Element of Light

Robyn Hitchcock, Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 19, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: BELLE SOUND
• ASIN: B001AI6ZM8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,706 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

On Element of Light, The Egyptians glide between regal pop and driving psychedelia, resulting in of the most deliberate and nuanced college rock records of the decade. EOL and other Egyptians' records from this period are widely credited with introducing Hitchcock to American audiences and remain some of the most significant releases in the career of one of music's great explorers. EOL also includes bonus tracks curated by Robyn himself that do not appear on the original version of the album.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of my favorite records in the world--still!, March 30, 2000

By 

Christine Potter (Rockland, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Element of Light (Audio CD)

I fell hard for Robyn Hitchcock back in the early/mid eighties when folks here in the States first got hip to him. I defended him from bad reviews in angry letters to the Village Voice, and got my good black cashmere coat stolen at some rank place he was playing in downtown NYC.

I can't call myself a rock and roll fan anymore; I listen mostly to classical radio, and buy the occaisional roots-rocky or Brit folk CD. OK, so I'll be 50 in a couple of years...but "Element of Light" is still wonderful. In fact, I've listened to it again a few times, lately, and it sounds even better than I thought it was back in the day.

"Winchester" still does it for me--gorgeous zillion part harmony awash in nostalgia. "Airscape" is still one of the most breathtaking pieces of neo-psychedelia I've ever heard, and even prettier than "Winchester"--an absolute benediction of a love song. The wacky songs, especially "Bass" are well-crafted mood-brighteners, totally unique. "The President" captures perfectly the nastiness of the Reagan years. Robyn's angry horror at news about Reagan's infamous cemetary visit still resonates. It's uncanny that a Brit could get it so right.

Let the folks who are fanning the flames at Robyn's website argue over whether this is as good as "Fegmania" or whatever. This is a smart record with its heart beating in just the right place. Buy it. It won't be out of your CD player for two weeks--I promise.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Varied, listenable, classic!, September 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Element of Light (Audio CD)

Well this is it - the most pop-y of the 'egyptians' albums (except Perspex Island, which is a different kettle of dimes altogether) and possibly the best. If you've never bought an Egyptians album before this is a very good place to start. From the rocking 'If you were a Priest' through to the slightly psychedelic bonus track 'The Leopard', this little honey of a disc takes you on a fabulous journey through the minds of Robyn, Andy and Morris (but mostly Robyn). The rock of 'The President' and 'Tell me about your drugs' is carefully balanced with mellow floaty tracks such as 'Airscape', with silly catchy tunes about threesomes (Ted, Woody & Junior), with popp-y numbers with unforgetttable lines ('I'm gonna burn your bongos tonight!'), simple fairy tales to delight and frighten your children ('Raymond Chandler Evening', 'Lady Waters and the hooded one') and plain daftness ('Bass').

A marvellous, very listenable experience. Buy it. Love it!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Return of a New Wave masterpiece!, September 19, 2008

By 

Paul D. (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Element of Light (MP3 Download)

At last, this unfortunately long out of print record is available again. This album was quite possibly Robyn Hitchcock's best work in those heady 1980's new wave days. Hitchcock, on guitar, along with the incredibly underrated Andy Metcalf and Morris Windsor (as good a pop guitar and rhythm section unit as Lindsay Buckingham, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood, if I dare say so) reached one of those points where everything was clicking wonderfully. After this, Hitchcock, long an underground and college radio favorite was picked up by a major label, where he produced some really good tracks on mediocre albums, and then further on (after that failed project) began producing Syd Barrett type albums seemingly for himself and die-hards only. But here in 1986 (if memory serves), Hitchcock's influences of John Lennon, Capt Beefheart, Barrett, Lou Reed, Dylan, The Byrds and Jim Morrison inspire him to weave a personal, and wonderful tapestry of sound and image. As the title and cover artwork implies, this is a somewhat lighter album in terms of texture, compared to say, his Soft Boys work, Fegmania! or Groovy Decoy, and it's chock full of wonderful melodies and harmonies. The sequencing of songs is also spot on. "Airscape" is simply phenominal! If the more serious mid-eighties new wave/pop music received the critical attention that the better album rock records got a decade and a half earlier, this one surely would have received it's due as a modern rock icon LP. (It seems that other tracks have been added for this release, as yet I've not heard them).