''Planet England'' is a collaborative EP by English

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

songwriters

Robyn Hitchcock Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born 3 March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano, and bass guitar. After leading the Soft Boys in the late 1970s and releasing the ...

and

Andy Partridge Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer-songwriter and record producer best known for co-founding the band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writing a ...

. It was released September 6, 2019 by Partridge's label, Ape House.

Recording and songwriting process

The recordings were first made in 2006 in Partridge's backyard home studio in

Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

, 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 ''Abbey Road'' is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 26 September 1969, by Apple Records. It is the last album the group recorded, although '' Let It Be'' (1970) was the last album completed before th ...

'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. 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 Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, guitarist and songwriter who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Until his departure in 1968, he was Pink Floyd's frontman and primary songwriter, ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...

, and

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born 'Don Glen Vliet'; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as the M ...

. (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.

Critical reception

Mark Smotroff of ''Audiophile Review'' said that the EP "initially underwhelmed me, but on subsequent listens tscharms and strengths emerge," giving particular praise to how well the singers' voices work together, and the "unexpected chord changes ndharmonic shifts" of the " McCartney-esque" song "Got My..." ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine focussing on rare and collectable records, and the bands who recorded them. It was founded in September 1979 and distributes worldwide. It is promoted as "the world’s leading authority o ...

'' magazine said the EP was "a small eternity in gestation but is eminently worth the wait; a plump, luscious yield."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 2019 collaborative albums Robyn Hitchcock albums Andy Partridge albums