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Robyn Hitchcock’s 2006 album Olé! Tarantula was such a strong comeback it re-kindled my interest in The Soft Boys 2004 reunion album, Nextdoorland, which then whetted my appetite to dig out their second album, and opus, 1980’s Underwater Moonlight. Whew - that was a mouthful. I had some of this album on cassette, but in ‘02 Matador re-released it with some interesting bonus tracks from the era tacked on to the end of disc one, plus a fairly decent second disc of demos..
Being that I was five years old at the time of Underwater Moonlight’s release, I came to know of the group, not directly, but through their influence on much of the (more interesting) music of the mid-late ’80s and nineties. A new wave, post punk cross-breed, this Byrds and Captain Beefheart obsessed group must have seemed incredibly out of place at the time, which is most definitely why they never achieved any of the acclaim of their peers. As it would play out vocalist Robyn Hitchcock would go on to inhabit cult-like status with his work withthe Egyptians.
If you’re a fan of Hitchcock’s latest incarnation, the Venus 3, or his past projects give these neo-classics a download. I’m sure I’ll be listening to a few of these flying cross-country back to the east coast for the holidays this evening. Cheers.
Elsewhere: Nice audio interview with Hitchcock on NPR’s World Cafe December 7, 2006 .
DOWNLOAD:
MP3: The Soft Boys :: I Wanna Destroy You
MP3: The Soft Boys :: I Got The Hots
MP3: The Soft Boys :: Old Pervert
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Amazon: The Soft Boys :: Underwater Moonlight
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