Robyn Hitchcock is one of Englands most enduring contemporary singer/songwriters and live performers, although hes been branded eccentric and quirky during the course of his long career. Hitchcock started his recording career with the Soft Boys, a punk-era band specializing in melodic pop merged with comedic lyrics. His voice veers between John Lennon and Syd Barrett, helping to nurture his madman reputation, but his true influences lie more in English folk-rock; his guitar and vocal style and lyrical inanities recall the Incredible String Band or Roy Harper. Hitchcocks solo debut, 1981s Black Snake Diamond Role, helped consolidate his reputation as an oddball and was followed by the psychedelia of Groovy Decay in 1982 and the all-acoustic I Often Dream of Trains in 1984. By 1985, his penchant for zaniness and songsmithing coalesced with Fegmania! Three years later, Hitchcock landed his first major U.S. label contract with A&M Records and released Globe of Frogs in 1988 and Queen Elv