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Globe of Frogs

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Globe of Frogs
Studio album by
Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians
Released1988
Recorded1987
StudioAlaska Studios and The Greenhouse
GenreRock
Length36:07
LabelA&M
Producer
  • Pat Collier
  • Robyn Hitchcock
  • Andy Metcalfe
  • Morris Windsor
Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians chronology
Element of Light
(1986) 		Globe of Frogs
(1988) 		Queen Elvis
(1989)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Chicago Sun-Times[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
Los Angeles Times[4]
NME5/10[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

Globe of Frogs is the sixth album released by Robyn Hitchcock and his third with his backing band The Egyptians, released on A&M Records in 1988. Made in London, it was recorded by the Egyptians (Robyn Hitchcock, Andy Metcalfe, and Morris Windsor) along with Pat Collier, and emerged as the group's debut after signing to major label A&M.

The album features Peter Buck from R.E.M. guesting on guitar as well as Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook dueting with Hitchcock on "Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)". Frequent Hitchcock collaborator Chris Cox also appears.

The album also includes the minor college radio hit "Balloon Man". Originally written for The Bangles,[8] the single reached #1 on Gavin Report's Alternative music chart.[9] Despite this, when asked if he hated any of his own songs in an A.V. Club interview in 2013, Hitchcock said it was a song he'd "be happy to never hear again, although I do like the money I get from the royalties."[10]

"Chinese Bones" has proved perhaps the most durable from the album, becoming one of Hitchcock's more frequently performed concert numbers.

The album was packaged in dark green, with one of Hitchcock's paintings on the front. The sleeve notes consist of his "manifesto" in which Hitchcock advocates "the organic" as opposed to the big business of "insanity" and implores listeners to bury their televisions:

"All of us exist in a swarming, pulsating world, driven mostly by an unconscious that we ignore and misunderstand. Within the framework of 'civilisation' we remain as savage as possible. Against the dense traffic of modern life, we fortify our animal selves with video violence, imaginary sex, and music...but our inflamed and disoriented psyches smoulder on beneath the wet leaves of habit."

Track listing

[edit]
  1. "Tropical Flesh Mandala"
  2. "Vibrating"
  3. "Balloon Man"
  4. "Luminous Rose"
  5. "Sleeping with Your Devil Mask"
  6. "Unsettled"
  7. "Chinese Bones"
  8. "A Globe of Frogs"
  9. "The Shapes Between Us Turn into Animals"
  10. "Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)"

Personnel

[edit]
  • Robyn Hitchcock: vocals, guitars, piano, harmonica
  • Andy Metcalf: bass guitar, accordion, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Morris Windsor: drums, backing vocals

with guests:

  • Chris Cox: Mandolin
  • Peter Buck: guitar
  • Glenn Tilbrook: harmony vocals

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Globe of Frogs
Chart (1988) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[11] 111

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Sullivan, Denise. "Globe of Frogs – Robyn Hitchcock / Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  2. ^ McLeese, Don (3 February 1988). "Hitchcock gets stranger on droll train of thought". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  3. ^ Kot, Greg (23 February 1992). "Rating The Robyn Hitchcock Solo And Group Releases". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  4. ^ McKenna, Kristine (14 February 1988). "Hitchcock's Hothouse". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  5. ^ Barron, Jack (19 March 1988). "That Croak Isn't Funny Anymore". NME. p. 32.
  6. ^ Azerrad, Michael (10 March 1988). "Robyn Hitchcock: Globe Of Frogs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 24 February 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  7. ^ Considine, J. D. (2004). "Robyn Hitchcock". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 378–380. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. ^ Locker, Melissa. "Love Story: A Q&A with Singer-Songwriter Robyn Hitchcock". Time. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  9. ^ Robins, Wayne (7 February 1998), "Robyn Hitchcock: A View From Rock's Underground", Newsday, archived from the original on 7 February 2012
  10. ^ Eakin, Marah (5 March 2013). "Robyn Hitchcock hates "Arthur's Theme" like he hates clean underwear". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 18 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Robyn Hitchcock Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2021.


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