will be up there with the day I caught my wife listening to Houses of the Holy.
As Mr. Clean and Mr. Mod know, I’ve been in the pro-Robyn camp for many years now, catching him live first on the Fegmania tour (or was it even prior to that?) and then zillions of times after. I’ve actually enjoyed the solo shows a bit more than the full-band ones, mostly because I always had playing style issues with his Egyptians backing band. Maybe I’ll elaborate on those at some point. True some more recent discs are better than others in terms of memorable tunes. I agree that there’s much meaningful lyrical meat beneath the fossils and insects. Lots of pretty spot-on philosophy, character studies and social commentary (Cynthia Mask a case in point). There’s a great Syd show with a really good band that he did just a few days ago in England that’s here (and downloadable):
http://www.archive.org/details/robynhitchcock2007-05-26
01 – Mathilda Mother
02 – Flaming
03 – The Scarecrow
04 – Jugband Blues
05 – See Emily Play
06 – Bike
07 – Arnold Layne
08 – Candy And A Currant Bun
09 – Pow R Toc H
10 – Interstellar Overdrive
01 – Terrapin
02 – Love You
03 – Late Night
04 – Long Gone
05 – If It’s In You
06 – (Wouldn’t You Miss Me) Dark Globe
07 – Dominoes
08 – Wined and Dined
09 – Reaction in G
10 – Astronomy Domine
11 – Lucifer Sam
12 – See Emily Play
Oh, and bonus Blur points for Mr. Mod: Graham Coxon plays in Hitchcock’s Syd tribute band at that 5-26-07 show.
Wow, thanks for the tip on that concert. The little bit of Hitchcock stuff I like outside of that one album I still own also tends to be his acoustic stuff. There’s an album called I Often Dream of Trains, right, that’s easier for me to listen to than most of the stuff with his band.
Yeah, I Often Dream of Trains is pretty much my favorite album of his. Really one of my favorites of anyone, period.
Speaking of Hitchcock … I’m on Collectors’ Choice’s mailing list, and today I got email that they’re starting a new reissue label for more contemporary out of print stuff. The label is called Noble Rot. In the first batch of reissues is Robyn’s Jewels for Sophia and the CD version of Storefront Hitchcock. I recommend the DVD though, because it’s interesting to watch his hands play the guitar. He’s got a very interesting way of playing. And you get to watch his hair.
But beware that the intersong patter is in performance mode, not the natural human conversational mode that he doesn’t often show.
One other thing you gotta like about Hitchcock – he can successfully wear a polka-dot shirt!
hitchcock…hmmm…
not really a huge fan. i never heard anything that made me jump up and say…who IS that? it’s great! gotta get me some!
chalf, i checked out the concert. what the hell is wrong with his vocals? he sounds like he just took ten quaaludes or whatthedarn. he’s behind the beat…he sings entire phrases in monotone that shouldn’t be sung that way. idunno…i’m glad you’re all enjoying him…i’ll continue to be the fuddydud.
but i would like to ask: is he that much different from okuda?
they’ve both built shrines to the bands they love and haven’t really pushed production in any interesting directions beyond that (and yes, i’ve listened to my own records, so before you go introducing me to the kettle, i know i am the pot, here).
it just struck me that the okuda thread was so heated with complicated politics but this one is unanimously in favor of him (“he can do no wrong” says al) though they pretty much function the same way in relation to their inspirations, which aren’t all that different from one another.
any thoughts?
I’ve always liked See Emily Play, but I never really heard Piper at the Gates of Dawn till years later. I tried, didn’t get it, and ended up selling it. I don’t think I’ve ever even heard Syd’s solo records. But I’ve been a fan of Hitchcock’s ever since I first heard the Soft Boys.
Hey Moderator,
YEARS ago, you made me a great comp that had two Robyn Hitchcock songs on it. One of them was “Ted, Woody, and Junior”. The other was something that started with the words “one by one we. . . .” I recall liking both of those songs a lot. What was the title of that other song? I’d like to download it.
Hope to hear from you soon,
E. Pluribs
“Winchester”
Right, E Pluribus, “Winchester” and “Ted, Woody, and Junior” are what I’ve long carried around as his two absolute winners. I’ll burn them and send them your way in the coming days, if you’d like.
Saturnismine wrote:
And the walls come tumblin’ down! Nice question.
