Customer Reviews

Globe of Frogs

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

 

 

This album is full of colorful imagery and silliness. Imagine that Syd Barrett wasn't insane, but just a Brit having a good time making fun of Yellow Submarine. Over all one of the best Psychedelic albums since Endless Summer.

He stole the show when he opened for R.E.M., and I've been a fan ever since. This album epitomizes Robyn Hitchcock's style: jangly, funny, refreshing, and clever. This album has a sort of mystical air to it, broken only by visualizations of fat men, floating and and then exploding, leaving debris of skin and lunch leftovers on your sleeve. For me, highlights include the fun 'Tropical Flesh Mandala', 'Balloon Man' of course, and the nice little perfect pop number, 'Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)' which illustrates that when Robyn sets out to write something meaningful and a tad bit commercial, he can still do it without compromising.

Robyn Hitchcock inhabits a wild, weird world of unbridled lyrical imagination. You can either interpret the lyrics as just so much hallucinatory silliness, or treat them as the great brush strokes of an artist painting an alternate, if highly whimsical, universe.

Either way, you'll have to admit that these quirky ditties can be fun. Not everything is great here, and he has released stronger albums, but Globe Of Frogs is interesting. It also contains some good guitar work from R.E.M.'s Peter Buck.

Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians / Globe of Frogs: This album is one of the finest that Robyn has ever made and it contains his one big hit, "Balloon Man", so of course, the album is out of print (in January of 2012)! Well, it's worth getting used, and as soon as possible. This one is just too much fun to pass up. Five Stars.

There are 3 songs on here that sum up 1988 when I was 23 years old: Flesh Number One, Balloon Man, and Devil Mask. I was glad I was able to see Robyn perform at the Cubby Bear in Chicago in early 1989. Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, and Mike Mills were in the house and helped out on a few cover songs. Robyn could really turn a phrase and was so prolific for a few years then. His catchy melodies, unpredictable chord changes, and bizarre song topics really spoke to me during that time. To me this was his best effort, but has been out of print for many years. Bought it here on Amazon used.

How does one artist's mediocre song become a hit, but another, which has all the elements of a smash hit, doesn't?

At least this album made it to some college radio playlists in its day. That it didn't turn Hitchcock into a superstar is a real crime. Between this and "Invisible Hitchcock" and a couple of others (see my other reviews), he's been on the brink of hitting the big time a few times, but for one reason or another, didn't get there.

Maybe that's to his and his fans' advantage....sometimes an artist's creativity gets stifled by fame. In Hitchcock's case, there sure hasn't been any wavering of the flood of creativity and seemingly endless output over the years. While he hasn't gained mainstream notoriety, other musicians have been paying attention. The Grateful Dead and Suzanne Vega even took on a cover of "Chinese Bones" (with limited success) at the Rain Forest Benefit in New York on September 24, 1988.

Long time friend Peter Buck of R.E.M. helps out on the 12 string electric. This record is a great starting point for the uninitiated, as it contains some of his most accessible music, but it's also one long time fans should have in their collection.

There isn't a bad song on this record.

Years ago, when I moved back to the US after twenty years, I had a real cultural identity crisis. A scorchingly stressful job, a marriage on the rocks, and everything in total flux, I was grasping. Straws weren't even an option at that point. I remember a particularly bad day and the ride home. I popped in the newest RH missive, "Globe of Frogs" on the cassette(they existed once ya know) and laughed and laughed all the way home. I also smiled in wonder at the profundity in many of the songs that I laughed at and at some that I didn't.
In my universe, Hitchcock and the Soft Boys have always been near the top of our affections, and the common take has been that by the time this "album" was released, Hitch was already recycling himself. As to "Globe" and the Soft Boys reunion CD "Nextdoorland", I would heartily beg to differ.
With regard to the above journey home from work so many years ago, I always joke that "Globe" help save my life, or at least my sanity. There are times when I am not sure Joke is the most apt word. This is great stuff; Hitchcock is a treasure.

...on the whole. mind you, some of the acoustic ones have beengrowing on me lately, so perhaps i'm in a transitional phase orsomething. anyway, while some of the other songs have better titles (luminous rose indeed!) or tunes, "sleeping with your devil mask" will always be my favorite song from this album. though perhaps a rerelease with the other version of GoF would change my tiny mind...

Track for track, the best album of his extensive works. This is a must have if you're the least bit of Robyn Hitchcock fan!