''Olé! Tarantula'' is the fifteenth studio album by
Robyn Hitchcock, recorded with
Peter Buck of
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternative ...
,
Scott McCaughey of
Young Fresh Fellows, and
Bill Rieflin of
Ministry
Ministry may refer to:
Government
* Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister
* Ministry (government department), a department of a government
Religion
* Christian ...
. Together, they are known as Robyn Hitchcock and The Venus 3. It was recorded in Seattle, Washington, in 2006, the same year of its release.
The album contains ten original compositions, continuing largely in the vein of Hitchcock's ''
Spooked'', which was also made in close collaboration with other musicians. Of the tracks, "Adventure Rocket Ship" was pulled for a single and released with an animated promotional video. Several other tracks including "Olé Tarantula" and "(A Man's Gotta Know His Limitations) Briggs" had been in Hitchcock's live act for some time prior to this release. ("Briggs" had already seen the light of day on ''
Obliteration Pie''.) The track "N.Y. Doll" is a eulogy of sorts to
Arthur Kane
Arthur Harold Kane Jr. (February 3, 1949 – July 13, 2004) was a musician best known as the bass guitarist for the pioneering glam rock band the New York Dolls. Kane was a founding member of the Dolls in 1971 and remained an integral part of the ...
, the
New York Dolls
New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial succe ...
bassist who had recently died.
Other guest musicians include former
Soft Boys
The Soft Boys were an English rock band led by Robyn Hitchcock primarily during the 1970s, whose initially old-fashioned music style of psychedelic/folk-rock became part of the neo-psychedelia scene with the release of '' Underwater Moonlight''. ...
Morris Windsor and Kimberley Rew.
The cover image and internal cartoons are drawn by Hitchcock.
Track list
All tracks written by Robyn Hitchcock, except where noted.
#"Adventure Rocket Ship" – 2:50
#"Underground Sun" – 3:57
#"Museum of Sex" – 4:00
#"Belltown Ramble" – 6:15
#"Olé! Tarantula" - 3:51
#"(A Man's Gotta Know His Limitations) Briggs" – 5:34
#"Red Locust Frenzy" – 3:00
#"'Cause It's Love (Saint Parallelogram)" (lyrics: Hitchcock; music: Hitchcock,
Andy Partridge
Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who founded the rock music, rock band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writi ...
) – 3:23
#"The Authority Box" – 4:13
#"N.Y. Doll" – 3:45
References
External links
Proper Records review
Robyn Hitchcock albums
2006 albums
Yep Roc Records albums
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