Customer Reviews

Fegmania

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Pop Kulcher Review: While Robyn Hitchcock has been plugging away in relative obscurity for over two decades (both with the groundbreaking pop/punk outfit the Soft Boys and as a solo artist), this album remains the highlight of a career which has seen tremendous variations in quality. This is probably his most mainstream-sounding album, but that makes it no less compelling than his more eccentric work. Robyn manages to combine his Syd Barrett/John Lennon-esque oh-so-British vocals, Byrds-y guitar jangle, and lyrics which run the gamut from Monty Python-like absurdity to late '60's psychedelic pop into an utterly original (but oddly addictive) package. Songs like "Heaven" and "Egyptian Cream" are pure, unadulterated pop (with a dose of weirdness thrown in), while even the more offbeat tunes like "My Wife & My Dead Wife" and "The Man With The Lightbulb Head" are incredibly infectious and charming. And the ever-solid Egyptians (mostly holdovers from his Soft Boys days) provide the sort of supple rhythm section all too rare in the indie music scene. Every Robyn fan will already own this; but listeners of everything from R.E.M. to the Byrds to Matthew Sweet will be charmed by this confection. Now if only they'd put his Soft Boys masterpiece Underwater Moonlight back in print...

Robyn and The Egyptians blend beautifully on this record. Light, byzantine-patterned psyacadelic pop. Whispery spider-woven melody lines, inverted guitar and simple beauty. Catchy and wonderful.

Despite having numerous records by the British madcap, this is the music I return to, the music I most associate with Hitchcock. Everything gelled for him on this record, as if he were emerging from a long, dark, acoustic trip through the forest. Perhaps it is the maturation of the artist, or the presence of the Egyptians that coalesced Hitchcock's pop sensibilities. Whatever the case, the fact that this record languishes in obscurity is a total mystery to me; Hitchcock is among a dozen artists of the eighties that will be referenced time and again for their musical brilliance.

That said, there is a downside to this recording; it's a bit too long, especially considering the last few tracks might have worked better as b-sides rather than stretch an already brilliant album to the point of being merely good. In any case, I usually let 'Heaven' serve as the closer whenever making a cassette or burning a cd, although I am working on a remix that will let 'Goodnight, I say' close things out. Mixing is not my specialitiy, however, so until that happens, I merely snip.

Beg, borrow, or steal this record asap, and enjoy the goodness.

"Glass", with the 6/4 '"slippy" progressive' intro, has got to be one of the musical gems of our time; I listen to Jazz, Classical, you-name-it; this is an extraordinary track worth its weight in gold. The next 5 tracks, "The Fly", "Heaven", "The Bells of Rhymney", "Dwarfbeat", and "Somebody", are superb tracks also, and details of said tracks can be found in other reviews . This review is based on the Midnight Music CD issue, but the tracks mentioned are in the same order on Rhino re-release.But that's not all; the rest of the release is also fantastic, including the opener "Egyptian Cream" and the 'hit' "My Wife and My Dead Wife", and the terrific track "I'm Only You". Also outstanding (and all too brief) is the 'rhythmically slippery' but infectious and sly "Insect Mother". This recording is slated for re-re-release (?) on Yep Roc soon, but all versions are well worth checking out. What more can I say? This British artist should be Way beyond cult status in my humble opinion, and this is a fine record to start your own assessment.

Robyn Hitchcock / Fegmania! (Rhino): This is an excellent album. Robyn's writing is as weird as ever but the whole feel of this one is more fun. "The Man with the lightbulb head" and "My wife and my dead wife" are songs not to be missed. A Five Star album.

This is one of my fav Robyn Hitchcock CD full of great songs like Egyptian Cream and My Dead Wife. For a long time it has been out of print causing it to become a collector's item and thus the price for it has been outrageous. Fortunately, by the goodness of Rhino, it will be in print again, just like all those out of print Elvis Costello CDs are remastered and expanded

Great psychedelic music. I bought this album in 1986 after egyptian cream had one year of radio play on kcgl in utah. I thought egyptian cream would be the best song on the album, I was wrong. All of the songs are great and I wore out my tape listening to it with my drunken retro-punk friends.

At one point, Robyn Hitchcock wanted nothing more than to have a drink at the pubs and record weird little acoustic ditties. The reason for this was a disasterous second solo album called "Groovy Decay" and these little ditties eventually became the acoustic comeback album "I Often Dream of Trains" as well as being collected on "You and Oblivion." And this record had a bit of critical acclaim and Robyn wanted to make a film called "the Man with the Lightbulb Head" and he had these musicians, 2 of whom used to be in the Soft Boys with Robyn and...well it's a story you can read in the cd jacket. The point is, Robyn made a new "band" album, and it was something totally unexpected.

The kickoff track and single, "Egyptian Cream" introduces us to something akin to Captain Beefheart and the Beatles meeting in one weird cafe. From there, Robyn puts out his most pop friendly (at the time) and sex-referenced album, including such classics as "I'm Only You" and "the Fly."

But best about the album is the sense of wonder felt throughtout, similar to Robyn's first solo outting "Black Snake Diamond Role." Indeed, like that one this is a mishmash of styles that shouldn't work but does...like crazy. Loopier than the more "mature" work that would begin with the next studio set, the masterpiece "Element of Light", "Fegmania!" remains a must for Hitchcock fans. It would be uphill for awhile from here...

It took Robyn awhile to hit stride after the departure of Kimberly Rew. Fegmania! along with Soft Boy's Underwater Moonlight are gems from pop heaven. For who prefer stark accoustic brilliance, Robyn Hitchcock's Eye, and I Often Dream of Trains are highly recommended.