Billboard
July 6, 1996
Robyn Hitchcock Takes A Solo Turn
Moss Elixir Marks WB Debut Without Egyptians
by Craig Rosen
After having his back-catalog with The Soft Boys and The Egyptians reissued by Ryko and Rhino, respectively, veteran British eccentric Robyn Hitchcock has emerged with his first studio album in four years under a new deal with Warner Bros. Records.
Hitchcock's Warner debut, Moss Elixir, will be released on CD and cassette Aug. 13. But even before the official release, Warner Bros. will whet the appetites of Hitchcock's loyal following with the July 23 release of the limited-edition, vinyl-only Mossy Liquor: Outtakes And Prototypes. That album, which will be released in a limited run of 2,500 copies, will feature alternate versions of six of the tracks on Moss Elixir, as well as six songs not available elsewhere.
Moss Elixir also marks Hitchcock's first new album since disbanding his
longtime band, The Egyptians.
Says Hitchcock, "It's really sad for bunches of men over 40 to go around together. Either you do it because you're making millions of dollars or because you are some Punk band who has been offered some gigs in Spain. Otherwise, after a certain age, you just don't want to go around with your legs tied together anymore."
So in 1994, Hitchcock began recording Moss Elixir as a solo project. "I
felt that I wanted to make a record that didn't need a band," he says. "I
wanted to put only what was needed on the record. When you have a band, you have to find work for them. If you have a drummer, you can't say, 'I only want drums on three songs out of 12.'"
Free from the constraints of a band and a recording contract, Hitchcock, who was between contracts when he began working on the album, enjoyed a newfound sense of freedom. "I had no deal and no band, and I could do what I wanted as long as I didn't spend too much money."
The low-budget approach suited Hitchcock well. "I never believed that throwing money at recordings has paid off for me," he says. "My success with records has always been in inverse proportion to the amount of money that is spent on it."
The strategy of inviting a variety of players -- including violinist Deni Bonet and saxophonist Ntshuks Bonga -- to play on individual songs (published by August 23 Music) worked well.
"I'm an immediate artist," he says. "I don't produce entranced music. I'm not like Bryan Ferry (who I happen to really like). Some people work by building songs up out of layers and layers. We tried a bit of layering with The Egyptians. But my stuff is intimate. It works best when it's just a voice and a couple of guitars."
Other supporting players appearing on the album are onetime Captain Beefheart guitarist Morris Tepper -- whose playing Hitchcock describes as "tasty. You can almost eat what he plays."
However, Hitchcock didn't abandon the band format entirely. He just borrowed a group. Up-and-coming British act Homer backed Hitchcock on a few tracks.
"I borrow them when I need a Rock band," he says. "Every so often they will open for me, or I will go and join them for an encore. We re-created Bob Dylan's 1966 Albert Hall show the other week -- but everyone shouted 'Judas' at the wrong time."
Like Dylan, Hitchcock is not a big fan of spending a lot of time in the studio. "With sustained periods of recording, you tend to have to go over things a lot of times, and the performances become sterile," he says. "I suppose I'm like Dylan or John Cale. If I don't get it in two takes, that's
it."
Moss Elixir and Mossy Liquor won't be the only Hitchcock albums
released in the coming months. Hitchcock's former label, A&M, has a greatest hits album set for a September 10 release, as part of its Backlot Series of reissues and compilations. Rhino also has a Hitchcock retrospective on tap for early-1997.
Having all of his earlier material in print is pleasing, but it's also somewhat overwhelming for Hitchcock. "When I had two records out in the Soft Boys days, I would frequently listen to them. But now I'm up to about 20 albums (or something like that). I don't think I've even got copies of everything. But it proves that I must have existed."
For Hitchcock, the move to Warner Bros. makes perfect sense. "This is a realistic deal," he says. "There are projects that Warner will be spending money on, but we are not costing them a fortune. No one here thinks I'm here to be catapulted into R.E.M.'s shoes (or Madonna's).
"There's people like Elvis Costello and Lou Reed (and other similar characters). And I think it fits very much to have me on this, sort of, label."
Warner Bros. product manager Marilyn Gardner concurs. "We've always been an artist-driven label, and Robyn is very much his own artist. He's always done his own thing and walked down his own path."
Gardner hopes that Warner Bros. will be able to attract new fans for Hitchcock. "His music has influenced a lot of people. But a lot of kids who are listening to music today don't know who he is, so we want to expand his base and open people's eyes."
Initially, Hitchcock may be preaching to the converted. Plans are for Hitchcock to go out on tour with Billy Bragg, another critically-acclaimed-but-commercially-underappreciated Britrocker, in October.
"It's going to be a double-header," says Hitchcock, who points out that both he and Bragg are managed by Peter Jenner and booked by Steve Martin.
For the tour, Hitchcock is planning to play solo, with accompaniment from an occasional support player (such as Bonet). "Bands are noisy and expensive things," Hitchcock says. "And humans are costly animals to feed and carry around."
Warner is also hoping to land Hitchcock a support spot with a younger act, and will continue to tap into the faithful at college radio and independent retail.
Chris Douridas, music director and host of Morning Becomes Eclectic at
public radio station KCRW Santa Monica, California, is looking forward to the
album's release.
"He's a core artist for us," he says. "When Robyn Hitchcock comes out with an album, we always pluck it out of the mail and get right at it."
At press time, Warner Bros. had yet to choose a single. But the label plans to focus on college radio, triple-A, and Modern Rock stations.
Joel Oberstein, director of retail operations for the 24-store Simi
Valley, California-based Tempo Music and Video chain, also expects support from
Hitchcock's core following. "His fans continue to buy his albums much the way that Lou Reed's or Neil Young's do," he says. "The vinyl pre-release is a different and unique idea for a different and unique artist."
As for the future, Hitchcock has several other things on tap, including a film project with acclaimed director Jonathan Demme. However, Hitchcock is hesitant to go into details at the moment. "I have to get a bit more done on them or else I'll just wander off and milk a cow (or something) -- and we can't have that now, can we?"
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