Strange Hobby

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Strange Hobby
Strange Hobby.jpg
Studio album by
Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Released1996
Genre Psychedelic rock, rock, folk rock
Label Transmission, Cherry Red Records (Re-Release)
Arjen Anthony Lucassen chronology
Actual Fantasy
(1996)		Strange Hobby
(1996)		 Into the Electric Castle
(1998)

Strange Hobby is an uncredited cover album by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, released in 1996. The album and the booklet contained no information about Lucassen and did not explain who was responsible for the recordings, to make the album even more "strange". [1]

Contents

The album features covers of songs that have influenced Lucassen's musical development, mainly from the 1960s. [1] As he did in his solo album Pools of Sorrow, Waves of Joy , Lucassen makes all the vocals and all the instruments (except drums and synthesizer), and arranged all the songs himself.

The album was re-released on 8 July 2016 with four previously unreleased bonus tracks; this time, Lucassen was officially credited as the artist. [2]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Original artist (date)Length
1."Arnold Layne" Syd Barrett Pink Floyd (1967)2:59 [3]
2."Norwegian Wood" John Lennon, Paul McCartney The Beatles (1965)2:07
3."Pictures of Matchstick Men" Francis Rossi Status Quo (1968)3:10
4."I Am a Rock" Paul Simon Paul Simon (1965)2:35
5."Boris the Spider" John Entwistle The Who (1966)2:10
6."(Further Reflections) In the Room of Percussion"Eddy Pumer, Peter Daltrey Kaleidoscope (1967)3:11
7."Sunny Afternoon" Ray Davies The Kinks (1966)3:29
8."See Emily Play"Syd BarrettPink Floyd (1967)2:41
9."For No One"John Lennon, Paul McCartneyThe Beatles (1966)2:02
10."I Want You" Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (1966)2:38
11."Bus Stop" Graham Gouldman The Hollies (1966)3:05
12."Flowers in the Rain" Roy Wood The Move (1967)2:11
13."The Letter" Wayne Carson Thompson The Box Tops (1967)2:08
14."Ride a White Swan" Marc Bolan T. Rex (1970)2:18
15."Sloop John B"Traditional West Indies (Bahamas) folk song, The Kingston Trio, Brian Wilson The Beach Boys (1966)2:55
16."Daydream Believer" John Stewart The Monkees (1967)2:42
17."Catch the Wind" Donovan Donovan (1965)1:58
18."Ice in the Sun" Marty Wilde, Ronnie Scott Status Quo (1968)2:26
2016 reissue and Itunes bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artist (date)Length
19."Pretty Girls" Arjen Anthony Lucassen original song2:41 [4]
20."In the Room of Percussion"Eddy Pumer, Peter DaltreyKaleidoscope (1967)2:26
21."Last Train to Clarksville" Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart The Monkees (1966)2:27
22."Ruby Tuesday" Mick Jagger, Keith Richards The Rolling Stones (1967)2:48

Commercial reception

The album was a commercial loss, partially because Lucassen was not well known at that time (his success really started with Into the Electric Castle ). Years later, Arjen stated "it may not be smart from a commercial point of view, but it was fun". [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Strange Hobby – Strange Hobby". ArjenLucassen.com. 2010-12-12. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
  2. ↑ "Strange Hobby". Cheeryred.co.uk. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Ayreon - strange hobby - chroniques, informations (1996)". Amarokprog.net. Retrieved 2011-09-01.
  4. ↑ "Arjen Lucassen's Strange Hobby, Itunes". Itunes.Apple.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
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