Soft Boys. Two Halves for the Price of One (Only the Stones Remain & Lope at the Hive).

Released after the band had broken up, Two Halves was exactly what it claimed. Individually titled and designed as a double A-Side, Only the Stones Remain collected their last studio sessions up against Lope at the Hive, a swaggering, gutsy set recorded live at the Hope & Anchor. A few of the songs later made it onto the 1976-1981 compilation, but the full album has never been reissued. Never one to hide their influences, The Soft Boys indulge in numerous cover songs here, with a faithful rendition of the The Bells of Rhymney on the studio side, and rollicking versions of Astronomy Domine, Outlaw Blues, and Mystery Train finishing out their live set.

Two Halves

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Museum of Robyn Hitchcock

Soft Boys. 1976-1981.

Although Robyn Hitchcock made a much bigger splash as a solo artist with the Egyptians, it was his work with the Soft Boys that had the most influence on the first wave of alternative bands. Everyone from R.E.M., the Flaming Lips, and Camper Van Beethoven to the entire ‘90s psychedelic noise pop scene owe him a debt. They were contrarian anti-heroes during English punk’s heyday—a whimsical, twisted beast that combined the Byrds’ chiming chords, the Beatle’s sense of melody, and early Pink Floyd’s tea-time hallucinogens while often sounding like Syd Barrett fronting the Buzzcocks covering Captain Beefheart. Needless to say, they were as odd and charming as any of the things they wrote about. Sort of the Monty Python of indie rock.

1976-1981 collects early recordings from Robyn’s living room, the difficult to find (I Want to Be) An Anglepoise Lamp single, selections from the obscure Two Halfs for the Price of One, and bits of all their proper albums.

Disc 1
Disc 2

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Museum of Robyn Hitchcock