Customer Reviews

Eye

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Somehow, the accoustic side of Robyn always inspires me to do chores. Not just simple chores, mind you, but BIG household chores. And not my house, but a friend's house. As a matter of fact, the first time I listened to this album, I was at the home of my future wife, sanding down the walls to be painted. The music inspired a sort of zen-like motivation to do things in a slightly different way. It sealed my fate, as I ended up marrying the girl. It'll seal yours as well.

A few years back, around the time of the Rhino re-issues, I bought the "You and Oblivion" album. Now while that album has its own merit, it had an awful task ahead of it; namely to showcase Robyn's folk/acoustic side, which truth be told, is his strongest suit. Reissues aside, "Eye" does a much better job with much better material.

Its difficult to find a bad note in this collection of tunes, which continues Robyn's intimate narrative style as well as his love and death obsession.

"Raining Twilight Coast" and "Linctus House" do reflect his fingerpicking style better than most, but the real gem here is "Glass Hotel" which has been a staple of his live act for nearly ten years now.

Robyn's involvment with then-fiance Cynthia brought more balance to his sound on this album than his first acoustic album, "I Often Dream of Trains" which had a more tragic, joyless sound to it. While he has since moved on in both artistic and commercial direction (this album was never released on A&M, his label at the time) this album remains one of his more modest affairs; the sound of a man in love gently and quietly maturing while things around him continue to decay. Another of his albums that qualifies as a "Must Have."

Apparently he of the crustacean-fancies was going through some rather intense interpersonal dilemmas at the time... nevertheless, even the most egotistical of artistes (not to mention fans) could not have failed to notice that the work of the Egyptians had become rather, er, formulaic and predictable in those long dark days of 1989... Hence "Eye," which, in sparsity-of-arrangement, isolation-of-viewpoint, and forest-green-with-gold-details-color-scheme-of-album-jacket, is very much a companion piece to "I Often Dream of Trains," though in this case with somewhat evolved lyrical direction/focus - a songwriter writing from a vastly different headspace (this time full of dampness, food, seascapes and ghost-women, as opposed to trains, leaves, moorscapes, and grotesque figures of authority. Our lad had grown up a bit, and it shows. And how can you go wrong with an album whose first line is: "Na-po-le-an/wore a black hat/ate lots of chicken/and conquered half Europe"?

I recently rediscovered this album after 15 years. I used to be mad crazy for it. Then I lost the tape, and moved a couple of times, and the album went out of print... Now I have the CD, and I have to say I'm not as mad crazy for it as I used to be, but I still think it's a very fine album. Or, more accurately, it's a very good album with some excellent songs. It doesn't cohere particularly well as an album. Some material feels a bit flabby, especially the repetitive instrumental bits, which could have been world-class hooks if they'd been embedded in songs. Robyn's a good and inventive guitarist, but his sort of sloppy playing feels part and parcel with his lyrics: maybe he's being a little too lazy, or smoking too much grass, because everything feels a little squishy around the edges. Nonetheless, the album is full of gorgeous melodies. One of its characteristics that has weathered the intervening 15 years remarkably well is the vivid imagery. Robyn's always been a very cinematic or visual lyricist, even at his most surreal, and the images have sticking power. Who can ever forget the furry bees? Or Chamberlain pathetically waiving his paper? Or Queen Elvis fitting her dress so well?

I've often felt that Robyn could have been a sort of George Harrison figure: musically inventive, technically adept, eclectic, all that good stuff, but that he's squandered some of that gift on indulgent, undisciplined silliness. But I love the indulgent undisciplined silliness, too.

Almost great.

Apparently he of the crustacean-fancies was going through some intense interpersonal dilemmas at the time, but even the most egotistical of artistes could not have failed to notice that the work of the Egyptians had become rather, er, formulaic... Hence "Eye," in sparsity-of-arrangement, isolation-of-viewpoint, and forest-green-with-gold-details-color-scheme-of-album-jacket, is very much a companion piece to "I Often Dream of Trains," though in this case with somewhat evolved lyrical direction/focus - a songwriter writing from a vastly different headspace (this time full of dampness, food, and ghost-women, as opposed to trains, leaves, and grotesque figures of authority. Our lad had grown up a bit, and it shows. And how can you go wrong with an album whose first line is: "Napolean/wore a black hat/ate lots of chicken/and conquered half Europe"?

Just re listened to this album, and I still love most of the songs on it.

The sound is bare acoustic and piano and voice and it suits Robyn's talents well. I saw him play this album live at Einstein's in Jax Beach, FL when it came out in 1990, and he was amazing. There are stand out moments on every song, with my favorites being, Satelite, Cynthia Mask, Beutiful Girl, Lincus House. Very Syd Barrett.

Hitchcock's working solo on EYE, and that usually means the songs will be a bit more sedate in sound, if not lyrically. To try to understand just where Hitchcock is going with his songs is almost an irrational act; the songs are cleverly frustrating, but at least EYE has an intimate feeling, which allows you to enter Hitchcock's world. The idea of choices makes its appearance; starting with Chamberlain's choice to appease Hitler on "Cynthia Mask," whether or not you have "the nerve to be Queen Elvis." There are relatively straightforward relationship songs, like "Executioner," with its sense of foreboding, "Transparent Lover," looking at the ephemeral nature of love, and the sheer joy of "Beautiful Girl." Sometimes there are just some slightly skewed glimpses of daily life ("Flesh Cartoons," "Clean Steve") Mix in a couple of pretty instrumentals and you have another strangely wonderful Robyn Hitchcock recording.

This is THE Hitchcock/Softboys CD for fans of Nick Drake &/or Syd Barrett. Accoustic, intimate and direct. My other favorites include Invisible Hits (soft boys) and Fegmania (Hitchcock & the Egyptians). Dark, brooding and invigorating.

As with the other reviewer I would recommend some of Robyn's other albums for those not familiar with his work. However, this is a very good album. There are some extremely beautiful melodies ( Glass Hotel, Linctus House) and some wonderfully dark, yet humourous lyrics. For those who are familliar with Hitchcock's music and are wondering whether to buy this CD. I fully recommend it.

God, what can I say about this album? This was my introduction to the maddening brilliance and the brilliant madness of Robyn Hitchcock. While I've since come to love his work with the Egyptians, this acoustic set remains (and always will) my favorite Hitchcock release to date. To give you an idea of its infectious charm, I must relate the following true story. My friend Shafty proclaimed a mild affection for this disc while I was spinning it in my room one day. I let him borrow it on the condition that he let NOTHING happen to it. After that, it seemed as if every time I visited him at his house (virtually a squat, which was shared by six or seven people), the album was playing on repeat the entire time. People would come and go, as many as twenty to thirty a night, and 60% would stop to ask "Who is this?" "Robyn Hitchcock," we'd reply. "Huh........it's...weird" was the standard first reaction. But by about the third encore, EVERYONE succumbed to the disc's twisted beauty. One friend who was initally put off by the album later adopted the nickname Clean Steve due to his newfound infatuation with this Hitchcock offering. Seemingly, a few listens to this album is enough to convert the even the most doubtful, and initiate them into the world of Robyn Hitchcock fandom. The simple and stunning beauty of these songs will astound you. "Raining Twilight Coast" is my personal favorite, but close in the running are such tracks as "Glass Hotel," "Linctus House," "Satellite," "Aquarium," "Executioner," and the infectiously singable "Beautiful Girl." In point of fact, this entire album is nothing short of perfect. I recommend that anyone and everyone purchase this disc and listen with an open mind. If you don't particularly like it the first time, give it a few more listens...it grows on you like you would not believe.