Customer Reviews

I Often Dream of Trains

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is hands-down Robyn Hitchcock at his best. It was the first album of his I heard, and from the first notes of the opening "Nocturne" I was hooked. When "Sometimes I Wish I was a Pretty Girl" started, I didn't know what I had got myself into (I was riding in a car, and the driver had put it in; I'm now happy I was forced to listen to it). Half way through I knew there was something new and exciting about this mostly mellow and introspective album. How many rock stars can do a capella and make it funny without being trite?

Long before the "unplugged" movement came and went, Robyn unplugged with far better results. I've never heard what the inspiration for this album was, but I'm sure it was a bizarre melancholy. The songs tend to be slower in tempo, bathed in cavernous reverb, and haunting. "Cathedral" arpeggios beautifully while Robyn sings "there behind your open face lies an awful lot of space" and "like a toilet from outside, a cathedral from inside." The thumpy "It Sounds Great When You're Dead" opens with the unforgettable, unindelible line "Your mother is a journalist, your father is a creep, they make it in your bedroom when they think you're fast asleep." "Heartful of Leaves" is an amazing instrumental work that conjures up images of autumn and literal or figurative death. It leads right into "Autumn is Your Last Chance" which will provide anyone succor from a failed relationship or personal shaft (with emphasis on the lyric "...'cause you're not there and I don't care"). The finale and title track is one of Hitchcock's best songs (a not so subtle Freudian reference to lack of carnal pleasure or melancholic obsession with the same).

There are a few light moments: "Ye Sleeping Nights of Jesus" is an intentionally sloppy drunk bouncy country number that will have you singing along on the first listen (during the last verse someone is even calling out the words in sing-a-long style, so just let it wail). "This Could Be the Day" is brimming with optimism and an upbeat tempo, but it does not seem out of place at all.

Sadly, Hitchcock has not reached such heights on previous or subsequent albums. "I Often Dream Of Trains" really sticks out in his oeuvre, both in its starkness and in the quality of its songs. That's not to say his other albums are awful (I really enjoy many of his other albums as well such as "Globe of Frogs", "Eye", "Invisible Hitchcock"), but they don't seem to have that "something" that this album has. No one can blame Hitchcock for not topping this one; it would be very difficult to top, but the fact that it came out of him puts him near the top of my list of best and favorite songwriters. If I could produce an album half this good I'd be able to retire my guitar forever.

This CD has been in my collection since at least 1989 and it's remained an easy, constant top five favorite of mine. From beginning to end, it's sheer mastery of the musical language. I find it to be a rather nocturnal album, in that I often find myself wanting to listen to it in the wee hours, and really, the general mood and atmosphere of the album are well suited to the dark cover of night. I'll still play it in the daytime, of course, but the album just feels more powerful to me when played after dark. That's just a minor observation though... perhaps it's because I'm such a night owl.

Some of my favorites include the catchy "The Bones In The Ground" and "My Favourite Buildings", the relatively straightforward "Sounds Great When You're Dead" and "Sometimes I Wish I Was A Pretty Girl", the acapella sounds of the quite humorous "Uncorrected Personality Traits" and the strange and complex "Furry Green Atom Bowl", the haunting "Winter Love" and "Cathedral" and naturally, the wistful title track. Okay, I could go on and my list could really cover the entire CD, but it truly is THAT good. I'm not even sure I could pick just one favorite song, if I were pressed to do so, because they're all amazing to me for various reasons. You will find Robyn's usual themes of love, sex and death scattered all throughout the album.

Each song is its own lush landscape, imaginative and surreal, and the best part is that it's achieved using rather spare arrangements: mainly acoustic guitar, some piano and Robyn's own unequivocally unique voice, with just a touch of sax in "Flavour of Night". It's a very stripped down, refreshing sound and I really appreciate the simplicity of it all; it certainly does not suffer for lack of electric instruments.

Upon every listen (and surely they've been countless by now), it sounds as fresh and mesmerizing to me as it did the very first time I spun it and had the pleasure of hearing the first few melancholy piano notes of "Nocturne (Prelude)" drifting from my speakers. The unusual poetry of this album is a rare gift to be savored and shared with others who might appreciate its witty, quirky nature. This is an album that should be in the collection of anyone who can appreciate simply entrancing music and clever wordplay, masterfully mingled with a touch of the unreal.

During the 1990s, there was this big rush to put out all these 'unplugged' albums, thanks to some media hype courtesy of eMpTyV. But Robyn here beat 'em all to the punch, in methods _and_ quality, by several years! This is an outstanding solo collection with very spare production, but because the material is so strong, it stands up wonderfully even way over a decade on. Standouts include the twisted countryfied 'Ye Sleeping Knights of Jesus', the wistful but weird 'Trams of Old London', a warped protest bit with 'Furry Green Atom Bowl', and the hilarious barbershop-style explanation of the development of neuroses, 'Uncorrected Personality Traits'. In a sense, this reminds me of what one wishes Syd Barrett's solo albums were like...because while this shares some of the same sparse production (especially with Syd's 2nd), and there is this same 'something's wrong here' feel, the 'something's wrong' in this case is the gleeful fun of someone in full control of the strangeness knobs, rather than the leaden feel of someone losing it. After a couple of listens, I guarantee you'll find yourself singing along...

