Search - Robyn Hitchcock :: Groovy Decoy

Don't Listen To The Critics

XraySpex | 06/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes I am a Hitchcock fan. I love his work with the Soft Boys. Egyptians and solo. He does rhyme almost everything, but many times those rhymes are the most entertaining ever produced and even when he gets as bad as rhyming logs with hogs there are worse crimes in music. Some have a strong preference for his stripped down bare approach, "Eye", "I Often Dream Of Trains", "Moss Elixir", to his heavily produced work,"Perspex Island", "Respect", "Queen Elvis" and vica versa. Personally I love his songwriting and find all his work worthwhile. Therefore I can't understand the slagging this album gets. "Young People Scream", "When I Was A Kid", "St. Petersburg", and "Nightride To Trinidad" are classics. Some of the best work he has done hands down. They sound great no matter in what version I have heard. I have no clue when people talk about the sound ruining them. They sound great no matter what. The rest of the material is pretty darn good as well. "Fifty Two Stations", "It Was The Night", "The Cars She Used To Drive", and "America", are all solid. Even the goofy, "Midnight Fish", is awesome. "Grooving On An Inner Plane", is another classic I didn't even mention. The only song I failed to mention is, "How Do You Work This Thing", which may be pedestrian compared to the rest, but isn't bad. This is a great album. Don't listen to the mindless blathering of people that jump on the bandwagon of criticizing this album for stupid reasons like the saxaphone was too high in the mix."

See what happens when you over-produce good material!

XraySpex | 09/06/1998

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Written during possibly the most difficult time for Robyn, this maelstrom of sort-of mainstream tunes (with saxaphone!) has a distinct early-mid eighties feel to it. The versions of 'Fifty to stations', 'St Petersburg' and 'Nightride to Trinidad' are identical to those on the later release of the demos for this album, 'groovy decoy'. In general 'decay' has a more jerky feel than 'decoy' which is at time invigourating and at others irritating. For those of you who haven't heard the more easily available 'decoy', the album tracks are like this:'Nightride' - classic but very annoying Robyn at his silliest - saxaphone swing and 'floating in a vat of leaves' type stuff'Fifty two stations' - classic track - worth buying the album for - moody, unlike the awful version on 'kershaw sessions''Young people scream' - feels like a soft-boys reject song - the version on 'decay' sounds rushed, as if Robyn couldn't wait to get down the pub.'The Rain' - dull dull dull dullAmerica - Another low key nocturnal slowish sounding number. what IS he on about?How do you - wonderful silliness, short, tempo changing and in your face - you'll be singing it all the way to the grocers!The cars she used to drive - Marvellous vintage robyn - silly-but serious - shame about the sax! The 'decoy' version is slower and better'Grooving' - another older song, good in a 'not really kind of listening to it but it's creeping up toward me from the corner of my living room' kind of a way, although there is another, better version elsewhere.'St Petersburg' - moody, slow, deep, bizarre, simple but effective. Wonderful!When I was - the soft boys version was unlistenable and this isn't much better, and doesn't even have the word 'Cleethorpes' at the end to keep you listening.Midnight fish - 'great, a more funky version than on 'Decoy' and here the sax actually works - as silly as the title suggests and upbeat and kinda sexual (if you like that sort of thing)It was - great song which never seems to be recorded quite right - slow with sax and not quite interesting enough to stop you turning the cd off if 'friends' has just come on the tv.Overall the album suffers from nasty overproduction and 'i've done so many takes of this song i don't know what's good anymore' syndrome. Overall it's difficult to chose between it and 'decoy' but the cover art on 'decay' probably makes it a winner. If you're buying your first RH album don't make it this one, try 'Moss Elixir', 'Respect' or even 'Black Snake Diamond Role' instead. If you're a fan then 'decay' is a must for completists' but a dissapointment if you already have 'decoy'. Listen to it late at night."

Far from being even close to his worst!!

Bill Wikstrom | Long Island, NY | 09/07/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have never been able to understand why this ablum is/was so highly criticised. It is far from being his worst. Sure, Steve Hillage probably was the wrong choice for producer but the songs shine through. All you have to do is refer to his sadly boring, samey, tepid albums of the 90's (Mossy Liqour/Elixer, Jewels For Sophia/Star For Bram) for his worst. Let's look at the songs.

"Nightride to Trinidad" funny, jaunty little tune makes for an uncharacteristic opener. Robyn's sole compostion to possibly inspire a conga line.

Weird I know.

"52 Stations" is Robyn is his most direct lyrically. Great!

"Young People Scream" is a great funny diatribe against the old.

Some great guitar playing. This song should've been a hit.

"The Rain" an extremely effective and atmospheric song. Chilling.

"America" has a great riff but the song is a bit half-baked. Could've been great.

"How Do You Work This Thing" is possibly the funniest song ever about a penis.

"The Cars She Used To Drive" is an analogy for the men she used to "drive". One of Robyn's finest songs.

"Grooving On An Inner Plane" is a so-so parody of a disco song.

"St. Petersburg" (not the same as by Supergrass) & "It Was The Night" make really good use of the saxophone. And are Robyn's most chilling and romantic songs ever, respectively.

"When I Was A Kid" is a needless rehash of an old Soft Boys tune.

The original version (on Invisible Hits) is much better.

"Midnight Fish" is a fun, funny singalong with fish an analogy for...a phallus. Great lyrics, his only real new wavey dance song

too.



If you like The Soft Boys or Robyn then pick this up. It's his only true "new wave" record. And that's only decidely due to the production. Which again, is not all that bad."