Reason #239: Fegmania!
1985’s Fegmania!, technically a Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians release (must give credit where it’s due), is regarded by most fans as one of his absolute best releases, and I will not argue that. With former members of The Soft Boys on board Fegmania! retains some of the playful, post punk arrangements of Underwater Moonlight but pushes the ante up a notch or two on Hitchcock’s weird but totally enjoyable psychedelia. The icon that springs to mind whenever I’m listening to Hitchcock is Syd Barrett, and that’s no bad thing. The Beatles influence is also apparent, but subtle enough as to not interfere with the originality of Hitchcock’s singular style. Fegmania! is still uniquely Hitchcock.
Sonically Fegmania! sounds more polished and dare I say professional than prior efforts, but again, no bad thing. As a whole the LP retains a sort of home spun charm that made me fall in love with his work a long time ago. Egyptian Cream and The Man With The Lightbulb Head are two standouts to get you motivated, if you’re interested in pursuing this fantastic album (assuming you are not familiar with this one, but I suspect a number of you reading this are), and you should be.
You’re coming up with some goodies recently, Ian. Another in a long line of albums I need to investigate. I was really hooked by the Syd influence but have never listened to a whole album. You may/may not be interested to know that I presumably live very close to Robyn here in West London, we occasionally queue together in the local coffee shop. If I listen to this album, I might finally have something to ask him about…
Another great pick! Is this what Syd would have sounded like if he somehow could have pulled it together? I have an emotional bond with “Glass.” “Insect Mother,” too. So many great songs here.