I remember the first time I heard this album. I was already fully dedicated to finding anything he had released and anything he would ever release in the future. By 1988, which is approximately when I picked up this on cassette, music was pretty over-produced and obnoxious sounding. It also was in the death throws of too many decades of taking itself seriously. Robyn Hitchcock, for me, was the perfect antidote to that entire era. Without him, life would have been very annoying.

So, it was with some shock to realize almost halfway through "I Often Dream of Trains" (having never read a word about it before) that it was entirely acoustic. Robyn was, as it later turned out, returning from a self-imposed retirement stage and had a bucketful of songs.

With the addition of the middle section of songs on the CD releases (all of which are instant classics themselves) "Trains" is an even fuller, richer experience. Alternating between his three favorite styles (dark laconic, psychotic, and hilarious), "Trains" is an achievement because it best represents the extremes of all of these strains. "Sometimes I wish I was a Pretty Girl" is just a one line joke, but it sounds like the ravings of a killer. "Flavour of Night" is easily one of the most beautiful songs ever written. And, the much beloved "Uncorrected Personality Traits" is a defining moment in music (you will either love it or hate it, but you will always remember that you heard it.)

In short, this is a classic. It may not always be the first album of his I reach for, as it is a demanding thing to listen to, but it is easily in the top 5 records he's ever made.

I was actually shocked to read Hitchcock fan's reviews on here that didn't like "Trains." I don't judge you, but I do wonder what it is that you like about the music. This is classic stuff.

Understated and quiet, this partly melancholy, partly wacky disc has some great moments. As with much of Robyn Hitchcocks earlier work, cynicism and bitterness feature strongly in the lyrics, but in this case to good effect. It's an acoustic album mostly featuring multi-layered guitars and vocals, and with backing vocals by the great Captain Sensible, guitarist of the Damned and one-time Robyn Hitchcock collaborator.

Dreamlike, bizarre and impressionistic, this is an unusual disc but as with all Robyn Hitchcock, well worth investigating.

Robyn Hitchcock perfectly show that he could craft an unique artwork. "I often dream of trains" is a very beautiful album, with variety of great music. From syd barrett-sque "Sometimes I wish I was a pretty girl", to beautiful ballad "Cathedral", "Flavour of night", "Winter Love",punchy lyrics in "I used to say I love you",and pseudo-medival chanting "uncorrected personality traits". The guitar solo in the superb song "My favourite buildings" is so great... this album is not only his best, but also one of the best accoustic album ever. Just guitar and piano, (except "Flavour of night" have added an saxphone solo"), one couldn't imagine how effectively they are used to produce a great kaleidoscope of music.

I find this album more emotional than Robyn's traditional masterpieces of wit. I feel a sense of nostaligia when I listen to it...almost as though my insides were weeping. Robyn's deep embodied voice blends exquisitely with his gentle acoustic melodies. The title song is an absolute masterpiece. If you like really mellow mood music, buy this album!

_I Often Dream Of Trains_ is really that special. Available only as an expensive import for years, Rhino deserves a medal for putting it back in print. You could speak of this album in the same breath as Joni Mitchell's _Blue_, the collected works of Robert Johnson, Chopin's preludes, PJ Harvey's _Dry_, Syd Barrett's _The Madcap Laughs_ [to invoke one of Robyn's oft-invoked musical and particularly forbears] -- you could do that, and you'd be somewhat right in approximating the impact of these nineteen tracks (plus the extra five). This record is utterly stunning in its innocence, humor, fearsome complexity and formidable emotional impact. Odd in a lyrical sense (expected with his work), the sometimes incomprehensible worldplay smashes through the barrier of sense to say exactly what Robyn needs to say. The spare musical accompaniment suits his songs rather better than a typical rock arrangment (two guitars, bass, drums), and I'm happy that in recent records he's scaled back instrumentally to let the songs breathe deepest. Listen at your own risk. If you're not ready to have your life changed in all sorts of wonderful ways and turn over a bunch of rocks in your psyche you thought you never had...you might want to start with _Globe of Frogs_.

Of all the solo acoustic albums out there by anybody, this has to be one of the strangest -- but best, with its mix of piano, guitar, & a capella. Not every track I necessarily love, but each has its own distinct personality, and together they all flow together into a single haunting, hilarious, horrifying whole (sorry for the alliteration, that's just how it came out.) I would recommend this especially to fans of folk music with conservative tastes that should be challenged. Weird can be good. I think his other acoustic album "Eye", which is my favorite, is more accessible and contains more individual songs that rank as classics of his style, but this puppy here is unique and endlessly rewarding. The recording is a little low fi but that only underscores the atmosphere and feeling that this is a work of a lone maverick who does't care about convention or commercialism but who, quite simply, has "got to get this hen out."

of this music is incredible. I love this album. It's Hitchcock's best: heart-wrenching, other-worldly melodies and lyrical strangeness that will haunt the bejesus out of you if you let it. I bought and first listened to this album years ago late one fall--the perfect time of year to let the music from this sparse, mostly acoustic album seep into your blood like a soporific drug. All I have to do is walk down a deserted city street in autumn after dark and the music from this album comes flooding back to me in an instant. The overall feeling you get from listening to it if you're in the proper mood is one of being a sad and lonely stranger to your own life, that death and loss are at the heart of everything. But the music is so startlingly beautiful and strangely soothing you hardly care. One complaint, the Rhino release has a few additional tracks and demos, some of which are good, but they detract from the mood and flow of the original version, so I can't give it five stars. Nonetheless, a sublime album of grim humor, aching melacholy, and haunted lyricism.