Weird how Matthew doesn't seem to have aged.
The Soft Boys' hugely influential 1980 neopsychedelic album Underwater Moonlight receives full archeological treatment on this double-CD set. Whether you consider it singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock's finest work or not, the cohesive, original whole it makes of roots ranging from the Byrds to Clear Spot remains dazzling. The drive and wit of earlier recordings here strains at a tightened leash that the Cambridge, England, quartet has a full grasp on. The LP's 10 tracks leap from the punkish anger of "I Wanna Destroy You" to the threatening crawl of "I Got the Hots," the angelically anthemic "Tonight," and Hitchcock's singular spin on the Beefheart-drenched blues of "Old Pervert" ("I won't do you no harm, I just wanna show you what's in my fridge/So come on, little girl, is your name Hester or maybe it's Midge?"). Nine exemplary bonus tracks, including an early Hitchcock seafood meditation "Where Are the Prawns?" and the raging metaphysical English-history tribute "Only the Stones Remain," complete the first disc. The second consists of nearly an hour of vintage lo-fi rehearsal tapes that will ultimately prove essential only to hardcore fans. With Moonlight too long out of print, though, this is a reissue to prize.
(Tue Mar 13, 2001 - 9:59:42 am)