Saturn sez:
but i would like to ask: is [Hitchcock] that much different from okuda?
they’ve both built shrines to the bands they love and haven’t really pushed production in any interesting directions beyond that
I say:
Several points here. Let’s assume you’re really asking “different” and not “better.” But surely they’re different as all get out. What band does Robyn Hitchcock love that his herky-jerky body of work is a “shrine” to them? The Hooters? All that hideous 80s production well past its expiration date, in between moody bouts of Misunderstood Greatness. And I say that as a fan. And while Okuda has not pushed production anywhere I am that interested in, he is indeed a succesful producer, per se. And not many people applaud the average Hitchcock record on production terms. Surely, like and dislike aside, you can see how different these two are?
slocum,
i’m aware of how different they are.
i’m asking for a discussion of the parts that overlap.
by saying that “they’ve both built shrines to the bands they love” i don’t mean to suggest that this is ALL that they have done (so i’m aware of the 80s hitchcock).
but you have to admit, they’ve both spent considerable energy crafting their identities in an exceptionally close relation to their heroes.
it struck me that rth’ers seem to have no problem with this in hitchcock’s case, but are having problems with okuda’s similar relation to his influences.
so i was suggesting rth talk about okuda and hitchcock comparatively.
i think it’s a valid question.
slocum, i thought more about your comments and i want to clarify my response so that your’e sure i’m not being wilfully obtuse or ignorant of the point you made:
of hitchcock you describe: “All that hideous 80s production well past its expiration date…”
I say: right. this is one of the things that made me see similarities between the two. hitchcock’s sound is so dated because he went along with however the engineers recorded and mixed back then. don’t you hear the same quality in okuda’s music?
keep reading…
you write: “And while Okuda has not pushed production anywhere I am that interested in, he is indeed a succesful producer, per se.”
he may be successful, but that doesn’t really matter in this discussion. if anything, his status as a “successful producer” combines with his unimaginative approach to prove my point. he might as well not be lauded by anyone as a “producer”. none of the stuff i’m hearing has anything going for it in that department.
i know why i was never thrilled by either of these guys, and what i’m pointing out here is only part of it.
and i can see how rth’ers could love hitchcock and not like okuda, so i’m not trying to be antagonistic.
but it looks like rth’ers are giving hitchcock a free pass in some of the same areas where okuda is condemned, though both have committed pretty much the same crime…and it’s not just in the area of production…it’s in the writing, too.
but hey, if one of ’em moves ya and the other doesn’t, so be it.
art
I’m curious if any of you (aside from Oats, who was also at the recent reading) has read Joe Boyd’s book White Bicyles? In one of its many memorable excerpts, he recalls meeting Syd on numerous occasions and postulates that the songs on Barrett and The Madcap Laughts were written when he was still in Pink Floyd and before his meltdown. Personally, I tend to agree with this as there’s no way he could’ve come up with that stuff in the mental state he was in. The struggle in the performances has less to do with the caliber of the songs being performed and more to do with his not really being able to cut it in a studio anymore without Gilmour’s nudging.
Obligatory Robyn Hitchcock content: I like him a lot, too, though I’ve only listened to about half of his albums. I like Underwater Moonlight more than any Hitchcock solo album.
Wait – you (or even Joe Boyd) know what Syd’s mental state was at the writing of those solo album songs, whether during his time in Pink Floyd or after? And would it make a difference? And when was Gilmour nudging Syd during the recording of Pink Floyd records? He wasn’t easing into the band until after Syd was pretty much through with them. Most of the nudging Gilmour would have done was during his solo albums. Perhaps I misunderstand something.
Beside all that, you seem to assume that the solo songs are somehow worse than his output with Pink Floyd. I would argue that the songs on the solo records are better than all but a half dozen of the – what – dozen songs he wrote for Pink Floyd. A lot of that first album sounds cool, but there’s little there that could have been played with such stripped-down accompaniment, as he does on his solo albums.
Yes you did. I thought that it would be understood that I meant that Gilmour nudged him on those solo records, not during Syd’s tenure in Floyd, where was clearly the dominant one artistically and the one in charge. Sorry for not making that clear, though!
Also, I don’t claim to know anything definite about Syd’s mental state at the time. It’s just a conjecture supported by the part of Joe Boyd’s book that I paraphrased earlier.
I NEVER made that claim, so it’s you who’s doing the assuming here. Then again, I could see why you think I would’ve meant it that way, but I didn’t. I really like Barrett’s solo stuff as well as Piper at the Gates of Dawn, but for completely different reasons. Sure I think “Gigolo Aunt” or “Baby Lemonade” (to give two examples) are catchier and more concise than just about anything on Piper, but Piper is more of a mood record to me and itts appeal is based more on its sound and playing, not its songs as compsitions (for me at least). With Barrett’s solo records, admittedly there’s a part of their appeal that has to do with its creator’s mental state and how the listener can hear (or pretend to hear) Syd struggling with it. With that said, I’ll take “See Emily Play” over anything else the guy ever wrote.