| Planet England | ||||
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | September 6, 2019 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 16:56 | |||
| Label | Ape House | |||
| Robyn Hitchcock chronology | ||||
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| Andy Partridge chronology | ||||
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Planet England is a collaborative EP by English alternative rock songwriters Robyn Hitchcock and Andy Partridge. It was released September 6,2019 by Partridge's label,Ape House. [1] [2] [3] [4]
The recordings were first made in 2006 in Partridge's backyard home studio in Swindon,England,which Hitchcock jokingly described in one interview as "two old psychedelic pensioners rocking away in a shed in a back garden," but also noted that Partridge's well-known production and technical skills made his back-garden shed "the equivalent of the entire firepower of Abbey Road's Studio One." The songs were written together around Partridge's kitchen table,in what Partridge described as a "genuine 50/50 collaboration." Both men sang and played guitar;Partridge played bass and drum programming,and did most of the post-production. The recordings were not completed until 2018,when Hitchcock and Partridge got back together to mix them. [4] [5] [6]
Both Hitchcock and Partridge remarked in the press that their collaborative songwriting came unexpectedly easily,perhaps because of their similar life experience as vanguards of the 1970s/1980s alternative rock movement and similar set of influences,including Syd Barrett,The Beatles,The Kinks,and Captain Beefheart. [4] [5] (The title of "Turn Me On,Deadman" references the backwards-masked phrase that can supposedly be heard in the Beatles' "Revolution No. 9.") Another collaborative album is planned. [7]
Mark Smotroff of Audiophile Review said that the EP "initially underwhelmed me,but on subsequent listens [its] charms and strengths emerge," giving particular praise to how well the singers' voices work together,and the "unexpected chord changes [and] harmonic shifts" of the "McCartney-esque" song "Got My..." [8] Record Collector magazine said the EP was "a small eternity in gestation but is eminently worth the wait;a plump,luscious yield." [7]
All tracks are written by Robyn Hitchcock and Andy Partridge.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Turn Me On, Deadman" | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Flight Attendants, Please Prepare for Love" | 3:59 |
| 3. | "Got My..." | 3:40 |
| 4. | "Planet England" | 5:43 |
