Past Lives

ROBYN HITCHCOCK
1967 - Vacations in the Past
(Tiny Ghost Records)
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The punk/new wave explosion in UK in the mid to late 1970s offered a stage to any number of highly talented oddballs who despite boasting innate musical intelligence and creativity by the bucket load might have otherwise struggled to find an audience. Arguably none has lasted longer and achieved more - and yet still avoided becoming a household name, than Robyn Hitchcock.

His first band, The Soft Boys, may have appeared on the same bill as many of the early punk stars but their irreverent, off the wall humour and overt psychedelic influences set them streets apart from their contemporaries. That which can't be easily pigeonholed, can be easily disregarded by the fashion conscious music press of the day, all the more so with titles like "Wading through a Ventilator and "I Wanna Be an Anglepoise Lamp".

Within a just few short years though, the Soft Boys were being cited as a major influence by the likes of REM. Hitchcock himself had already embarked on a solo career that over 43 years has produced 23 (Wikipedia) … or 28 (Discogs) solo albums, and seen him work with, collaborate with, and/or have his songs recorded by REM, The Replacements, Neko Case, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Lou Barlow, Grant Lee Phillips, Sparklehorse, and Suzanne Vega with the Grateful Dead. Fast forward to 2024 and Hitchcock, now 71 but still recording and touring relentlessly, is in reflective mood.

June saw the publication of his memoir, "1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left", part autobiography, part homage to the year he musically came of age and embarked on the journey he's showing no signs of disembarking from. Now with '1967 - Vacations in the Past', comes the album of the book, out on September 13, and which sees Hitchcock together with assorted collaborators record the very songs from 1967, which influenced his decision to attempt a career in music. "The soundtrack of when the world went into colour, and the child I was hatched into a teenager.” And not just record them, but record them acoustically, " …as they would have been written….", " Shorn of the state-of-1967 production that encased them on record”.

It's a brave, many would suggest reckless venture. Attempting to re-imagine a single late 1960s classic as a nod to your musical foundations or with a deliberately playful reinterpretation could be easily forgiven if it goes wrong. But an entire album of beloved classics?

The good news is that Hitchcock and co show due deference to the material without attempting simply to recreate the originals. And for most of the eleven covers presented the re-imagining works. It's worth remembering that state of the art recording in 1967 meant 4 track recorders and multiple overdubs, with the inevitable loss of clarity and separation between the instruments. Even the most iconic of tunes can sound a touch muddy in comparison with the crystal clear production modern studios can produce.

The album opening number "Whiter Shade of Pale", is case in point. Hitchcock has replaced Procul Harem's grandiose Bach cathedral organ, with a melody instead picked out on guitars - mainly acoustic and substituted Gary Brooker's tortured white soul wail with a gruff Dylanesque whisper. Bizarre as it might sound described here, it works.

No less odd but in a different way is his take on "Itchycoo Park". Having added reverb to an otherwise largely - and delightfully - straight acoustic take on The Small Faces' original Hitchcock waits until the outro to add his own distinct mark. The outgoing refrain of "It's all too beautiful", veers off into a wash of dub-echo - which fits the tune so well, its tempting to think Marriot and co might have opted for the same touch had the technology and the production tastes of 1967 allowed.The effort to recreate the songs as they might have been originally demoed acoustically is more apparent, and more effective, on Hitchcock's takes on The Move's "I Can Hear The Grass Grow" and Tomorrow's "My White Bicycle".

The former, shorn of its frantic pop stylings, takes on a childlike innocence while the latter minus the frenetic drumming and screaming, reverse-phased psychedelic guitar of the original, goes a step further, sounding as if it could have been produced by pre burnout Syd Barrett - himself represented here by an elegant run through of Pink Floyd's "See Emily Play".

The same is true of Hitchcock's take on The Incredible String Band's "Way Back in the 1960s" - which differs little from the original and surprisingly perhaps, his take on The Beatles' "A Day in the Life".

Both are odd choices, being both non singles and the closing tracks on their respective albums. "A Day In the Life", especially so given both its creation and realisation were so heavily dependent on pushing the boundaries of the studio technology of the day. Again though the lighter production works well, especially the addition of retro vinyl surface noise scratches over the opening. An ironic touch, Beatles fanatics are unlikely to get upset about.

Arguably the "demo feel" is most apparent on Hitchcock's version of The Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset". It's here that the project could have most spectacularly come unstuck. Not without reason did the so called "dean of American rock critics", Robert Christgau describe the track as "the most beautiful song in the English language". As such, relying solely on acoustic guitars to carry both the famous descending bass line opening and the melody could have risked destroying the song's fragile balance. Again though - is this getting repetitive? - it works. The uncluttered sound pushing the vocals to the fore, further showcasing the song's melancholy beauty.

No less respectful is the take on Traffic's "No Face, No Name, No Number" which, substituting a relaxed mournful vocal for Steve Winwood's overblown white soul wail, is frankly an improvement on the original.

Inevitably not all the experiments and interpretation are successful. Rendered acoustically, Hendrix' "Burning the Midnight Lamp" loses its edgy energy, which coupled with Hitchcock's vocal styling makes it sound like an outtake from an early Bowie album. Not that that's a bad thing, but compared to the other songs here it's a disappointment.

The one true low point though is his attempt at Scott Mackenzie's "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)". Slowed to a lumbering bass-heavy crawl and a rather sinister whispered vocal, it loses all the innocent optimism of the original, and seems out of keeping with the rest of the album.

Along with the eleven covers Hitchcock includes a single song of his own; "Vacations in the Past" - both title track, and perhaps a little obviously, a direct reflection of this 71 year old musician on the period that inspired him to make a career in music. A gentle hymn for a lost golden age of innocence and experimentation, had it been written by anyone else it could easily have teetered over the edge into self indulgence. A reflective and nostalgic full stop on a remarkable, and remarkably still widely unrecognised career.

As it is we learn that while holidaying in the halcyon days of his youth he "fumble(s) for tomorrow like an octopus on speed… tentacles akimbo". Ah, there's life in the old Soft Boy yet!

Robyn Hitchcock 2024 UK Tour Dates
3rd September - Newcastle, Common Room
5th September - Bath, Komedia (full band show)
6th September - Cambridge, Portland Arms
7th September - Cambridge, Portland Arms (full band show)
8th September - Oxted, United Reformed Church
10th September - Oxford, Jericho (full band show)
11th September - Brighton, Komedia
12th September - Ramsgate, Music Hall
13th September - Twyford, St Mary’s Church
14th September - London, Earth Theatre (full band show) - special guest Stewart Lee