Robyn Hitchcock / I Often Dream Of Trains (UK, Midnight Music, CHIME 00.05 S) <1984>

Robyn Hitchcock / I Often Dream Of Trains (UK, Midnight Music, CHIME 00.05 S) <1984>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjpG9xbiqQ0&list=OLAK5uy_nkOwl-6E7sHo0WWFocmvlVsETVkm3W0mk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfuWhAT81P0&list=OLAK5uy_nkOwl-6E7sHo0WWFocmvlVsETVkm3W0mk&index=2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fhnPFtltjk&list=OLAK5uy_nkOwl-6E7sHo0WWFocmvlVsETVkm3W0mk&index=3

The Soft BoysやRobyn Hitchcockというと下手糞・ヘンテコ音楽・・・と思って手を出していない人が多いでしょうが、この作品は別格。やっぱり下手糞・ヘンテコではありますが、それを補ってあまりある魅力的な楽曲が詰め込まれています。UKオリジナル盤は、数千円しますが、たまにびっくりするほど安くで見かけます。ジャケはペラペラで、いい状態のコピーは少ないです。

I Often Dream of Trains is the third album by Robyn Hitchcock, released in 1984. It is Hitchcock's first acoustic-based album.

After the break-up of The Soft Boys, Hitchcock recorded two solo albums — 1981's Black Snake Diamond Role and 1982's poorly received Groovy Decay — before hitting an artistic slump mitigated only by some collaborations with Captain Sensible. Hitchcock worked odd jobs, including a stint as a gardener and a journalist. Hitchcock felt compelled to return to music after listening to Wading Through A Ventilator, a 1984 EP that compiles The Soft Boys' early singles. He wanted to make a fully solo album that, he would later comment, "only I could be blamed for".

The album was recorded in the space of a few days under the working title Crystal Branches (taken from a line in the song "Winter Love", not originally included in the track listing). Hitchcock contributes vocals, acoustic and electric guitar and piano.

The vinyl album was fourteen tracks, bookended by the piano-based instrumental "Nocturne". In 1986, the album was reissued on CD with tracks taken from Hitchcock's recent B sides. A later CD edition saw yet more extras thrown in, all of which were demos of tracks originally included, bringing the listing to a total of twenty-four tracks. A third CD edition dropped the previous demo bonus tracks, along with "Mellow Together", but added more unreleased songs.

In 2009 a live recording titled I Often Dream of Trains in New York was released by Yep Roc, recorded at a 2008 concert at which Robyn Hitchcock performed almost every track on 'I Often Dream of Trains', as well as other songs from the era and one contemporary song.