Invisible Hitchcock

Robyn Hitchcock

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 28, 1995)
• Original Release Date: 1986
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B0000033FM
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #83,329 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #32 in	Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Alternative Folk
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Robyn, Give Me A Spanner, August 9, 1999

By A Customer

I wish, really and truely, that i could call this rather slight collection a minor masterpiece or something, or an "odds and sods" type of neato throwaways which make a great album, but that's not the case. Most of this album, in fact, makes a stronger case for the old adage "there's a reason these songs weren't released..." If you aren't a huge Robyn Hitchcock fan pass this one by and pick up "Element of Light" or "Eye."

However, if you happen to be a Robyn Hitchcock fan (as i am) and want to hear and have it all, then by all means. You'll be quite pleased with a few gems that deserved a better fate. There's the putdown rockers "Trash" and "Eaten by Her Own Dinner" which kind of have to be heard to be believed. There's some neat pop on "All I Want to Do is Fall in Love" and the original version of "Listening to the Higsons." Oh, and don't forget the acoustical beauty "Give Me A Spanner, Ralph" and the weird keyboard-ness of "The Abandoned Brain." Other than that you'll find a lot of songs that sound like a lot of other Robyn songs and a few that don't sound like anything and should have been left where found. Again, if you're a fan, frolic. If not, let the search continue.

Odd PS: About ten years after the original release of this album, Robyn released ANOTHER collection of outtakes called "You and Oblivion." Given the quality of most of this recording you'd expect, well...but no! It's amazingly better and filled with many great moments. Don't pass it up. Plus, if you get that one and this one you get the complete story of "The Professor", which is worth having in whole.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic full of memories, December 19, 2001

By A Customer

I have actually owned the LP version of "Invisible Hitchcock" for many years (well before this CD version was released). It must have been 1988 or '89 when I first heard it. My then flatmate; Dave(where are you now?), and I would drink copious amounts and put this album on. By the end of side 1, munchies were setting in so it was the perfect break (just after the psychedelic jungle beat that is "Pit of Souls") and then on to the hilarious "Trash" which opened side 2. Ahhhhh....the memories! The superb bass line to "A Skull .....", the surreal lyrics to...well most of the songs here, and the twisted, hilarious brutallity of "Blues in A" all help make this album a timeless classic for this listener. Now that we have the CD version, there are many more tracks available that were/are not on my old dusty LP version. However, on the sleeve notes of my LP it does say that one day a second album of similiar demos, b-sides, and general recorded lunacy will be released at a later date. Maybe these tracks are them. However, I certainly recommend it for the 12 or so tracks that were on the original vinyl version.

4.0 out of 5 stars Contains some great, great Robyn songs!, September 10, 2005

By	Bill Wikstrom (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

Oddly enough this was the first RH record that I ever bought. To tell the truth , I think it was the cover that won me over. Really. This sounds much more like a cohesive artistic statement rather than just a stop-gap odds and ends compilation. By the end of the Black Snake outtake, "All I Wanna Do Is Fall In Love" (why this track was an outtake I'll never understand), I knew it was just a matter of time till I purchased all things Robyn. In fact aside from a few way-out-there experimental tunes this may be my fave collection of Robyn tunes. "Give Me A Spanner (i.e. wrench), Ralph", "I('ve) Got A Message For You", "Eaten By Her Own Dinner", "A Skull...", "The Abandoned Brain", "Falling Leaves"
and the version of "My Favorite Buildings" on here are all great songs and some of my fave Robyn moments.

This album is music for Autumn nights with abundant beer (or wine if you will) and just kick back, relax, listen and enjoy.
Sample lyric: "Trevor Go And Shave Your Playmates"