Planet England
{{Infobox album
| name = Planet England
| type = EP
| artist = Robyn Hitchcock & Andy Partridge
| cover = Robyn_Hitchcock_&_Andy_Partridge_-_Planet_England.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2019|09|06}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Alternative rock
| length = {{Duration|m=16|s=56}}
| label = Ape House
| producer =
| misc = {{Extra chronology
| artist = Robyn Hitchcock
| type = EP
| prev_title = Robyn Hitchcock
| prev_year = 2017
| title = Planet England
| year = 2019
| next_title = The Man Downstairs: Demos & Rarities
| next_year = 2020
}}
{{Extra chronology
| artist = Andy Partridge
| type = EP
| prev_title = Gonwards (with Peter Blegvad)
| prev_year = 2012
| title = Planet England
| year = 2019
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
}}
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.{{cite web|url= https://www.allmusic.com/album/planet-england-mw0003307128|title= Robyn Hitchcock & Andy Partridge - Planet England |publisher=Allmusic.com|access-date=2020-08-11}}{{cite web |url= https://www.discogs.com/Robyn-Hitchcock-Andy-Partridge-Planet-England/release/14097483 |title= Robyn Hitchcock / Andy Partridge – Planet England |author= |website=Discogs |access-date=2020-08-11}}{{cite news |last= Arcand |first= Rob |date= August 4, 2019 |title= Robyn Hitchcock and XTC’s Andy Partridge Announce Collaborative EP as Planet England |url= https://www.spin.com/2019/08/robyn-hitchcock-xtc-andy-partridge-announce-planet-england-ep/ |work=Spin |access-date=2020-08-11 }}{{cite web |url= https://www.brooklynvegan.com/robyn-hitchcock-xtcs-andy-partridge-finally-releasing-long-in-the-works-ep/ |title= Robyn Hitchcock & XTC’s Andy Partridge finally releasing long-in-the-works EP |last=Pearis |first=Bill |date= August 5, 2019 |website=Brooklyn Vegan |access-date=2020-08-11}}
Recording and songwriting process
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.{{cite news |last=Hertweck |first=Nate |date=2019-12-08 |title= Robyn Hitchcock On Nashville Living, His 'Planet England' EP, John Lennon's Legacy & Making "Beatles Music" |url= https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/robyn-hitchcock-nashville-living-his-planet-england-ep-john-lennons-legacy-making |work=Grammys.com |access-date=2020-08-11 }}
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.{{cite news |last= Enos |first= Morgan |date=2019-09-03 |title= Andy Partridge and Robyn Hitchcock on Being Old Competitors and Now 'Dismal, British' Collaborators |url= https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8528671/andy-partridge-robyn-hitchcock-planet-england-interview |work=Billboard |access-date=2020-08-11 }} (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 [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..."{{cite news |last= Smotroff |first= Mark |date= October 3, 2019 |title= XTC Sensations - Robyn Hitchcock, Andy Partridge, Colin Moulding, Terry Chambers, On Two New 10-inch Vinyl EPs |url= https://audiophilereview.com/audiophile-music/aspirations-inspirations-and-xtc-sensations---robyn-hitchcock-andy-partridge-colin-moulding-terry-ch.html |work=Audiophile Review |access-date=2020-08-11 }} Record Collector magazine said the EP was "a small eternity in gestation but is eminently worth the wait; a plump, luscious yield."{{cite news |date=Christmas 2019 |title= Robyn Hitchcock and Andy Partridge |url= https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/robyn-hitchcock-andy-partridge|issue=500 |work=Record Collector |access-date=2020-08-11 }}
Track listing
{{Track listing
|all_writing=Robyn Hitchcock and Andy Partridge
|title1= Turn Me On, Deadman
|length1=3:34
|title2= Flight Attendants, Please Prepare for Love
|length2=3:59
|title3= Got My...
|length3=3:40
|title4= Planet England
|length4=5:43
}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Robyn Hitchcock}}
{{XTC}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:2019 collaborative albums