Spooked

Robyn Hitchcock

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 5, 2004)
• Original Release Date: October 5, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Yep Roc Records
• ASIN: B0002Y4SYS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,810 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Recorded in Nashville with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, Robyn Hitchcock's 23rd solo album in as many years finds him continuing in the acoustic mold of Luxor but with a good dose of Americana, relying solely on the pair for accompaniment, backing vocals, and production. According to Hitchcock, Spooked is essentially the product of a weeklong Dylan-fueled jam session with Welch and Rawlings, a fan of whose Hitchcock had recently become but who had been fans of his for nearly 20 years. "It was as if I was inside one of their records, but with me singing too," said Hitchcock about the sessions, and their influence is indeed palpable, most notably on songs like the folksy "English Girl," with its plaintive guitar and Wurlitzer accompaniment, and the slide-heavy, drum-propelled "We're Gonna Live in the Trees."

Yet the real standout tracks are those to which Welch and Rawlings lend their harmonic talents, such as "Demons and Fiends" and especially "Television." The latter, an earnest, pleading song of love, is among the most heartfelt of Hitchcock's career, even with his bedroom TV set its nominal object. ("Television, I'm so sorry / If I turned you off back then / I'm so small in your dimension / My kid will look like you, I swear.") So it remains a safe bet that there never will be a Robyn Hitchcock album that can't be described at least partially as "quirky"--this one certainly fits the bill. But being able to express penetrating insight and emotion through superficially bizarre material has always been one of his major talents, and Spooked demonstrates that, at age 51, Robyn Hitchcock's best days are definitely not behind him. --Benjamin Lukoff

Recommended Albums by Robyn Hitchcock and Gillian Welch

Moss Elixir	A Star for Bram	I Often Dream of Trains
Time (The Revelator)	Revival	The Soft Boys, Underwater Moonlight

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Back on the Bandwagon, February 7, 2005

By	S. Finefrock (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Years ago, I became aquainted with the works of Robyn Hitchcock through his first band the Soft Boys and his early solo works. Over the years the quality on his albums thinned out to the point that I basically lost interest. What originally began as a sureal, strange outlook spelled out in his lyrics, turned into a forced, quirky and basically unispired bore. Though all his albums would contain at least a couple gems, overall he seemed to have identified his audience and pandered to it.

Then along comes SPOOKED. Hitchcock has teemed with rustic Americana meisters Gillian Welch and David Rawlings for what is his most inspired record in years. Though one may think (or hope) that the record would be overshadowed by the American couple's folksie ways, what results is crystal-clear, classic Robyn Hitchcock. Starting with the absurdily great TELEVISION, right through to the quiet closing FLANAGAN'S SONG, this is a solid collection of songs that mingle wit, whimsey and menace into a sparkling cocktail. DEMON'S AND FIENDS, IF YOU KNOW TIME and WE'RE GONNA LIVE IN THE TREES are excellent, and the cover of Dylan's TRYING TO GET TO HEAVEN stands tall against the version from TIME OUT OF MIND.

Anyone who has been charmed in the past by Hitchcock's magic would be well advised to check in with SPOOKED. Not only one of the best things from Robyn Hitchcock, but one of the best from 2004.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robyn + Gillian & David = Unique Acoustic Delights, December 2, 2004

By	inside the granfalloon (Coast (Pacific)) - See all my reviews

Mighty fine a-pickin'-and-a-singin'! Buy it for Robyn, cherish it for Gillian and David and the intimate, acoustic production. The closing harmonies on "Television" are hauntingly beautiful ... you owe it to yourself to experience this track.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, October 8, 2004

By	SF Fan (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This is by far the best Robyn Hitchcock solo album in a decade. While I was a big fan of Nextdoorland, I have found his more recent solo albums to be good, but not great. Every new album has had its moments, but none really gave me that "feel" of an early Robyn Hitchcock album.

Spooked is just fantastic. It is a mostly acoustic album in the vein of EYE or I Often Dream of Trains. The songs are just wonderful, and the arrangements and production are sharp and engaging. My favorite has got to be "We're Going To Live in The Trees" followed by "Television" and "If You Know Time".

If you are a hardcore Robyn Hitchcock fan, or one of those people who thought he was "kind of okay" when he opened up for REM, or one of those people who "kind of remember that Baloon Man song", this album is for you. :)