Fans of English singer-songwriter and guitarist Robyn Hitchcock have a reason to celebrate this winter. On December 15th, his compelling collection, “Invisible Hitchcock (Outtakes and Demos),” sees a welcome re-release (digital and CD via Tiny Ghost Records). Originally issued in 1986 on Glass Fish in the UK and Relativity in the US, the album offers a fascinating glimpse into Hitchcock’s prolific creative output of the early 1980s.
“Invisible Hitchcock” gathers outtakes and demos that were recorded during the fertile period that produced several of his most beloved albums: Black Snake Diamond Röle (1981), Groovy Decay (1982), I Often Dream of Trains (1984), Fegmania! (1985), and Gotta Let This Hen Out (1985).
Reflecting on this era, Hitchcock notes that the rise of home recording technology, such as the Portastudio, allowed him to create “reasonably good tapes” of his self-described “primitive” compositions. He describes feeling humorously out of sync with the prevailing New Romantic scene, stating, “I felt more comfortable clutching radishes outside a garden shed than trying to hang out in the Club for Heroes.”
Hitchcock actively avoided the “digital patina” obligatory for 1980s pop, preferring a “homemade and the low-budget” approach. He even felt his ‘proper’ albums sometimes seemed “rather formal,” believing that “a lot of my best performances were home recordings or studio outtakes.”
This collection, originally assembled in late 1986 from various “red-brick London” houses and studios, showcases that very intimacy and immediacy.
Bandcamp (Digital/CD): https://robynhitchcockofficial.bandcamp.com/album/invisible-hitchcock-outtakes-and-demos