Muse
March 30, 2001
Old Skool
by Lee Casey
More Old Skool cult heroes for you to get to know and love. This week, Lee Casey salutes The Soft Boys. "What's that?" you're saying. "You want to destroy me? Is this about the butter episode again? I thought we sorted all that out." No, this is nothing to do with your annoying personal habits. Not this time anyway. I was just singing. That's all.
"Yeah, but you were singing that you wanted to destroy me!" I know but they're the words of the song! Look, it's the first track on this here album, Underwater Moonlight, by The Soft Boys.
"Never heard of 'em. Is this another one of your weirdo Rock bands?" Well, yes and no. The Soft Boys were one of those obscure-but-influential outfits, particularly important to the development of R.E.M., at least according to Peter Buck. They were big with Yo La Tengo too, apparently.
"So what's the deal then?" They were from Cambridge in England, and formed around 1976, having evolved from an earlier ensemble called Dennis And The Experts. Although they emerged at the same time as Punk, their influences were more along the lines of Syd Barrett, Beefheart, The Beach Boys, and The Byrds. Purveyors of the finest sounds in Post-Psychedelic Paranoid Power Pop, they recorded a couple of albums, some EPs and singles, but suffered severe commercial failure and the band split in February 1981.
"So The Soft Boys were consigned to the dustbin of history?" Not really. Lead singer and songwriter Robyn Hitchcock pursued a respectable solo career, recruiting his old rhythm section for his new backing band The Egyptians in 1985. Meanwhile, guitarist Kimberley Rew went back to his previous band, The Waves. They added vocalist Katrina along the way, walked on sunshine for a while and wrote "Going Down To Liverpool" for The Bangles. They then endured a decade in the Pop wilderness only to win the 1997 Eurovision with Rew's song "Love Shine A Light". Now The Soft Boys are back together for the first time in two decades.
"What, they've re-formed?" "Reunited" is the preferred term. Hitchcock, Rew, drummer Morris Windsor, and bass player Matthew Seligman have gathered together again to re-establish those musical bonds and take their music to the people on a two-month tour of The States and Britain.
"Any new records to go along with it?" Well, Matador Records have re-released the classic Underwater Moonlight, with a very generous nine bonus tracks and a rehearsal sessions CD. This is the recording about which Hitchcock said "I thought my problems would be solved if I made an album. Think how happy Rod Stewart must be, he's made ten! It was my way of looking at the world."
"Does he have an unusual way of looking at the world then?" You could say that.
"Tell me more." Bear in mind, this is the man who wrote a song called "(I Want To Be An) Anglepoise Lamp". A psychologist who was shown the lyrics to one Soft Boys song, "Kingdom Of Love", reckoned the images of "eggs hatching under your skin" constituted a classic paranoid delusion. Hitchcock said it was about having children.
"Hmm, I see. And you want me to listen to this band then?" Definitely. If you've got a taste for non-whimsical Anglo Psychedelia with incredible Pop hooks (which I know you do) then you'll love 'em. The Soft Boys are the band you've been waiting half your life for. However, I would also like you not to leave empty butter cartons back in the fridge again. It's so annoying!
"Point taken: done and done." I hope so, I really do.
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