Customer Reviews

Storefront Hitchcock: Music From The Jonathan Demme Picture

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

 

 

This one is going out to those uncertain about getting this CD as well as those who wrote the low ranking reviews who seem to take this CD (and themselves) too seriously. Boo Hoo I was alive in 1974 too, so the song must be about me as well (this song is actually not a very good RH song - there are far better songs here: I'm Only You, Glass Hotel, Freeze, Alright Yeah, The Wind Cries Mary...). The between song chatting ranges in humor, but so what?! If you don't like Hitchcock's thinking, of course you're not going to find what he says of any interest or content. This CD is not his strongest and not recommended for the newcomer (start with Black Snake Diamond Role, Fegmania, Invisible Hitchcock, Eye, and everything by the Soft Boys - all 10 out of 5 stars for me). When the time is right, you can give a hairless ear to this CD.

I would like to highly recommend this to all fans of 60's psychedelia, folk-singer-songwriters, and anthropologists alike. Something for every walk of life and death to be dug here as Robyn does, well what only he can do on what may seem to be to the untrained eye just "another live album". First of all, there's the spontaneous prose honed to a laser point but still free-floating enough to be effervescent. If you know "Hitch", you know he likes to make stuff up that goes on and can take on a life as vibrant as the songs he themselves. For this reason, bootleg tapes of his live shows are highly sought after as the songs and set list may stay the same but, with these "narrations" each show takes on a wonderful life of its own. Second, rather than a band banging away in bad acoustics and fighting back the undying undulation of the faithful in attendance (that can a listening to a "live album" so dreary), what you get is a listening experience so intimate and stripped down (with only a violist and a second guitarist on 3 of the songs)it goes the "unplugged" concept one better by removing any fabricated barrier between song and listener. Also highly recommended is the companion 2 LP vinyl edition which contains 5 additonal songs not on the CD, and completely different "narrations" to make it worth your while. And if this weren't a dearth of blessings enough to satiate the slobbering fan, this is all a "soundtrack Package" to a film making the festival rounds directed by the prestigious Jonathan Demme (He of the 'Silence of the Lambs' and 'Stop Making Sense'). There's never been a better time to lie back with headphones on and imagine Winchester.

I think this is a very strong set from Robyn. I don't understand why anyone would complain about it - unless they simply don't like Robyn Hitchcock in which case I say, "Buzz off! go listen to something you do like and leave behind what you obviously don't get." Of course, everyone's entitled to their 2 cents, but come on, this is a cool album that even includes classic off-the-wall Hitchcock banter. He shreds on "Glass Hotel" and the Hendrix cover (I've never heard a cover of "Wind Cries Mary" before) is very cool, too.

What I think is a real shame is that Amazon.com is not selling my favorite album he did with the Egyptians: QUEEN ELVIS. Not the most popular one, but it oozes creativity with some very impressionistic, evocative and bizarre songs. I wonder about Hitchcock fans who don't like this one, or STOREFRONT HITCHCOCK for that matter.

...great intro to the weird, twisted world of Robyn Hitchcock, presented acoustically in front of a small audience, which is the best way to experience Robyn. Great tunes, dememted introductions. Fans will know roughly what to expect. Everyone else....well....live dangerously! Imagine an acoustic Roger McGuinn on acid.....

Robyn has long maintained that his studio recordings fail to capture the full essence of his talent the way his live performances do. And, from the perspective of anyone who has seen this singularly surreal artist perform on the stage, the studio work (while excellent) for the most part omits the brillance of robyn's spontaneous wit, the stories and ramblings that he intersperces between his music. Storefront Hitchcock is the first recording that manages to capture the essential Hitchcock style. It's a must for any fan and a wonderful introduction for those unfamiliar.

It's ironic that the publicity surrounding the film Storefront Hitchcock (and this soundtrack album) will introduce a lot of new listeners to this wondrous English singer, because really, this set is probably best appreciated by long-term fans who have spent time acclimatising themselves to the man's peculiar world view; newcomers expecting something a little poppier and ingratiating might well be put off, which would be a shame. (They can simply go straight to I Often Dream Of Trains, which showcases Robyn the semi-folkie, or Gotta Let This Hen Out!, which features the Egyptians at their exhilarating live best; both of these would be a better introduction to the Hitchcock ouvre.) If you're already in love with Robyn's songs, though, you'll enjoy this a lot. There's a number of strong new songs, probably the best being 1974, an ode to that most reviled of rock years, where genres such as prog/glam/metal/funk/roots rock were collapsing upon each other (an era when it was possible to love Roxy Music, King Crimson, Little Feat, Labelle and Captain Beefheart all at once). Unlike some reviewers, I don't think it's an attack on the generation which grew up in the 1970s so much as Robyn gently poking fun at his younger self (he was one of those obsessed teenagers, after all), and bemoaning the ageing process -- it's *his* hair growing in his ears and nose that he's complaining about. The rest of the set is quite strong (apart from The Yip Song, which is terminally annoying -- which was the point of it, I suppose). So the Storefront turns out to be a bit of a curiosity shop; but there's more gems than junk to be found if you're prepared to look.

When I got this CD, I was struck by how great it flowed as an album, since I remembered being slightly bored in points by the film of this concert -- it was my first exposure to Robyn Hitchcock, though I've heard much more since. I realized, after re-watching the movie, thinking I had misjudged it, this is because the songs are different on this disc -- the bulk is the same, but the CD doesn't meander like the movie, when it comes to getting to the solid material. It's also interesting to compare film to CD, and see how Hitchcock's screwed-up imagery-laced between-tune chats are used to introduce different songs in some instances. This is all very nerdy, and doesn't say too much about the CD, but that's what the other reviews on this page are for.

Last week I downloaded 12 Robyn Hitchcock concerts. This album is better than some and not as good as others. I love the video, but without the visuals, it's just a middling Robyn concert.

I needed this for the three (3) non-DVD cuts "Where Do You Go When You Die", "The Wind Cries Mary" and "Beautiful Queen". None of them are great. If you're new to Hitchcock, rent the DVD or get (the reasonably priced, sonicly pleasing) Jewels For Sophia instead.

I picked up this CD on a whim,and I'll never do that again. The music is tired, the lyrics are incredibly pretentious and trite. Like a early 80s nightmare. What happened to Jonathan Demme's taste? His soundtracks have always been great, but give this one a wide berth. I want my money back.

I've just been punched in the face by the generation gap. Yea, and it hurts too. `1974' opens Storefront Hitchcock with a verbal attack on "my generation" (no, not the Who composition - the generation who were teens during the early nineteen-seventies). But unlike the musicians of the late-60's and early-70's who led an anti-establishment cultural and political movement, Robyn stereotypes the older generation by trite physical features (hairs in the ears). Cheap shot - not at all poetic, insightful or inventive. Granted, he is a talented acoustic guitar player: his introduction to `Alright Yea' is rhythmic and harmonious. The compositions here experiment with the popular traditions of melody and rhythm, but it all sounds purposeless and passionless. Between the live cuts, Robyn communicates his liberal, pseudo-philosophical, anti-religious humor to the audience. Instead of the audience bursting with enthusiasm and laughter, their giggles are embarrassingly hushed and polite - as thought their response was rehearsed and forced. In fact, Robyn's music and lyrics sound forced. It's one thing to be witty and ironic - it's entirely another to feign cuteness. Storefront Hitchcock reminds me of junior high school sex humor. It'll have you rolling in the hall with laughter if you're twelve, but once you turn thirteen, the very same humor now sounds, well, childish.